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r4pt0r

By r4pt0r
in Science & Spaceflight

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Ralathon

Ralathon

Posted
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So wait, the interesting side is going to be on the opposite side of the planet during the fly-by?

Kinda hard to know what side is the interesting side before you actually get to Pluto.

They're going to try to snap long exposure shots of the dark side with light reflected from Charon. But no guarantees that it'll work.

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Scotius

Scotius

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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)

If anything, strong visible similiarity to Triton will only reinforce Pluto's current status. It gives a high probability they both came from the same population as other recognised dwarf planets - and no one is campaigning to raise Eris, Sedna, Makemake and the rest of big KBO to planetary status.

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Frida Space

Frida Space

Posted
Posted
So wait, the interesting side is going to be on the opposite side of the planet during the fly-by?

Well, in low res images this looked like the "boring" side. I'm guessing (and hoping) that also the approach hemisphere will reveal strange features in the new higher res image.

Plus, this was the last photo of the entire opposite hemisphere, but New Horizons will be able to see half of it until P-1.5 days, so we should get some higher res images of some of it. And knowing how, say, a quarter of it looks like will probably be enough to know how all of it more or less looks like.

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Camacha

Camacha

Posted
Posted (edited)
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)

While I still think planets should be categorized by hierarchy, who really cares about what label the exact same object has?

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

I see this smart man already noted this before me :D

no one is campaigning to raise Eris, Sedna, Makemake and the rest of big KBO to planetary status.

I am certainly not campaigning, but have said before that it only makes sense to extend our solar system's planets with all the new ones we discovered. Before the age of extensive robotic exploration, we had a fairly simply view of our system with a couple of large bodies and some floaty rocks in between. Now, we now the system is much more vast, complex and diverse than that. Including the new bodies as planets would confirm those observations, as holding on the the larger bodies like in the olden days seems a tad archaic.

It just seems some people have trouble coming to grips with a system of many, many planets. You could still subdivide things into categories, much like happens now, but it might communicate to the public that the system is more complex and intricate than those eight/nine (pick whichever pleases you most) large planets and a star. The current dwarf planets, the asteroids, the comets, the clouds and belts all have their own vital role in the setup.

Okay, it appears I might be slightly campaigning.

Edited by Camacha
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Camacha

Camacha

Posted
Posted
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"

-- Isaac Asimov

Or,

I never knew that was actually a quote. I have been saying that for years :) Great minds think alike, or something :D

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micha

micha

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Kinda hard to know what side is the interesting side before you actually get to Pluto.

Given this is a once-in-a-lifetime mission, would it have made sense to have carried a secondary probe which would split off shortly before the encounter to take pictures and science data of the other side? The idea being the secondary probe only needs to carry the science instruments and a (relatively) low power omnidirectional antenna to transmit its data to the main probe.

I know, more complexity and more weight.. but still, seems like the cheapest option to get ALL THE SCIENCE, no?

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StrandedonEarth

StrandedonEarth

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Given this is a once-in-a-lifetime mission, would it have made sense to have carried a secondary probe which would split off shortly before the encounter to take pictures and science data of the other side? The idea being the secondary probe only needs to carry the science instruments and a (relatively) low power omnidirectional antenna to transmit its data to the main probe.

I know, more complexity and more weight.. but still, seems like the cheapest option to get ALL THE SCIENCE, no?

Mass and cost; those scientific intruments are expensive and every kg counted. The Pluto mission was already basically cancelled (or not funded) twice, and was only finally approved after much fighting by the scientific community.

New Horizons Wiki

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cptdavep

cptdavep

Posted
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Given this is a once-in-a-lifetime mission, would it have made sense to have carried a secondary probe which would split off shortly before the encounter to take pictures and science data of the other side? The idea being the secondary probe only needs to carry the science instruments and a (relatively) low power omnidirectional antenna to transmit its data to the main probe.

I know, more complexity and more weight.. but still, seems like the cheapest option to get ALL THE SCIENCE, no?

I guess if they were making one now they could stick a few cubesats each with high res cameras and release a swarm into the system. Not sure that sort of tech existed back then though.

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Kryten

Kryten

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I guess if they were making one now they could stick a few cubesats each with high res cameras and release a swarm into the system. Not sure that sort of tech existed back then though.

They would be very unlikely to survive this long-NH has been out there for a decade, including a Jupiter encounter. That's a lot of radiation for something that size to have to deal with.

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Frida Space

Frida Space

Posted
Posted
Given this is a once-in-a-lifetime mission, would it have made sense to have carried a secondary probe which would split off shortly before the encounter to take pictures and science data of the other side? The idea being the secondary probe only needs to carry the science instruments and a (relatively) low power omnidirectional antenna to transmit its data to the main probe.

I know, more complexity and more weight.. but still, seems like the cheapest option to get ALL THE SCIENCE, no?

that was exactly the Pluto Fast Flyby mission plan: send two separate lightweight probes two Pluto, a few days apart from each other to image the whole surface (except the pole in shadow obviously).

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