New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

Grypd · 2005-04-12 16:26:31

Well a Titan 4 launch has had to be delayed as it will fly over the Grandbanks area and this place has a lot of Canadian oil rigs. Canada is having these oil rigs abandoned and Oil production stopped due to the one in a thousand chance of a launch failure and a further one in hundred thousand chance of hitting an Oil rig from debris. Imagine what the panic would be if the launch carries nuclear material.

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/launchers-05za.html]Link

Palomar · 2005-04-12 20:21:11

But then again are the only ones that can complain are to be those in the actual flight path or does this also include those that might end up within a debri fallout path as well is a hazardous condition should occur?
I hate what if... senerios.

*I don't especially care for "what if" scenarios either. But if NASA -doesn't- grant people notification and the opportunity to at least voice their concerns, NASA will be considered unforgivably arrogant and then hell WILL be raised. :-\

Especially since NASA is funded by taxpayer dollars.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-05-10 06:49:11

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=16534]The Name Game

*Must be a pain, trying to get a group of people to decide on something like this. :laugh: All those acronyms, sheesh.

They should have saved themselves the trouble and named it Voltaire. When will people learn?!? :angry:

j/k!

--Cindy

Mad Grad Student · 2005-05-15 20:41:49

They should have saved themselves the trouble and named it Voltaire. When will people learn?!? :angry:

I would have said Tess myself, but people might confuse that with the mini-TES aboard the MERs. This is why people like us will never name probes. :laugh:

In general acronyms are rather uninspiring, and there seems to be a shift in the way NASA's unmanned spacecraft are being named. Where we used to have names like Magellan and Galileo we now see names like Deep Impact, New Horizons and Oppy (well, the last one's just a loving nickname I suppose). Instead of great scientists and odd acronyms probes are now given movie-title type names. There's nothing wrong with that I suppose, it's nice to have a healthy change-up every once and a while, but it seemed pretty odd to me when I first read about these missions.

It's unfortunate that these nuclear-powered missions inevitably raise so much misdirected opposition. If you want to campaign against accidental nuclear material release that's fine, but it boggles the mind why one would pick nuclear-powered spacecraft to direct their campaign against. The odds of a launch vehicle failure are rather low (1-2%), and even in a worst-case scinerio barely any nuclear material would actually be released into the environment. Most of the plutonium would sink to the bottom of the Atlantic and promptly have just about zero effect on Earth's biosphere. Honestly, why can't these people just deride nuclear proliferation without hampering the greatest period of exploration in human history? :hm:

hubricide · 2005-05-15 22:22:54

People against nuclear-powered spacecraft are probably of the mind that any use of nuclear power is bad. Still, I wonder just how informed they really are.. the amount of nuclear material in a probe is puny, and it's so well-protected that I doubt it could ever do any serious harm.

I suspect that these sorts of people are ultimately frightened of everything. They'd be happy if we all sat around and picked bugs off of each other all day, except that we might accidentally get scratched, so probably better if we all were big fat blobs that didn't actually do anything. Wouldn't that just be sooooooo much better?

SpaceNut · 2005-05-26 08:23:17

'Motivated' Team Eyes Mission's Next Stage

Pluto might be about 3 billion miles from Earth, but it seems a little closer for the team leading NASA's proposed first mission to the "last planet."
NASA proposes to launch New Horizons in January 2006, aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. After launch, New Horizons would swing through the Jupiter system in February or March 2007, getting a gravity push toward Pluto-Charon and a chance to exercise its science instruments on the large planet. It could reach Pluto-Charon - and begin a detailed, six-month flyby reconnaissance study - as early as 2015.
New Horizons' travels would take it to a new class of worlds at the edge of our solar system - and to a region too far from the Sun for solar panels to work. Spacecraft designs call for a single radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) to power new Horizons' systems and science instruments.

Only half a year to go...

SpaceNut · 2005-06-13 12:30:16

Let the testing begin!!!

Journey Begins for NASA’s New Horizons Probe APL-Built Pluto Mission Spacecraft Shipped to NASA Goddard for Pre-launch Tests

New Horizons spacecraft spent the past week in an APL vibration test lab, where engineers checked the structural integrity of the piano-sized probe aboard a large shake table. The table simulated the energetic ride New Horizons would encounter during liftoff aboard an Atlas V – one of the largest launch vehicles NASA uses.
Pending completion of environmental reviews and launch approvals, the spacecraft would launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., during a 35-day window that opens Jan. 11, 2006. The boost from the Atlas V and a STAR-48B kick motor would send the relatively light New Horizons on the fastest spacecraft trip ever to the outer solar system, reaching the moon’s orbit distance less than 9 hours after launch and zooming through the Jupiter system just 13 months later.

SpaceNut · 2005-06-15 10:12:50

While the article does not mention which craft is to use the nuclear material here it is:The Idaho National Laboratory is waiting for a green light to begin producing plutonium that would supply battery power for NASA spacecraft.

It would appear that we can still get plutonium from Russia for use in non-national security missions.

