Is Pluto a planet? Student powered video rap ';battle' over tiny Pluto's embattled planetary standing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beisser, K.; Cruikshank, D. P.; McFadden, T.

2013-12-01

Is Pluto a planet? Some creative low income Bay-area middle-schoolers put a musical spin on this hot science debate with a video rap ';battle' over tiny Pluto's embattled planetary standing. The students' timing was perfect, with NASA's New Horizons mission set to conduct the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moons in July 2015. Pluto - the last of the nine original planets to be explored by spacecraft - has been the subject of scientific study and speculation since Clyde Tombaugh discovered it in 1930, orbiting the Sun far beyond Neptune. Produced by the students and a very creative educator, the video features students 'battling' back and forth over the idea of Pluto being a planet. The group collaborated with actual space scientists to gather information and shot their video before a 'green screen' that was eventually filled with animations and visuals supplied by the New Horizons mission team. The video debuted at the Pluto Science Conference in Maryland in July 2013 - to a rousing response from researchers in attendance. The video marks a nontraditional approach to the ongoing 'great planet debate' while educating viewers on a recently discovered region of the solar system. By the 1990s, researchers had learned that Pluto possessed multiple exotic ices on its surface, a complex atmosphere and seasonal cycles, and a large moon (Charon) that likely resulted from a giant impact on Pluto itself. It also became clear that Pluto was no misfit among the planets - as had long been thought - but the largest and brightest body in a newly discovered 'third zone' of our planetary system called the Kuiper Belt. More recent observations have revealed that Pluto has a rich system of satellites - five known moons - and a surface that changes over time. Scientists even speculate that Pluto may possess an internal ocean. For these and other reasons, the 2003 Planetary Decadal Survey ranked a Pluto/Kuiper Belt mission as the highest priority mission for NASA's newly created New Frontiers program - and that mission is New Horizons. This effort was funded by a Hewlett Packard Sustainability and Social Innovation grant, the Silicon Valley Education Foundation and a Kickstarter campaign to expand this effort to multiple schools. This process and product are great examples of teamwork between scientists and science educators - and show how we can use the appeal of video to communicate science to diverse audiences.

The New Horizons Mission to Pluto and Flyby of Jupiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, Alan; Weaver, Hal; Young, Leslie; Bagenal, Fran; Binzel, Richard; Buratti, Bonnie; Cheng, andy; Cruikshank, Dale; Gladstone, Randy; Grundy, Will;

New Horizons Event: The First Mission to the Pluto System

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

An audience member asks the panelists a question at the "New Horizons: The First Mission to the Pluto System and the Kuiper Belt" Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Monday, August 25, 2014. Scientists discussed how the first images of Pluto and its moons would be captured by the New Horizons spacecraft during a five month long reconnaissance flyby study starting in the summer of 2015. New Horizons launched on January 19, 2006 and is scheduled to make its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Pluto: A Global Perspective

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-05-02

NASA New Horizons mission science team has produced this updated panchromatic black-and-white global map of Pluto. The map includes all resolved images of Pluto surface acquired between July 7-14, 2015.

PFERD Mission: Pluto Flyby Exploration/Research Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lemke, Gary; Zayed, Husni; Herring, Jason; Fuehne, Doug; Sutton, Kevin; Sharkey, Mike

1990-01-01

The Pluto Flyby Exploration/Research Design (PFERD) mission will consist of a flyby spacecraft to Pluto and its satellite, Charon. The mission lifetime is expected to be 18 years. The Titan 4 with a Centaur upper stage will be utilized to launch the craft into the transfer orbit. The proposal was divided into six main subsystems: (1) scientific instrumentation; (2) command, communications, and control: (3) altitude and articulation control; (4) power and propulsion; (5) structures and thermal control; and (6) mission management and costing. Tradeoff studies were performed to optimize all factors of design, including survivability, performance, cost, and weight. Problems encountered in the design are also presented.

The Pluto fast flyby mission: Completing the reconnaissance of the solar system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henry, Paul K.

1993-01-01

The concept of a fast flyby mission to Pluto has been advanced as a means to complete the reconnaissance of the known solar system. In order to acquire data on the Pluto system at the earliest possible time, and within the professional lifetime of investigators now active in the field, concepts are being developed for relatively small spacecraft in the mass range of 70 Kg to 350 Kg with flight times to Pluto of 7 to 13 years. Necessarily, the science complement on such a mission will be very mass and power limited. The challenge will be to define a spacecraft and an instrument package that will maximize the scientific return within these limitations. Cost, of course, will be a major consideration, and funds for new technology development specific to this mission will not be extensive. Consequently, innovative ways to incorporate elegant simplicity into the designs must be found. In order to facilitate exploration of the Pluto-Charon system, fully integrated science payloads must be developed. Two proposed mission designs involving limited mass and power science payloads have been presented to the Outer Planets Science Working Group (OPSWG). These payload mass allocations range from 5 to 30 kilograms with power allocations as low as 5 watts. The drivers behind these low mass and power allocations are that they enable developing missions to fit within the moderate mission cost profile and allow fast flight times to Pluto (7 to 13 years). The OPSWG has prioritized science goals for this class of reconnaissance mission. Three specific science objectives were identified as the highest priority required for the first Pluto mission. These goals were: (1) study of the neutral atmosphere, (2) geology and morphology, and (3) surface compositional mapping. In order to achieve these science goals within the constraints of low mass, power and cost, it may be necessary to combine the functions of 3 conventional instruments (CCD camera, Ultra-Violet Spectrometer, and Infrared Spectrometer) into one fully integrated payload. Where possible, this payload would share optics, mechanisms, electronics and packaging.

New Horizons Event: The First Mission to the Pluto System

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator, speaks on a panel at the "New Horizons: The First Mission to the Pluto System and the Kuiper Belt" Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Monday, August 25, 2014. Scientists discussed how the first images of Pluto and its moons would be captured by the New Horizons spacecraft during a five month long reconnaissance flyby study starting in the summer of 2015. New Horizons launched on January 19, 2006 and is scheduled to make its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

New Horizons Event: The First Mission to the Pluto System

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. Jim Green, Dr. Ed Stone, and Dr. Alan Stern speak on a panel at the "New Horizons: The First Mission to the Pluto System and the Kuiper Belt" Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Monday, August 25, 2014. They discussed how the first images of Pluto and its moons would be captured by the New Horizons spacecraft during a five month long reconnaissance flyby study starting in the summer of 2015. New Horizons launched on January 19, 2006 and is scheduled to make its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

New Horizons Event: The First Mission to the Pluto System

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist, speaks on a panel at the "New Horizons: The First Mission to the Pluto System and the Kuiper Belt" Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Monday, August 25, 2014. Scientists discussed how the first images of Pluto and its moons would be captured by the New Horizons spacecraft during a five month long reconnaissance flyby study starting in the summer of 2015. New Horizons launched on January 19, 2006 and is scheduled to make its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

New Horizons Event: The First Mission to the Pluto System

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. Jim Green, Director of NASA’s Planetary Division, speaks on a panel at the "New Horizons: The First Mission to the Pluto System and the Kuiper Belt" Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Monday, August 25, 2014. Scientists discussed how the first images of Pluto and its moons would be captured by the New Horizons spacecraft during a five month long reconnaissance flyby study starting in the summer of 2015. New Horizons launched on January 19, 2006 and is scheduled to make its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy o

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Dr. John Spencer, senior scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, left, Dr. Jeffrey Moore, senior scientist at NASA Ames Researh Center, center, and Dr. David H. Grinspoon, senior scientist at the Plentary Science Institute, left, are seen during a panel discussion at the "NASA's New Horizons Pluto Mission: Continuing Voyager's Legacy of Exploration" event on Monday, August, 25, 2014, in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The panelists gave their accounts of Voyager's encounter with Neptune and discussed their current assignments on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

New Horizons Event: The First Mission to the Pluto System

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

Audience members view slides from a presentation by Dr. Jim Green, Dr. Ed Stone, and Dr. Alan Stern at the "New Horizons: The First Mission to the Pluto System and the Kuiper Belt" Event at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC Monday, August 25, 2014. They discussed how the first images of Pluto and its moons would be captured by the New Horizons spacecraft during a five month long reconnaissance flyby study starting in the summer of 2015. New Horizons launched on January 19, 2006 and is scheduled to make its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Pluto Fast Flyby: An Overview of the Mission and Spacecraft Design, Advanced Technology Insertion Efforts, and Student Involvement Opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abraham, D. S.; Staehle, R.; Brewster, S.; Caldwell, D.; Carraway, J.; Henry, P.; Herman, M.; Kissel, G.; Peak, S.; Randolph, V.;

An unmanned probe to Pluto

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Now that Voyager II has completed its grand tour of the solar system, all the planets in the solar system, with the exception of Pluto, have been studied. Even now, missions to return to Mercury, Venus, Mars Jupiter, and Saturn are currently flying or are planned. However, a mission to explore Pluto is not, at the present time, being considered seriously. The design problem presented to the students was very general, i.e., design an unmanned mission to Pluto with a launch window constraint of the years 2000 to 2010. All other characteristics of the mission, such as mission type (flyby, orbiter, lander, penetrator), scientific objectives and payload, and the propulsion system were to be determined by the design teams. The design studies exposed several general problems to be solved. Due to the extreme distance to Pluto (and a corresponding travel time in the range of 10 to 25 years), the spacecraft had to be lighter and more robust than current spacecraft designs. In addition, advanced propulsion concepts had to be considered. These included the new generation of launch vehicles and upper stages and nuclear electric propulsion. The probe design offered an abundance of synthesis and analysis problems. These included sizing trade studies, selection of subsystem components, analysis of spacecraft dynamics, stability and control, structural design and material selection, trajectory design, and selection of scientific equipment. Since the characteristics of the mission, excluding the launch window, were to be determined by the design teams, the solutions varied widely.

New Horizons Mission to Pluto

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delgado, Luis G.

2011-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the trajectory that will take the New Horizons Mission to Pluto. Included are photographs of the spacecraft, the launch vehicle, the assembled vehicle as it is being moved to the launch pad and the launch. Also shown are diagrams of the assembled parts with identifying part names.

KSC-05pd2625

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The mission decal for New Horizons is laid out in strips on the floor of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility before installation onto the spacecraft's fairing. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2628

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians install strips of the New Horizons mission decal on the spacecraft fairing in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The last strip will be installed on the fairing after the spacecraft is delivered to Pad 41 on Dec. 17. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2629

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians install strips of the New Horizons mission decal on the spacecraft fairing in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The last strip will be installed on the fairing after the spacecraft is delivered to Pad 41 on Dec. 17. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2627

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians install strips of the New Horizons mission decal on the spacecraft fairing in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The last strip will be installed on the fairing after the spacecraft is delivered to Pad 41 on Dec. 17. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

To Pluto by way of a postage stamp

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Staehle, Robert L.; Terrile, Richard J.; Weinstein, Stacy S.

1994-01-01

In this time of constrained budgets, the primary question facing planetary explorers is not 'Can we do it?' but 'Can we do it cheaply?' Taunted by words on a postage stamp, a group of mission designers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is struggling to find a cheap way to go to Pluto. Three primary goals were set by the science community: (1) imaging of Pluto and Charon, (2) mapping their surface composition, and (3) characterizing Pluto's atmosphere. The spacecraft will be designed around these primary goals. With the help of the Advanced Technology Insertion (ATI) process $5 million was alloted for two years to shop for lightweight components and subsystems using new technology never tried on a planetary mission. The process for this search and development is described.

(abstract) A Low-Cost Mission to 2060 Chiron Based on the Pluto Fast Flyby

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, S. A.; Salvo, C. G.; Wallace, R. A.; Weinstein, S. S.; Weissman, P. R.

1994-01-01

The Pluto Fast Flyby-based mission to Chiron described in this paper is a low cost, scientifically rewarding, focused mission in the outer solar system. The proposed mission will make a flyby of 2060 Chiron, an active 'comet' with over 10(sup 4) times the mass of Halley, and an eccentric, Saturn-crossing orbit which ranges from 8.5 to 19 AU. This mission concept achieves the flyby 4.2 years after launch on a direct trajectory from Earth, is independent of Jupiter launch windows, and fits within Discovery cost guidelines. This mission offers the scientific opportunity to examine a class of object left unsampled by the trail-blazing Mariners, Pioneers, Voyagers, and missions to Halley. Spacecraft reconnaissance of Chiron addresses unique objectives relating to cometary science, other small bodies, the structure of quasi-bound atmospheres on modest-sized bodies, and the origin of primitive bodies and the giant planets. Owing to Chiron's large size (180

KSC-05pd2631

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-16

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians lift New Horizons toward a transporter for its move to Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The last strip of the mission decal will be installed on the fairing after the spacecraft is delivered to the pad. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2632

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-16

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians lower New Horizons onto a transporter for its move to Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The last strip of the mission decal will be installed on the fairing after the spacecraft is delivered to the pad. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2626

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician installs the first strip of the New Horizons mission decal on the spacecraft fairing in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The last strip will be installed on the fairing after the spacecraft is delivered to Pad 41 on Dec. 17. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

New Horizons Educator Fellowship Program: Taking You to Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weir, H. M.; Beisser, K.; Hallau, K. G.

2011-12-01

The New Horizons Educator Fellowship Program (NHEFP), originally based on the MESSENGER Fellows Program, is a public outreach initiative for motivated volunteers across the nation. These volunteers are master teachers who communicate the excitement of NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto and information about recent discoveries to teachers, students, and people in their local communities. Many of the Fellows utilize their experiences and knowledge as members of other programs such as MESSENGER Fellows, Heliophysics Educator Ambassadors, Solar System Educators and Ambassadors to promote the mission thorough professional development workshops incorporating themes, activities, and recent discoveries with other NASA programs to present a well-rounded view of our Solar System. Unlike teacher-volunteer programs tied to missions that take place closer to Earth, the time between New Horizons' launch and its closest approach to Pluto is 9.5 years, with the spacecraft in hibernation for most of its voyager. NHEFP has maintained a core group of Fellows who, through periodic face-to-face or remote training, have taken advantage of opportunities for networking, sharing of ideas in best practices, activities, and presenting and keeping audiences interested in the mission during its long journey to Pluto. This involvement has been key to the program's success.

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NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Florida quarter is prepared for installation on the New Horizons spacecraft in Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The new quarter, engraved with the "Gateway to Discovery" design, will accompany New Horizons on its 3-billion-mile journey to the planet Pluto and its moon, Charon. Although appropriate for the mission to carry the coin from the state that symbolizes space exploration, it will also serve a practical purpose: scientists are using the quarter as a spin-balance weight. New Horizons comprises seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015. Photo Credit: Applied Physics Laboratory/George W. Rogers III

New Horizons Sees Pluto (Sept. 24) Note: There is debate within the science community as to whether

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

A white arrow marks Pluto in this New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) picture taken Sept. 21, 2006. Seen at a distance of about 4.2 billion kilometers (2.6 billion miles) from the spacecraft, Pluto is little more than a faint point of light among a dense field of stars. Mission scientists knew they had Pluto in their sights when LORRI detected an unresolved 'point' in Pluto's predicted position, moving at the planet's expected motion across the constellation of Sagittarius near the plane of the Milky Way galaxy.

New Horizons Sees Pluto (Sept. 21) Note: There is debate within the science community as to whether

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

A white arrow marks Pluto in this New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) picture taken Sept. 21, 2006. Seen at a distance of about 4.2 billion kilometers (2.6 billion miles) from the spacecraft, Pluto is little more than a faint point of light among a dense field of stars. Mission scientists knew they had Pluto in their sights when LORRI detected an unresolved 'point' in Pluto's predicted position, moving at the planet's expected motion across the constellation of Sagittarius near the plane of the Milky Way galaxy.

KSC-05pd2409

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the New Horizons spacecraft is shrouded in insulating blankets that were installed to serve as a heat shield. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

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NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, a technician from the Applied Physics Laboratory adjusts part of the blanket that is being installed as a heat shield around the New Horizons spacecraft. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2632A

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-16

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians monitor New Horizons as it is lowered onto a transporter for its move to Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2408a

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, a technician from the Applied Physics Laboratory adjusts the blanket that is being installed as a heat shield around the New Horizons spacecraft. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2407a

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, a technician from the Applied Physics Laboratory adjusts the blanket that is being installed as a heat shield around the New Horizons spacecraft. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2636

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch vehicle in the Vertical Integration Facility awaits the arrival of New Horizons at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2633

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-16

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, New Horizons sits atop a transporter awaiting its move to Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2634

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - New Horizons leaves the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility before dawn for its journey to the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2635

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians prepare to move New Horizons before dawn from the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility to the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2637

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - New Horizons arrives at the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where buildup of its Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch vehicle is complete. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2639

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The fairing lifting fixture is secured to the nose of the fairing enclosing New Horizons at the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2630

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-16

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians prepare to lift New Horizons to a transporter for its move to Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2642

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The fairing enclosing New Horizons arrives at the top of a Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch vehicle in the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2406

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians from the Applied Physics Laboratory are installing blankets that serve as heat shields around the New Horizons spacecraft. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

Pluto's Far Ultraviolet Spectrum and Airglow Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steffl, A.; Schindhelm, E.; Kammer, J.; Gladstone, R.; Greathouse, T. K.; Parker, J. W.; Strobel, D. F.; Summers, M. E.; Versteeg, M. H.; Ennico Smith, K.; Hinson, D. P.; Linscott, I.; Olkin, C.; Parker, A. H.; Retherford, K. D.; Singer, K. N.; Tsang, C.; Tyler, G. L.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Woods, W. W.; Young, L. A.; Stern, A.

2015-12-01

The Alice far ultraviolet spectrograph on the New Horizons spacecraft is the second in a family of six instruments in flight on, or under development for, NASA and ESA missions. Here, we present initial results from the Alice observations of Pluto during the historic flyby. Pluto's far ultraviolet spectrum is dominated by sunlight reflected from the surface with absorption by atmospehric constituents. We tentatively identify C2H2 and C2H4 in Pluto's atmosphere. We also present evidence for weak airglow emissions.

Robotic planetary science missions enabled with small NTR engine/stage technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borowski, Stanley K.

1995-10-01

The high specific impulse (Isp) and engine thrust-to-weight ratio of liquid hydrogen (LH2)-cooled nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) engines makes them ideal for upper stage applications to difficult robotic planetary science missions. A small 15 thousand pound force (klbf) NTR engine using a uranium-zirconium-niobium 'ternary carbide' fuel (Isp approximately 960 seconds at approximately 3025K) developed in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is examined and its use on an expendable injection stage is shown to provide major increases in payload delivered to the outer planets (Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto). Using a single 'Titan IV-class' launch vehicle, with a lift capability to low Earth orbit (LEO) of approximately 20 metric tons (t), an expendable NTR upper stage can inject two Pluto 'Fast Flyby' spacecraft (PFF/SC) plus support equipment-combined mass of approximately 508 kg--on high energy, '6.5-9.2 year' direct trajectory missions to Pluto. A conventional chemical propulsion mission would use a liquid oxygen (LOX)/LH2 'Centaur' upper stage and two solid rocket 'kick motors' to inject a single PFF/SC on the same Titan IV launch vehicle. For follow on Pluto missions, the NTR injection stage would utilize a Jupiter 'gravity assist' (JGA) maneuver to launch a LOX/liquid methane (CH4) capture stage (Isp approximately 375 seconds) and a Pluto 'orbiter' spacecraft weighing between approximately 167-312 kg. With chemical propulsion, a Pluto orbiter mission is not a viable option because c inadequate delivered mass. Using a 'standardized' NTR injection stage and the same single Titan IV launch scenario, 'direct flight' (no gravity assist) orbiter missions to Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are also enabled with transit times of 2.3, 6.6, and 12.6 years, respectively. Injected mass includes a storable, nitrogen tetroxide/monomethyl hydrazine (N2O4/MMH) capture stage (Isp approximately 330 seconds) and orbiter payloads 340 to 820% larger than that achievable using a LOX/LH2-fueled injection stage. The paper discusses NTR technology and mission characteristics, shows NTR stage and payload accommodations within the 26.2 m long Titan IV payload fairing, and discusses NTR stage performance as a function of assumed cryogenic tank technology.

Robotic Planetary Science Missions Enabled with Small NTR Engine/Stage Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borowski, Stanley K.

1995-01-01

The high specific impulse (Isp) and engine thrust-to-weight ratio of liquid hydrogen (LH2)-cooled nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) engines makes them ideal for upper stage applications to difficult robotic planetary science missions. A small 15 thousand pound force (klbf) NTR engine using a uranium-zirconium-niobium 'ternary carbide' fuel (Isp approximately 960 seconds at approximately 3025K) developed in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is examined and its use on an expendable injection stage is shown to provide major increases in payload delivered to the outer planets (Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto). Using a single 'Titan IV-class' launch vehicle, with a lift capability to low Earth orbit (LEO) of approximately 20 metric tons (t), an expendable NTR upper stage can inject two Pluto 'Fast Flyby' spacecraft (PFF/SC) plus support equipment-combined mass of approximately 508 kg--on high energy, '6.5-9.2 year' direct trajectory missions to Pluto. A conventional chemical propulsion mission would use a liquid oxygen (LOX)/LH2 'Centaur' upper stage and two solid rocket 'kick motors' to inject a single PFF/SC on the same Titan IV launch vehicle. For follow on Pluto missions, the NTR injection stage would utilize a Jupiter 'gravity assist' (JGA) maneuver to launch a LOX/liquid methane (CH4) capture stage (Isp approximately 375 seconds) and a Pluto 'orbiter' spacecraft weighing between approximately 167-312 kg. With chemical propulsion, a Pluto orbiter mission is not a viable option because c inadequate delivered mass. Using a 'standardized' NTR injection stage and the same single Titan IV launch scenario, 'direct flight' (no gravity assist) orbiter missions to Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are also enabled with transit times of 2.3, 6.6, and 12.6 years, respectively. Injected mass includes a storable, nitrogen tetroxide/monomethyl hydrazine (N2O4/MMH) capture stage (Isp approximately 330 seconds) and orbiter payloads 340 to 820% larger than that achievable using a LOX/LH2-fueled injection stage. The paper discusses NTR technology and mission characteristics, shows NTR stage and payload accommodations within the 26.2 m long Titan IV payload fairing, and discusses NTR stage performance as a function of assumed cryogenic tank technology.

Destination pluto: New horizons performance during the approach phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flanigan, Sarah H.; Rogers, Gabe D.; Guo, Yanping; Kirk, Madeline N.; Weaver, Harold A.; Owen, William M.; Jackman, Coralie D.; Bauman, Jeremy; Pelletier, Frederic; Nelson, Derek; Stanbridge, Dale; Dumont, Phillip J.; Williams, Bobby; Stern, S. Alan; Olkin, Cathy B.; Young, Leslie A.; Ennico, Kimberly

2016-11-01

The New Horizons spacecraft began its journey to the Pluto-Charon system on January 19, 2006 on-board an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. As the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program, the objective of the New Horizons mission is to perform the first exploration of ice dwarfs in the Kuiper Belt, extending knowledge of the solar system to include the icy "third zone" for the first time. Arriving at the correct time and correct position relative to Pluto on July 14, 2015 depended on the successful execution of a carefully choreographed sequence of events. The Core command sequence, which was developed and optimized over multiple years and included the highest-priority science observations during the closest approach period, was contingent on precise navigation to the Pluto-Charon system and nominal performance of the guidance and control (G&C) subsystem. The flyby and gravity assist of Jupiter on February 28, 2007 was critical in placing New Horizons on the path to Pluto. Once past Jupiter, trajectory correction maneuvers (TCMs) became the sole source of trajectory control since the spacecraft did not encounter any other planetary bodies along its flight path prior to Pluto. During the Pluto approach phase, which formally began on January 15, 2015, optical navigation images were captured primarily with the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager to refine spacecraft and Pluto-Charon system trajectory knowledge, which in turn was used to design TCMs. Orbit determination solutions were also used to update the spacecraft's on-board trajectory knowledge throughout the approach phase. Nominal performance of the G&C subsystem, accurate TCM designs, and high-quality orbit determination solutions resulted in final Pluto-relative B-plane arrival conditions that facilitated a successful first reconnaissance of the Pluto-Charon system.

Hubble Finds Two Chaotically Tumbling Pluto Moons

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-06-03

This computer animation illustrates how Pluto's moon Nix changes its spin unpredictably as it orbits the "double planet" Pluto-Charon. The view is from the surface of Pluto as the moon circles the Pluto-Charon system. This is a time-lapse view of the moon, compressing four years of motion into two minutes, with one complete orbit of Pluto-Charon every two seconds. (The apparent star movement rate is greatly slowed down for illustration purposes.) The animation is based on dynamical models of spinning bodies in complex gravitational fields — like the field produced by Pluto and Charon's motion about each other. Astronomers used this simulation to try to understand the unpredictable changes in reflected light from Nix as it orbits Pluto-Charon. They also found that Pluto's moon Hydra also undergoes chaotic spin. The football shape of both moons contributes to their wild motion. The consequences are that if you lived on either moon, you could not predict the time or direction the sun would rise the next morning. (The moon is too small for Hubble to resolve surface features, and so the surface textures used here are purely for illustration purposes.) Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Showalter (SETI Institute), and G. Bacon (STScI) Read more: www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-hubble-finds-pluto-s-mo... NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Kuiper Belt Objects Along the Pluto Express Path

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jewitt, David

1999-01-01

The objective of this proposal was to mount a ground-based search for Kuiper Belt objects near the trajectory of the NASA Pluto Express spacecraft. The high density of Kuiper Belt objects established from work on Mauna Kea makes it probable that one or more bodies can be visited by Pluto Express after its encounter with Pluto. The work was funded during its first year through NASA HQ. The second year was funded through Goddard. The third year was never funded.

