Good Luck New Horizons!

[Tristan]

As I write, we are less than 30 minutes away from the launch of the New Horizons spacecraft. For those of you who dont know its the first mission to Pluto and will take approximately 9 years to arrive in orbit.

Hopefully everthing goes well at the launch.

T

[Tristan]

Launch pushed back from 1:24pm to 1:45pm EST due to light wind gusts

[Communist Hamster]

Watching NASA TV now. I have it open in the mini-player while I browse.

EDIT: 2:30pm EST launch now. That'll be 7:30PM for us Brits.

EDIT numero deux: 2:50PM EST lanch time. 7:50 GMT.

EDIT numero troix: New launch time of 3:05pm EST, 8:05 for us in the land of hope and glory.

EDIT IV: Launch delayed until 3:23pm EST, last possible delay according to nasa.gov:

Winds Cooperate
Launch is go for 3:23 p.m. EST -- the very end of today's window. The upper level and ground winds, which have been cause for concern during today's countdown, are expected to stay within limits through the end of the window.

EDIT version 5.0: Launch has been delayed 24 hours. Meh.


Note how I am using the edit button instead of multiple posting! Some posters would do well to follow this example.

[TruthSeeker]

COMMUNITST!!! :m:

[TruthSeeker]

I disagree with you!!!

[TruthSeeker]

Wait. Let me make a relevent comment....

What is the mission about? What do they want to do in Pluto? :confused:
Find out it is not a planet after all? :D

[invert_nexus]

Truthseeker,

What don't they want do do in Pluto?
Don't you think that studying our ninth planet is a worthy goal?
An interesting thing about Pluto is that it is a Kuiper belt object and is thus most likely highly indicative of the state of our early solar system.
Also, it has an interesting atmosphere that flares up during its close passes to the Sun and dries up on the far.

Keep our fingers crossed that it makes it there in time before the atmosphere settles. That's one of the main worries about the delays. It has a narrow window to make its meeting with Jupiter for the slingshot. If it misses that window it will take years longer.


Anyone know if it has any mission goals en route? Anything to do at Jupiter or any other way points?

[Tristan]

Im pretty sure Pluto is the real main concern currently. But I wouldnt be suprised if it took a look at uranus's moons or Neptune's moons on the way. But i havent taken a look at how its getting there, so it might not even be in the neighborhood of either planet on its way to pluto.

Basically, we want to take its temperature, learn what its made of, figure out what dynamic there exists between charon and pluto, and take a whole bunch of pretty pictures since we have absolutely nothing of its surface.

Peace

[Silas]

Did you know it's the fastest ever ship leaving Earth's orbit? It's going to pass the moon's orbit in nine hours! I hope there's film on tv of this mutha taking off!

[Tristan]

Nasa channel dude

[Silas]

I live in London, dude.

[Communist Hamster]

Try Nasa internet TV, dude.

[Blindman]

Just as a note, the craft will not orbit pluto it will just do a flyby just 12000km from the surface. Its then off to explore the Kuiper belt.

[Ophiolite]

Tristan - it goes nowhere near Uranus. It does get a gravity assisst from Jupiter which will give an opportunity to test out the instrument package:
Three optical instruments
Two plasma instruments
One dust sensor
One radio science receiver/radiometer

[Tristan]

Yeah i figured as much. Thanks!