SpaceNut · 2005-08-15 06:11:06

As noted in the MRO it will be an Atlas 5 and lockheed is now in gears up for Pluto launch after Mars success

Article talks of pioneer 13 mission and how many small experiments will be released as it progress to the Kuiper belt.

Some comparisons between the rocket used for MRO and that to which will be used for the New Horizon are other items contained in the article.

As noted there was a glitch in the MRO launch

Engineers discovered a hardware problem with one of the craft's two solid state recorders used to store science data before being transmitted back to Earth via its 83-inch dish-shaped high gain antenna. Teams traced the problem to a manufacturing defect in a circuit card, and the device will be removed and repaired in September when New Horizons completes testing before being transported to the Cape.

Of course the article ends with the note of risk since it is powerd by an RGT coated plutonium pellet reactor of 1 in 300.

Palomar · 2005-09-03 21:37:05

New Horizons readied for launch

*Yay! "T-minus 4 to 5 months and counting."

Primary launch window for New Horizons is January 11 - February 14, 2006. If the spacecraft roars skyward within the first 18 days of that window, scooting by Jupiter for a gravity assist, it will reach Pluto in 2015.

However:

If liftoff is after February 2 -- depending on exact launch date -- New Horizons zips to Pluto direct -- sans Jupiter – and arrives at Pluto in 2019-2020.

Just a little difference Earthside makes 4 to 5 years' difference Plutoside; that and Jove gravity assist or none. I sure hope they make the primary launch window.

"It’ll be the fastest spacecraft ever to Jupiter…13 months after launch," Stern said. "We pass the Moon in just nine hours."

Like...wow.

Meanwhile, there is no doubt in Alan Stern’s mind that surprises await. "It’s going to be a jaw on the ground" type of mission, he said.

Sock it to me.

By the way, time is fleeting for you to join in the celebration that spotlights 75 years of Pluto. You can sign up to send your name to Pluto. But you better hurry as the opportunity to do so ends on September 15.

--Cindy

::EDIT::

Stay tuned, he predicted, as the number of planets within our solar system will grow.
"It used to be that Pluto was a misfit. Now it turns out that Earth is the misfit. Most planets in the solar system look like Pluto, and not like the terrestrial planets," Stern told SPACE.com.
Our old view of a stately, grand design solar system with four rocky planets, four gas giants, and a single misfit is badly biased, Stern advised, skewed by observational techniques available.
*-Paradigm deposed-*
Stern said it bothers many that there are now so many planets. We are witness to a paradigm deposed.
"Now that we can see farther and deeper, we realize most planets are going to be Pluto-like planets, in Pluto-like orbits. Everything about the inner eight is going to be the exception instead of the rule."

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2005-09-23 15:57:35

Well done everyone
this thread has some great links

Palomar · 2005-09-26 15:49:50

New Horizons arrives at KSC

*It arrived on Saturday the 24th and was immediately taken to a clean room. Launch is scheduled for January 11, 2006.

Many tests and preparations will be undertaken between now and launch. If those check out okay, NH will be "integrated into its launch vehicle in December."

Good luck.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2005-09-27 06:28:28

Nasa News release:
NASA's Pluto Space Probe Begins Launch Preparations

Carrying seven scientific instruments the compact, nearly 1,000 pound probe will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015. Its mission is to characterize the global geology and geomorphology of the bodies, map their surface compositions, record temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. Fly bys of ancient rocky objects farther out in the solar system may be undertaken during an extended mission.

Rocket launch sequence testing of the Atlas V will commence in November while the probe will be loaded into the rocket sometime in December.

Launch window:

Following final launch approval, liftoff is scheduled for Jan. 11, 2006, during a two-hour launch window that opens at 2:07 p.m. EST. Launch windows are also available daily from Jan. 12 through Feb. 14, 2006

Julius Caeser · 2005-10-14 05:14:10

How is the Horizon probe prepared to take pics given the very dim lighting in that area of the solar system;I remember nasa scientists already were concerned when voyager passed by Neptune that pics were not going to be lit up enough due to the distance from the sun?

SpaceNut · 2005-10-14 05:37:39

Well Julius, I just went to my links for the New Horizon web site and to much my surprise it has a new look and feel to its pages.

This image of the New Horizon probe will get you the most info for the instrumentation that it will be bringing for just that reason.

Palomar · 2005-10-19 05:29:33

NH payload ready for flight

*Science instruments rundown:

The New Horizons spacecraft carries seven science instruments, including:
Alice (also shown in accompanying photo) — an ultraviolet imaging spectrometer that will probe the atmospheric composition and structure of Pluto.
Ralph — a visible and infrared camera that will obtain high-resolution color maps and surface composition maps of the surfaces of Pluto and Charon.
LORRI, or Long Range Reconnaissance Imager — will image Pluto's surface at football-field sized resolution, resolving features as small approximately 50 yards across.
SWAP, or Solar Wind Around Pluto — will measure charged particles from the solar wind near Pluto to determine whether it has a magnetosphere and how fast its atmosphere is escaping.
PEPSSI, or Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation — will search for neutral atoms that escape the planet's atmosphere and subsequently become charged by their interaction with the solar wind.
SDC, or Student Dust Counter — will count and measure the masses of dust particles along the spacecraft's entire trajectory, covering regions of interplanetary space never before sampled.
REX, or Radio Science Experiment — a circuit board containing sophisticated electronics that has been integrated with the spacecraft's radio telecommunications system, will study Pluto's atmospheric structure, surface thermal peperties, and make measurements of the mass of Pluto and Charon and KBOs.