KSC-05pd2412

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the clean room at KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility is NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft that is scheduled to be launched to Pluto and its moon Charon in January 2006. Seen here is the Radio Science Experiment (REX) that will measure atmospheric composition and temperature. The spacecraft is being prepared for a media event. Photographers and reporters will be able to photograph the New Horizons spacecraft and talk with project management and test team members from NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

The Exploration of the Pluto System by New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weaver, Harold; Stern, S. Alan

2016-07-01

The New Horizons (NH) mission was selected by NASA in November 2001 to conduct the first in situ reconnaissance of Pluto and the Kuiper belt. The NH spacecraft was launched on 2006 January 19, received a gravity assist from Jupiter during closest approach on 2007 February 28, and flew 12,500 km above Pluto's surface on 2015 July 14. NH carried a sophisticated suite of seven scientific instruments, altogether weighing less than 30 kg and drawing less than 30 W of power, that includes panchromatic and color imagers, ultraviolet and infrared spectral imagers, a radio science package, plasma and charged particle sensors, and a dust counting experiment. The NH flyby of the Pluto system executed flawlessly, providing unprecedented detail on the Pluto-Charon binary and Pluto's four small moons (Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra, in order of their orbital distance from Pluto). Pluto's surface displays diverse landforms, terrain ages, albedos, colors, and composition gradients. Evidence is found for a water-ice crust, geologically young surface units, surface ice convection, wind streaks, volatile transport, and glacial flow. NH discovered trace hydrocarbons in Pluto's atmosphere, multiple global haze layers, and a surface pressure near 10 microbars. Pluto's diverse surface geology and long term activity raise fundamental questions about how small planets remain active many billions of years (Gyr) after formation. Charon displays tectonics, evidence for a heterogeneous crustal composition, and a puzzling giant hood of dark material covering its North Pole. Crater density statistics for Charon's surface give a crater retention age of 4-4.5 Ga, indicating that Charon's geological evolution largely ceased early in its history. Nix and Hydra have high albedos suggestive of H2O-ice covered surfaces. Crater densities on Nix and Hydra indicate surface ages > 4 Ga. All the small satellites have highly elongated shapes and are rotating much faster then synchronous with their orbital periods, with rotational poles clustered near the Pluto-Charon orbital plane. The NH spacecraft remains healthy and was targeted toward the flyby of a small (~30-40 km diameter) KBO in late-2015, enabling the study of an object (2014 MU69) in a completely different dynamical class (cold classical) than Pluto, if NASA approves an Extended Mission phase. The proposed Extended Mission would also include observations of more than 20 other KBOs at resolutions and geometries not feasible from Earth, and studies of the heliospheric plasma, neutral H and He, and the dust environment out to 50 AU from the Sun.

KSC-05pd2592

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, clean-suit garbed workers secure the fairing sections around the New Horizons spacecraft for encapsulation. The fairing protects the spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once out of the atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned. The compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2641

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The fairing lifting fixture raises the fairing enclosing New Horizons to the top of a Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch vehicle in the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2615

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At their consoles in the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, members of the New Horizons team take part in a dress rehearsal for the launch scheduled in mid-January. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2646

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The fairing enclosing New Horizons awaits further processing upon its arrival atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch vehicle in the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2408

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, a technician from the Applied Physics Laboratory adjusts part of the blanket that it is being installed as a heat shield around the New Horizons spacecraft. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2644

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians monitor the fairing enclosing New Horizons as it is lowered onto the top of a Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch vehicle in the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2647

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The fairing enclosing New Horizons awaits further processing upon its arrival atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch vehicle in the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2645

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians monitor the fairing enclosing New Horizons as it is positioned atop a Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch vehicle in the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2614

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At their consoles in the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, members of the New Horizons team take part in a dress rehearsal for the launch scheduled in mid-January. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2590

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the two fairing sections move into place around the New Horizons spacecraft for encapsulation. The fairing protects the spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once out of the atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned. The compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2591

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the two fairing sections close in around the New Horizons spacecraft to encapsulate it. The fairing protects the spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once out of the atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned. The compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2589

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the New Horizons spacecraft waits for encapsulation within the fairing sections waiting nearby. The fairing protects the spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once out of the atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned. The compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2640

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The fairing lifting fixture lifts the fairing enclosing New Horizons to the top of a Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch vehicle at the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2617

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At their consoles in the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, members of the New Horizons team take part in a dress rehearsal for the launch scheduled in mid-January. Seen here (left to right) are David Kusnierkiewicz, New Horizons mission system engineer; Glen Fountain, Applied Physics Lab project manager; and Alan Stern, principal investigator from Southwest Research Institute. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

The Phoenix Pluto Probe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gunning, George R.; Spapperi, Jeff; Wilkinson, Jeffrey P.; Eldred, Jim; Labij, Dennis; Strinni, Meredith

1990-01-01

A design proposal for an unmanned probe to Pluto is presented. The topics covered include: (1) scientific instrumentation; (2) mission management, planning, and costing; (3) power and propulsion system; (4) structural subsystem; (5) command, control, and communication; and (6) attitude and articulation control.

New Horizons: Bridge to the Beginning - to Pluto and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weir, H. M.; Hallau, K. G.; Seaton, P.; Beisser, K.; New Horizons Education; Public Outreach Team

2010-12-01

Launched on Jan. 19, 2006, NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt will help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. However, New Horizons’ closest approach to Pluto will not occur until July 14, 2015, and the majority of the craft's time over the next 5 years will be spent in "hibernation." The Education and Public Outreach (EPO) team, however, will not be hibernating as we wait for New Horizons to reach its destination. With three distinct tools-- Educator Fellows, online learning modules and a planetarium program--the team seeks to excite and engage teachers, students and the public with information about the journey to Pluto and beyond. In the past year, the specially selected educators who participate as New Horizons Educator Fellows have trained more than 1,000 teachers across the U.S. on the New Horizons mission and the science behind it. Thousands more students, parents, educators, and citizens have learned about New Horizons from the mission's scientists, engineers and outreach professionals. New Horizons Fellows also distribute another EPO tool: online learning modules. These classroom-ready learning modules consist of educator guides, student handouts, detailed activities, and potential adaptations for students with special needs or disabilities. Some also offer online interactives to convey complex and dynamic concepts. The modules are web-accessible for both students and teachers, and are aligned with relevant national standards. The third tool is a highly visual way to engage the general public and supplement educational programs: a planetarium program that highlights the New Horizons mission from launch to destination Pluto. This program focuses on the engineering design of the spacecraft, with a focus on the concept of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the unique environment of the planetarium, users identify and view celestial objects at multiple wavelengths of light and discover how the instruments collect such data, which will help answer questions about Pluto, its moons, and the Kuiper Belt. The program is designed for educators and students at the middle school level and above.

Pluto and Charon in Color: Pluto-Centric View Animation

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-06-11

The first color movies from NASA's New Horizons mission show Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, and the complex orbital dance of the two bodies, known as a double planet. A near-true color movie were assembled from images made in three colors -- blue, red and near-infrared -- by the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera on the instrument known as Ralph. The images were taken on nine different occasions from May 29-June 3, 2015. The movie is "Pluto-centric," meaning that Charon is shown as it moves in relation to Pluto, which is digitally centered in the movie. (The North Pole of Pluto is at the top.) Pluto makes one turn around its axis every 6 days, 9 hours and 17.6 minutes-the same amount of time that Charon rotates in its orbit. Looking closely at the images in this movie, one can detect a regular shift in Pluto's brightness-due to the brighter and darker terrains on its differing faces. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19689

KSC-05pd2638

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The fairing lifting fixture is lowered toward the nose of the fairing enclosing New Horizons upon its arrival at the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch vehicle stands ready to receive it in the background. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2588

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the two fairing sections are ready to be moved in place around the New Horizons spacecraft (in center) for encapsulation. The fairing protects the spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once out of the atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned. The compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2587

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-13

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, clean-suit garbed workers prepare the first fairing section (in the background) that will encapsulate the New Horizons spacecraft at left for flight. The fairing protects the spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once out of the atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned. The compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2612

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Ed Biggs (foreground), a fluids software engineer for Lockheed Martin, and other members of the New Horizons team take part in a dress rehearsal for the launch scheduled in mid-January. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2643

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-17

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - InDyne employee Mic Miracle captures on video the arrival of the fairing enclosing New Horizons at the top of a Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch vehicle in the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

Craters of All Ages and Sizes

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-11-10

Locations of more than 1,000 craters mapped on Pluto by NASA New Horizons mission indicate a wide range of surface ages, which likely means that Pluto has been geologically active throughout its history. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20154

Observational Limits for Rings and Debris at Pluto from New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Throop, Henry B.; Lauer, Tod R.; Showalter, Mark R.; Weaver, Harold A.; Stern, S. Alan; Spencer, John R.; Buie, Marc W.; Hamilton, Douglas P.; Porter, Simon Bernard; Verbiscer, Anne J.; Young, Leslie; Olkin, Catherine; Ennico, Kimberly; New Horizons Science Team

2017-10-01

NASA's New Horizons missions flew past Pluto on July 14, 2015. New Horizons conducted an extensive search for orbital material at Pluto, using deep imaging at backscatter and forward-scatter, direct in situ dust detector measurements, and stellar occultations. We searched the entire region from the surface of Pluto outward to the Pluto-Charon Hill radius (6.4 x 106 km = 100 times Hydra's orbital radius), using the spacecraft's LORRI and MVIC cameras.No material was found to a normal I/F limit of 2 x 10-8 for 1500 km-wide rings, and 7 x 10-9 for 12,000 km-wide rings. Our results are consistent with dynamical studies that show the lifetime of dust in the Pluto system is short, with the loss dominated by solar radiation pressure and gravitational perturbations.

The Surface Age of Sputnik Planum, Pluto, Must Be Less than 10 Million Years.

PubMed

Trilling, David E

2016-01-01

Data from the New Horizons mission to Pluto show no craters on Sputnik Planum down to the detection limit (2 km for low resolution data, 625 m for high resolution data). The number of small Kuiper Belt Objects that should be impacting Pluto is known to some degree from various astronomical surveys. We combine these geological and telescopic observations to make an order of magnitude estimate that the surface age of Sputnik Planum must be less than 10 million years. This maximum surface age is surprisingly young and implies that this area of Pluto must be undergoing active resurfacing, presumably through some cryo-geophysical process. We discuss three possible resurfacing mechanisms and the implications of each one for Pluto's physical properties.

Kuiper Belt Objects Along the Pluto-Express Path

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jewitt, David (Principal Investigator)

1997-01-01

The science objective of this work is to identify objects in the Kuiper Belt which will, in the 5 years following Pluto encounter, be close to the flight path of NASA's Pluto Express. Our hope is that we will find a Kuiper Belt object or objects close enough that a spacecraft flyby will be possible. If we find a suitable object, the science yield of Pluto Express will be substantially enhanced. The density of objects in the Kuiper Belt is such that we are reasonably likely to find an object close enough to the flight path that on-board gas thrusters can effect a close encounter.

OPTIC: Orbiting Plutonian Topographic Image Craft Proposal for an Unmanned Mission to Pluto

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, Jonathan E.; Hein, Randall John; Meyer, David Lee; Robinson, David Mark; Endre, Mark James; Summers, Eric W.

1990-01-01

The proposal for an unmanned probe to Pluto is presented and described. The Orbiting Plutonian Topographic Image Craft's (OPTIC's) trip will take twenty years and after its arrival, will begin its data collection which includes image and radar mapping, surface spectral analysis, and magnetospheric studies. This probe's design was developed based on the request for proposal of an unmanned probe to Pluto requirements. The distinct problems which an orbiter causes for each subsystem of the craft are discussed. The final design revolved around two important factors: (1) the ability to collect and return the maximum quantity of information on the Plutonian system; and (2) the weight limitations which the choice of an orbiting craft implied. The velocity requirements of this type of mission severely limited the weight available for mission execution-owing to the large portion of overall weight required as fuel to fly the craft with present technology. The topics covered include: (1) scientific instrumentation; (2) mission management; (3) power and propulsion; (4) attitude and articulation control; (5) structural subsystems; and (6) command, control, and communication.

KSC-05pd2416

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the clean room at KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the media (also dressed in clean room suits) learn about NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft (at left) from New Horizons Mission Systems Engineer David Kusnierkiewicz, in the center. Behind Kusnierkiewicz is one half of the fairing that will enclose the spacecraft for launch, scheduled for January 2006. The media event brought photographers and reporters to the site to talk with project management and test team members from NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

The Other Red Planet Animation

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-03

What color is Pluto? The answer, revealed in the first maps made from New Horizons data, turns out to be shades of reddish brown. The mission's first map of Pluto is in approximate true color -- that is, the color you would see if you were riding on New Horizons. At left, a map of Pluto's northern hemisphere composed using high-resolution black-and-white images from New Horizons LORRI instrument. At right is a map of Pluto's colors created using data from the Ralph instrument. In the center is the combined map, produced by merging the LORRI and Ralph data. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19697

Pluto Express - Out of the Darkness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herman, M.

1995-01-01

Pluto, discovered in 1930, is the largest of a class of primordial bodies at the edge of our solar system that have comet-like properties and remain relatively unmodified by warming from the sun. It is the only planet in the solar system not explored via robotic spacecraft. This lecture discusses the status of the Pluto Express preproject (science objectives, etc.), and its telecommunication subsystem.

Optical Navigation Preparations for New Horizons Pluto Flyby

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owen, William M., Jr.; Dumont, Philip J.; Jackman, Coralie D.

2012-01-01

The New Horizons spacecraft will encounter Pluto and its satellites in July 2015. As was the case for the Voyager encounters with Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, mission success will depend heavily on accurate spacecraft navigation, and accurate navigation will be impossible without the use of pictures of the Pluto system taken by the onboard cameras. We describe the preparations made by the New Horizons optical navigators: picture planning, image processing algorithms, software development and testing, and results from in-flight imaging.

KSC-05pd2410

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the clean room at KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the New Horizons spacecraft is prepared for a media event. Photographers and reporters will be able to photograph the New Horizons spacecraft and talk with project management and test team members from NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Seen behind the spacecraft is one half of the fairing that will enclose it for launch, scheduled for January 2006. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2415

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the clean room at KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians prepare the New Horizons spacecraft for a media event. Photographers and reporters will be able to photograph the New Horizons spacecraft and talk with project management and test team members from NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Seen behind the spacecraft is one half of the fairing that will enclose it for launch, scheduled for January 2006. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2613

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At their consoles in the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, members of the New Horizons team take part in a dress rehearsal for the launch scheduled in mid-January. From left are Lockheed Martin's Program Manager John Crocker; Michael Kubiak with the U.S. Air Force, participating with Lockheed Martin on the Education with Industry program; and Lockheed Martin's Carlos Prado. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2414

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the clean room at KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the New Horizons spacecraft is ready for a media event. Photographers and reporters will be able to photograph the New Horizons spacecraft and talk with project management and test team members from NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Seen behind the spacecraft is one half of the fairing that will enclose it for launch, scheduled for January 2006. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2411

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the clean room at KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians prepare the New Horizons spacecraft for a media event. Photographers and reporters will be able to photograph the New Horizons spacecraft and talk with project management and test team members from NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Seen behind the spacecraft is one half of the fairing that will enclose it for launch, scheduled for January 2006. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

KSC-05pd2413

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the clean room at KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the New Horizons spacecraft is being prepared for a media event. Photographers and reporters will be able to photograph the New Horizons spacecraft and talk with project management and test team members from NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Seen behind the spacecraft is one half of the fairing that will enclose it for launch, scheduled for January 2006. Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

The PLUTO plastidial nucleobase transporter also transports the thiamin precursor hydroxymethylpyrimidine

PubMed Central

Beaudoin, Guillaume A.W.; Johnson, Timothy S.; Hanson, Andrew D.

2018-01-01

In plants, the hydroxymethylpyrimidine (HMP) and thiazole precursors of thiamin are synthesized and coupled together to form thiamin in plastids. Mutants unable to form HMP can be rescued by exogenous HMP, implying the presence of HMP transporters in the plasma membrane and plastids. Analysis of bacterial genomes revealed a transporter gene that is chromosomally clustered with thiamin biosynthesis and salvage genes. Its closest Arabidopsis homolog, the plastidic nucleobase transporter (PLUTO), is co-expressed with several thiamin biosynthetic enzymes. Heterologous expression of PLUTO in Escherichia coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae increased sensitivity to a toxic HMP analog, and disrupting PLUTO in an HMP-requiring Arabidopsis line reduced root growth at low HMP concentrations. These data implicate PLUTO in plastidial transport and salvage of HMP. PMID:29507060

Imagine a Landing on Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-07-14

Imagine a future spacecraft following New Horizons' trailblazing path to Pluto, but instead of flying past its target -- as New Horizons needed to do to explore Pluto and the Kuiper Belt beyond -- the next visitor touches down near the tall mountains on the frozen icy, plains of Pluto's heart. A video produced by New Horizons scientists that offers that very perspective. Made from more than 100 New Horizons images taken over six weeks of approach and close flyby, the video offers a trip in to Pluto -- starting with a distant spacecraft's-eye view of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, to an eventual ride in for a "landing" on the shoreline of Pluto's informally named Sputnik Planum. The video shows what it would be like to ride aboard an approaching spacecraft and see Pluto grow from a "dot" to become a world, and then to swoop down over Pluto's spectacular terrains. New Horizons scientists had to interpolate some of the frames in the movie based on what they know Pluto looks like to make it as smooth and seamless as possible. After a 9.5-year voyage covering more than three billion miles, New Horizons flew through the Pluto system on July 14, 2015, coming within 7,800 miles (12,500 kilometers) of Pluto itself. Carrying powerful telescopic cameras that could spot features smaller than a football field, New Horizons has sent back hundreds of images of Pluto and its moons that show how dynamic and fascinating their surfaces are - and what great targets they'd make for follow-up mission one day. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20742

NASA Missions Have Their Eyes Peeled on Pluto Artist Concept

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-09

This artist concept shows NASA fleet of observatories busily gathering data before and after July 14, 2015 to help piece together what we know about Pluto, and what features New Horizons data might help explain. What's icy, has "wobbly" potato-shaped moons, and is arguably the world's favorite dwarf planet? The answer is Pluto, and NASA's New Horizons is speeding towards the edge of our solar system for a July 14 flyby. It won't be making observations alone; NASA's fleet of observatories will be busy gathering data before and after to help piece together what we know about Pluto, and what features New Horizons data might help explain. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19703

Pluto or Bust!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Diane

2005-01-01

This article begins with a discussion of the development of the solar system. It also focuses on the fact that in January 2006, NASA plans to launch the New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto-Charon and on to one or more of the icy Kuiper Belt Objects. Sections of the article include: (1) Investigating the Aftermath; (2) Designing a Mission to…

Latest Results from and Plans for the New Horizons Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weaver, Harold; Stern, Alan

2016-07-01

On 2015 July 14 NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew 12,500 km above the surface of Pluto revealing a world of remarkable complexity and diversity. A giant basin filled with nitrogen ice dominated the encounter hemisphere and is the site of vigorous ongoing solid state convection that generates glacier-like transport along the surface. Giant mountains of water ice appear to be floating in the nitrogen ice. The periphery of the basin has a wide variety of landforms, including ice flow channels and chaotically arranged blocks of water ice. Extensive sublimation pitting is observed within the nitrogen ice sheet, testifying to active volatile transport. Peculiar bladed terrain to the east of the nitrogen ice sheet appears to be coated by methane ice. Pluto's equatorial region is dominated by an ancient dark red belt of material, probably tholins created either by irradiation of surface ices or by haze precipitation from the atmosphere. Pluto sports a wide variety of surface craters with some terrains dating back approximately 4 billion years while some terrains are geologically young. New Horizons discovered trace hydrocarbons in Pluto's atmosphere, multiple global haze layers, and a surface pressure near 10 microbars. Charon, Pluto's largest moon, displays tectonics, evidence for a heterogeneous crustal composition, and a puzzling giant hood of dark material covering its North Pole. Crater density statistics for Charon's surface give a crater retention age of 4-4.5 Ga, indicating that Charon's geological evolution largely ceased early in its history. All of Pluto's four small moons (Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra) have high albedos, highly elongated shapes, and are rotating much faster then synchronous with their orbital periods, with rotational poles clustered near the Pluto-Charon orbital plane. The surfaces of Nix and Hydra are coated with nearly pristine crystalline water ice, despite having crater retention ages greater than 4 billion years. The New Horizons spacecraft remains healthy and was targeted toward the flyby of a small (~30-40 km) KBO in late-2015, enabling the study of an object (2014 MU69) in a completely different dynamical class (cold classical) than Pluto, if NASA approves an Extended Mission phase. In addition to the flyby of 2014 MU69 on 2019-Jan-01, the proposed Extended Mission would also include observations of more than 20 other KBOs at resolutions and geometries not feasible from Earth, and studies of the heliospheric plasma, neutral H and He, and the dust environment out to 50 AU from the Sun.

KSC-06pd0009

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-01-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Hal Weaver, New Horizons project scientist with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, signs the fairing enclosing the New Horizons spacecraft. The fairing protects the spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once out of the atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned. The compact 1,060-pound New Horizons probe carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

The Copernicus project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnstable, Bob; Polte, Hans; Kepes, Paul; Walker, Kevin; Jacobs, Jeff; Williams, Stephen

1990-01-01

The Copernicus spacecraft, to be launched on May 4, 2009, is designed for scientific exploration of the planet Pluto. The main objectives of this exploration is to accurately determine the mass, density, and composition of the two bodies in the Pluto-Charon system. A further goal of the exploration is to obtain precise images of the system. The spacecraft will be designed for three axis stability control. It will use the latest technological advances to optimize the performance, reliability, and cost of the spacecraft. Due to the long duration of the mission, nominally 12.6 years, the spacecraft will be powered by a long lasting radioactive power source. Although this type of power may have some environmental drawbacks, currently it is the only available source that is suitable for this mission. The planned trajectory provides flybys of Jupiter and Saturn. These flybys provide an opportunity for scientific study of these planets in addition to Pluto. The information obtained on these flybys will supplement the data obtained by the Voyager and Galileo missions. The topics covered include: (1) scientific instrumentation; (2) mission management, planning, and costing; (3) power and propulsion system; (4) structural subsystem; (5) command, control, and communication; and (6) attitude and articulation control.

Pluto and Charon in Color: Barycentric View Animation

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-06-11

The first color movies from NASA's New Horizons mission show Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, and the complex orbital dance of the two bodies, known as a double planet. A near-true color movie was assembled from images made in three colors -- blue, red and near-infrared -- by the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera on the instrument known as Ralph. The images were taken on nine different occasions from May 29-June 3, 2015. The movie is barycentric, meaning that both Pluto and Charon are shown in motion around the binary's barycenter -- the shared center of gravity between the two bodies as they do a planetary jig. Because Pluto is much more massive than Charon, the barycenter (marked by a small "x" in the movie) is much closer to Pluto than to Charon. Looking closely at the images in this movie, one can detect a regular shift in Pluto's brightness-due to the brighter and darker terrains on its differing faces. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19688

Into the Kuiper Belt: New Horizons Post-Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrison Parker, Alex; Spencer, John; Benecchi, Susan; Binzel, Richard; Borncamp, David; Buie, Marc; Fuentes, Cesar; Gwyn, Stephen; Kavelaars, JJ; Noll, Keith; Petit, Jean-Marc; Porter, Simon; Showalter, Mark; Stern, S. Alan; Sterner, Ray; Tholen, David; Verbiscer, Anne; Weaver, Hal; Zangari, Amanda

2015-11-01

New Horizons is now beyond Pluto and flying deeper into the Kuiper Belt. In the summer of 2014, a Hubble Space Telescope Large Program identified two candidate Cold Classical Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) that were within reach of New Horizons' remaining fuel budget. Here we present the selection of the Kuiper Belt flyby target for New Horizons' post-Pluto mission, our state of knowledge regarding this target and the potential 2019 flyby, the status of New Horizons' targeting maneuver, and prospects for near-future long-range observations of other KBOs.

Pluto Moon Nix, Half Illuminated

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-12-18

This recently received panchromatic image of Pluto's small satellite Nix taken by the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) aboard New Horizons is one of the best images of Pluto's third-largest moon generated by the NASA mission. Taken on July 14, 2015, at a range of about 14,000 miles (23,000 kilometers) from Nix, the illuminated surface is about 12 miles (19 kilometers) by 29 miles (47 kilometers). The unique perspective of this image provides new details about Nix's geologic history and impact record. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20287

Partly Cloudy on Pluto?

