Updates NASA New Horizons Mission Updates

[Notebook]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34358723

A great swathe of Pluto that features a strange rippling terrain is perhaps the highlight of the latest image release from the New Horizons mission.

The Nasa probe, which flew by the dwarf planet in July, continues to downlink its data, and as it comes in, the scientists get to work on it.

The ripples stretch for many hundreds of km.

"It looks more like tree bark or dragon scales than geology," observed mission team member Bill McKinnon.

 

[Notebook]

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20151001

October 1, 2015
Pluto’s Big Moon Charon Reveals a Colorful and Violent History
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has returned the best color and the highest resolution images yet of Pluto’s largest moon, Charon – and these pictures show a surprisingly complex and violent history.

 

[RGClark]

Nasa set to make an 'amazing' announcement about Pluto, senior scientist says
Senior planetary scientist Dr Alan Stern said that Nasa wouldn't allow him to say anything before the official announcement
Doug Bolton Wednesday 7 October 2015 18:25
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nasa-amazing-announcement-pluto-alan-stern-a6684981.html

My guess is active geology such as cryovolcanism like Triton.

Bob Clark

 

[boogabooga]

Liquid flowing water?

:rofl:

 

[MaverickSawyer]

I'm with RGClark on this one... an active geological system would be fantastic news.

 

[Keatah]

Pluto's turning out to be one hella real planet alright! Yup!

 

[Notebook]

It might even get promoted to a real Planet.....

N.

 

[Ripley]

At what time will it be?

 

[GLS]

Nasa set to make an 'amazing' announcement about Pluto, senior scientist says
Senior planetary scientist Dr Alan Stern said that Nasa wouldn't allow him to say anything before the official announcement
Doug Bolton Wednesday 7 October 2015 18:25
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nasa-amazing-announcement-pluto-alan-stern-a6684981.html

My guess is active geology such as cryovolcanism like Triton.

Bob Clark

 

[DaveS]

False rumor: https://twitter.com/NewHorizons2015/status/651819788553990144

 

[Urwumpe]

False rumor: https://twitter.com/NewHorizons2015/status/651819788553990144

Aw.

 

[boogabooga]

I don't know, the blue sky thing is kinda cool.

 

[Ravenous]

Actually the patches of bare water ice on the surface is sort of interesting. Why just those areas? Is there a sort of selective sublimation process going on somewhere, a bit like Iapetus? Even if not "historic" there's bound to be something interesting in that.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

I don't know, the blue sky thing is kinda cool.

.....and I remember some years ago that scientists were afraid that Pluto's atmosphere would have frozen up before New Horizons fly past it. Phew!

 

[RGClark]

Pluto has blue hazes and surface water ice.
Laurel Kornfeld
October 9th, 2015

http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/solar-system/pluto-has-blue-hazes-and-surface-water-ice/

The ice on the surface is interesting IF there is internal heat, then possibly you could have subsurface liquid water. The blue haze in the atmosphere is interesting because it suggests complex organics in the atmosphere. The complex organics in the atmosphere quite likely could be communicated to the subsurface. Then you could have subsurface complex organics and liquid water, IF Pluto has internal heating.


Bob Clark

 

[Notebook]

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20151023

October 23, 2015
Maneuver Moves New Horizons Spacecraft toward Next Potential TargetSuccess in First of Four Such Maneuvers over the Next Two Weeks

 

[Notebook]

October 26, 2015
New Horizons Continues Toward Potential Kuiper Belt Target
Spacecraft Team Reports Success in Second of Four Targeting Maneuvers

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20151026b

 

[Notebook]

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20151029

October 29, 2015On Track: New Horizons Carries Out Third KBO Targeting Maneuver


NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has successfully completed the third in a series of four maneuvers propelling it toward an encounter with the ancient Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69, a billion miles farther from the sun than Pluto. Belt

The targeting maneuver, performed with the spacecraft’s hydrazine-fueled thrusters, started at approximately 1:15 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and lasted about 30 minutes – surpassing the Oct. 25 propulsive maneuver as the largest ever conducted by New Horizons. Spacecraft operators at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, began receiving data through NASA’s Deep Space Network at approximately 8:15 p.m. EDT on Wednesday that indicated a successful maneuver.

I see Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69 is now being described as "ancient", always nice to have a title as some young spacecraft hurtles toward you...

N.

 

[Keatah]

Is this the farthest we've sent (and used) a working camera?

 

[MaverickSawyer]

No. There's still a working camera on the Voyagers, that they've used a few times since the end of the Grand Tour, if memory serves.