Alice and Ralph...LOL! Someone's a "Honeymooners" fan.

--Cindy

Julius Caeser · 2005-10-20 12:56:39

For a change,kuiper belt objects seem to be getting cartoon character names :Santa,Rudolph....Pluto!

SpaceNut · 2005-10-24 12:33:24

NASA’s New Horizons Pluto probe is safely stowed in its transportation canister. “The Pluto spacecraft is doing fine.”

What a refief, that no damage was done to the cape or other facilities this time around.

Grypd · 2005-10-29 04:25:52

A bit too soon for that the Atlas 5 was in its hangar when the special fabric doors failed apparently there was damage to the rocket and its launch cradle. Prelimary reports indicate that this damage should be fixable and the New Horizons mission launched on schedule.

Reuters Article on Damage to New Horizons Mission

SpaceNut · 2005-10-31 13:55:25

Seems we have another twist and reason to get the Horizon probe on its way.

Pluto found to have two more moons, Dim objects form ‘mini-solar system’ around ninth planet

That goes double wow for me, so far away but yet we find more moons... Boy we have some stumped sciencetist now..

The newfound moons orbit about 27,000 miles (44,000 kilometers) from Pluto, more than twice as far as Charon.
The two new moons are between 30 and 100 miles (45 to 160 kilometers) in diameter.
"It's almost like a mini-solar system," Weaver said. "How can something about 70 percent the size of Earth's moon have all these satellites? How can that happen? We're going to have to explain that."

They sure do buzz around pluto quite quickly..

Commodore · 2005-10-31 15:31:12

Why is Charon so... turquoise?

I still think it criminal that were sending something all the way to Pluto for the first time, only to fly right on by.

This only reenforces that.

Palomar · 2005-11-03 06:00:01

Damage prompts booster replacement for Pluto probe
Lockheed Martin technicians are replacing one of the solid-fuel boosters attached to the Atlas 5 rocket that will launch NASA's New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto because of damage the motor sustained during Hurricane Wilma.

Article in full

A "ding" found on the solid motor casing...

A third of the 41-by-275-foot reinforced fabric "MegaDoor" on the assembly building's opening that faces the launch pad tore in the storm, causing some debris to fall inside the facility.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2005-11-03 07:40:25

In reading the article this particular booster is made by Aerojet and it has 2 of them to give it an added boost at liftoff. The Atlas V series could actually have up to 5 of these attached to it to allow for heavier payloads.

The Nasa expendable rocket report:

The spacecraft is undergoing autonomy testing this week to determine whether it can function without having contact with Earth. Final thermal blanket installation will be completed this week. Hurricane Wilma caused some minor damage to the solid rocket booster that was attached to the Atlas V. As a precaution the booster is being replaced. Attachment of the remaining four solid rocket boosters resumes later this week.

SpaceNut · 2005-11-04 09:41:19

In a move due to the damage to the booster for the New horizon replacement workers are being utilized. I wonder what the cost saving will amount to...

Non-union crew to finish booster rocket Striking workers question use of replacements

SpaceNut · 2005-11-11 07:11:09

First Mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt
From Darkness to Light: The Exploration of the Planet Pluto 2005 Lecture:
Presented by Dr. Bonnie Buratti
JPL Principal Investigator & Science Team, New Horizons Mission to Pluto
Nov. 17 and 18 - Lecture Series/Webcast
Exploration of Pluto

Click here on Thursday at 7 p.m. PST for the webcast.

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#26 2005-04-12 16:26:31

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#27 2005-04-12 20:21:11

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#28 2005-05-10 06:49:11

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#29 2005-05-15 20:41:49

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#30 2005-05-15 22:22:54

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#31 2005-05-26 08:23:17

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#32 2005-06-13 12:30:16

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#33 2005-06-15 10:12:50

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#34 2005-08-15 06:11:06

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#35 2005-09-03 21:37:05

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#36 2005-09-23 15:57:35

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#37 2005-09-26 15:49:50

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#38 2005-09-27 06:28:28

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#39 2005-10-14 05:14:10

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#40 2005-10-14 05:37:39

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#41 2005-10-19 05:29:33

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#42 2005-10-20 12:56:39

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#43 2005-10-24 12:33:24

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#44 2005-10-29 04:25:52

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#45 2005-10-31 13:55:25

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#46 2005-10-31 15:31:12

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#47 2005-11-03 06:00:01

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#48 2005-11-03 07:40:25

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#49 2005-11-04 09:41:19

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

#50 2005-11-11 07:11:09

Re: New Horizons - mission to Pluto and the Kupier belt

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