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-18

Pluto's present, hazy atmosphere is almost entirely free of clouds, though scientists from NASA's New Horizons mission have identified some cloud candidates after examining images taken by the New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager and Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera, during the spacecraft's July 2015 flight through the Pluto system. All are low-lying, isolated small features -- no broad cloud decks or fields -- and while none of the features can be confirmed with stereo imaging, scientists say they are suggestive of possible, rare condensation clouds. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21127

The PLUTO plastidial nucleobase transporter also transports the thiamin precursor hydroxymethylpyrimidine.

PubMed

Beaudoin, Guillaume A W; Johnson, Timothy S; Hanson, Andrew D

2018-04-27

In plants, the hydroxymethylpyrimidine (HMP) and thiazole precursors of thiamin are synthesized and coupled together to form thiamin in plastids. Mutants unable to form HMP can be rescued by exogenous HMP, implying the presence of HMP transporters in the plasma membrane and plastids. Analysis of bacterial genomes revealed a transporter gene that is chromosomally clustered with thiamin biosynthesis and salvage genes. Its closest Arabidopsis homolog, the plastidic nucleobase transporter (PLUTO), is co-expressed with several thiamin biosynthetic enzymes. Heterologous expression of PLUTO in Escherichia coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae increased sensitivity to a toxic HMP analog, and disrupting PLUTO in an HMP-requiring Arabidopsis line reduced root growth at low HMP concentrations. These data implicate PLUTO in plastidial transport and salvage of HMP. © 2018 The Author(s).

STS-88 Mission Specialist James Newman suits up before launch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

In the Operations and Checkout Building, STS-88 Mission Specialist James H. Newman takes part in a complete suit check before launch. Newman holds a toy dog, 'Pluto,' representing the crew nickname Dog Crew 3 and Newman's nickname, Pluto. Mission STS-88 is expected to launch at 3:56 a.m. EST with the six-member crew aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on Dec. 3. Endeavour carries the Unity connecting module, which the crew will be mating with the Russian-built Zarya control module already in orbit. In addition to Unity, two small replacement electronics boxes are on board for possible repairs to Zarya batteries. The mission is expected to last 11 days, 19 hours and 49 minutes, landing at 10:17 p.m. EST on Dec. 14.

Earth, Meet Pluto: The New Horizons Education and Communications Partnership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buckley, M.

2015-12-01

The unique partnership between the NASA New Horizons education/communications and public affairs programs tapped into the excitement of visiting an unexplored planet in a new region of the solar system - resulting in unprecedented public participation in and coverage of a planetary mission. With a range of hands-on learning experiences, Web materials and online , the program provided opportunities for students, educators, museums, science centers, the media, Web surfers and other members of the public to ride along on the first mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. The programs leveraged resources, materials and expertise to address a wide range of traditional and nontraditional audiences while providing consistent messages and information on this historic NASA endeavor. The E/C program included a variety of formal lesson plans and learning materials — based on New Horizons science and engineering goals, and aligned with National Research Council's National Science Education Standards — that continue to help students in grades K-12 learn more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. College students designed and built an actual flight instrument on New Horizons and held internships with the spacecraft integration and test team. New Horizons E/C programs went well beyond the classroom, from a chance for people to send their names to Pluto on board the New Horizons spacecraft before launch, to opportunities for the public to access milestone events and the first-ever close-up views of Pluto in places such as museums, science centers and libraries, TV and the Web — as well as thousands who attended interactive "Plutopalooza" road shows across the country. Teamed with E/C was the public affairs strategy to communicate New Horizons news and messages to media, mission stakeholders, the scientific community and the public. These messages include various aspects of New Horizons, including the progress of the mission and key milestones and achievements; the unique, long-distance operation of the spacecraft and its instruments; and the release of scientific data and results from New Horizons' historic Pluto encounter. Through traditional and social media channels the mission reached billions of people worldwide - and likely inspired millions among the next generation of STEM professionals.

Triton: The Connection between Rosetta, New Horizons and a future Ice Giants Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandt, K.; Luspay-Kuti, A.; Mousis, O.

2017-12-01

Several planetary missions have made observations intended to evaluate the origin and evolution of volatiles in solar system atmospheres. This is an important topic that connects how planets, moons and small bodies formed to the question of past or present habitability. Comet isotope observations have been ongoing and have played a crucial role in this research. Measurements of the D/H in cometary water and 14N/15N in NH3, in particular, have been critical for evaluating the origin of water and nitrogen in the terrestrial planet atmospheres and for that of Saturn's moon Titan. We have conducted comparative studies modeling the escape, photochemistry and evolution of the atmospheres of Titan and Pluto to try to understand whether the nitrogen in these atmospheres originated as N2 or NH3 in the protosolar nebula. The origin of Titan's nitrogen has been well constrained, but uncertainties about isotope processes in Pluto's atmosphere leave the origin of Pluto's nitrogen difficult to resolve. Because of their similarities, Triton is subject to the same uncertainties and is of particular interest for understanding the origin of Triton's and Pluto's volatiles as well as of Kuiper Belt Objects in general. We will discuss how Rosetta, New Horizons and a future Ice Giants mission will each contribute to understanding the origin of nitrogen in these atmospheres and to the origin of volatiles in atmospheres throughout outer solar system.

KSC-05pd2616

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-12-15

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the communications room above the Atlas V Spaceflight Operations Center on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, NASA Public Information Officer George Diller rehearses his role for the upcoming launch of the New Horizons spacecraft. Behind him are Tiffany Nail, with the Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center, and Bob Summerville, a Lockheed Martin console system software engineer. Members of the New Horizons team are taking part in a dress rehearsal for the launch scheduled in mid-January. New Horizons carries seven scientific instruments that will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's complex atmosphere. After that, flybys of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be undertaken in an extended mission. New Horizons is the first mission in NASA's New Frontiers program of medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., will launch aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket and fly by Pluto and Charon as early as summer 2015.

Mission management, planning, and cost: PULSE Attitude And Control Systems (AACS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The Pluto unmanned long-range scientific explorer (PULSE) is a probe that will do a flyby of Pluto. It is a low weight, relatively low costing vehicle which utilizes mostly off-the-shelf hardware, but not materials or techniques that will be available after 1999. A design, fabrication, and cost analysis is presented. PULSE will be launched within the first decade of the twenty-first century. The topics include: (1) scientific instrumentation; (2) mission management, planning, and costing; (3) power and propulsion systems; (4) structural subsystem; (5) command, control, and communication; and (6) attitude and articulation control.

Hypersonic maneuvering to provide planetary gravity assist

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcronald, Angus D.; Randolph, James E.

1990-01-01

This paper examines the potential of aeroassist maneuvers at Mars for missions to the sun and to Pluto, using a high-lift/drag vehicle such as the waverider to perform an atmospheric 'fly-around' of Mars, in order to rotate the planetocentric velocity vector, thus adding to the rather small rotation due to gravity alone. A fly-around in one direction or the other can place the aphelion or the perihelion of the resulting orbit at the Mars distance, for missions toward the sun or toward Pluto, respectively. The parameters of such maneuvers are given as a function of earth launch velocity.

KSC-98pc1758

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-12-03

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Operations and Checkout Building, STS-88 Mission Specialist James H. Newman takes part in a complete suit check before launch. Newman holds a toy dog, "Pluto," representing the crew nickname Dog Crew 3 and Newman's nickname, Pluto. Mission STS-88 is expected to launch at 3:56 a.m. EST with the six-member crew aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on Dec. 3. Endeavour carries the Unity connecting module, which the crew will be mating with the Russian-built Zarya control module already in orbit. In addition to Unity, two small replacement electronics boxes are on board for possible repairs to Zarya batteries. The mission is expected to last 11 days, 19 hours and 49 minutes, landing at 10:17 p.m. EST on Dec. 14

A Pluto Color Combo

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-06

This color version of NASA's New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) picture of Pluto taken July 3, 2015, was created by adding color data from the Ralph instrument gathered earlier in the mission. The LORRI image was taken from a range of 7.8 million miles (12.5 million km), with a central longitude of 19°. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19699

2016 Summer Series - Alan Stern - The Exploration of Pluto by New Horizons

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-08-11

Interplanetary exploration is essential for the long-term survival of our species. Robotic space exploration allows us to advance our knowledge of our solar system and beyond. Dr. Alan Stern will talk about the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the scientific knowledge gained through the exploration of the icy worlds at the edge of our solar system.

Pluto's Implications for a Snowball Titan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, M.; Yung, Y. L.; Gladstone, R.

2013-12-01

The recent Cassini-Huygens Mission to the Saturnian system provides compelling evidence that the present state of Titan's dense atmosphere is unsustainable over the age of the Solar System. Instead, for most of the time Titan's atmosphere must have existed in a collapsed snowball state, characterized by a cold surface and a thin atmosphere, much like those of present-day Pluto and Triton. We will briefly review how the present Titan atmosphere exists due to a sensitive coupling between photochemistry, radiation, and dynamics. This delicate 'house of cards' must have collapsed in the past when it ran out of CH4 or when the sun was dimmer. We will investigate how the rate of organic synthesis on Snowball Titan differs from that of contemporary Titan. The forthcoming New Horizons Mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt may allow us to gain insights into the fine balance and the evolutionary history of certain planetary atmospheres. In particular, the high SNR solar occultations planned for observation with the Alice UV spectrograph on New Horizons are expected to yield abundance profiles of important hydrocarbons and nitriles in Pluto's atmosphere, providing detailed constraints for photochemical models such as those considered here.

Photochemical aerosol formation in planetary atmospheres: A comparison between Pluto and Titan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavvas, Panayotis; Strobel, Darrell F.; Lellouch, Emmanuel; Gurwell, Mark A.; Cheng, Andrew F.; Summers, Michael; Gladstone, Randy

2016-10-01

The New Horizons mission observations have revealed us that Pluto's atmosphere is rich in photochemical hazes that extend to high altitudes above its surface [1], apparently similar to those observed in Titan's atmosphere [2].We use detailed models combining photochemistry and microphysics in order to simulate the aerosol formation and growth in Pluto's atmosphere, as performed for Titan's atmosphere [3]. Here we discuss the possible mechanisms leading to the formation of haze particles in Pluto's atmosphere, and we evaluate the contribution of different growth processes (e.g. coagulation vs. condensation) to the resulting particle properties.Moreover we investigate the role of these particles in the radiative balance of Pluto's atmosphere and we compare the resulting particle properties, with those retrieved for Titan's upper atmosphere based on Cassini observations [4]. We discuss the similarities and difference between Pluto's and Titan's aerosols.[1] Gladstone et al., 2016, Science, 351, 6271[2] West et al., 2015, Titan's Haze, in Titan, Interior, Surface, Atmosphere and Space environment, Cambridge University Press[3] Lavvas et al., 2013, PNAS, pnas.1217059110[4] Lavvas et al., 2015, DPS47, id.205.08

New Horizons Successful Completes the Historic First Flyby of Pluto and Its Moons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ennico, Kimberly

2015-01-01

On July 14, 2015, after a 9.5 year trek across the solar system, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew by the dwarf planet Pluto and its system of moons, taking imagery, spectra and in-situ particle data. Data from New Horizons will address numerous outstanding questions on the geology and composition of Pluto and Charon, plus measurements of Pluto's atmosphere, and provide revised understanding of the formation and evolution of Pluto and Charon and its smaller moons. This data set is an invaluable glimpse into the outer Third Zone of the solar system. Data from the intense July 14th fly-by sequence will be downlinked to Earth over a period of 16 months, the duration set by the large data set (over 60 GBits) and the limited transmitted bandwidth rates (approx. 1-2 kbps) and sharing the three 70 m DSN assets with our missions. The small fraction (approx. 1%) of data downlinked during the early phase of the flyby has already revealed Pluto and Charon to be very different worlds, with increasing and dynamic complexity.

The Surface Age of Sputnik Planum, Pluto, Must Be Less than 10 Million Years

PubMed Central

Trilling, David E.

2016-01-01

Data from the New Horizons mission to Pluto show no craters on Sputnik Planum down to the detection limit (2 km for low resolution data, 625 m for high resolution data). The number of small Kuiper Belt Objects that should be impacting Pluto is known to some degree from various astronomical surveys. We combine these geological and telescopic observations to make an order of magnitude estimate that the surface age of Sputnik Planum must be less than 10 million years. This maximum surface age is surprisingly young and implies that this area of Pluto must be undergoing active resurfacing, presumably through some cryo-geophysical process. We discuss three possible resurfacing mechanisms and the implications of each one for Pluto’s physical properties. PMID:26790001

The Small Satellites of Pluto as Observed by New Horizons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weaver, H. A.; Buie, M. W; Buratti, B. J.; Grundy, W. M.; Lauer, T. R.; Olkin, C. B.; Parker, A .H.; Porter, S. B.; Showalter, M. R.; Spencer, J. R.;

ASICs for the Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation on NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paschalidis, Nicholas; McNutt, Ralph

One of the most critical challenges of the Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Inves-tigation (PEPSSI) was to meet the science requirements with a total mass and power of ¡1.5 kg and ¡2.5 W, respectively. A key, enabling technology to achieve these goals was the exten-sive use of high-performance, low-power, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for the miniaturization of the 12-channel solid state detector (SSD) readout system, the time-of-flight (TOF) system, and the power supply and housekeeping systems. The PEPSSI instrument is a TOF-versus-energy, compact particle spectrometer that provides measurements of ions and electrons from 20keV to 1MeV in a 160 x 12 solid angle field of view divided into six dual-channel sectors. TOF, constant fraction discriminator (CFD), energy, peak detector, and temperature, remote input/output (TRIO, housekeeping) ASICs were all used synergistically in the instrument enabling the high science performance within the resource constraints. The ASICs were space qualified in accord with military specifications (Class S) for total radiation dose and single-event effects (SEEs), and, most importantly, for a 2000-hour life test to increase the reliability for the long duration of the mission. PEPSSI flies on-board the New Horizons NASA spacecraft to measure pick-up ions from the Pluto's outgassing atmosphere. The space-craft was launched 19 Jan 2006 and presently is en route to Pluto, having passed Jupiter in early 2007. Closest approach to Pluto will occur in mid-July 2015. The instrument has already produced excellent measurements in interplanetary space and during the traversal of Jupiter's magnetotail in 2007.

The Cosmochemistry of Pluto: A Primordial Origin of Volatiles?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glein, C. R.; Waite, J. H., Jr.

2017-12-01

Pluto is a wonderland of volatiles. Nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide are the principal volatiles that maintain its tenuous atmosphere, and they have also created a mesmerizing landscape of icy geological features, including Pluto's iconic "heart". Recent data, particularly those returned by the New Horizons mission [1-3], allow us to begin testing hypotheses for the cosmochemical origins of these world-shaping species on Pluto. Here, we investigate if Pluto's volatiles could have been accreted in its building blocks. We take both bottom-up and top-down approaches in testing this hypothesis in terms of mass balance. We estimate Pluto's primordial inventory of volatiles by scaling a range of cometary abundances up to the ice mass fraction of Pluto. We also make estimates of the present and lost inventories of volatiles based on surface observations and interpretations, as well as different scenarios of atmospheric photochemistry and escape. We find that, if primordial Pluto resembled a giant comet with respect to volatile abundances, then the initial volatile inventory would have been sufficient to account for the estimated present and lost inventories. This consistency supports a primordial origin for Pluto's volatiles. However, the observed ratio of CO/N2 in Pluto's atmosphere [4] is several orders of magnitude lower than the nominal cometary value. We are currently using phase equilibrium and rate models to explore if volatile layering in Sputnik Planitia, or the destruction of CO in a past or present subsurface ocean of liquid water could explain the apparent depletion of CO on Pluto. References: [1] Moore et al. (2016) Science 351, 1284. [2] Grundy et al. (2016) Science 351, aad9189. [3] Gladstone et al. (2016) Science 351, aad8866. [4] Lellouch et al. (2017) Icarus 286, 289.

Dunes across the Solar System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayes, Alexander G.

2018-06-01

Before NASA's New Horizons mission, the surface of Pluto was shrouded in mystery. No one knew what to expect from its surface and most scientists shied away from detailed speculation, except to say that the one thing we should expect is to be surprised (1). On page 992 of this issue, Telfer et al. (2) present such a surprise by describing features interpreted as dunes on Pluto's surface.

Volatile Transport in Pluto's Super Seasons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Earle, Alissa M.; Binzel, Richard; Young, Leslie; Stern, S. Alan; Olkin, Catherine B.; Ennico, Kimberly; Moore, Jeffrey M.; Weaver, Harold A.; NASA New Horizons Composition Team, The NASA New Horizons GGI Team

2016-10-01

The data returned from NASA's New Horizons' reconnaissance of the Pluto system shows striking albedo variations from polar to equatorial latitudes as well as sharp boundaries for longitudinal variations. Pluto has a high obliquity (currently around 119 degrees) which varies by more than 23 degrees (between roughly 103 and 127 degrees) over a period of less than 3 million years. These obliquity properties, combined with Pluto's orbital regression in longitude of perihelion (360 degrees over 3.7 million years), create epochs of "Super Seasons" on Pluto. A "Super Season" occurs, for example, when Pluto happens to be pole-on towards the Sun at the same time as perihelion. In such a case, one pole experiences a short, intense summer (relative to its long-term average) followed by a longer than average period of winter darkness. By complement, the other pole experiences a much longer, but less intense summer and short winter season. We explore the relationship between albedo variations and volatile transport for the current epoch as well as historical epochs during which Pluto experienced these "Super Seasons". Our investigation suggests Pluto's orbit creates the potential for runaway albedo variations, particularly in the equatorial region, which would create and support stark longitudinal contrasts like the ones we see between the informally named Tombaugh and Cthulhu Regios.This work was supported by the NASA New Horizons mission.

KSC-05pd2528

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers maneuver the fifth and final solid rocket booster into place for mating to the Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket. Two of the other four rockets are seen at left. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft that will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moon, Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. As it approaches Pluto, the spacecraft will look for ultraviolet emission from Pluto's atmosphere and make the best global maps of Pluto and Charon in green, blue, red and a special wavelength that is sensitive to methane frost on the surface. It will also take spectral maps in the near infrared, telling the science team about Pluto's and Charon’s surface compositions and locations and temperatures of these materials. When the spacecraft is closest to Pluto or its moon, it will take close-up pictures in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and Charon in July 2015.

NASA’s Hubble Telescope Finds Potential Kuiper Belt Targets for New Horizons Pluto Mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This is an artist’s impression of a Kuiper Belt object (KBO), located on the outer rim of our solar system at a staggering distance of 4 billion miles from the Sun. A HST survey uncovered three KBOs that are potentially reachable by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft after it passes by Pluto in mid-2015. Credit: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI) --- Peering out to the dim, outer reaches of our solar system, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered three Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) the agency’s New Horizons spacecraft could potentially visit after it flies by Pluto in July 2015. The KBOs were detected through a dedicated Hubble observing program by a New Horizons search team that was awarded telescope time for this purpose. “This has been a very challenging search and it’s great that in the end Hubble could accomplish a detection – one NASA mission helping another,” said Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Boulder, Colorado, principal investigator of the New Horizons mission. The Kuiper Belt is a vast rim of primordial debris encircling our solar system. KBOs belong to a unique class of solar system objects that has never been visited by spacecraft and which contain clues to the origin of our solar system. The KBOs Hubble found are each about 10 times larger than typical comets, but only about 1-2 percent of the size of Pluto. Unlike asteroids, KBOs have not been heated by the sun and are thought to represent a pristine, well preserved deep-freeze sample of what the outer solar system was like following its birth 4.6 billion years ago. The KBOs found in the Hubble data are thought to be the building blocks of dwarf planets such as Pluto. Read more: 1.usa.gov/1vzUcyK NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

KSC-05pd2312

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-10-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, a technician from the Applied Physics Laboratory works on the New Horizons spacecraft before installing one of the panels. A series of interconnecting panels will enclose the spacecraft beneath the antenna to maintain safe operating temperatures in space. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moon, Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. As it approaches Pluto, the spacecraft will look for ultraviolet emission from Pluto's atmosphere and make the best global maps of Pluto and Charon in green, blue, red and a special wavelength that is sensitive to methane frost on the surface. It will also take spectral maps in the near infrared, telling the science team about Pluto's and Charon's surface compositions and locations and temperatures of these materials. When the spacecraft is closest to Pluto or its moon, it will take close-up pictures in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and Charon in July 2015.

KSC-05pd2311

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-10-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians from the Applied Physics Laboratory work on a panel they are installing on the New Horizons spacecraft. A series of interconnecting panels will enclose the spacecraft beneath the antenna to maintain safe operating temperatures in space. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moon, Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. As it approaches Pluto, the spacecraft will look for ultraviolet emission from Pluto's atmosphere and make the best global maps of Pluto and Charon in green, blue, red and a special wavelength that is sensitive to methane frost on the surface. It will also take spectral maps in the near infrared, telling the science team about Pluto's and Charon's surface compositions and locations and temperatures of these materials. When the spacecraft is closest to Pluto or its moon, it will take close-up pictures in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and Charon in July 2015.

KSC-05pd2314

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-10-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians from the Applied Physics Laboratory install another panel on the New Horizons spacecraft. A series of interconnecting panels will enclose the spacecraft beneath the antenna to maintain safe operating temperatures in space. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moon, Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. As it approaches Pluto, the spacecraft will look for ultraviolet emission from Pluto's atmosphere and make the best global maps of Pluto and Charon in green, blue, red and a special wavelength that is sensitive to methane frost on the surface. It will also take spectral maps in the near infrared, telling the science team about Pluto's and Charon's surface compositions and locations and temperatures of these materials. When the spacecraft is closest to Pluto or its moon, it will take close-up pictures in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and Charon in July 2015.

KSC-05pd2315

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-10-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians from the Applied Physics Laboratory install another panel on the New Horizons spacecraft. A series of interconnecting panels will enclose the spacecraft beneath the antenna to maintain safe operating temperatures in space. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moon, Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. As it approaches Pluto, the spacecraft will look for ultraviolet emission from Pluto's atmosphere and make the best global maps of Pluto and Charon in green, blue, red and a special wavelength that is sensitive to methane frost on the surface. It will also take spectral maps in the near infrared, telling the science team about Pluto's and Charon's surface compositions and locations and temperatures of these materials. When the spacecraft is closest to Pluto or its moon, it will take close-up pictures in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and Charon in July 2015.

KSC-05pd2313

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-10-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians work on a panel they are installing on the New Horizons spacecraft. A series of interconnecting panels will enclose the spacecraft beneath the antenna to maintain safe operating temperatures in space. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moon, Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. As it approaches Pluto, the spacecraft will look for ultraviolet emission from Pluto's atmosphere and make the best global maps of Pluto and Charon in green, blue, red and a special wavelength that is sensitive to methane frost on the surface. It will also take spectral maps in the near infrared, telling the science team about Pluto's and Charon's surface compositions and locations and temperatures of these materials. When the spacecraft is closest to Pluto or its moon, it will take close-up pictures in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and Charon in July 2015.

KSC-05pd2323

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-10-11

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the mobile service tower on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, workers oversee the lowering of the Lockheed Martin Atlas V Centaur stage (above) toward the first stage. The two stages will be mated. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moon, Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. As it approaches Pluto, the spacecraft will look for ultraviolet emission from Pluto's atmosphere and make the best global maps of Pluto and Charon in green, blue, red and a special wavelength that is sensitive to methane frost on the surface. It will also take spectral maps in the near infrared, telling the science team about Pluto's and Charon's surface compositions and locations and temperatures of these materials. When the spacecraft is closest to Pluto or its moon, it will take close-up pictures in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and Charon in July 2015.

Chairmanship of the Neptune/Pluto outer planets science working group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stern, S. Alan

1993-11-01

The Outer Planets Science Working Group (OPSWG) is the NASA Solar System Exploration Division (SSED) scientific steering committee for the Outer Solar System missions. OPSWG consists of 19 members and is chaired by Dr. S. Alan Stern. This proposal summarizes the FY93 activities of OPSWG, describes a set of objectives for OPSWG in FY94, and outlines the SWG's activities for FY95. As chair of OPSWG, Dr. Stern will be responsible for: organizing priorities, setting agendas, conducting meetings of the Outer Planets SWG; reporting the results of OPSWG's work to SSED; supporting those activities relating to OPSWG work, such as briefings to the SSES, COMPLEX, and OSS; supporting the JPL/SAIC Pluto study team; and other tasks requested by SSED. As the Scientific Working Group (SWG) for Jupiter and the planets beyond, OPSWG is the SSED SWG chartered to study and develop mission plans for all missions to the giant planets, Pluto, and other distant objects in the remote outer solar system. In that role, OPSWG is responsible for: defining and prioritizing scientific objectives for missions to these bodies; defining and documenting the scientific goals and rationale behind such missions; defining and prioritizing the datasets to be obtained in these missions; defining and prioritizing measurement objectives for these missions; defining and documenting the scientific rationale for strawman instrument payloads; defining and prioritizing the scientific requirements for orbital tour and flyby encounter trajectories; defining cruise science opportunities plan; providing technical feedback to JPL and SSED on the scientific capabilities of engineering studies for these missions; providing documentation to SSED concerning the scientific goals, objectives, and rationale for the mission; interfacing with other SSED and OSS committees at the request of SSED's Director or those committee chairs; providing input to SSED concerning the structure and content of the Announcement of Opportunity for payload and scientific team selection for such missions; and providing other technical or programmatic inputs concerning outer solar system missions at the request of the Director of SSED.

