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New Horizons

r4pt0r

By r4pt0r
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Frida Space

Frida Space

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It's going to fly through the Pluto system at a very steep angle (not perpendicular but almost), so it should take no time to "traverse through" the plane of the orbits, if that's what you meant.

Take a look at this diagram if it could be of any help: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/102112-New-Horizons?p=2070843&viewfull=1#post2070843

(It's the second image in that post)

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Superfluous J

Superfluous J

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TMarkos on #KSPOfficial linked this diagram of NH's position, updated every minute: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Where-is-New-Horizons/index.php

Oh that's sweet. That first image would make a cool background. Does Windows know what to do with svg files yet? It didn't a few years ago when I tried it last.

I may make a script that downloads the current first image every 30 minutes or so.

Or I may play more KSP and just check the page every once in a while :D

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Mitchz95

Mitchz95

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Nice. Bookmarked.

I'm wondering, do they know 'where' New Horizons is heading ... like is known of the Voyagers ... where will it end up ultimately?

That presumably depends on what target they choose to visit after Pluto. There are a couple candidates, last I heard.

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LordFerret

LordFerret

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That presumably depends on what target they choose to visit after Pluto. There are a couple candidates, last I heard.
That's not determined yet. If they discover an Kuiper object the probe can reach it'll go there.

I figured as much, although I thought someone (Frida Space?) had posted that they'd decided on that already ... hence my question. I suppose I'll have to wait until a trajectory is determined after that last object is visited.

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peadar1987

peadar1987

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I figured as much, although I thought someone (Frida Space?) had posted that they'd decided on that already ... hence my question. I suppose I'll have to wait until a trajectory is determined after that last object is visited.

There's a shortlist of two objects, I don't think they've decided which one to go to yet, one of them is bigger, but has a smaller chance of being reached.

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LordFerret

LordFerret

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There's a shortlist of two objects, I don't think they've decided which one to go to yet, one of them is bigger, but has a smaller chance of being reached.

I thought it had been determined and decided and announced. I could have sworn it was Frida Space who made the post about it, but all I'm finding is a reference made by Spock1108... the object being "PT1".

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/102112-New-Horizons?p=2071226&viewfull=1#post2071226

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NovaSilisko

NovaSilisko

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Look at that. It's all cracked and crumbly straight below where Charon orbits... and that's the hemisphere we won't see during the flyby. This is the best picture we're gonna get...

2QIvRNG.png

JIbxMw5.png

http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/new-horizons-last-portrait-of-pluto-s-puzzling-spots

Edited by NovaSilisko
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Kryten

Kryten

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I thought it had been determined and decided and announced. I could have sworn it was Frida Space who made the post about it, but all I'm finding is a reference made by Spock1108... the object being "PT1".

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/102112-New-Horizons?p=2071226&viewfull=1#post2071226

There's PT1 and PT3. Decision is in august.

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Frida Space

Frida Space

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There's PT1 and PT3. Decision is in august.

Yes, there are actually three objects, PT1, PT2 and PT3, but PT1 was the first to be discovered, has been studied the most and is the most accessible. I recall a scientists on the mission saying that the decision was now "pure formality" (meaning that PT1 appears way easier to reach than the other ones) but that a detailed flight plan was needed for NASA to approve the extension (hence the decision in August).

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NovaSilisko

NovaSilisko

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PT2 was eliminated a while back, then there was a PT4 which was eliminated as well. The tradeoff between PT1 and PT3 is that one of them (I forget which, I think 3) is larger and would be preferred scientifically, but the other requires less delta-v, meaning there might be a chance for another encounter after that assuming a new object can be found.

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Frida Space

Frida Space

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Some stats on the Potential Target objects (I'm guessing that's what PT stands for?):

PT1 (1110113Y)

Flyby date: Jan 2019

Fuel needed: 35% of the available

Size: 30-45 km

Orbit: 43.4 AU

Flyby success chances: 100%

PT2 E31007A1

Flyby date: 2018

Size: 35-55 km

Flyby success chances: 7%

PT3 G12000JZ

Flyby date: 2019

Size: 35-55 km

Flyby success chances: 97%

I don't recall a PT4, but I may as well have missed it.

EDIT: Ok I read it now, there was actually a PT5 too, but PT4 and PT5 were ruled out immediately.

EDIT 2: This is an exhaustive figure:

20141015_HST_KBO_DIscovery_Slides.png

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Frida Space

Frida Space

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From a note I wrote down in October 2014 (not sure how valid it still is):

- PT1 was recognized by the software on June 27, 2014, only 11 days after John Spencer's team had begun Hubble observations. The photo in which the software first detected it was taken the day before, June 26. Marc Buie was the first to be informed by the software and the first to see PT1 with his naked eye

- Hubble later performed 4 further campaigns to study PT1, on August 2, 3, 21 and 23, during which it took >930 photos of the objects

- On August 22, Alex Parker and his team confirmed it was 100% reachable by New Horizons: in fact, uncertainties in its orbit mean that there's still a slight chance New Horizons might actually crash into it (obviously extremely unlikely, but the possibility is still there)

- Scientists want to stay open-minded, so they won't select PT1 once for all until further studies

- First maneuvre towards PT1 (or whatever object will be selected) scheduled for NET Oct 2015

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LordFerret

LordFerret

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I've seen comment made in two different articles today (perhaps better stated: speculation) about how the data we're about to gain from Pluto just might put it back into the 'planet' category again... as in, goodbye dwarfism status. (YAY... if true)

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Mitchz95

Mitchz95

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I've seen comment made in two different articles today (perhaps better stated: speculation) about how the data we're about to gain from Pluto just might put it back into the 'planet' category again... as in, goodbye dwarfism status. (YAY... if true)

Unless said data forces us to redefine the term "planet" without waiting to investigate other Kuiper Belt objects, I highly doubt it.

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windows_x_seven

windows_x_seven

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I've seen comment made in two different articles today (perhaps better stated: speculation) about how the data we're about to gain from Pluto just might put it back into the 'planet' category again... as in, goodbye dwarfism status. (YAY... if true)

Binary planet system, yay!

(although it doesn't really matter if it's a planet or a dwarf planet, it'll still be Pluto)

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