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Astronomy: New Horizons spacecraft
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On 17 January 2006 the New Horizons spacecraft was launched on a mission to Pluto. It is the first mission to fly to this distant body. So far our observations of this distant rock have been taken from Earth and the Hubble Space Telescope, revealing little from the icy rock and its twin Charon. New Horizons is a unmanned spacecraft and will be launched by an Atlas V rocket from NASA's Cape Canaveral. Although the spacecraft is the fastest flying spacecraft ever built, it is expected to reach Pluto in 2015. After 13 months it will pass Jupiter and using Jupiter's gravity it will increase speed to arrive relatively quickly at its destination. The spacecraft weighs 454 kg, has the size of a piano and was built at the Johns Hopkins University. It contains seven different instruments to observe and measure the surface and density of Pluto, its atmosphere and its moon Charon. Furthermore scientist hope to discover more about the origin of our solar system and the origin of the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt, a region with many similar but smaller bodies like Pluto. New Horizons will be the first spacecraft ever to fly to the distant Pluto. So far we have had missions that flew until Neptune (Voyager II in 1989). Never we flew this distance; never we have examined the Kuiper Belt more closely than with this mission. Related subjects>> Pluto and its twin Charon>> Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt >> Voyager I and II spacecrafts >> Official Johns Hopkins University internetsite |
 Artist impression of the New Horizons spacecraft launched into space.  New Horizons is launched on 24 January 2006 |
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