Chairmanship of the Neptune/Pluto outer planets science working group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, S. Alan

1993-01-01

The Outer Planets Science Working Group (OPSWG) is the NASA Solar System Exploration Division (SSED) scientific steering committee for the Outer Solar System missions. OPSWG consists of 19 members and is chaired by Dr. S. Alan Stern. This proposal summarizes the FY93 activities of OPSWG, describes a set of objectives for OPSWG in FY94, and outlines the SWG's activities for FY95. As chair of OPSWG, Dr. Stern will be responsible for: organizing priorities, setting agendas, conducting meetings of the Outer Planets SWG; reporting the results of OPSWG's work to SSED; supporting those activities relating to OPSWG work, such as briefings to the SSES, COMPLEX, and OSS; supporting the JPL/SAIC Pluto study team; and other tasks requested by SSED. As the Scientific Working Group (SWG) for Jupiter and the planets beyond, OPSWG is the SSED SWG chartered to study and develop mission plans for all missions to the giant planets, Pluto, and other distant objects in the remote outer solar system. In that role, OPSWG is responsible for: defining and prioritizing scientific objectives for missions to these bodies; defining and documenting the scientific goals and rationale behind such missions; defining and prioritizing the datasets to be obtained in these missions; defining and prioritizing measurement objectives for these missions; defining and documenting the scientific rationale for strawman instrument payloads; defining and prioritizing the scientific requirements for orbital tour and flyby encounter trajectories; defining cruise science opportunities plan; providing technical feedback to JPL and SSED on the scientific capabilities of engineering studies for these missions; providing documentation to SSED concerning the scientific goals, objectives, and rationale for the mission; interfacing with other SSED and OSS committees at the request of SSED's Director or those committee chairs; providing input to SSED concerning the structure and content of the Announcement of Opportunity for payload and scientific team selection for such missions; and providing other technical or programmatic inputs concerning outer solar system missions at the request of the Director of SSED.

The small satellites of Pluto as observed by New Horizons.

PubMed

Weaver, H A; Buie, M W; Buratti, B J; Grundy, W M; Lauer, T R; Olkin, C B; Parker, A H; Porter, S B; Showalter, M R; Spencer, J R; Stern, S A; Verbiscer, A J; McKinnon, W B; Moore, J M; Robbins, S J; Schenk, P; Singer, K N; Barnouin, O S; Cheng, A F; Ernst, C M; Lisse, C M; Jennings, D E; Lunsford, A W; Reuter, D C; Hamilton, D P; Kaufmann, D E; Ennico, K; Young, L A; Beyer, R A; Binzel, R P; Bray, V J; Chaikin, A L; Cook, J C; Cruikshank, D P; Dalle Ore, C M; Earle, A M; Gladstone, G R; Howett, C J A; Linscott, I R; Nimmo, F; Parker, J Wm; Philippe, S; Protopapa, S; Reitsema, H J; Schmitt, B; Stryk, T; Summers, M E; Tsang, C C C; Throop, H H B; White, O L; Zangari, A M

2016-03-18

The New Horizons mission has provided resolved measurements of Pluto's moons Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra. All four are small, with equivalent spherical diameters of ~40 kilometers for Nix and Hydra and ~10 kilometers for Styx and Kerberos. They are also highly elongated, with maximum to minimum axis ratios of ~2. All four moons have high albedos (~50 to 90%) suggestive of a water-ice surface composition. Crater densities on Nix and Hydra imply surface ages of at least 4 billion years. The small moons rotate much faster than synchronous, with rotational poles clustered nearly orthogonal to the common pole directions of Pluto and Charon. These results reinforce the hypothesis that the small moons formed in the aftermath of a collision that produced the Pluto-Charon binary. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

From the Sun to Pluto and Beyond - Inspiring the Next Generation of Explorers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beisser, K.; Matiella Novak, M.; Butler, L.; Turney, D.

2010-12-01

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) Space Department currently manages a variety of Solar System exploratory satellite missions on behalf of NASA and in coordination with other universities and institutions. Along with managing these missions on a scientific and operational basis, the Space Department also maintains an education and public outreach staff that provides education and outreach events and activities to inspire, engage and educate the next generation of Solar System explorers. The main objective of the E/PO program is to create hands-on, minds-on learning experiences for students, educators and the general public. From the Sun to Pluto, APL is engineering the future of space exploration - examining Earth’s near-space environment, our star, planetary bodies, and the outer solar system. The E/PO office provides unique opportunities for K-12 students, educators, undergraduate and graduate students, museums, science centers, and the general public to share in the excitement of the missions APL manages for NASA. The E/PO program uses mission and instrument science and engineering to enhance the nation’s formal education system and contribute to public understanding of science, mathematics, and technology, making space exploration an adventure for students of all ages. Current Solar System missions that APL is involved with include missions to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt (New Horizons), exploring the Earth’s outermost layers of atmosphere (TIMED), studying the Sun’s coronal mass ejections (STEREO), mapping the geological and surface features of Mars (CRISM), exploring near-Earth asteroids (NEAR), understanding space weather (RBSP), studying Mercury (MESSENGER), and getting closer to the Sun than any probe has ever been (Solar Probe Plus). APL offers education and outreach opportunities, in coordination with NASA, for all of these missions.

Research Highlights

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stern, S. Alan; Ennico, Kimberly; Gladstone, G. Randall

This collection contains two articles, "NASA's New Horizons Mission to Pluto" and the "Diversity of Chemistry and Geologic Processes Observed by the MSL/Chem Cam Laser Instrument in Gale Crater, Mars". These highlights describe how New Horizons came to be, how the spacecraft got to Pluto, and how the findings are challenging our understanding of ice worlds in the outer solar system; and the ChemCam, one of ten instrument packages on board the rover.

Research Highlights

DOE PAGES

Stern, S. Alan; Ennico, Kimberly; Gladstone, G. Randall; ...

2016-04-01

This collection contains two articles, "NASA's New Horizons Mission to Pluto" and the "Diversity of Chemistry and Geologic Processes Observed by the MSL/Chem Cam Laser Instrument in Gale Crater, Mars". These highlights describe how New Horizons came to be, how the spacecraft got to Pluto, and how the findings are challenging our understanding of ice worlds in the outer solar system; and the ChemCam, one of ten instrument packages on board the rover.

Pluto and Charon: A Case of Precession-Orbit Resonance?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rubincam, David Parry; Smith, David E. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Pluto may be the only known case of precession-orbit resonance in the solar system. The Pluto-Charon system orbits the Sun with a period of 1 Plutonian year, which is 250.8 Earth years. The observed parameters of the system are such that Charon may cause Pluto to precess with a period near 250.8 Earth years. This gives rise to two possible resonances, heretofore unrecognized. The first is due to Pluto's orbit being highly eccentric, giving solar torques on Charon with a period of 1 Plutonian year. Charon in turn drives Pluto near its precession period. Volatiles, which are expected to shuttle across Pluto's surface between equator and pole as Pluto's obliquity oscillates, might change the planet's dynamical flattening enough so that Pluto crosses the nearby resonance, forcing the planet's equatorial plane to depart from Charon's orbital plane. The mutual tilt can reach as much as 2 deg after integrating over 5.6 x 10(exp 6) years, depending upon how close Pluto is to the resonance and the supply of volatiles. The second resonance is due to the Sun's traveling above and below Charon's orbital plane; it has a period half that of the eccentricity resonance. Reaching this half-Plutonian year resonance requires a much larger but still theoretically possible amount of volatiles. In this case the departure of Charon from an equatorial orbit is about 1 deg after integrating for 5.6 x 10(exp 6) years. The calculations ignore libration and tidal friction. It is not presently known how large the mutual tilt can grow over the age of the solar system, but if it remains only a few degrees, then observing such small angles from a Pluto flyby mission would be difficult. It is not clear why the parameters of the Pluto-Charon system are so close to the eccentricity resonance.

The Performance of Ultra-stable Oscillators for the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-01

the mid-2000s for JHU/APL’s exploration mission of Pluto and the Kuiper belt . Fig. 1. Timeline of USO mission legacy with history of...determination at remote bodies far from Earth extends the possibility of measuring other moons, planets, and asteroids in future science mission concepts

KSC-05pd2523

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-11-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Viewed from high in the Vertical Integration Facility on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the fifth and final solid rocket booster is ready to be raised to vertical and lifted into the facility. It will be added to the other four already mated to the Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket in the facility. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft that will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moon, Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. As it approaches Pluto, the spacecraft will look for ultraviolet emission from Pluto's atmosphere and make the best global maps of Pluto and Charon in green, blue, red and a special wavelength that is sensitive to methane frost on the surface. It will also take spectral maps in the near infrared, telling the science team about Pluto's and Charon’s surface compositions and locations and temperatures of these materials. When the spacecraft is closest to Pluto or its moon, it will take close-up pictures in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and Charon in July 2015.

The Atmospheres of Pluto and Charon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gladstone, R.; Summers, M. E.; Stern, A.; Ennico Smith, K.; Olkin, C.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Young, L. A.; Strobel, D. F.; Hinson, D. P.; Kammer, J.; Parker, A. H.; Steffl, A.; Linscott, I.; Parker, J. W.; Cheng, A. F.; Versteeg, M. H.; Greathouse, T.; Retherford, K. D.; Throop, H.; Woods, W. W.; Singer, K. N.; Tsang, C.; Schindhelm, E.; Wong, M. L.; Yung, Y. L.; Zhu, X.; Curdt, W.; Lavvas, P.; Young, E. F.; Tyler, G. L.

2015-12-01

Major goals of the New Horizons (NH) mission are to explore and characterize the structure and composition of Pluto's atmosphere, and to determine whether Charon has a measurable atmosphere of its own. Several instruments onboard NH contribute to these goals, primarily: 1) the REX instrument, through uplink X-band radio occultations, 2) the Alice instrument, through extreme- and far-ultraviolet solar occultations, and 3) the LORRI panchromatic imager, through high-phase-angle imaging. The associated datasets were obtained following closest approach of NH to Pluto. Pressure and temperature profiles of the lower atmosphere are derived from the REX data, the composition and structure of the extended atmosphere are derived from the Alice data (supported by approach observations of reflected ultraviolet sunlight), and the distribution and properties of Pluto's hazes are derived from the LORRI data. In this talk an overview of the early atmosphere science results will be presented.

A Heart on Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-08

In the early morning hours of July 8, 2015, mission scientists received this new view of Pluto -- the most detailed yet returned by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) aboard New Horizons. The image was taken on July 7, when the NASA spacecraft was just under 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) from Pluto, and is the first to be received since the July 4 anomaly that sent the spacecraft into safe mode. This view is centered roughly on the area that will be seen close-up during New Horizons' July 14 closest approach. This side of Pluto is dominated by three broad regions of varying brightness. Most prominent are an elongated dark feature at the equator, informally known as "the whale," and a large heart-shaped bright area measuring some 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) across on the right. Above those features is a polar region that is intermediate in brightness. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19702

Small Bodies in the Kuiper Belt : Lessons from Pluto's Small Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Buie, M. W.; Howett, C.; Olkin, C.; Parker, A. H.; Parker, J. W.; Porter, S. B.; Robbins, S. J.; Singer, K. N.; Spencer, J. R.; Stern, A.; Young, L. A.; Zangari, A. M.; Lauer, T.; Showalter, M.; Verbiscer, A.; McKinnon, W. B.; Cook, J. C.; Grundy, W. M.; Protopapa, S.; Hamilton, D. P.; Schmitt, B.; Buratti, B. J.; Binzel, R. P.; Jennings, D. E.; Reuter, D.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Dalle Ore, C.; Ennico Smith, K.; Moore, J. M.; Cheng, A. F.; Lisse, C. M.

2017-12-01

During the approach and flyby of the Pluto system in 2015, the instruments on theNew Horizons spacecraft obtained data on Pluto's small satellites that far surpassedwhat was previously available. All four small moons (Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra,in order of distance from Pluto) have highly irregular shapes, rapid non-synchronous rotation rates, high obliquity rotational poles, high visible albedos ( 50-80%), andneutral-to-blue visible colors. The even more detailed information obtained for Nix and Hydra reveal those 40 km diameter objects to have relatively ancient ( 3-4 Gyr) surfacesdominated by crystalline water ice, but with a hint of ammonia-containing compounds. Here we addresswhat these results say about the origin and evolution of these bodies, and howthese results inform studies of other small bodies in the Kuiper belt, including2014 MU69, the next flyby target for the New Horizons mission.

Peering Closely at the Heart of Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-17

Peering closely at the "heart of Pluto," in the western half of what mission scientists have informally named Tombaugh Regio (Tombaugh Region), NASA's New Horizons' Ralph instrument revealed evidence of carbon monoxide ice. The contours indicate that the concentration of frozen carbon monoxide increases towards the center of the "bull's eye." These data were acquired by the spacecraft on July 14 and transmitted to Earth on July 16. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19718

Radio Occultation Measurements of Pluto’s Atmosphere with New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinson, David P.; Linscott, Ivan; Tyler, Len; Bird, Mike; Paetzold, Martin; Strobel, Darrell; Summers, Mike; Woods, Will; Stern, Alan; Weaver, Hal; Olkin, Cathy; Young, Leslie; Ennico, Kimberly; Gladstone, Randy; Greathouse, Tommy; Kammer, Josh; Parker, Alex; Parker, Joel; Retherford, Kurt; Schindhelm, Eric; Singer, Kelsi; Steffl, Andrew; Tsang, Con; Versteeg, Maarten

2015-11-01

The reconnaissance of the Pluto System by New Horizons included radio occultations at both Pluto and Charon. This talk will present the latest results from the Pluto occultation. The REX instrument onboard New Horizons received and recorded uplink signals from two 70-m antennas and two 34-m antennas of the NASA Deep Space Network - each transmitting 20 kW at 4.2-cm wavelength - during a diametric occultation by Pluto. At the time this was written only a short segment of data at occultation entry (193°E, 17°S) was available for analysis. The REX measurements extend unequivocally to the surface, providing the first direct measure of the surface pressure and the temperature structure in Pluto’s lower atmosphere. Data from occultation exit (16°E, 15°N) are scheduled to arrive on the ground in late August 2015. Those observations will yield an improved estimate of the surface pressure, a second temperature profile, and a measure of the diameter of Pluto with a precision of a few hundred meters. This work is supported by the NASA New Horizons Mission.

Benefits of Nuclear Electric Propulsion for Outer Planet Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kos, Larry; Johnson, Les; Jones, Jonathan; Trausch, Ann; Eberle, Bill; Woodcock, Gordon; Brady, Hugh J. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) offers significant benefits to missions for outer planet exploration. Reaching outer planet destinations, especially beyond Jupiter, is a struggle against time and distance. For relatively near missions, such as a Europa lander, conventional chemical propulsion and NEP offer similar performance and capabilities. For challenging missions such as a Pluto orbiter, neither chemical nor solar electric propulsion are capable while NEP offers acceptable performance. Three missions are compared in this paper: Europa lander, Pluto orbiter, and Titan sample return, illustrating how performance of conventional and advanced propulsion systems vary with increasing difficulty. The paper presents parametric trajectory performance data for NEP. Preliminary mass/performance estimates are provided for a Europa lander and a Titan sample return system, to derive net payloads for NEP. The NEP system delivers payloads and ascent/descent spacecraft to orbit around the target body, and for sample return, delivers the sample carrier system from Titan orbit to an Earth transfer trajectory. A representative scientific payload 500 kg was assumed, typical for a robotic mission. The resulting NEP systems are 100-kWe class, with specific impulse from 6000 to 9000 seconds.

New Pluto Images from NASA’s New Horizons: It’s Complicated

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This synthetic perspective view of Pluto, based on the latest high-resolution images to be downlinked from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, shows what you would see if you were approximately 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometers) above Pluto’s equatorial area, looking northeast over the dark, cratered, informally named Cthulhu Regio toward the bright, smooth, expanse of icy plains informally called Sputnik Planum. The entire expanse of terrain seen in this image is 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometers) across. The images were taken as New Horizons flew past Pluto on July 14, 2015, from a distance of 50,000 miles (80,000 kilometers). Read more: 1.usa.gov/1MgG7io Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

THE NEW HORIZONS SOLAR WIND AROUND PLUTO (SWAP) OBSERVATIONS OF THE SOLAR WIND FROM 11–33 au

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elliott, H. A.; McComas, D. J.; Valek, P.

The Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument on National Aeronautics and Space Administration's New Horizons Pluto mission has collected solar wind observations en route from Earth to Pluto, and these observations continue beyond Pluto. Few missions have explored the solar wind in the outer heliosphere making this dataset a critical addition to the field. We created a forward model of SWAP count rates, which includes a comprehensive instrument response function based on laboratory and flight calibrations. By fitting the count rates with this model, the proton density (n), speed (V), and temperature (T) parameters are determined. Comparisons between SWAP parametersmore » and both propagated 1 au observations and prior Voyager 2 observations indicate consistency in both the range and mean wind values. These comparisons as well as our additional findings confirm that small and midsized solar wind structures are worn down with increasing distance due to dynamic interaction of parcels of wind with different speed. For instance, the T–V relationship steepens, as the range in V is limited more than the range in T with distance. At times the T–V correlation clearly breaks down beyond 20 au, which may indicate wind currently expanding and cooling may have an elevated T reflecting prior heating and compression in the inner heliosphere. The power of wind parameters at shorter periodicities decreases with distance as the longer periodicities strengthen. The solar rotation periodicity is present in temperature beyond 20 au indicating the observed parcel temperature may reflect not only current heating or cooling, but also heating occurring closer to the Sun.« less

Pluto Heart: Like a Cosmic Lava Lamp

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-06-01

Like a cosmic lava lamp, a large section of Pluto's icy surface is being constantly renewed by a process called convection that replaces older surface ices with fresher material. Scientists from NASA's New Horizons mission used state-of-the-art computer simulations to show that the surface of Pluto's informally named Sputnik Planum is covered with churning ice "cells" that are geologically young and turning over due to a process called convection. The scene above, which is about 250 miles (400 kilometers) across, uses data from the New Horizons Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC), gathered July 14, 2015. Their findings are published in the June 2, 2016, issue of the journal Nature. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20726

Chandra Observations of Pluto's Escaping Atmosphere in Support of the New Horizons Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNutt, Ralph, Jr.

2013-09-01

Current models of Pluto's extended N2+CH4 atmosphere are still very uncertain, causing numerous difficulties in optimizing the New Horizons fast flyby operations plan for the dwarf planet. Applying knowledge gained from studying cometary X-ray emission, Chandra ACIS-S photometric imaging of X-rays produced by CXE between the solar wind and Pluto's atmosphere will address both the run of atmospheric density and the interaction of the solar wind with the extended Plutonian atmosphere. Determining the atmosphere's extent and amount of free molecular escape will aid the atmospheric sounding measurements of the NH ALICE instrument, while determining the x-ray luminosity will help the NH PEPSI instrument characterize the solar wind particle environment.

Radioisotope thermophotovoltaic system design and its application to an illustrative space mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schock, A.; Kumar, V.

1995-01-01

The paper describes the results of a DOE-sponsored design study of a radioisotope thermophotovoltaic generator (RTPV), to complement similar studies of Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) and Stirling Generators (RSGs) previously published by the author. Instead of conducting a generic study, it was decided to focus the design effort by directing it at a specific illustrative space mission, Pluto Fast Flyby (PFF). That mission, under study by JPL, envisages a direct eight-year flight to Pluto (the only unexplored planet in the solar system), followed by comprehensive mapping, surface composition, and atmospheric structure measurements during a brief flyby of the planet and its moon Charon, and transmission of the recorded science data to Earth during a post-encounter cruise lasting up to one year. Because of Pluto's long distance from the sun (30-50 A.U.) and the mission's large energy demand, JPL has baselined the use of a radioisotope power system for the PFF spacecraft. TRGs have been tentatively selected, because they have been successfully flown on many space missions, and have demonstrated exceptional reliability and durability. The only reason for exploring the applicability of the far less mature RTPV systems is their potential for much higher conversion efficiencies, which would greatly reduce the mass and cost of the required radioisotope heat source. Those attributes are particularly important for the PFF mission, which—like all NASA missions under current consideration—is severely mass- and cost-limited. The paper describes the design of the radioisotope heat source, the thermophotovoltaic converter, and the heat rejection system; and depicts its integration with the PFF spacecraft. A companion paper presented at this conference presents the results of the thermal, electrical, and structural analysis and the design optimization of the integrated RTPV system. It also discusses the programmatic implications of the analytical results, which suggest that the RTPV generator, when developed by DOE and/or NASA, would be quite valuable not only for the PFF mission but also for other future missions requiring small, long-lived, low-mass generators.

Pluto/Kuiper Missions with Advanced Electric Propulsion and Power

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oleson, S. R.; Patterson, M. J.; Schrieber, J.; Gefert, L. P.

2001-01-01

In response to a request by NASA Code SD Deep Space Exploration Technology Program, NASA Glenn Research center performed a study to identify advanced technology options to perform a Pluto/Kuiper mission without depending on a 2004 Jupiter Gravity Assist, but still arriving before 2020. A concept using a direct trajectory with small, sub-kilowatt ion thrusters and Stirling radioisotope power system was shown to allow the same or smaller launch vehicle class (EELV) as the chemical 2004 baseline and allow launch in any year and arrival in the 2014 to 2020 timeframe. With the nearly constant power available from the radioisotope power source such small ion propelled spacecraft could explore many of the outer planetary targets. Such studies are already underway. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Space radioisotope power source requirements update and technology status

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mondt, J.F.

1998-07-01

The requirements for a space advanced radioisotope power source are based on potential deep space missions being investigated for the NASA Advanced Space Systems Development Program. Since deep space missions have not been approved, updating requirements is a continuos parallel process of designing the spacecraft and the science instruments to accomplish the potential missions and developing the power source technology to meet changing requirements. There are at least two potential missions, Pluto/Kuiper Express and Europa Orbiter, which may require space advanced radioisotope power sources. The Europa Orbiter has been selected as the preferred first potential mission. However the final decisionmore » will depend on the technology readiness of all the subsystems and the project must be able to switch to Pluto Kuiper Express as the first mission as late as the beginning of fiscal year 2000. Therefore the requirements for the power source will cover both potential missions. As the deep space spacecraft design evolves to meet the science requirements and the Alkali Metal Thermal to Electric (AMTEC) technology matures the advanced radioisotope power source design requirements are updated The AMTEC technology developed to date uses stainless steel for the sodium containment material. The higher efficiency required for the space power system dictates that the AMTEC technology must operate at a higher temperature than possible with stainless steel. Therefore refractory materials have been selected as the baseline material for the AMTEC cell. These refractory materials are Nb1Zr for the hot side and Nb1Zr or Nb10Hf1Ti for the cold side. These materials were selected so the AMTEC cell can operate at 1150K to 1350K hot side temperature and 600K to 700K cold side temperature and meet the present power and mass requirements using four to six general purpose heat source modules as the heat source. The new containment materials and brazes will be evaluated as to lifetime, compatibility and performance with the AMTEC beta prime Alumina, the TiN electrodes, the sodium and the molybdenum current collectors. AMTEC cell components and cells will be built with the baseline containment materials and brazes and tested to determine the performance as a function of temperature. These containment materials will be also be tested with all the other AMTEC components to determine acceleration factors needed to predict AMTEC performance degradation and failure as a function of operating time at temperature.« less

Voyager to Jupiter and Saturn

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The NASA Voyager mission to explore planets of the outer solar system is summarized. The mission schedule and profiles for encounters with Jupiter and Saturn, and possibly with Uranus and Pluto are included along with a description of the spacecraft and its trajectories. Scientific investigations to be made and the instruments carried are also discussed.

Where is the Geophysical Evidence for the Giant Impact Origin of the Pluto System?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKinnon, W. B.; Singer, K. N.; Nimmo, F.; Spencer, J. R.; Young, L. A.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Stern, S. A.

2016-12-01

Prior to the New Horizons flyby of the Pluto system, it was anticipated that both Pluto and Charon might show geological or geophysical evidence of the giant impact thought responsible for the formation of Charon and the smaller satellites. Although dynamical and compositional evidence still supports the giant impact model (McKinnon et al., submitted to Icarus), the question remains as to whether the geology of Pluto or Charon records evidence of this cataclysm. The collision speed and energy were most likely not large enough to melt all the ices in the precursor bodies, so surviving geological evidence is not out of the question. Specifically, Pluto post-impact should have been rapidly rotating (with a period as short as 5-6 hr) and highly distorted; Charon under most circumstances would have rapidly despun but have been a highly distorted triaxial body. The tidal evolution end state for both is close to spherical, but fossil figures were anticipated, which in addition to providing direct evidence for post-impact tidal evolution, would provide important clues to thermal and structural evolution. For Pluto, McKinnon and Singer (DPS 2014, abs. 419.07) predicted a flattening >1% (radii differences >10 km) for a strengthless icy lithosphere and an unrelaxed rock core. For a fully relaxed core, they predicted a >2-3 km fossil bulge supported by icy lithospheric strength (corresponding to a minimum past lithosphere thickness of 50 km). New Horizons image analyses have limited any oblateness for Pluto to 0.6% (Nimmo et al., Icarus, in press), which corresponds to <7 km flattening. So Pluto may yet possess a geophysically meaningful oblateness, only one not yet directly detectable (moreover, in order to be consistent with the observations, Pluto's rock core either completed its formation post-spindown, or was too weak to support much non-hydrostatic topography). Such an equator-to-pole surface elevation difference, even a subtle one, could express itself through control of Pluto's zonal albedo pattern (i.e., dark, reddish Cthulhu Regio, Krun and other Macula are all equatorial [names are informal]). Even for a completely relaxed shape, the tectonic effects on Pluto's surface should be manifest. There is a rich variety of tectonic expression, but no obvious match to classic predicted tectonic despinning patterns.

