New Horizons arrives at Pluto

[DrLeftover]

A NASA spacecraft's path to Pluto this summer should be relatively smooth and safe, a new and improved portrait of the dwarf planet's moons suggests.

The New Horizons probe will make the first-ever flyby of Pluto on July 14, cruising within 7,800 miles (12,500 kilometers) of the frigid world's surface. Last month, New Horizons began hunting for rings, undiscovered moons and other hazards that could potentially trip the spacecraft up in the home stretch of its historic journey.

Mission team members have said they don't expect to find anything that will pose a serious problem. And now a new study into the characteristics and orbital dynamics of Pluto's four tiny known moons — Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx — has New Horizons' handlers feeling even better about their chances. (Pluto's other known satellite, Charon, is much larger and is considered to comprise half of a Pluto-Charon "binary planet.")

http://www.space.com/29563-pluto-moons-new-horizons-spacecraft-safety.html

 

[Smiley]

One small step for man... Step by step, and maybe some day:

 

[seasidemike]

here is a real cool little book I found about this on amazon about this:
http://www.amazon.com/Pluto-Welcome...1433450176&sr=1-4&keywords=pluto+new+horizons

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

here is a real cool little book I found about this on amazon about this:
http://www.amazon.com/Pluto-Welcome...1433450176&sr=1-4&keywords=pluto+new+horizons

Thanks for sharing Mike.