Hi there: ref: New Horizons begins Pluto observations ahead of July flyby | NASASpaceFlight.com
The spacecraft is close enough to Planet Pluto in Jan 2015 to start observations. The flyby will reach its closest approach in July 2015. regards, Michael
The spacecraft is close enough to Planet Pluto in Jan 2015 to start observations. The flyby will reach its closest approach in July 2015. regards, Michael
It's a minor planet now. Shares that distinction with a number of asteroids, including Ceres that just now coming into view of the Dawn probe's cameras. There's still a possibility of larger-than-Pluto planetoids out in the Kuiper Belt, but they'd be >way< out there and possibly somewhat out of the ecliptic.
I've only been waiting for the New Horizons Pluto mission all of my life; get it right, NASA, I may not live long enough for a second try! You promised us a Mars base in the late 80s, too...
I've only been waiting for the New Horizons Pluto mission all of my life; get it right, NASA, I may not live long enough for a second try! You promised us a Mars base in the late 80s, too...
He means that I just wiped out his evening and most of tomorrow reading all the cartoons. Rough translation 'laugh your (Insert body part here) off'.
My work here is done
Indeed, and thanks - while most of the math references are over my head, I considered it overall all "snark for the thinking person"
Probably my favorite today was
"Valentine's Day - because love isn't already complicated enough"
And careful where you proffer my body parts to receive or make insertion into - that usually requires informed consent
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Fuzzy blobs until around May or June, then it gets dramatic. But it'll take upwards of a year to download all of the flyby pics, because of the limited bandwidth/data rate at that extreme distance. There will be, almost certainly, surprises.
Unless the probe finds a nearly invisible dust ring the hard way.
--Damon
He means that I just wiped out his evening and most of tomorrow reading all the cartoons. Rough translation 'laugh your (Insert body part here) off'.
My work here is done
I read that as "taffing your bags off"; at my age, I should know better than to read small print without my glasses, that early in the morning. :/
--Damon
Thank's for posting,
Its really interesting..
Of course you know what this means..after we look at Pluto. We haven't found life at this point that we could travel to! Unless there is something on the moons of Jupiter.
If there is nothing local what are the chances of finding and actually seeing another life form? (Assuming they exist at all!)How far is it to the next nearest system? How many life times to even contemplate getting there..
Imagine for a moment we have searched for another few hundred years and find we are alone..as far as we can touch and see..<<<there is something wrong with this picture.
Regards
M. Gregg
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We haven't yet explored the Solar System in detail; the atmospheres of the gas giants could be full of floating lifeforms, but we can't get nearly close enough to observe such tiny details. Same for the icy moons; there could be life under the surface, yet we haven't gotten close, except for Mars and Titan, to observe much.
I don't think life will be found because of the extreme conditions on these other worlds and the lack of stable life-friendly environments to give complex organisms the opportunity to evolve. If there are any lifeforms found the most I'm hoping for is bacteria-like organisms.
But in the uncountable trillions of potential Earth-like worlds across the Universe, there's bound to have been something similar to us by now. Even if life is just an accident of chemistry, the odds seem very high that it's happened before. Spanning those vast distances to find them seems essentially impossible.
Perhaps, it's our job to spread life and sentience to other worlds. We live in a most remarkable age of discovery, traveling mostly by robotic proxy to see what's actually out there. There will be surprises because we can't predict all that's possible. I consider myself extremely lucky to be alive at this time.
--Damon
I don't think life will be found because of the extreme conditions on these other worlds and the lack of stable life-friendly environments to give complex organisms the opportunity to evolve. If there are any lifeforms found the most I'm hoping for is bacteria-like organisms.
But in the uncountable trillions of potential Earth-like worlds across the Universe, there's bound to have been something similar to us by now. Even if life is just an accident of chemistry, the odds seem very high that it's happened before. Spanning those vast distances to find them seems essentially impossible.
Perhaps, it's our job to spread life and sentience to other worlds. We live in a most remarkable age of discovery, traveling mostly by robotic proxy to see what's actually out there. There will be surprises because we can't predict all that's possible. I consider myself extremely lucky to be alive at this time.
--Damon
Perhaps it was another that spread life to Earth!
Maybe we are of an ancient species from a dieing planet.
In any way, its curiosity that drives us forward. Awesome
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Are you aware of the Kepler mission to find "habitable" planets? Kepler | NASA
I believe they're estimating 40 billion earthlike planets in the galaxy.
planet Pluto photographs returned to Earth
Hi there: The first pixilated images of Pluto and its largest moon Charon have been received. Other moons of Pluto are too small for Horizons instruments to resolve at this time. NASA reports that current photographs are being used for planning navigation corrections, if needed. ...regards, Michael
Hi there: The first pixilated images of Pluto and its largest moon Charon have been received. Other moons of Pluto are too small for Horizons instruments to resolve at this time. NASA reports that current photographs are being used for planning navigation corrections, if needed. ...regards, Michael
I'm watching the Rosetta comet landing, they made the point that some of these guys are risking 1/3 to 1/2 of their carriers on these projects.
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