The Extraordinary Albedo Variations on Pluto Detected by New Horizons and Implications for Dwarf Planet Eris

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buratti, Bonnie J.; Hofgartner, Jason D.; Stern, S. Alan; Weaver, Harold A.; Verbiscer, Anne J.; Ennico, Kimberly; Olkin, Catherine B.; Young, Leslie; New Horizons Geology and Geophysics Team

2016-10-01

The New Horizons mission returned stunning observations of active geology on the surface of Pluto (Stern et al., 2015, Science 350, 292). One of the markers for activity on planets or moons is normal albedos approaching 1.0, as is the case for Enceladus (Buratti et al., 1984, Icarus 58, 254; Verbiscer et al., 2005, Icarus 173, 66). When all corrections for viewing geometry are made for Pluto, it has normal albedos that approach unity in the regions that show evidence for activity by a lack of craters, notably the region informally named Sputnik Planum. On the other hand, Pluto also has a very dark (normal albedo ~0.10) equatorial belt.The geometric albedo of Eris, another large dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt, is 0.96 (Sicardy et al., 2011, Nature 478, 493), close to that of Enceladus. Coupled with a high density of 2.5 gm/cc (Sicardy et al., ibid.), implying an even larger amount of radiogenic heating than that for Pluto (with a density near 1.9 gm/cc), we find it highly likely that Eris is also active with some type of solid state convection or cryovolcanism on its surface. Alternate explanations such as complete condensation of methane frost onto its surface in the colder environment at nearly 100 AUs would not lead to the high albedo observed.Another implication of the extreme albedo variations on Pluto is that the temperature varies by at least 20K on its surface, spawning possible aeolian processes and associated features such as wind streaks and dunes, which are currently being sought on New Horizons images. Finally, low albedo regions on Pluto, with normal reflectances less than 0.10, provide possible evidence for dust in the Kuiper Belt that is accreting onto the surface of Pluto. Another - or additional - explanation for this low-albedo dust is native material created in Pluto's hazy atmosphere.New Horizons funding by NASA is gratefully acknowledged.

Capturing Nix and Hydra

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-21

NASA New Horizons spacecraft captured these images of Pluto moon Nix which shows a reddish spot that has attracted the interest of the mission scientists left, and the small, irregularly shaped moon Hydra right.

Global Map of Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-27

The science team of NASA's New Horizons mission has produced an updated global map of the dwarf planet Pluto. The map includes all resolved images of the surface acquired between July 7-14, 2015, at pixel resolutions ranging from 40 kilometers (24 miles) on the Charon-facing hemisphere (left and right sides of the map) to 400 meters (1,250 feet) on the anti-Charon facing hemisphere (map center). Many additional images are expected in fall of 2015 and these will be used to complete the global map. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19858

NASA Planetary Surface Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayati, Samad

1999-01-01

Managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is the lead U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system. JPL spacecraft have visited all known planets except Pluto (a Pluto mission is currently under study). In addition to its work for NASA, JPL conducts tasks for a variety of other federal agencies. In addition, JPL manages the worldwide Deep Space Network, which communicates with spacecraft and conducts scientific investigations from its complexes in California's Mojave Desert near Goldstone; near Madrid, Spain; and near Canberra, Australia. JPL employs about 6000 people.

Pluto and it's moon Charon Shine in False Color

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

**This image was taken at 3:38 a.m. EDT on July 13, one day before New Horizons’ closest approach to Pluto.** New Horizons has obtained impressive new images of Pluto and its large moon Charon that highlight their compositional diversity. These are not actual color images of Pluto and Charon—they are shown here in exaggerated colors that make it easy to note the differences in surface material and features on each planetary body. The images were obtained using three of the color filters of the “Ralph” instrument on July 13 at 3:38 am EDT. New Horizons has seven science instruments on board the spacecraft—including “Ralph” and “Alice”, whose names are a throwback to the “Honeymooners,” a popular 1950s sitcom. “These images show that Pluto and Charon are truly complex worlds. There's a whole lot going on here,” said New Horizons co-investigator Will Grundy, Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona. “Our surface composition team is working as fast as we can to identify the substances in different regions on Pluto and unravel the processes that put them where they are.” The color data helps scientists understand the molecular make-up of ices on the surfaces of Pluto and Charon, as well as the age of geologic features such as craters. They can also tell us about surface changes caused by space “weather,” such as radiation. The new color images reveal that the “heart” of Pluto actually consists of two remarkably different-colored regions. In the false-color image, the heart consists of a western lobe shaped like an ice cream cone that appears peach color in this image. A mottled area on the right (east) side looks bluish. A mid-latitude band appears in shades ranging from pale blue through red. Even within the northern polar cap, in the upper part of the image, various shades of yellow-orange indicate subtle compositional differences. This image was obtained using three of the color filters of the Ralph instrument on July 13 at 3:38 am EDT and received on the ground on at 12:25 pm. Charon is Just as Colorful The surface of Charon is viewed using the same exaggerated color. The red on the dark northern polar cap of Charon is attributed to hydrocarbon and other molecules, a class of chemical compounds called tholins. The mottled colors at lower latitudes point to the diversity of terrains on Charon. This image was obtained using three of the color filters of the Ralph instrument on July 13 at 3:38 am EDT and received on the ground on at 12:25 pm. “We make these color images to highlight the variety of surface environments present in the Pluto system,” said Dennis Reuter, co-investigator with the New Horizons Composition Team. “They show us in an intuitive way that there is much still to learn from the data coming down.” Due to the three-billion-mile distance to Pluto, data takes 4 ½ hours to come to Earth, even at the speed of light. It will take 16 months for all of New Horizons’ science data to be received, and the treasure trove from this mission will be studied for decades to come. Image Caption: Pluto and Charon in False Color Show Compositional Diversity This July 13, 2015, image of Pluto and Charon is presented in false colors to make differences in surface material and features easy to see. It was obtained by the Ralph instrument on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, using three filters to obtain color information, which is exaggerated in the image. These are not the actual colors of Pluto and Charon, and the apparent distance between the two bodies has been reduced for this side-by-side view. The image reveals that the bright heart-shaped region of Pluto includes areas that differ in color characteristics. The western lobe, shaped like an ice-cream cone, appears peach color in this image. A mottled area on the right (east) appears bluish. Even within Pluto's northern polar cap, in the upper part of the image, various shades of yellow-orange indicate subtle compositional differences. The surface of Charon is viewed using the same exaggerated color. The red on the dark northern polar cap of Charon is attributed to hydrocarbon materials including a class of chemical compounds called tholins. The mottled colors at lower latitudes point to the diversity of terrains on Charon. --- At 7:49 AM EDT on Tuesday, July 14 New Horizons sped past Pluto at 30,800 miles per hour (49,600 kilometers per hour), with a suite of seven science instruments. As planned, New Horizons went incommunicado as it hurtled through the Pluto-Charon system busily gathering data. The New Horizons team will breathe a sigh of relief when New Horizons “phones home” at approximately 9:02 p.m. EDT on July 14. The mission to the icy dwarf planet completes the initial reconnaissance of the solar system. Stay in touch with the New Horizons mission with #PlutoFlyby and on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/new.horizons1

Soaring over Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-14

In July 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft sent home the first close-up pictures of Pluto and its moons. Using actual New Horizons data and digital elevation models of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, mission scientists created flyover movies that offer spectacular new perspectives of the many unusual features that were discovered and which have reshaped our views of the Pluto system -- from a vantage point even closer than a ride on New Horizons itself. The dramatic Pluto flyover begins over the highlands to the southwest of the great expanse of nitrogen ice plain informally named Sputnik Planitia. (Note that all feature names in the Pluto system are informal.) The viewer first passes over the western margin of Sputnik, where it borders the dark, cratered terrain of Cthulhu Macula, with the blocky mountain ranges located within the planitia seen on the right. The tour moves north past the rugged and fractured highlands of Voyager Terra and then turns southward over Pioneer Terra, which exhibits deep and wide pits, before concluding over the bladed terrain of Tartarus Dorsa in the far east of the encounter hemisphere. The topographic relief is exaggerated by a factor of 2 to 3 in these movies to emphasize topography; the surface colors have also been enhanced to bring out detail. Digital mapping and rendering were performed by Paul Schenk and John Blackwell of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. A video can be viewed at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21863

The Pluto system after the New Horizons flyby

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olkin, Catherine B.; Ennico, Kimberly; Spencer, John

2017-10-01

In July 2015, NASA's New Horizons mission performed a flyby of Pluto, revealing details about the geology, surface composition and atmospheres of this world and its moons that are unobtainable from Earth. With a resolution as small as 80 metres per pixel, New Horizons' images identified a large number of surface features, including a large basin filled with glacial ices that appear to be undergoing convection. Maps of surface composition show latitudinal banding, with non-volatile material dominating the equatorial region and volatile ices at mid- and polar latitudes. This pattern is driven by the seasonal cycle of solar insolation. New Horizons' atmospheric investigation found the temperature of Pluto's upper atmosphere to be much cooler than previously modelled. Images of forward-scattered sunlight revealed numerous haze layers extending up to 200 km from the surface. These discoveries have transformed our understanding of icy worlds in the outer Solar System, demonstrating that even at great distances from the Sun, worlds can have active geologic processes. This Review addresses our current understanding of the Pluto system and places it in context with previous investigations. 

Craters of the Pluto-Charon system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robbins, Stuart J.; Singer, Kelsi N.; Bray, Veronica J.; Schenk, Paul; Lauer, Tod R.; Weaver, Harold A.; Runyon, Kirby; McKinnon, William B.; Beyer, Ross A.; Porter, Simon; White, Oliver L.; Hofgartner, Jason D.; Zangari, Amanda M.; Moore, Jeffrey M.; Young, Leslie A.; Spencer, John R.; Binzel, Richard P.; Buie, Marc W.; Buratti, Bonnie J.; Cheng, Andrew F.; Grundy, William M.; Linscott, Ivan R.; Reitsema, Harold J.; Reuter, Dennis C.; Showalter, Mark R.; Tyler, G. Len; Olkin, Catherine B.; Ennico, Kimberly S.; Stern, S. Alan; New Horizons Lorri, Mvic Instrument Teams

2017-05-01

NASA's New Horizons flyby mission of the Pluto-Charon binary system and its four moons provided humanity with its first spacecraft-based look at a large Kuiper Belt Object beyond Triton. Excluding this system, multiple Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) have been observed for only 20 years from Earth, and the KBO size distribution is unconstrained except among the largest objects. Because small KBOs will remain beyond the capabilities of ground-based observatories for the foreseeable future, one of the best ways to constrain the small KBO population is to examine the craters they have made on the Pluto-Charon system. The first step to understanding the crater population is to map it. In this work, we describe the steps undertaken to produce a robust crater database of impact features on Pluto, Charon, and their two largest moons, Nix and Hydra. These include an examination of different types of images and image processing, and we present an analysis of variability among the crater mapping team, where crater diameters were found to average ± 10% uncertainty across all sizes measured (∼0.5-300 km). We also present a few basic analyses of the crater databases, finding that Pluto's craters' differential size-frequency distribution across the encounter hemisphere has a power-law slope of approximately -3.1 ± 0.1 over diameters D ≈ 15-200 km, and Charon's has a slope of -3.0 ± 0.2 over diameters D ≈ 10-120 km; it is significantly shallower on both bodies at smaller diameters. We also better quantify evidence of resurfacing evidenced by Pluto's craters in contrast with Charon's. With this work, we are also releasing our database of potential and probable impact craters: 5287 on Pluto, 2287 on Charon, 35 on Nix, and 6 on Hydra.

Craters of the Pluto-Charon System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robbins, Stuart J.; Singer, Kelsi N.; Bray, Veronica J.; Schenk, Paul; Lauer, Todd R.; Weaver, Harold A.; Runyon, Kirby; Mckinnon, William B.; Beyer, Ross A.; Porter, Simon;

The New Horizons Kuiper Belt Extended Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stern, S. A.; Weaver, H. A.; Spencer, J. R.; Elliott, H. A.

2018-06-01

The central objective of the New Horizons prime mission was to make the first exploration of Pluto and its system of moons. Following that, New Horizons has been approved for its first extended mission, which has the objectives of extensively studying the Kuiper Belt environment, observing numerous Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) and Centaurs in unique ways, and making the first close flyby of the KBO 486958 2014 MU69. This review summarizes the objectives and plans for this approved mission extension, and briefly looks forward to potential objectives for subsequent extended missions by New Horizons.

Ground-based Light Curves Two Pluto Days Before the New Horizons Passage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosh, A. S.; Pasachoff, J. M.; Babcock, B. A.; Durst, R. F.; Seeger, C. H.; Levine, S. E.; Abe, F.; Suzuki, D.; Nagakane, M.; Sickafoose, A. A.; Person, M. J.; Zuluaga, C.; Kosiarek, M. R.

2015-12-01

We observed the occultation of a 12th magnitude star, one of the two brightest occultation stars ever in our dozen years of continual monitoring of Pluto's atmosphere through such studies, on 29 June 2015 UTC. At Canterbury University's Mt. John University Observatory on the south island of New Zealand, in clear sky, we used our POETS frame-transfer CCD at 10 Hz with GPS timing on the 1-m McLellan telescope as well as an infrared camera on an 0.6-m telescope and three-color photometry at a slower cadence on a second 0.6-m telescope. The light curves show a central flash, indicating that we were close to the center of the occultation path, and allowing us to explore Pluto's atmosphere lower than usual. The light curves show that Pluto's atmosphere remained robust. Observations from 0.5- and 0.4-m telescopes at the Auckland Observatory gave the first half of the occultation before clouds came in. We coordinated our observations with aircraft observations with NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and its High Speed Imaging Photometer for Occultations (HIPO). Our ground-based and airborne stellar-occultation effort came only just over two weeks of Earth days and two Pluto days (based on Pluto's rotational period) before the flyby of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, meaning that the mission's exquisite snapshot of Pluto's atmosphere can be placed in the context of our series of ground-based occultation observations carried out on a regular basis since 2002 following a first Pluto occultation observed in 1988 from aloft. Our observations were supported by NASA Planetary Astronomy grants NNX12AJ29G to Williams College, NNX15AJ82G to Lowell Observatory, and NNX10AB27G to MIT, and by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. We thank Alan Gilmore, Pam Kilmartin, Robert Lucas, Paul Tristam, and Carolle Varughese for assistance at Mt. John.

Modeling Low Velocity Impacts: Predicting Crater Depth on Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bray, V. J.; Schenk, P.

2014-12-01

The New Horizons mission is due to fly-by the Pluto system in Summer 2015 and provides the first opportunity to image the Pluto surface in detail, allowing both the appearance and number of its crater population to be studied for the first time. Bray and Schenk (2014) combined previous cratering studies and numerical modeling of the impact process to predict crater morphology on Pluto based on current understanding of Pluto's composition, structure and surrounding impactor population. Predictions of how the low mean impact velocity (~2km/s) of the Pluto system will influence crater formation is a complex issue. Observations of secondary cratering (low velocity, high angle) and laboratory experiments of impact at low velocity are at odds regarding how velocity controls depth-diameter ratios: Observations of secondary craters show that these low velocity craters are shallower than would be expected for a hyper-velocity primary. Conversely, gas gun work has shown that relative crater depth increases as impact velocity decreases. We have investigated the influence of impact velocity further with iSALE hydrocode modeling of comet impact into Pluto. With increasing impact velocity, a projectile will produce wider and deeper craters. The depth-diameter ratio (d/D) however has a more complex progression with increasing impact velocity: impacts faster than 2km/s lead to smaller d/D ratios as impact velocity increases, in agreement with gas-gun studies. However, decreasing impact velocity from 2km/s to 300 m/s produced smaller d/D as impact velocity was decreased. This suggests that on Pluto the deepest craters would be produced by ~ 2km/s impacts, with shallower craters produced by velocities either side of this critical point. Further simulations to investigate whether this effect is connected to the sound speed of the target material are ongoing. The complex relationship between impact velocity and crater depth for impacts occurring between 300m/s and 10 km/s suggests that there might be a larger range of 'pristine' crater depths on Pluto than on bodies with higher mean impact velocity. This might affect our ability to define a pristine crater depth as a starting point for crater infill and relaxation studies.

Pluto and Charon Surfaces in Living Color Animation

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-03

This is a frame from the first movie created by New Horizons to reveal color surface features of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon. "It's a bit unusual to see so much surface detail at this distance," said New Horizons co-investigator William McKinnon, a member of the mission's Geology and Geophysics Investigation team, from Washington University in Saint Louis. "What's especially noteworthy is the level of detail in both bodies. It's certainly whetting our appetite for what's to come." The images were taken between June 23 and June 29, 2015, as New Horizons' distance to Pluto decreased from a distance of 15 million to 11 million miles (24 million to 18 million kilometers). Six high-resolution black-and-white images from New Horizons' Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) instrument were combined with color data from the Ralph instrument to produce the movie. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19696

Exploring potential Pluto-generated neutral tori

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Howard T.; Hill, Matthew; KollMann, Peter; McHutt, Ralph

2015-11-01

The NASA New Horizons mission to Pluto is providing unprecedented insight into this mysterious outer solar system body. Escaping molecular nitrogen is of particular interest and possibly analogous to similar features observed at moons of Saturn and Jupiter. Such escaping N2 has the potential of creating molecular nitrogen and N (as a result of molecular dissociation) tori or partial toroidal extended particle distributions. The presence of these features would present the first confirmation of an extended toroidal neutral feature on a planetary scale in our solar system. While escape velocities are anticipated to be lower than those at Enceladus, Io or even Europa, particle lifetimes are much longer in Pluto’s orbit because as a result of much weaker solar interaction processes along Pluto’s orbit (on the order of tens of years). Thus, with a ~248 year orbit, Pluto may in fact be generating an extended toroidal feature along it orbit.For this work, we modify and apply our 3-D Monte Carlo neutral torus model (previously used at Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury) to study/analyze the theoretical possibility and scope of potential Pluto-generated neutral tori. Our model injects weighted particles and tracks their trajectories under the influence of all gravitational fields with interactions with other particles, solar photons and Pluto collisions. We present anticipated N2 and N tori based on current estimates of source characterization and environmental conditions. We also present an analysis of sensitivity to assumed initial conditions. Such results can provide insight into the Pluto system as well as valuable interpretation of New Horizon’s observational data.

De novo pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis mainly occurs outside of plastids, but a previously undiscovered nucleobase importer provides substrates for the essential salvage pathway in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Witz, Sandra; Jung, Benjamin; Fürst, Sarah; Möhlmann, Torsten

2012-04-01

Nucleotide de novo synthesis is highly conserved among organisms and represents an essential biochemical pathway. In plants, the two initial enzymatic reactions of de novo pyrimidine synthesis occur in the plastids. By use of green fluorescent protein fusions, clear support is provided for a localization of the remaining reactions in the cytosol and mitochondria. This implies that carbamoyl aspartate, an intermediate of this pathway, must be exported and precursors of pyrimidine salvage (i.e., nucleobases or nucleosides) are imported into plastids. A corresponding uracil transport activity could be measured in intact plastids isolated from cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) buds. PLUTO (for plastidic nucleobase transporter) was identified as a member of the Nucleobase:Cation-Symporter1 protein family from Arabidopsis thaliana, capable of transporting purine and pyrimidine nucleobases. A PLUTO green fluorescent protein fusion was shown to reside in the plastid envelope after expression in Arabidopsis protoplasts. Heterologous expression of PLUTO in an Escherichia coli mutant lacking the bacterial uracil permease uraA allowed a detailed biochemical characterization. PLUTO transports uracil, adenine, and guanine with apparent affinities of 16.4, 0.4, and 6.3 μM, respectively. Transport was markedly inhibited by low concentrations of a proton uncoupler, indicating that PLUTO functions as a proton-substrate symporter. Thus, a protein for the absolutely required import of pyrimidine nucleobases into plastids was identified.

The formation of Pluto's low-mass satellites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kenyon, Scott J.; Bromley, Benjamin C., E-mail: skenyon@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: bromley@physics.utah.edu

Motivated by the New Horizons mission, we consider how Pluto's small satellites—currently Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra—grow in debris from the giant impact that forms the Pluto-Charon binary. After the impact, Pluto and Charon accrete some of the debris and eject the rest from the binary orbit. During the ejection, high-velocity collisions among debris particles produce a collisional cascade, leading to the ejection of some debris from the system and enabling the remaining debris particles to find stable orbits around the binary. Our numerical simulations of coagulation and migration show that collisional evolution within a ring or a disk ofmore » debris leads to a few small satellites orbiting Pluto-Charon. These simulations are the first to demonstrate migration-induced mergers within a particle disk. The final satellite masses correlate with the initial disk mass. More massive disks tend to produce fewer satellites. For the current properties of the satellites, our results strongly favor initial debris masses of 3-10 × 10{sup 19} g and current satellite albedos A ≈ 0.4-1. We also predict an ensemble of smaller satellites, R ≲ 1-3 km, and very small particles, R ≈ 1-100 cm and optical depth τ ≲ 10{sup –10}. These objects should have semimajor axes outside the current orbit of Hydra.« less

Logistical concepts associated with international shipments using the USA/9904/B(U)F RTG Transportation System (RTGTS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barklay, Chadwick D.; Miller, Roger G.; Pugh, Barry K.; Howell, Edwin I.

1997-01-01

Over the last 30 years, radioisotopes have provided heat from which electrical power is generated. For space missions, the isotope of choice has generally been 238PuO2, its long half-life making it ideal for supplying power to remote satellites and spacecraft like the Voyager, Pioneer, and Viking missions, as well as the recently launched Galileo and Ulysses missions, and the presently planned Cassini mission. Electric power for future space missions will be provided by either radioisotopic thermoelectric generators (RTG), radioisotope thermophotovoltaic systems (RTPV), alkali metal thermal to electrical conversion (AMTEC) systems, radioisotope Stirling systems, or a combination of these. The type of electrical power system has yet to be specified for the ``Pluto Express'' mission. However, the current plan does incorporate the use of Russian launch platforms for the spacecraft. The implied tasks associated with this plan require obtaining international certification for the transport of the radioisotopic power system, and resolving any logistical issues associated with the actual shipment of the selected radioisotopic power system. This paper presents a conceptual summary of the logistical considerations associated with shipping the selected radioisotopic power system using the USA/9904/B(U)F-85, Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Transportation System (RTGTS).

Introducing GV : The Spacecraft Geometry Visualizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Throop, Henry B.; Stern, S. A.; Parker, J. W.; Gladstone, G. R.; Weaver, H. A.

2009-12-01

GV (Geometry Visualizer) is a web-based program for planning spacecraft observations. GV is the primary planning tool used by the New Horizons science team to plan the encounter with Pluto. GV creates accurate 3D images and movies showing the position of planets, satellites, and stars as seen from an observer on a spacecraft or other body. NAIF SPICE routines are used throughout for accurate calculations of all geometry. GV includes 3D geometry rendering of all planetary bodies, lon/lat grids, ground tracks, albedo maps, stellar magnitudes, types and positions from HD and Tycho-2 catalogs, and spacecraft FOVs. It generates still images, animations, and geometric data tables. GV is accessed through an easy-to-use and flexible web interface. The web-based interface allows for uniform use from any computer and assures that all users are accessing up-to-date versions of the code and kernel libraries. Compared with existing planning tools, GV is often simpler, faster, lower-cost, and more flexible. GV was developed at SwRI to support the New Horizons mission to Pluto. It has been subsequently expanded to support multiple other missions in flight or under development, including Cassini, Messenger, Rosetta, LRO, and Juno. The system can be used to plan Earth-based observations such as occultations to high precision, and was used by the public to help plan 'Kodak Moment' observations of the Pluto system from New Horizons. Potential users of GV may contact the author for more information. Development of GV has been funded by the New Horizons, Rosetta, and LRO missions.

The Whale and the Donut

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-07

This map of Pluto, created from images taken from June 27-July 3, 2015, by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on New Horizons, was combined with lower-resolution color data from the spacecraft's Ralph instrument. The center of the map corresponds to the side of Pluto that will be seen close-up during New Horizons' July 14 flyby. This map gives mission scientists an important tool to decipher the complex and intriguing pattern of bright and dark markings on Pluto's surface. Features from all sides of Pluto can now be seen at a glance and from a consistent perspective, making it much easier to compare their shapes and sizes. The elongated dark area informally known as "the whale," along the equator on the left side of the map, is one of the darkest regions visible to New Horizons. It measures some 1,860 miles (3,000 kilometers) in length. Directly to the right of the whale's "snout" is the brightest region visible on the planet, which is roughly 990 miles (1,600 kilometers) across. This may be a region where relatively fresh deposits of frost -- perhaps including frozen methane, nitrogen and/or carbon monoxide -- form a bright coating. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19700

The U.S. Department of Energy advanced radioisotope power system program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Herrera, L.

