NEW HORIZONS

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NEW HORIZONS NASA’s Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission: The First Mission To the Ninth Planet The First Mission To the Ninth Planet And the Solar System’s Third Zone” And the Solar System’s Third Zone” XXXX Days Since Launch XXXX Days Still To Pluto

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NEW HORIZONS. NASA’s Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission: “The First Mission To the Ninth Planet And the Solar System’s Third Zone”. XXXX Days Since Launch XXXX Days Still To Pluto. Pluto: A Little Background. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of NEW HORIZONS

NEW HORIZONS

NASA’s Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission:““The First Mission To the Ninth PlanetThe First Mission To the Ninth PlanetAnd the Solar System’s Third Zone”And the Solar System’s Third Zone”

XXXX Days Since Launch XXXX Days Still To Pluto

Pluto was discovered in January-February 1930, by Clyde Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory, Arizona.

Pluto: A Little Background

Pluto is a Small, Distant World <1% Mars’s Max Apparent Diameter (0.1 arcsec) And 50,000 times fainter than Mars (V~14)

An Historic Journey

Pluto-CharonJuly 2015

KBOs2016-2020

Jupiter SystemMarch 2007

The Initial Reconnaissance of The Solar System’s “Third Zone”

LaunchJan 2006

A MISSION OF FIRSTS

Pluto-Charon: What We Know

The Best HubbleImages of PlutoAre Still Crude

But Now We Know The System is a Quadruple

PLUTO-KUIPER BELT EXPLORATION

A Reconnaissance Expedition To Pluto-Charon & the Kuiper Belt

The Highest Priority Medium-Scale Mission New Start Of The Planetary Decadal Survey

SO WE PROPOSED IT, WON IT,AND BUILT IT

SCIENTIFIC PAYLOAD Instruments:

REX radio science & radiometry RALPH VIS/IR imaging & spectroscopy ALICE UV imaging spectroscopy LORRI High-resolution imager SWAP plasma spectrometer PEPSSI energetic particle spectrometer SDC EPO Student Dust Counter

OUR ATLAS V 551 LAUNCH VEHICLE

Centaur InterstageAdapter (12.5 ft Dia)

CCB CylindricalInterstage Adapter

RD-180 Engine Common CoreBoosterTM (CCB)

SingleRL10 Engine

CentaurUpperStage

5-meter Short PayloadFairing (68 ft)

Solid RocketBoosters

Aft TransitionSkirt/Heat Shield

5-MeterPayload FairingBoattail

CentaurAft StubAdapter

Centaur ForwardLoad Reactor

PayloadAdapter (PLA)

Centaur ConicalInterstage Adapter

FINISHING TOUCHES

ALL DRESSED UP AND READY TO FLY

LAUNCH: 19 JAN 2006GOING SUPERSONIC!

ROUTE OF FLIGHT

JUPITER FLYBY

Jupiter science included studies of Jovian meteorology, satellite geology and composition,Auroral phenomena, and magnetospheric physics.

C/A Date 28 Feb 2007

Range 32 RJupiter

FLYBY OBJECTIVES

SUCCESS:

NEW RESULTS

AND WE OBSERVED IO ERUPTIONS GALORE

At least 11 volcanic Plumes were detected.

We obtained the most detailed view ever of a plume on Io.

Tvashtar is near Io’sNorth pole: always visible.

Tvashtar stretches ~340km above the surface.

Tvashtar

Prometheus

Masubi

Io night side illuminated by Jupiter

TVASHTAR MOVIE 5 frames 8 minutes

TVASHTAR MOVIE 5 frames 8 minutes

TVASHTAR MOVIE 5 frames 8 minutes

TVASHTAR MOVIE 5 frames 8 minutes

TVASHTAR MOVIE 5 frames 8 minutes

TVASHTAR MOVIE 5 frames 8 minutes

First direct measurements of plume dynamics. Ejection speed ~1 km/sec. Acceleration during descent. Apparently non-ballistic trajectories.

AND FINALLY, MAGNETOTAIL EXPLORATION

Flying down Jupiter’s deep magnetotail to perform the first traverse through a giant

planet’s magnetotail.

~300 RJ

Equatorial PlaneEquatorial Plane

Noon-Midnight PlaneNoon-Midnight Plane

+90 days @ 2000 RJ

Former Terra Incognita

UNEXPLAINED PLASMAQUASI-PERIODICITIES

A 10 hour period at 450 RJ!

Farwell Jupiter

CRUISE 2 OVERVIEW

PS-HibernationPS-NormalPS-TCM

AS-NormalAS-TCMAS-EAAS-SA

3A-Normal3A-Encounter3A-TCM

2014 (6/14-8/14)Annual c/o#8TCM 15 Pluto Rehearsal #2

Wkly Beacon, monthly Tel. contact in PS-H. 2-3x8h/wk for Annual c/os 7x 8h/d for Precess TCMs in 3A-TCM or AS-TCM

P-200

2008 (9/08-11/08)Annual c/o #2TCM 9 (P-7y)

J+120

Precess11/20/07

Precess12/27/07

Precess12/18/08

2007 (9/07-11/07)Annual c/o #1

2010 (9/10-11/10)Annual c/o #4TCM 11 (P-5y)

2009 (9/09-11/09)Annual c/o #3TCM 10

2011 (9/11-11/11)Annual c/o #5TCM 12

2012 (6/12-8/12)Annual c/o #6TCM 13 (P-3y)Pluto Rehearsal #1

2013 (6/13-8/13)Annual c/o #7TCM 14

Precess06/11/10

Precess11/25/11

Precess12/11/12

Precess12/10/10

Precess10/13/13

OpNavs last annual c/o: 1 every 12hrs for 7 days

Precess05/29/08

Precess06/09/09

Precess12/13/09

Precess06/15/11

Precess12/20/13

P-1yr

Phase inPS-H

NEXT UP: IN 2015:WHAT WE CAME FOR

Jan-Mar: Observatory Phase April: Begin Approach Phase 14 July: Closest Approach Aug-Dec: Data Downlink

REVOLUTIONARY DATASETS

Six months of encounter science. Exceed Hubble resolution for months. Map Pluto and all three satellites. Make composition maps of Pluto and Charon. Map surface temperature fields. Directly measure Pluto’s escape rate. Assay Pluto’s atmospheric structure and composition. Determine if either Pluto or Charon differentiated. Locate additional satellites.

The most exciting discoverieswill likely be the ones we

Don’t anticipate.

ANTICIPATE DRAMATIC RESULTS

Triton & Pluto At Best HST Resolution

Triton from Voyager

AND THEN ON TO KBOs LATE IN THE NEXT DECADE

ONLY AMERICA CAN DO THIS

BACKUP SLIDES

INSTRUMENT PAYLOAD