NASA's New Horizons space probe performs first close planetary flyby of Pluto

On Tuesday, NASA's space probe New Horizons reached near Pluto. It was launched about nine-and-a-half years ago on January 19, 2006 to collect data about the dwarf planet, amongst other targets. With its flyby on Tuesday it became the first spacecraft to explore Pluto closely.

NASA collected data regarding the geology of the planet. The space probe had seven scientific instruments and massed about 450 kilograms (about 1000 lb). The probe has Pluto and the Kuiper Belt as its highest priorities. Scientists released images from the flyby on Wednesday. Mission scientist John Spencer said, "We have not found a single impact crater on this image. This means it must be a very young surface". He put the age of the current surface at no more than 100 million years.

The images also did not show craters on its natural satellite, Charon. NASA said mountains on the planet may be made of water-ice.

In February 2007 the space probe flew by Jupiter. The future mission is to explore the Kuiper Belt.

• "New Horizons probe bound for Pluto on nine year journey" — Wikinews, January 19, 2006

• Solar System Exploration — NASA, July 16, 2015 (date of access)
• Paul Rincon. New Horizons: Images reveal ice mountains on Pluto — BBC News Online, July 15, 2015
• NASA'S Pluto Space Probe Begins Launch Preparations — Spacedaily, September 27, 2015

Source & Attribution

Originally published by Wikinews on July 17, 2015. Original author: Wikinews.

CC BY 2.5. Photograph: View of Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 41, with the Atlas V carrying New Horizons on the pad.
Image: NASA. Photo: NASA

• https://images.nasa.gov/details/KSC-06pd0071
• http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=27706 on the Wayback Machine at the Wayback Machine

Source file. Public domain. Public domain.

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