1998-07-01

Radioisotope power systems for spacecraft are and will continue to be an enabling power technology for deep space exploration. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for the Nation's development of Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems (ARPS) to meet harsh environments and long life requirements. The DOE has provided radioisotope power systems for space missions since 1961. The radioisotope power system used for the recent Cassini mission included three Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) which provided a total of 888 Watts electric at 6.7% conversion efficiency. The DOE's goal is to develop a higher efficiency and lower mass ARPS for futuremore » deep space missions. The ARPS program involves the design, development, fabrication, and qualification, and safety analysis of the ARPS units. Organizations that support the development, fabrication and testing of the ARPS include the Lockheed Martin Astronautics (LMA), Advanced Modular Power Systems (AMPS), Mound, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Europa Orbiter and Pluto/Kuiper Express missions represent the near term programs targeted for the application of ARPS in addressing the issues and questions existing for deep space exploration.« less

TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO NASA

EPA Science Inventory

The Pluto-New Horizon Mission will use a radioisotope thermoelectric generator fueled by plutonium-238 to provide electric power for the scientific instruments. This activity plans for actions to be taken if there is a malfunction during the launch. Also, EPA's RPD provided tec...

De Novo Pyrimidine Nucleotide Synthesis Mainly Occurs outside of Plastids, but a Previously Undiscovered Nucleobase Importer Provides Substrates for the Essential Salvage Pathway in Arabidopsis[W

PubMed Central

Witz, Sandra; Jung, Benjamin; Fürst, Sarah; Möhlmann, Torsten

2012-01-01

Nucleotide de novo synthesis is highly conserved among organisms and represents an essential biochemical pathway. In plants, the two initial enzymatic reactions of de novo pyrimidine synthesis occur in the plastids. By use of green fluorescent protein fusions, clear support is provided for a localization of the remaining reactions in the cytosol and mitochondria. This implies that carbamoyl aspartate, an intermediate of this pathway, must be exported and precursors of pyrimidine salvage (i.e., nucleobases or nucleosides) are imported into plastids. A corresponding uracil transport activity could be measured in intact plastids isolated from cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) buds. PLUTO (for plastidic nucleobase transporter) was identified as a member of the Nucleobase:Cation-Symporter1 protein family from Arabidopsis thaliana, capable of transporting purine and pyrimidine nucleobases. A PLUTO green fluorescent protein fusion was shown to reside in the plastid envelope after expression in Arabidopsis protoplasts. Heterologous expression of PLUTO in an Escherichia coli mutant lacking the bacterial uracil permease uraA allowed a detailed biochemical characterization. PLUTO transports uracil, adenine, and guanine with apparent affinities of 16.4, 0.4, and 6.3 μM, respectively. Transport was markedly inhibited by low concentrations of a proton uncoupler, indicating that PLUTO functions as a proton-substrate symporter. Thus, a protein for the absolutely required import of pyrimidine nucleobases into plastids was identified. PMID:22474184

Fusion-Enabled Pluto Orbiter and Lander

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Stephanie

2017-01-01

The Pluto orbiter mission proposed here is credible and exciting. The benefits to this and all outer-planet and interstellar-probe missions are difficult to overstate. The enabling technology, Direct Fusion Drive, is a unique fusion engine concept based on the Princeton Field-Reversed Configuration (PFRC) fusion reactor under development at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. The truly game-changing levels of thrust and power in a modestly sized package could integrate with our current launch infrastructure while radically expanding the science capability of these missions. During this Phase I effort, we made great strides in modeling the engine efficiency, thrust, and specific impulse and analyzing feasible trajectories. Based on 2D fluid modeling of the fusion reactors outer stratum, its scrape-off-layer (SOL), we estimate achieving 2.5 to 5 N of thrust for each megawatt of fusion power, reaching a specific impulse, Isp, of about 10,000 s. Supporting this model are particle-in-cell calculations of energy transfer from the fusion products to the SOL electrons. Subsequently, this energy is transferred to the ions as they expand through the magnetic nozzle and beyond. Our point solution for the Pluto mission now delivers 1000 kg of payload to Pluto orbit in 3.75 years using 7.5 N constant thrust. This could potentially be achieved with a single 1 MW engine. The departure spiral from Earth orbit and insertion spiral to Pluto orbit require only a small portion of the total delta-V. Departing from low Earth orbit reduces mission cost while increasing available mission mass. The payload includes a lander, which utilizes a standard green propellant engine for the landing sequence. The lander has about 4 square meters of solar panels mounted on a gimbal that allows it to track the orbiter, which beams 30 to 50 kW of power using a 1080 nm laser. Optical communication provides dramatically high data rates back to Earth. Our mass modeling investigations revealed that if current high-temperature superconductors are utilized at liquid nitrogen temperatures, they drive the mass of the engine, partly because of the shielding required to maintain their critical temperature. Second generation materials are thinner but the superconductor is a very thin layer deposited on a substrate with additional layers of metallic classing. Tremendous research is being performed on a variety of these superconducting materials, and new irradiation data is now available. This raises the possibility of operating nearfuture high-temperature superconductors at a moderately low temperature to dramatically reduce the amount of shielding required. At the same time, a first generation space engine may require low-temperature superconductors, which are higher TRL and have been designed for space coils before (AMS-02 experiment for the ISS). We performed detailed analysis of the startup system and thermal conversion system components. The ideal working fluid was determined to be a blend of Helium and Xenon. No significant problems were identified with these subsystems. For the RF system, we conceived of a new, more efficient design using state-of-the-art switch amplifiers, which have the potential for 100% efficiency. This report presents details of our engine and trajectory analyses, mass modeling efforts, and updated vehicle designs.

Approaching the new reality. [changes in NASA space programs due to US economy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diaz, Al V.

1993-01-01

The focus on more frequent access to space through smaller, less costly missions, and on NASA's role as a source of technological advance within the U.S. economy is discussed. The Pluto fast flyby mission is examined as an illustration of this approach. Testbeds are to be developed to survive individual programs, becoming permanent facilities, to allow for technological upgrades on an ongoing basis.

The visible spectrum of Pluto: secular and longitudinal variation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenzi, Vania; Pinilla-Alonso, Noemí; Emery, Joshua P.; Licandro, Javier; Cruikshank, Dale P.; Grundy, Will; Binzel, Richard P.

2015-11-01

Continuous near-infrared spectroscopic observations during the last 30 years enabled the characterization of the Pluto's surface and the study of its variability. Nevertheless, only few data are available in the visible range, where the nature of the complex-organics can be studied.For this reason, we started an observational campaign to obtain the Pluto's relative reflectance in the visible range, with the aim of characterizing the different components of its surface, and providing ground based observations in support of the New Horizons mission. We observed Pluto on six nights in 2014, with the imager/spectrograph ACAM@WHT (La Palma, Spain). We obtained six spectra in the 0.40 - 0.93 µm range, that covered a whole Pluto's rotational period (6.4 days).To study longitudinal variations, we computed for all the spectra the spectral slope, and the position and the depth of the methane ice absorption bands. Also, to search for secular or seasonal variations we compared our data with previously published results.All the spectra present a red slope, indicating the presence of complex organics on Pluto's surface, and show the methane ice absorption bands between 0.73 and 0.90 μm. We also report the detection of the CH4 absorption band at 0.62 μm, already detected in the spectra of Makemake and Eris. The measurement of the band depth at 0.62 μm in the new spectra of Pluto, and in the spectra of Makemake and Eris, permits us to estimate the Lambert coefficient, not measured yet at this wavelength, at a temperature of 30 K and 40 K.We find that all the CH4 bands present a blue shift. This shift is minimum at the Charon-facing hemisphere, where the CH4 is also more abundant, indicating a higher degree of saturation of CH4 in the CH4:N2 dilution at this hemisphere.Comparing with data in the literature, we found that the longitudinal and secular variations of the parameters measured in our spectra are in accordance with previous results and with the distribution of the dark and bright material as showed by the Pluto's albedo maps from New Horizons.In 2015, new observations were run quasi-simultaneously with the New Horizons flyby at 10 different Pluto longitudes (July 3 to 14) . The data are currently being reduced.

First Official Pluto Feature Names

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-06

The International Astronomical Union (IAU), the internationally recognized authority for naming celestial bodies and their surface features, approved names of 14 surface features on Pluto in August 2017. The names were proposed by NASA's New Horizons team following the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moons by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015. The names, listed below, pay homage to the underworld mythology, pioneering space missions, historic pioneers who crossed new horizons in exploration, and scientists and engineers associated with Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. Tombaugh Regio honors Clyde Tombaugh (1906-1997), the U.S. astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930 from Lowell Observatory in Arizona. Burney crater honors Venetia Burney (1918-2009), who as an 11-year-old schoolgirl suggested the name "Pluto" for Clyde Tombaugh's newly discovered planet. Later in life she taught mathematics and economics. Sputnik Planitia is a large plain named for Sputnik 1, the first space satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. Tenzing Montes and Hillary Montes are mountain ranges honoring Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986) and Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008), the Indian/Nepali Sherpa and New Zealand mountaineer were the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest and return safely. Al-Idrisi Montes honors Ash-Sharif al-Idrisi (1100-1165/66), a noted Arab mapmaker and geographer whose landmark work of medieval geography is sometimes translated as "The Pleasure of Him Who Longs to Cross the Horizons.” Djanggawul Fossae defines a network of long, narrow depressions named for the Djanggawuls, three ancestral beings in indigenous Australian mythology who traveled between the island of the dead and Australia, creating the landscape and filling it with vegetation. Sleipnir Fossa is named for the powerful, eight-legged horse of Norse mythology that carried the god Odin into the underworld. Virgil Fossae honors Virgil, one of the greatest Roman poets and Dante's fictional guide through hell and purgatory in the Divine Comedy. Adlivun Cavus is a deep depression named for Adlivun, the underworld in Inuit mythology. Hayabusa Terra is a large land mass saluting the Japanese spacecraft and mission (2003-2010) that performed the first asteroid sample return. Voyager Terra honors the pair of NASA spacecraft, launched in 1977, that performed the first "grand tour" of all four giant planets. The Voyager spacecraft are now probing the boundary between the Sun and interstellar space. Tartarus Dorsa is a ridge named for Tartarus, the deepest, darkest pit of the underworld in Greek mythology. Elliot crater recognizes James Elliot (1943-2011), an MIT researcher who pioneered the use of stellar occultations to study the solar system -- leading to discoveries such as the rings of Uranus and the first detection of Pluto's thin atmosphere. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21944

Ground and space-based separate PSF photometry of Pluto and Charon from New Horizons and Magellan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zangari, Amanda M.; Stern, S. A.; Young, L. A.; Weaver, H. A.; Olkin, C.; Buratti, B. J.; Spencer, J.; Ennico, K.

2013-10-01

While Pluto and Charon are easily resolvable in some space-based telescopes, ground-based imaging of Pluto and Charon can yield separate PSF photometry in excellent seeing. We present B and Sloan g', r', i', and z' separate photometry of Pluto and Charon taken at the Magellan Clay telescope using LDSS-3. In 2011, observations were made on 7, 8, 9, 19, and 20 March, at 9:00 UT, covering sub-Earth longitudes 130°, 74°, 17°, 175° and 118°. The solar phase angle ranged from 1.66-1.68° to 1.76-1.77°. In 2012, observations were made on February 28, 29 and March 1 at 9:00 UT covering longitudes 342°, 110° and 53° and on May 30 and 31 at 9:30 UT and 7:00 UT, covering longitudes 358° and 272°. Solar phase angles were 1.53-1.56° and 0.89°-0.90° degrees. All longitudes use the convention of zero at the sub-Charon longitude and decrease in time. Seeing ranged from 0.46 to 1.26 arcsecond. We find that the mean rotationally-averaged Charon-to-Pluto light ratio is 0.142±0.003 for Sloan r',i' and z'. Charon is brighter in B and g', with a light ratio of 0.182±0.003 and 0.178±0.002 respectively. Additionally, we present separate PSF photometry of Pluto and Charon from New Horizons images taken by the LORRI instrument on 1 and 3 July 2013 at 17:00 UT and 23:00 UT, sub-Earth longitude 251° and 125°. We find that the rotation-dependent variations in the light ratio are consistent with earlier estimates such as those from Buie et al. 2010, AJ 139, 1117-1127. However, at a solar phase angle of 10.9°, Charon appears 0.25 magnitudes fainter relative to Pluto at the same rotational phase than measurements from the ground with the largest possible solar phase angle. Thus we provide the first estimate of a Pluto phase curve beyond 2°. These results represent some of the first Pluto science from New Horizons. This work has been funded in part by NASA Planetary Astronomy Grant NNX10AB27G and NSF Award 0707609 to MIT and by NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto.

Solar system 'fast mission' trajectories using aerogravity assist

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randolph, James E.; Mcronald, Angus D.

1992-01-01

Initial analyses of the aerogravity assist (AGA) delivery technique to solar system targets (and beyond) has been encouraging. Mission opportunities are introduced that do not exist with typical gravity assist trajectories and current launch capabilities. The technique has the most payoff for high-energy missions such as outer planet orbiters and flybys. The goal of this technique is to reduce the flight duration significantly and to eliminate propulsion for orbit insertion. The paper will discuss detailed analyses and parametric studies that consider launch opportunities for missions to the sun, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto using AGA at Venus and Mars.

Evolutionary use of nuclear electric propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hack, K. J.; George, J. A.; Riehl, J. P.; Gilland, J. H.

1990-01-01

Evolving new propulsion technologies through a rational and conscious effort to minimize development costs and program risks while maximizing the performance benefits is intuitively practical. A phased approach to the evolution of nuclear electric propulsion from use on planetary probes, to lunar cargo vehicles, and finally to manned Mars missions with a concomitant growth in technology is considered. Technology levels and system component makeup are discussed for nuclear power systems and both ion and magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters. Mission scenarios are described, which include analysis of a probe to Pluto, a lunar cargo mission, Martian split, all-up, and quick-trip mission options. Evolutionary progression of the use of NEP in such missions is discussed.

Mars together and FIRE and ICE: Report of the joint US/Russian technical working groups

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

The Cold War's end opened an opportunity for greater cooperation in planetary exploration for the United States and Russia. Two study groups were formed, Mars Together and FIRE and ICE. The Mars Together team developed a concept for a flight in 1998 that merged one U.S. Mars Surveyor 98 mission with the former Russian Mars 96 mission to further understanding of the Mars surface and atmosphere. The FIRE and ICE team developed concepts for a dual-spacecraft mission to the solar corona and for a mission to Pluto. The missions, scientific potential, and open issues are described.

Mars together and FIRE and ICE: Report of the joint US/Russian technical working groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-10-01

The Cold War's end opened an opportunity for greater cooperation in planetary exploration for the United States and Russia. Two study groups were formed, Mars Together and FIRE and ICE. The Mars Together team developed a concept for a flight in 1998 that merged one U.S. Mars Surveyor 98 mission with the former Russian Mars 96 mission to further understanding of the Mars surface and atmosphere. The FIRE and ICE team developed concepts for a dual-spacecraft mission to the solar corona and for a mission to Pluto. The missions, scientific potential, and open issues are described.

Interplanetary missions with the GDM propulsion system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kammash, T.; Emrich, W.

1998-01-01

The Gasdynamic Mirror (GDM) fusion propulsion system utilizes a magnetic mirror machine in which a hot dense plasma is confined long enough to produce fusion energy while allowing a fraction of its charged particle population to escape from one end to generate thrust. The particles escaping through the opposite end have their energy converted to electric power which can be used to sustain the system in a steady state operation. With the aid of a power flow diagram the minimum demands on energy production can be established and the propulsive capability of the system can be determined by solving an appropriate set of governing equations. We apply these results to several missions within the solar system and compute the trip time by invoking a continuous burn, acceleration/deceleration type of trajectory with constant thrust and specific impulse. Ignoring gravitational effects of the planets or the sun, and neglecting the change in the Earth's position during the flight we compute the round trip time for missions from Earth to Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto using linear distances and certain payload fractions. We find that a round trip to Mars with the GDM rocket takes about 170 days while those to Jupiter and Pluto take 494 and 1566 days respectively.

Pointing and Tracking Concepts for Deep Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, J. W.; Lee, S.; Chen, C.

2000-01-01

This paper summarizes part of a FY1998 effort on the design and development of an optical communications (Opcomm) subsystem for the Advanced Deep Space System Development (ADSSD) Project. This study was funded by the JPL X2000 program to develop an optical communications (Opcomm) subsystem for use in future planetary missions. The goal of this development effort was aimed at providing prototype hardware with the capability of performing uplink, downlink, and ranging functions from deep space distances. Such a system was envisioned to support future deep space missions in the Outer Planets/Solar Probe (OPSP) mission set such as the Pluto express and Europa orbiter by providing a significant enhancement of data return capability. A study effort was initiated to develop a flyable engineering model optical terminal to support the proposed Europa Orbiter mission - as either the prime telecom subsystem or for mission augmentation. The design concept was to extend the prototype lasercom terminal development effort currently conducted by JPL's Optical Communications Group. The subsystem would track the sun illuminated Earth at Europa and farther distances for pointing reference. During the course of the study, a number of challenging issues were found. These included thermo-mechanical distortion, straylight control, and pointing. This paper focuses on the pointing aspects required to locate and direct a laser beam from a spacecraft (S/C) near Jupiter to a receiving station on Earth.

Pluto's Volatile Transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Leslie

2012-10-01

Pluto's varying subsolar latitude and heliocentric distance leads to large variations in the surface volatile distribution and surface pressure. I present results of new volatile transport models (Young 2012a, b). The models include insolation, thermal emission, subsurface conduction, heating of a volatile slab, internal heat flux, latent heat of sublimation, and strict global mass balance. Numeric advances include initial conditions that allow for rapid convergence, efficient computation with matrix arithmetic, and stable Crank-Nicholson timesteps for both bare and volatile-covered areas. Runs of the model show six distinct seasons on Pluto. (1) As Pluto approaches perihelion, the volatiles on the old winter pole (the Rotational North Pole, RNP) becomes more directly illuminated , and the pressure and albedo rise rapidly. (2) When a new ice cap forms on the Rotational South Pole, RSP, volatiles are exchanged between poles. The pressure and albedo change more slowly. (3) When all volatiles have sublimed from the RNP, the albedo and pressure drop rapidly. (4-6) A similar pattern is repeated near aphelion with a reversal of the roles and the poles. I will compare results with earlier Pluto models of Hansen and Paige (1996), show the dependence on parameters such as substrate inertia, and make predictions for the New Horizons flyby of Pluto in 2015. This work was supported, in part, by funding from NASA Planetary Atmospheres Grant NNG06GF32G and the Spitzer project (JPL research support Agreement 1368573). Hansen, C. J. and D. A. Paige 1996. Seasonal Nitrogen Cycles on Pluto. Icarus 120, 247-265. Young, L. A. 2012a. Volatile transport on inhomogeneous surfaces: I - Analytic expressions, with application to Pluto’s day. Icarus, in press Young, L. A. 2012b. Volatile transport on inhomogeneous surfaces: II. Numerical calculations, with application to Pluto's season. In preparation.

Obliquity evolution of the minor satellites of Pluto and Charon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quillen, Alice C.; Nichols-Fleming, Fiona; Chen, Yuan-Yuan; Noyelles, Benoît

2017-09-01

New Horizons mission observations show that the small satellites Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra, of the Pluto-Charon system, have not tidally spun-down to near synchronous spin states and have high obliquities with respect to their orbit about the Pluto-Charon binary (Weaver, 2016). We use a damped mass-spring model within an N-body simulation to study spin and obliquity evolution for single spinning non-round bodies in circumbinary orbit. Simulations with tidal dissipation alone do not show strong obliquity variations from tidally induced spin-orbit resonance crossing and this we attribute to the high satellite spin rates and low orbital eccentricities. However, a tidally evolving Styx exhibits intermittent obliquity variations and episodes of tumbling. During a previous epoch where Charon migrated away from Pluto, the minor satellites could have been trapped in orbital mean motion inclination resonances. An outward migrating Charon induces large variations in Nix and Styx's obliquities. The cause is a commensurability between the mean motion resonance frequency and the spin precession rate of the spinning body. As the minor satellites are near mean motion resonances, this mechanism could have lifted the obliquities of all four minor satellites. The high obliquities need not be primordial if the minor satellites were at one time captured into mean motion resonances.

Low Cost Missions Operations on NASA Deep Space Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnes, R. J.; Kusnierkiewicz, D. J.; Bowman, A.; Harvey, R.; Ossing, D.; Eichstedt, J.

2014-12-01

The ability to lower mission operations costs on any long duration mission depends on a number of factors; the opportunities for science, the flight trajectory, and the cruise phase environment, among others. Many deep space missions employ long cruises to their final destination with minimal science activities along the way; others may perform science observations on a near-continuous basis. This paper discusses approaches employed by two NASA missions implemented by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) to minimize mission operations costs without compromising mission success: the New Horizons mission to Pluto, and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatories (STEREO). The New Horizons spacecraft launched in January 2006 for an encounter with the Pluto system.The spacecraft trajectory required no deterministic on-board delta-V, and so the mission ops team then settled in for the rest of its 9.5-year cruise. The spacecraft has spent much of its cruise phase in a "hibernation" mode, which has enabled the spacecraft to be maintained with a small operations team, and minimized the contact time required from the NASA Deep Space Network. The STEREO mission is comprised of two three-axis stabilized sun-staring spacecraft in heliocentric orbit at a distance of 1 AU from the sun. The spacecraft were launched in October 2006. The STEREO instruments operate in a "decoupled" mode from the spacecraft, and from each other. Since STEREO operations are largely routine, unattended ground station contact operations were implemented early in the mission. Commands flow from the MOC to be uplinked, and the data recorded on-board is downlinked and relayed back to the MOC. Tools run in the MOC to assess the health and performance of ground system components. Alerts are generated and personnel are notified of any problems. Spacecraft telemetry is similarly monitored and alarmed, thus ensuring safe, reliable, low cost operations.

Projected Costs of U.S. Nuclear Forces, 2014 to 2023

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

uranium and pluto- nium, and also includes several large construction projects for new facilities to support that mission); $12 billion is for...contributed to the analysis with guidance from Sarah Jennings. Justin Falk of CBO provided helpful comments on the report, as did Russell Rumbaugh

An interstellar precursor mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jaffe, L. D.; Ivie, C.; Lewis, J. C.; Lipes, R. G.; Norton, H. N.; Stearns, J. W.; Stimpson, L.; Weissman, P.

1977-01-01

A mission out of the planetary system, with launch about the year 2000, could provide valuable scientific data as well as test some of the technology for a later mission to another star. Primary scientific objectives for the precursor mission concern characteristics of the heliopause, the interstellar medium, stellar distances (by parallax measurements), low energy cosmic rays, interplanetary gas distribution, and mass of the solar system. Secondary objectives include investigation of Pluto. Candidate science instruments are suggested. Individual spacecraft systems for the mission were considered, technology requirements and problem areas noted, and a number of recommendations made for technology study and advanced development. The most critical technology needs include attainment of 50-yr spacecraft lifetime and development of a long-life NEP system.

Characterization of nitrogen ice on Pluto's surface from 1-4 micron spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, E.; Olkin, C.; Grundy, W.; Young, L.; Schmitt, B.; Tokunaga, A.; Owen, T.; Roush, T.; Terada, H.

Nitrogen ice is the predominant ice on Pluto's surface. Methane and CO have also been identified (e.g., Grundy & Buie 2001), but they are thought to be trace consituents relative to N2 , mainly because of the strength of nitrogen's 2.147 µm feature. It is assumed that the temperature of the surface N2 frost controls the column abundance of Pluto's atmosphere through vapor pressure equilibrium. The vapor pressures of CO and CH4 are about 5 and 10,000 times less than that of N2 at a typical temperature for Pluto's surface. There is spectroscopic evidence that CH4 ice exists as a dissolved constituent in a predominantly nitrogen ice matrix as well as separate, pure CH4 ice. It would be interesting to know what fraction of N2 ice is pure for purposes of modeling the surface/atmosphere interactions on Pluto. We present spectroscopic modeling to show that the fraction of pure N2 ice on Pluto is very small indeed - conservatively less than 6% by area. We will present spectral observations and modeling results from the IRTF1 , W.M. Keck2 and Subaru3 Observatories spanning 1.0 to 4.0 µm. We have implemented a Hapke model (Hapke 1993) to constrain the abundance and states of N2 ice and CH4 ice. The depth of the Pluto spectrum at 3.3 µm effectively limits the amount of pure N2 ice that can be present on Pluto. Grundy, W. M. & Buie, M. W. 2001, Icarus, 153, 248. Hapke, B. 1993, Theory of Reflectance and Emittance Spectroscopy, Cambridge Univ. Press, New York. 1 Based in part on data obtained at the Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawaii under Cooperative Agreement no. NCC 5-538 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science Mission Directorate, Planetary Astronomy Program. 2 The data presented herein were obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The 1 Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation. 3 Based in part on data collected at Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. 2

The "Geology" of Pluto and Charon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, J. M.; Schenk, P. M.; Pappalardo, R. T.; McKinnon, W. B.

2003-04-01

To speculate about the geology of Pluto and Charon with currently available data is very risky. It is important to remember that we would anticipate that Ganymede and Callisto might have very similar geologies, given the same level of understanding, as we presently possess for the Pluto system. What little we do know with regards to Pluto and Charon's composition, surface albedo variations, and in combination with a post-Voyager and Galileo appreciation of other outer solar system icy objects, at least establishes a criteria for identifying geological questions we wish to address with the upcoming New Horizons mission to that system. Here we give a few examples. Tectonics: Pluto and Charon's geologic history may have involved periods of internal expansion and/or contraction, perhaps due to a build-up of heat from radiogenic sources, the freeze-expansion of a large internal H2O layer, or changes in ice phases. Global internal expansion would manifest itself of the surfaces of these objects in the form of normal faulting and graben formation causing the surface to split into scarp or graben-bounded polygons. Global compression would form a network of thrust fault ridges. Orbital evolution also may have left tectonic imprints. Volcanics : The Voyager survey of the outer solar system has revealed an astonishing variety of endogenic landforms on the surfaces of icy satellites. If Pluto or Charon exhibit evidence of volcanic activity, such observations can be used to constrain composition and thermal evolutions. On Triton, a possible form of active outgassing, whether from deep or shallow sources is a matter of controversy, was observed in the form of narrow plumes. Alternative models for Tritonian plume genesis can be tested by their occurrence on Pluto. Cratering: The presumed absence of any additional heating other than radiogenic may have resulted in the preservation of older (hence more cratered) terrains on Pluto and Charon than on Triton, which would be a boon to the study of time-varying trans-Neptunian bolide populations. Aeolian Activity: For the "densest case" Plutonian atmosphere (˜50 μbar surface pressure), the saltation threshold wind speed is in the range of maximum theoretical surface wind speeds. The observation of landforms created by saltating particles (e.g., dunes) may provide an indicator of periods of high (>= 50 μbar) atmospheric pressures. This may be an especially useful observation if post-perihelion in situ measurements detect a significantly smaller atmosphere. Looking toward an opportunity to send spacecraft to the Pluto-Charon system has encouraged this speculation regarding geological processes and the implications of their presence/absence on these bodies. Finally we should anticipate observing wholly unexpected features on the surfaces of Pluto and Charon in any initial in situ spacecraft investigation.

Radio Occultation Measurements of Pluto's Atmosphere with New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinson, David P.; Linscott, Ivan; Young, Leslie; Stern, S. Alan; Bird, Mike; Ennico, Kimberly; Gladstone, Randy; Olkin, Catherine B.; Pätzold, Martin; Strobel, Darrell F.; Summers, Michael; Tyler, G. Leonard; Weaver, Harold A.; Woods, Will; New Horizons Science Team

2016-10-01

The reconnaissance of the Pluto System by New Horizons in July 2015 included a radio occultation at Pluto. The observation was performed with signals transmitted simultaneously by four antennas of the NASA Deep Space Network, two at the Goldstone complex in California and two at the Canberra complex in Australia. Each antenna radiated 20 kW without modulation at a wavelength of 4.17 cm. New Horizons received the four signals with its 2.1-m high-gain antenna, where the signals were split into pairs and processed independently by two identical REX radio science instruments. Each REX relied on a different ultra-stable oscillator as its frequency reference. The signals were digitized and filtered, and the data samples were stored on the spacecraft for later transmission to Earth. Six months elapsed before all data had arrived on the ground, and the results reported here are the first to utilize the complete set of observations. Pluto's tenuous atmosphere is a significant challenge for radio occultation sounding, which led us to develop a specialized method of analysis. We began by calibrating each signal to remove effects not associated with Pluto's atmosphere, including the diffraction pattern from Pluto's surface. We reduced the noise and increased our sensitivity to the atmosphere by averaging the results from the four signals, while using other combinations of the signals to characterize the noise. We then retrieved profiles of number density, pressure, and temperature from the averaged phase profiles at both occultation entry and exit. Finally, we used a combination of analytical methods and Monte Carlo simulations to determine the accuracy of the measurements. The REX profiles provide the first direct measure of the surface pressure and temperature structure in Pluto's lower atmosphere. There are significant differences between the structure at entry (193.5°E, 17.0°S, sunset) and exit (15.7°E, 15.1°N, sunrise), which arise from spatial variations in surface composition coupled with the diurnal cycle of condensation and sublimation of nitrogen. This work is supported by the NASA New Horizons Mission.

The spectrum of Pluto, 0.40-0.93 μm. I. Secular and longitudinal distribution of ices and complex organics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenzi, V.; Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Licandro, J.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Grundy, W. M.; Binzel, R. P.; Emery, J. P.

2016-01-01

Context. During the past 30 years the surface of Pluto has been characterized and its variability monitored through continuous near-infrared spectroscopic observations. But in the visible range only a few data are available. Aims: The aim of this work is to define Pluto's relative reflectance in the visible range to characterize the different components of its surface, and to provide ground based observations in support of the New Horizons mission. Methods: We observed Pluto on six nights between May and July 2014 with the imager/spectrograph ACAM at the William Herschel Telescope (La Palma, Spain). The six spectra obtained cover a whole rotation of Pluto (Prot = 6.4 days). For all the spectra, we computed the spectral slope and the depth of the absorption bands of methane ice between 0.62 and 0.90 μm. To search for shifts in the center of the methane bands, which are associated with dilution of CH4 in N2, we compared the bands with reflectances of pure methane ice. Results: All the new spectra show the methane ice absorption bands between 0.62 and 0.90 μm. Computation of the depth of the band at 0.62 μm in the new spectra of Pluto and in the spectra of Makemake and Eris from the literature, allowed us to estimate the Lambert coefficient at this wavelength at temperatures of 30 K and 40 K, which has never been measured before. All the detected bands are blueshifted with respect to the position for pure methane ice, with minimum shifts correlated to the regions where the abundance of methane is higher. This could be indicative of a dilution of CH4:N2 that is more saturated in CH4. The longitudinal and secular variations in the parameters measured in the spectra are in accordance with results previously reported in the literature and with the distribution of the dark and bright materials that show the Pluto's color maps from New Horizons.

Young surface of Pluto's Sputnik Planitia caused by viscous relaxation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Q.; Hu, Y.; Liu, Y.; Lin, D. N. C.; Yang, J.; Showman, A. P.

2017-12-01

The young surface of Pluto's Sputnik Planitia (SP) is one of the most prominent features observed by the New Horizon mission (Moore et al., 2016; Stern et al., 2015). No crater has been confirmed on the heart-shaped SP basin, in contrast to more than 5000 identified over comparable areas elsewhere (Robbins et al., 2016). The SP basin is filled with mostly N2 ice and small amount of CH4 and CO ice (Protopapa et al., 2017). Previous studies suggested that the SP surface might be renewed through vigorous thermal convection (McKinnon et al., 2016), and that the surface age may be as young as 500,000 years. In this paper, we present numerical simulations demonstrating that craters can be removed by rapid viscous relaxation of N2 ice over much shorter timescales. The crater retention age is less than 1000 years if the N2-ice thickness is several kilometers. McKinnon, W. B., Nimmo, F., Wong, T., Schenk, P. M., White, O. L., Roberts, J., . . . Umurhan, O. (2016). Convection in a volatile nitrogen-ice-rich layer drives Pluto's geological vigour. Nature, 534(7605), 82-85. Moore, J. M., McKinnon, W. B., Spencer, J. R., Howard, A. D., Schenk, P. M., Beyer, R. A., . . . White, O. L. (2016). The geology of Pluto and Charon through the eyes of New Horizons. Science, 351(6279), 1284-1293. Protopapa, S., Grundy, W. M., Reuter, D. C., Hamilton, D. P., Dalle Ore, C. M., Cook, J. C., . . . Young, L. A. (2017). Pluto's global surface composition through pixel-by-pixel Hapke modeling of New Horizons Ralph/LEISA data. Icarus, Volume 287, 218-228. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2016.11.028Robbins, S. J., Singer, K. N., Bray, V. J., Schenk, P., Lauer, T. R., Weaver, H. A., . . . Porter, S. (2016). Craters of the Pluto-Charon system. Icarus. Stern, S. A., Bagenal, F., Ennico, K., Gladstone, G. R., Grundy, W. M., McKinnon, W. B., . . . Zirnstein, E. (2015). The Pluto system: Initial results from its exploration by New Horizons. Science, 350(6258), aad1815.

Probing Pluto's Atmosphere Using Ground-Based Stellar Occultations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sicardy, Bruno; Rio de Janeiro Occultation Team, Granada Team, International Occultation and Timing Association, Royal Astronomical Society New Zealand Occultation Section, Lucky Star associated Teams

2016-10-01

Over the last three decades, some twenty stellar occultations by Pluto have been monitored from Earth. They occur when the dwarf planet blocks the light from a star for a few minutes as it moves on the sky. Such events led to the hint of a Pluto's atmosphere in 1985, that was fully confirmed during another occultation in 1988, but it was only in 2002 that a new occultation could be recorded. From then on, the dwarf planet started to move in front of the galactic center, which amplified by a large factor the number of events observable per year.Pluto occultations are essentially refractive events during which the stellar rays are bent by the tenuous atmosphere, causing a gradual dimming of the star. This provides the density, pressure and temperature profiles of the atmosphere from a few kilometers above the surface up to about 250 km altitude, corresponding respectively to pressure levels of about 10 and 0.1 μbar. Moreover, the extremely fine spatial resolution (a few km) obtained through this technique allows the detection of atmospheric gravity waves, and permits in principle the detection of hazes, if present.Several aspects make Pluto stellar occultations quite special: first, they are the only way to probe Pluto's atmosphere in detail, as the dwarf planet is far too small on the sky and the atmosphere is far too tenuous to be directly imaged from Earth. Second, they are an excellent example of participative science, as many amateurs have been able to record those events worldwide with valuable scientific returns, in collaboration with professional astronomers. Third, they reveal Pluto's climatic changes on decade-scales and constrain the various seasonal models currently explored.Finally, those observations are fully complementary to space exploration, in particular with the New Horizons (NH) mission. I will show how ground-based occultations helped to better calibrate some NH profiles, and conversely, how NH results provide some key boundary conditions necessary to analyze ground-based data.Part of the research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Community's H2020 (2014-2020/ ERC Grant Agreement n 669416 "LUCKY STAR").

Analysis, optimization, and assessment of radioisotope thermophotovoltaic system design for an illustrative space mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schock, A.; Mukunda, M.; Or, C.; Summers, G.

1995-01-01

A companion paper presented at this conference described the design of a Radioisotope Thermophotovoltaic (RTPV) Generator for an illustrative space mission (Pluto Fast Flyby). It presented a detailed design of an integrated system consisting of a radioisotope heat source, a thermophotovoltaic converter, and an optimized heat rejection system. The present paper describes the thermal, electrical, and structural analyses which led to that optimized design, and compares the computed RTPV performance to that of a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) designed for the same mission. RTPVs are of course much less mature than RTGs, but our results indicate that—when fully developed—they could result in a 60% reduction of the heat source's mass, cost, and fuel loading, a 50% reduction of generator mass, a tripling of the power system's specific power, and a quadrupling of its efficiency. The paper concludes by briefly summarizing the RTPV's current technology status and assessing its potential applicability for the PFF mission. For other power systems (e.g., RTGs), demonstrating their flight readiness for a long mission is a very time-consuming process to determine the long-term effect of temperature-induced degradation mechanisms. But for the case of the described RTPV design, the paper lists a number of factors, primarily its cold (0 to 10 °C) converter temperature, that may greatly reduce the need for long-term tests to demonstrate generator lifetime. In any event, our analytical results suggest that the RTPV generator, when developed by DOE and/or NASA, would be quite valuable not only for the Pluto mission but also for other future missions requiring small, long-lived, low-mass generators.

MITEE: A Compact Ultralight Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Engine for Planetary Science Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, J.; Maise, G.; Paniagua, J.

2001-01-01

A new approach for a near-term compact, ultralight nuclear thermal propulsion engine, termed MITEE (Miniature Reactor Engine) is described. MITEE enables a wide range of new and unique planetary science missions that are not possible with chemical rockets. With U-235 nuclear fuel and hydrogen propellant the baseline MITEE engine achieves a specific impulse of approximately 1000 seconds, a thrust of 28,000 newtons, and a total mass of only 140 kilograms, including reactor, controls, and turbo-pump. Using higher performance nuclear fuels like U-233, engine mass can be reduced to as little as 80 kg. Using MITEE, V additions of 20 km/s for missions to outer planets are possible compared to only 10 km/s for H2/O2 engines. The much greater V with MITEE enables much faster trips to the outer planets, e.g., two years to Jupiter, three years to Saturn, and five years to Pluto, without needing multiple planetary gravity assists. Moreover, MITEE can utilize in-situ resources to further extend mission V. One example of a very attractive, unique mission enabled by MITEE is the exploration of a possible subsurface ocean on Europa and the return of samples to Earth. Using MITEE, a spacecraft would land on Europa after a two-year trip from Earth orbit and deploy a small nuclear heated probe that would melt down through its ice sheet. The probe would then convert to a submersible and travel through the ocean collecting samples. After a few months, the probe would melt its way back up to the MITEE lander, which would have replenished its hydrogen propellant by melting and electrolyzing Europa surface ice. The spacecraft would then return to Earth. Total mission time is only five years, starting from departure from Earth orbit. Other unique missions include Neptune and Pluto orbiter, and even a Pluto sample return. MITEE uses the cermet Tungsten-UO2 fuel developed in the 1960's for the 710 reactor program. The W-UO2 fuel has demonstrated capability to operate in 3000 K hydrogen for many hours - a much longer period than the approximately one hour burn time for MITEE. Using this cermet fuel, and technology available from other nuclear propulsion programs, MITEE could be developed and ready for implementation in a relatively short time, i.e., approximately seven years. An overview description of the MITEE engine and its performance capabilities is provided.

Outer Planet Exploration with Advanced Radioisotope Electric Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oleson, Steven; Gefert, Leon; Patterson, Michael; Schreiber, Jeffrey; Benson, Scott; McAdams, Jim; Ostdiek, Paul

2002-01-01

In response to a request by the NASA Deep Space Exploration Technology Program, NASA Glenn Research Center conducted a study to identify advanced technology options to perform a Pluto/Kuiper mission without depending on a 2004 Jupiter Gravity Assist, but still arriving before 2020. A concept using a direct trajectory with small, sub-kilowatt ion thrusters and Stirling radioisotope power systems was shown to allow the same or smaller launch vehicle class as the chemical 2004 baseline and allow a launch slip and still flyby in the 2014 to 2020 timeframe. With this promising result the study was expanded to use a radioisotope power source for small electrically propelled orbiter spacecraft for outer planet targets such as Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

Dark and Bright Terrains of Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-10

These circular maps shows the distribution of Pluto's dark and bright terrains as revealed by NASA's New Horizons mission prior to July 4, 2015. Each map is an azimuthal equidistant projection centered on the north pole, with latitude and longitude indicated. Both a gray-scale and color version are shown. The gray-scale version is based on 7 days of panchromatic imaging from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), whereas the color version uses the gray-scale base and incorporates lower-resolution color information from the Multi-spectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC), part of the Ralph instrument. The color version is also shown in a simple cylindrical projection in PIA19700. In these maps, the polar bright terrain is surrounded by a somewhat darker polar fringe, one whose latitudinal position varies strongly with longitude. Especially striking are the much darker regions along the equator. A broad dark swath ("the whale") stretches along the equator from approximately 20 to 160 degrees of longitude. Several dark patches appear in a regular sequence centered near 345 degrees of longitude. A spectacular bright region occupies Pluto's mid-latitudes near 180 degrees of longitude, and stretches southward over the equator. New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto will occur near this longitude, which will permit high-resolution visible imaging and compositional mapping of these various regions. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19706

Chairmanship of the Neptune/Pluto Outer Planets Science Working Group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, S. Alan

1992-01-01

The Outer Planets Science Working Group (OPSWG) is the NASA Solar System Exploration Division (SSED) scientific steering committee for the Outer Solar Systems missions. The FY92 activities of OPSWG are summarized. A set of objectives for OPSWG over FY93 are described. OPSWG's activities for subsequent years are outlined. A paper which examines scientific questions motivating renewed exploration of the Neptune/Triton system and which reviews the technical results of the mission studies completed to date is included in the appendix.

METHANE AND NITROGEN ABUNDANCES ON PLUTO AND ERIS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tegler, S. C.; Cornelison, D. M.; Abernathy, M. R.

We present spectra of Eris from the MMT 6.5 m Telescope and Red Channel Spectrograph (5700-9800 A, 5 A pixel{sup -1}) on Mt. Hopkins, AZ, and of Pluto from the Steward Observatory 2.3 m Telescope and Boller and Chivens Spectrograph (7100-9400 A, 2 A pixel{sup -1}) on Kitt Peak, AZ. In addition, we present laboratory transmission spectra of methane-nitrogen and methane-argon ice mixtures. By anchoring our analysis in methane and nitrogen solubilities in one another as expressed in the phase diagram of Prokhvatilov and Yantsevich, and comparing methane bands in our Eris and Pluto spectra and methane bands in ourmore » laboratory spectra of methane and nitrogen ice mixtures, we find Eris' bulk methane and nitrogen abundances are {approx}10% and {approx}90% and Pluto's bulk methane and nitrogen abundances are {approx}3% and {approx}97%. Such abundances for Pluto are consistent with values reported in the literature. It appears that the bulk volatile composition of Eris is similar to the bulk volatile composition of Pluto. Both objects appear to be dominated by nitrogen ice. Our analysis also suggests, unlike previous work reported in the literature, that the methane and nitrogen stoichiometry is constant with depth into the surface of Eris. Finally, we point out that our Eris spectrum is also consistent with a laboratory ice mixture consisting of 40% methane and 60% argon. Although we cannot rule out an argon-rich surface, it seems more likely that nitrogen is the dominant species on Eris because the nitrogen ice 2.15 {mu}m band is seen in spectra of Pluto and Triton.« less

New Horizons Pluto Flyby Guest Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, M.; Turney, D.; Fisher, S.; Carr, S. S.

2015-12-01

On July 14, 2015, after 9.5 years of cruise, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past the Pluto system to gather first images humankind had ever seen on Pluto and its five moons. While much has been discovered about the Pluto system since New Horizons launch in 2006, the system has never been imaged at high resolution and anticipation of the "First Light" of the Pluto system had been anticipated by planetary enthusiasts for decades. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), which built and operates New Horizons, was the focal point for gathering three distinct groups: science and engineering team members; media and public affairs representatives; and invited public, including VIP's. Guest operations activities were focused on providing information primarily to the invited public and VIP's. High level objectives for the Guest Operations team was set to entertain and inform the general public, offer media reaction shots, and to deconflict activities for the guests from media activities wherever possible. Over 2000 people arrived at APL in the days surrounding closest approach for guest, science or media operations tracks. Reaction and coverage of the Guest Operations events was universally positive and global in impact: iconic pictures of the auditorium waving flags during the moment of closest approach were published in media outlets on every continent. Media relations activities ensured coverage in all key media publications targeted for release, such as the New York Times, Science, Le Monde, and Nature. Social and traditional media coverage of the events spanned the globe. Guest operations activities are designed to ensure that a guest has a memorable experience and leaves with a lifelong memory of the mission and their partnership in the activity. Results, lessons learned, and other data from the New Horizons guest operations activity will be presented and analyzed.

The Pluto System in the Post-New Horizons Era: Opposition Effects, Rotations, and Orbital Stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verbiscer, Anne

2017-08-01

Following the New Horizons flyby in 2015, we propose a two-cycle program to observe Pluto and its five moons in the post-encounter era, building on the rich legacy of observations obtained during and prior to the historic flyby. At opposition in Cycles 25-26, the Pluto system is visible at the smallest solar phase angle in 87 years. The system will be at true opposition when it crosses the line of nodes in July 2018, and as seen from Pluto, Earth will transit the solar disk. Such rare planetary alignments enable the characterization of small-scale surface texture and porosity as well as the direct measurement of the geometric albedo, rather than an estimation of its value from photometric models. Any variation among the regolith properties of Pluto's moons will test the long-standing hypothesis that ejecta exchange between the moons has altered their surfaces. We will also follow up on the surprising result from New Horizons and HST that the small moons are spinning rapidly and with high obliquities. Styx, Nix, and Hydra show hints of being in strong spin-orbit couplings with Charon, but confirmation requires the additional precision in measurements of their spin rates and polar precession rates proposed here. In addition, we will obtain new astrometry of the small moons, making it possible to determine their masses and bulk densities with much higher precision. Results from this program will enhance the scientific return from the New Horizons mission, providing images complementary to those obtained by the spacecraft on approach and achieving science objectives that cannot be met by either HST or New Horizons alone.

Pixel Paradise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

PixelVision, Inc., has developed a series of integrated imaging engines capable of high-resolution image capture at dynamic speeds. This technology was used originally at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in a series of imaging engines for a NASA mission to Pluto. By producing this integrated package, Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) technology has been made accessible to a wide range of users.

New Horizons Finds Blue Skies and Water Ice on Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Pluto’s Blue Sky: Pluto’s haze layer shows its blue color in this picture taken by the New Horizons Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC). The high-altitude haze is thought to be similar in nature to that seen at Saturn’s moon Titan. The source of both hazes likely involves sunlight-initiated chemical reactions of nitrogen and methane, leading to relatively small, soot-like particles (called tholins) that grow as they settle toward the surface. This image was generated by software that combines information from blue, red and near-infrared images to replicate the color a human eye would perceive as closely as possible. Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI Read more: www.nasa.gov/nh/nh-finds-blue-skies-and-water-ice-on-pluto NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Upcoming and Future Missions in the Area of Infrared Astronomy: Spacecraft and Ground-based Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sittler, E. C., Jr.

2004-01-01

The IRIS instrument on the Voyager spacecrafts made major discoveries with regard to the giant planets, their moons and rings and paved the way for future infrared observations for planetary missions within our solar system. The CIRS instrument of Cassini with much greater spectral-spatial resolution and sensitivity than that provided by IRIS is now rapidly approaching the Saturnian system with orbit insertion on July 1, 2004, for which CIRS is expected to provide an order of magnitude advance beyond that provided by IRIS. The Mars program is also presently dominated by infrared observations in the near to mid-infrared spectral bands for missions such as Mars Global Surveyor and its TES instrument and Odyssey with its THEMIS instrument. In the case of Earth science we have such missions as TIMED, which makes infrared observations of the thermosphere using the SABER instrument. With the newly formed New Frontiers Program we have the opportunity for $650M missions such as Kuiper Belt-Pluto Explorer and Jupiter Polar Orbiter with Probes. Under the Flagship line, once per decade, we have the opportunity for $1B missions for which Europa is presently being considered; for this mission infrared measurements could look for hot spots within the maze of cracks and faults on Europa s surface. On Kuiper Belt- Pluto there is an imaging near-IR spectrometer called LEISA. Another mission on the horizon is Titan Orbiter Aerorover Mission (TOAM) for which there is planned a state-of-art version of CIRS called TIRS on the orbiter that will map out the atmospheric composition with unprecedented wavelength coverage and spectral-spatial resolution. This instrument will also provide temperature maps of the surface of Titan to look for hot spots where life may form. On the same mission there will be a descent imager on the Aerorover (i.e., balloon) similar to that provided by LEISA on the Pluto mission to provide compositional-topographical maps of Titan s surface. Other future mission will also be discussed. Improved thermal detectors could have important applications in solar physics, specifically in the detection of far-IR synchrotron emission from energetic electrons in solar flares. For infrared astronomy we have missions like SIRTF and JWST, which will cover the spectral range from near-IR to far-IR in the search and probing of both new and old planetary systems in our galaxy and the measurement of the most distant galaxies of our universe. SIRTF is scheduled to be launched in August 2003, while JWST will be launched next decade. Another mission is TPF, which will use interferometer techniques at infrared wavelengths to search for planetary systems beyond 2010. With regard to ground based telescopes we have, for example, the twin 10 meter Keck telescopes and the IRTF telescope at Mauna Kea. The Keck telescopes are presently using interferometer techniques. Over the next several decades there are plans for 50 meter to 200 meter telescopes providing near-IR to far-IR measurements with the eventual plan to combine all telescopes using interferometer techniques to provide unprecedented spectral-spatial resolution and sensitivity.

Conceptual definition of a 50-100 kWe NEP system for planetary science missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedlander, Alan

1993-01-01

The Phase 1 objective of this project is to assess the applicability of a common Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) flight system of the 50-100 kWe power class to meet the advanced transportation requirements of a suite of planetary science (robotic) missions, accounting for differences in mission-specific payloads and delivery requirements. The candidate missions are as follows: (1) Comet Nucleus Sample Return; (2) Multiple Mainbelt Asteroid Rendezvous; (3) Jupiter Grand Tour (Galilean satellites and magnetosphere); (4) Uranus Orbiter/Probe (atmospheric entry and landers); (5) Neptune Orbiter/Probe (atmospheric entry and landers); and (6) Pluto-Charon Orbiter/Lander. The discussion is presented in vugraph form.

Radioisotope Stirling Generator Options for Pluto Fast Flyby Mission

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schock, Alfred

The preceding paper described conceptual designs and analytical results for five Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) options for the Pluto Fast Flyby (PFF) mission, and the present paper describes three Radioisotope Stirling Generator (RSG) options for the same mission. The RSG options are based on essentially the same radioisotope heat source modules used in previously flown RTGs and on designs and analyses of a 75-watt free-piston Stirling engine produced by Mechanical Technology Incorporated (MTI) for NASA's Lewis Research Center. The integrated system design options presented were generated in a Fairchild Space study sponsored by the Department of Energy's Office of Specialmore » Applications, in support of ongoing PFF mission and spacecraft studies that the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is conducting for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). That study's NASA-directed goal is to reduce the spacecraft mass from its baseline value of 166 kg to ~110 kg, which implies a mass goal of less than 10 kg for a power source able to deliver 69 watts(e) at the end of the 9.2-year mission. In general, the Stirling options were found to be lighter than the thermoelectric options described in the preceding paper. But they are less mature, requiring more development, and entailing greater programmatic risk. The Stirling power system mass ranged from 7.3 kg (well below the 10-kg goal) for a non-redundant system to 11.3 kg for a redundant system able to maintain full power if one of its engines fails. In fact, the latter system could deliver as much as 115 watts(e) if desired by the mission planners. There are 2 copies in the file.« less

Science Enabling ASICs and FEEs for the JUICE and JEO Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paschalidis, Nicholas; Sittler, Ed; Cooper, John; Christian, Eric; Moore, Tom

2011-01-01

A family of science enabling radiation hard Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Front End Electronics (FEEs) and Event Processing Systems, with flight heritage on many NASA missions, is presented. These technologies play an important role in the miniaturization of instruments -and spacecraft systems- at the same time increasing performance and reducing power. The technologies target time of flight, position sensing, and energy measurements as well as standard housekeeping and telemetry functions for particle and fields instruments, but find applications in other instrument categories too. More specifically the technologies include: the TOF chip, 1D and 2D Delay Lines with MCP detectors, for high precision fast and low power time of flight and position sensing; the Energy chip for multichannel SSD readout with time over threshold and standard voltage read out for TDC and ADC digitization; Fast multi channel read out chip with commandable thresholds; the TRIO chip for multiplexed ADC and housekeeping etc. It should be mentioned that the ASICs include basic trigger capabilities to enable random event processing in a heavy background of penetrators and UV foreground. Typical instruments include time of flight versus energy and look angle particle analyzers such as: plasma composition, energetic particle, neutral atom imaging as well as fast plasma and deltaE/E ion/electron telescopes. Flight missions include: Cassini/LEMMS, IMAGE/HENA, MESSENGER/EPPS/MLA/X-ray/MLA, STEREO, PLUTO-NH/PEPSSI/LORI, IBEX-Lo, JUNO/JEDI, RBSP/RBSPICE, MMS/HPCA/EPD, SO/SIS. Given the proven capability on heavy radiation missions such as JUNO, MMS and RBSB, as well diverse long duration missions such as MESSENGER, PLUTO and Cassini, it is expected that these technologies will play an important role in the particle and fields (at least) instruments on the upcoming JUICE and JEO missions.

Guidance and navigation requirements for unmanned flyby and swingby missions to the outer planets. Volume 4: High thrust mission, part 2, phase C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

The guidance and navigation requirements for a set of impulsive thrust missions involving one or more outer planets or comets. Specific missions considered include two Jupiter entry missions of 800 and 1200 day duration, two multiple swingby missions with the sequences Jupiter-Uranus-Neptune and Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto, and two comets rendezvous missions involving the short period comets P/Tempel 2 and P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak. Results show the relative utility of onboard and Earth-based DSN navigation. The effects of parametric variations in navigation accuracy, measurement rate, and miscellaneous constraints are determined. The utility of a TV type onboard navigation sensor - sighting on planetary satellites and comets - is examined. Velocity corrections required for the nominal and parametrically varied cases are tabulated.

Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Options for Pluto Fast Flyby Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schock, Alfred

1994-07-01

A small spacecraft design for the Pluto Fast Flyby (PFF) mission is under study by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PL) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), for a possible launch as early as 1998. JPL's 1992 baseline design calls for a power source able to furnish an energy output of 3963 kWh and a power output of 69 Watts(e) at the end of the 9.2-year mission. Satisfying those demands is made difficult because NASA management has set a goal of reducing the spacecraft mass from a baseline value of 166 kg to ~110 kg, which implies a mass goal of less than 10 kg for the power source. To support the ongoing NASA/JPL studies, the Department of Energy's Office of Special Applications (DOE/OSA) commissioned Fairchild Space to prepare and analyze conceptual designs of radioisotope power systems for the PFF mission. Thus far, a total of eight options employing essentially the same radioisotope heat source modules were designed and subjected to thermal, electrical, structural, and mass analyses by Fairchild. Five of these - employing thermoelectric converters - are described in the present paper, and three - employing free-piston Stirling converters - are described in the companion paper presented next. The system masses of the thermoelectric options ranged from 19.3 kg to 10.2 kg. In general, the options requiring least development are the heaviest, and the lighter options require more development with greater programmatic risk.

Cosmogonic constraints from densities in the Pluto system and rotational and tidal figures of equilibrium for Pluto and Charon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKinnon, W.; Buie, M.; Moore, J.; Linscott, I.; Hinson, D.; Tyler, G.; Singer, K.; Stern, S.; New Horizons Team

2014-07-01

A byproduct of the discovery of Nix, Hydra, Styx, and Kerberos, and the detailed study of their orbits, has been a relatively precise determination of the system barycenter, and thus the Pluto/Charon mass ratio [1]. Coupled with precise determinations of Charon's size by multiple stellar occultations [2,3], Charon's mean density is now relatively well-determined (1.72 ± 0.02 g cm^{-3}), both in an absolute sense and with respect to that of Pluto (1.89 ± 0.06 g cm^{-3}) [1]. The latter's precise size remains uncertain due to the effects of its atmosphere on stellar occultations [e.g., 4] and of limb darkening on mutual events [5]. Both Pluto and Charon are relatively rock-rich, but Charon is somewhat icier, which is consistent with impact origin scenarios in which one or both precursor bodies were at least partially differentiated (rock separated from ice under the action of gravity) [6,7]. Ice-rich ejecta is also the preferred route for forming a particle disk outside of Charon's initial post-giant-impact orbit, such as would lead to accretion of the small satellites [8]. In this regard, the upper limits on the densities of the brightest and presumably largest of the small satellites (Nix and Hydra) are - even at the 3σ level -- consistent with very icy and porous bodies. Icy rubble-pile bodies are predicted by the initial conditions of the giant impact as presently understood (conditions necessary to give an icier Charon). The small satellites will thus offer an interesting cosmogonical test during the 14 July 2015 New Horizons encounter, as good constraints will be placed on satellite volumes from imaging and improved satellite masses should result from optical navigation and orbital simulations. The fly-through of the Pluto-Charon system by New Horizons also offers the first opportunity to determine both the total system mass and the individual masses of Pluto and Charon by direct Doppler tracking (although the spacecraft will not pass close enough to any of the small satellites to measure their gravitational accelerations). Simulations of the encounter by the REX Radio Science experiment indicate the potential accuracies of the combined and individual mass determinations of Pluto and Charon are on the order of 0.1 % [9,10], a substantial improvement in precision (especially for Charon). This will put to rest a long-standing limitation on modeling and understanding Pluto and Charon's internal structure and evolution [11]. It is notable, from the densities quoted above, that the ''density gap'' between Pluto and Charon appears to be narrowing, and at the 3σ level and considering the effects of porosity, this gap could even be zero. If Pluto and Charon were close in density after all, it could change our view as to how the binary formed [12]. Refinement at the next level, that is, determining Pluto's or Charon's internal structure, specifically their degree of differentiation (or even the presence or absence of oceans), will not be easy. New Horizons will not pass close enough to measure the degree-2 gravity field for either body (nor was such an original measurement requirement or mission objective), but shape determination from imaging offers the possibility of determining differentiation state. For this to be successful, however, Pluto or Charon must be in hydrostatic equilibrium. For all hydrostatic models of these two bodies, the differences between the lengths of the principal axes of their figures are predicted to be less than 1 km, and the differences between differentiated and undifferentiated models smaller still [13]. Thus, discriminating between the two cases will be challenging. Furthermore, either Pluto or Charon may choose not to cooperate, if they retain fossil hydrostatic figures from earlier in their mutual tidal evolution [14], in the manner of Iapetus [e.g., 15]. These fossil figures would be larger (more biaxial in the case of Pluto, and more triaxial for Charon), and thus much easier to measure, and could provide important clues to Pluto's thermal and structural evolution [16].

Powering Mars Rovers

ScienceCinema

Stewert, Robin

2018-01-15

INL scientists are doing their best to help solve our energy problems here on Earth. But did you know the lab is playing a key role in the exploration of other worlds, too? Meet INL Engineer Robin Stewart helps build and test generators that power NASA missions to Pluto and Mars. You can learn more about INL projects at http://www.facebook.com/idahonationallaboratory.

Pluto's Global Surface Composition Through Pixel-by-Pixel Hapke Modeling of New Horizons Ralph LEISA Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Protopapa, S.; Grundy, W. M.; Reuter, D. C.; Hamilton, D. P.; Dalle Ore, C. M.; Cook, J. C.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Schmitt, B.; Philippe, S.; Quirico, E.;

Pluto's global surface composition through pixel-by-pixel Hapke modeling of New Horizons Ralph/LEISA data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Protopapa, S.; Grundy, W. M.; Reuter, D. C.; Hamilton, D. P.; Dalle Ore, C. M.; Cook, J. C.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Schmitt, B.; Philippe, S.; Quirico, E.; Binzel, R. P.; Earle, A. M.; Ennico, K.; Howett, C. J. A.; Lunsford, A. W.; Olkin, C. B.; Parker, A.; Singer, K. N.; Stern, A.; Verbiscer, A. J.; Weaver, H. A.; Young, L. A.; New Horizons Science Team

2017-05-01

On July 14th 2015, NASA's New Horizons mission gave us an unprecedented detailed view of the Pluto system. The complex compositional diversity of Pluto's encounter hemisphere was revealed by the Ralph/LEISA infrared spectrometer on board of New Horizons. We present compositional maps of Pluto defining the spatial distribution of the abundance and textural properties of the volatiles methane and nitrogen ices and non-volatiles water ice and tholin. These results are obtained by applying a pixel-by-pixel Hapke radiative transfer model to the LEISA scans. Our analysis focuses mainly on the large scale latitudinal variations of methane and nitrogen ices and aims at setting observational constraints to volatile transport models. Specifically, we find three latitudinal bands: the first, enriched in methane, extends from the pole to 55°N, the second dominated by nitrogen, continues south to 35°N, and the third, composed again mainly of methane, reaches 20°N. We demonstrate that the distribution of volatiles across these surface units can be explained by differences in insolation over the past few decades. The latitudinal pattern is broken by Sputnik Planitia, a large reservoir of volatiles, with nitrogen playing the most important role. The physical properties of methane and nitrogen in this region are suggestive of the presence of a cold trap or possible volatile stratification. Furthermore our modeling results point to a possible sublimation transport of nitrogen from the northwest edge of Sputnik Planitia toward the south.

Modeling Pluto's Ice-Rich Surface and Its Interaction with Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Q.; Hu, Y.

2016-12-01

Recent discoveries made available through NASA's New Horizon mission revealed a new world on Pluto with a plateau of "young" surface, the Sputnik Planum. It is a gigantic reservoir of volatile ice on top of an impact basin. The reason of such a high level of concentration of volatile ice is yet unknown. We are actively looking into explanations through atmospheric models and ice sheet models. Apart from the quantity of ice on SP, its surface age constrained by impact flux models to under 10Myr is significantly different from other parts of Pluto. Convection of solid nitrogen ice has been proposed as a viable cause. We endeavor to explore other possibilities that may have jointly contributed to this phenomena, including atmospheric condensation, ice sheet evolution, etc. Unique rheological properties of nitrogen ice, which is thought to dominate the Sputnik Planum, may hold the key to answering our questions. They are soft and easy to deform under its own weight even at Pluto's surface temperature of around 40K. Based on our initial simulations with numerical ice sheet models, we propose that once a crater is created on the Sputnik Planum, deformation under internal stress kicks in as a primary mechanism to flatten out craters. This could be done in a time scale of 100,000 years, significantly shorter than the maximum surface age contrained by crater densitiess models. As the surface arpproaches a flat state, such mechanism becomes weaker. The surface feature is then dominated by convection.

Small planetary missions for the Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Staehle, R. L.

1979-01-01

The paper deals with the concept of a small planetary mission that might be described as one which: (1) focuses on a narrow set of discovery-oriented objectives, (2) utilizes largely existing and proven subsystem capabilities, (3) does not tax future launch vehicle capabilities, and (4) is flexible in terms of mission timing such that it can be easily integrated with launch vehicle schedules. Three small planetary mission concepts are presented: a tour of earth-sun Lagrange regions in search of asteroids which might be gravitationally trapped, a network of spacecraft to search beyond Pluto for a tenth planet; and a probe which could be targeted for infrequent long period 'comets of opportunity' or for a multitude of shorter period comets.

Mission Steering Profiles of Outer Planetary Orbiters Using Radioisotope Electric Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fiehler, Douglas; Oleson, Steven

2004-01-01

Radioisotope Electric Propulsion (REP) has the potential to enable small spacecraft to orbit outer planetary targets with trip times comparable to flyby missions. The ability to transition from a flyby to an orbiter mission lies in the availability of continuous low power electric propulsion along the entire trajectory. The electric propulsion system s role is to add and remove energy from the spacecraft s trajectory to bring it in and out of a heliocentric hyperbolic escape trajectory for the outermost target bodies. Energy is added and the trajectory is reshaped to rendezvous with the closer-in target bodies. Sample REP trajectories will be presented for missions ranging for distances from Jupiter orbit to the Pluto-Kuiper Belt.

Pluto’s Puzzling Patterns and Pits

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

This image was taken by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft shortly before closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015; it resolves details as small as 270 yards (250 meters). The scene shown is about 130 miles (210 kilometers) across. The sun illuminates the scene from the left, and north is to the upper left. Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI It seems that the more we see of Pluto, the more fascinating it gets. With its prominent heart-shaped feature, icy mountains, and “snakeskin” terrain, Pluto has already surprised New Horizons scientists with the variety and complexity of its surface features. Now this latest image, from the heart of Pluto’s heart feature, show the plains’ enigmatic cellular pattern (at left) as well as unusual clusters of small pits and troughs (from lower left to upper right). Scientists believe that this area, informally known as Sputnik Planum, is composed of volatile ices such as solid nitrogen. They theorize that the pits and troughs – typically hundreds of meters across and tens of meters deep – are possibly formed by sublimation or evaporation of these ices. However, the reasons for the striking shapes and alignments of these features are a mystery. Adding to the intrigue is that even at this resolution, no impact craters are seen, testifying to the extreme geologic youth of Sputnik Planum. “Pluto is weird, in a good way,” said Hal Weaver, New Horizons project scientist with Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. “The pits, and the way they’re aligned, provide clues about the ice flow and the exchange of volatiles between the surface and atmosphere, and the science team is working hard to understand what physical processes are at play here.” NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

First Ever High Resolution View of Pluto's Surface

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

New close-up images of a region near Pluto’s equator reveal a giant surprise: a range of youthful mountains rising as high as 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) above the surface of the icy body. The mountains likely formed no more than 100 million years ago -- mere youngsters relative to the 4.56-billion-year age of the solar system -- and may still be in the process of building, says Jeff Moore of New Horizons’ Geology, Geophysics and Imaging Team (GGI). That suggests the close-up region, which covers less than one percent of Pluto’s surface, may still be geologically active today. Moore and his colleagues base the youthful age estimate on the lack of craters in this scene. Like the rest of Pluto, this region would presumably have been pummeled by space debris for billions of years and would have once been heavily cratered -- unless recent activity had given the region a facelift, erasing those pockmarks. “This is one of the youngest surfaces we’ve ever seen in the solar system,” says Moore. Unlike the icy moons of giant planets, Pluto cannot be heated by gravitational interactions with a much larger planetary body. Some other process must be generating the mountainous landscape. “This may cause us to rethink what powers geological activity on many other icy worlds,” says GGI deputy team leader John Spencer of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo. The mountains are probably composed of Pluto’s water-ice “bedrock.” Although methane and nitrogen ice covers much of the surface of Pluto, these materials are not strong enough to build the mountains. Instead, a stiffer material, most likely water-ice, created the peaks. “At Pluto’s temperatures, water-ice behaves more like rock,” said deputy GGI lead Bill McKinnon of Washington University, St. Louis. The close-up image was taken about 1.5 hours before New Horizons closest approach to Pluto, when the craft was 478,000 miles (770,000 kilometers) from the surface of the planet. The image easily resolves structures smaller than a mile across. Image Credit: NASA-JHUAPL-SwRI NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

High Precision Piezoelectric Linear Motors for Operations at Cryogenic Temperatures and Vacuum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, D.; Carman, G.; Stam, M.; Bar-Cohen, Y.; Sen, A.; Henry, P.; Bearman, G.; Moacanin, J.

1995-01-01

The use of an electromechanical device for optically positioning a mirror system during the pre-project phase of the Pluto Fast Flyby mission was evaluated at JPL. The device under consideration was a piezoelectric driven linear motor functionally dependent upon a time varying electric field which induces displacements ranging from submicrons to millimeters with positioning accuracy within nanometers.

On the Existence of Regular and Irregular Outer Moons Orbiting the Pluto-Charon System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michaely, Erez; Perets, Hagai B.; Grishin, Evgeni

2017-02-01

The dwarf planet Pluto is known to host an extended system of five co-planar satellites. Previous studies have explored the formation and evolution of the system in isolation, neglecting perturbative effects by the Sun. Here we show that secular evolution due to the Sun can strongly affect the evolution of outer satellites and rings in the system, if such exist. Although precession due to extended gravitational potential from the inner Pluto-Charon binary quench such secular evolution up to a crit ˜ 0.0035 au (˜0.09 R Hill the Hill radius; including all of the currently known satellites), outer orbits can be significantly altered. In particular, we find that co-planar rings and satellites should not exist beyond a crit; rather, satellites and dust particles in these regions secularly evolve on timescales ranging between 104 and 106 years, and quasi-periodically change their inclinations and eccentricities through secular evolution (Lidov-Kozai oscillations). Such oscillations can lead to high inclinations and eccentricities, constraining the range where such satellites (and dust particles) can exist without crossing the orbits of the inner satellites or crossing the outer Hill stability range. Outer satellites, if such exist are therefore likely to be irregular satellites, with orbits limited to be non-circular and/or highly inclined. Current observations, including the recent data from the New-Horizons mission explored only inner regions (<0.0012 au) and excluded the existence of additional satellites; however, the irregular satellites discussed here should reside farther, in the yet uncharted regions around Pluto.

An Automated Solution of the Low-Thrust Interplanetary Trajectory Problem.

PubMed

Englander, Jacob A; Conway, Bruce A

2017-01-01

Preliminary design of low-thrust interplanetary missions is a highly complex process. The mission designer must choose discrete parameters such as the number of flybys, the bodies at which those flybys are performed, and in some cases the final destination. In addition, a time-history of control variables must be chosen that defines the trajectory. There are often many thousands, if not millions, of possible trajectories to be evaluated, which can be a very expensive process in terms of the number of human analyst hours required. An automated approach is therefore very desirable. This work presents such an approach by posing the mission design problem as a hybrid optimal control problem. The method is demonstrated on hypothetical missions to Mercury, the main asteroid belt, and Pluto.

Features of the Drag-Free-Simulator demonstrated for the Microscope-mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

List, Meike; Bremer, Stefanie; Dittus, Hansjoerg; Selig, Hanns

The ZARM Drag-Free-Simulator is being developed as a tool for comprehensive mission modeling. Environmental disturbances like solar radiation pressure, atmospheric drag, interactions between the satellite and the Earth's magnetic field can be taken into account via several models. Besides the gravitational field of the Earth, the influence of Sun, Moon and the planets including Pluto can be considered for aimed simulations, too. Methods of modeling and implementation will be presented. At the moment, effort is made to adapt this simulation tool for the french mission MICRO- SCOPE which is designed for testing the equivalence principle up to an accuracy of η=10-15 . Additionally, detailed modeling of on-board capacitive sensors is necessary for a better understanding of the real system. The actual status of mission modeling will be reported.

An Automated Solution of the Low-Thrust Interplanetary Trajectory Problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Englander, Jacob A.; Conway, Bruce

2016-01-01

Preliminary design of low-thrust interplanetary missions is a highly complex process. The mission designer must choose discrete parameters such as the number of flybys, the bodies at which those flybys are performed, and in some cases the final destination. In addition, a time-history of control variables must be chosen that defines the trajectory. There are often many thousands, if not millions, of possible trajectories to be evaluated, which can be a very expensive process in terms of the number of human analyst hours required. An automated approach is therefore very desirable. This work presents such an approach by posing the mission design problem as a hybrid optimal control problem. The method is demonstrated on hypothetical missions to Mercury, the main asteroid belt, and Pluto.

An Automated Solution of the Low-Thrust Interplanetary Trajectory Problem

PubMed Central

Englander, Jacob A.; Conway, Bruce A.

2017-01-01

Preliminary design of low-thrust interplanetary missions is a highly complex process. The mission designer must choose discrete parameters such as the number of flybys, the bodies at which those flybys are performed, and in some cases the final destination. In addition, a time-history of control variables must be chosen that defines the trajectory. There are often many thousands, if not millions, of possible trajectories to be evaluated, which can be a very expensive process in terms of the number of human analyst hours required. An automated approach is therefore very desirable. This work presents such an approach by posing the mission design problem as a hybrid optimal control problem. The method is demonstrated on hypothetical missions to Mercury, the main asteroid belt, and Pluto. PMID:29515289

OpenSpace: From Data Visualization Research to Planetariums and Classrooms Worldwide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emmart, C.; Ynnerman, A.; Bock, A.; Kuznetsova, M. M.; Kinzler, R. J.; Trakinski, V.; Mac Low, M. M.; Ebel, D. S. S.

2016-12-01

"OpenSpace" is a new NASA supported open source software that brings the latest techniques from data visualization research to the planetarium community and general public. The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), in collaboration with informal science institutions (ISI), academic partners, key vendors that support planetariums worldwide, and NASA mission teams and Subject Matter Experts (SME), is creating OpenSpace to enable STEM education and improve U.S. scientific literacy by engaging a broad spectrum of the American public and STEM learners in cutting-edge NASA science and engineering content. The project's primary focus is the interactive presentation of dynamic data from observations (image sequences), astrophysical simulation (volumetric rendering), and space missions (observation geometry visualization). Development of the software began several years ago in collaboration with NASA Goddard's space weather modeling center and in conjunction with academic support from Linköping University (LiU) in Sweden, and continued last year with visualizations of NASA's New Horizons mission and ESA's Rosetta mission. For the New Horizons Pluto encounter, a dozen sites around the world running OpenSpace networked simultaneously to view the close approach to Pluto as narrated in real time by mission control scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Subsequent image data from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imaging (LORRI) camera was released by NASA as it downloaded from the spacecraft in the following months. These images, along with post encounter navigation reconstruction data (NASA SPICE) were then used to update the OpenSpace New Horizons visualization, and create a February 2016 public program in which Deputy Project Scientist, Cathy Olkin, demonstrated these results visualized in OpenSpace to a sold out crowd in the AMNH Hayden Planetarium. As demonstrated with the New Horizons visualization in OpenSpace, the goals of the project are to make visible mission planning, discoveries and theoretical simulations within an evolving software designed for live demonstration accompanied by authoritative description.

Soaring over Charon

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-14

In July 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft sent home the first close-up pictures of Pluto and its moons. Using actual New Horizons data and digital elevation models of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, mission scientists created flyover movies that offer spectacular new perspectives of the many unusual features that were discovered and which have reshaped our views of the Pluto system -- from a vantage point even closer than a ride on New Horizons itself. The flight over Charon begins high over the hemisphere New Horizons saw on its closest approach, then descends over the deep, wide canyon of Serenity Chasma. The view moves north, passing over Dorothy Gale crater and the dark polar hood of Mordor Macula. The flight then turns back south, covering the northern terrain of Oz Terra before ending over the relatively flat equatorial plains of Vulcan Planum and the "moated mountains" of Clarke Montes. (Note that all feature names are informal.) The topographic relief is exaggerated by a factor of 2 to 3 in these movies to emphasize topography; the surface colors have also been enhanced to bring out detail. Digital mapping and rendering were performed by Paul Schenk and John Blackwell of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. A video is available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21864

Immortalization-susceptible elements and their binding factors mediate rejuvenation of regulation of the type I collagenase gene in simian virus 40 large T antigen-transformed immortal human fibroblasts.

PubMed Central

Imai, S; Fujino, T; Nishibayashi, S; Manabe, T; Takano, T

1994-01-01

Dramatic changes occur in expression of the type I collagenase gene during the process of immortalization in simian virus 40 large T antigen-transformed human fibroblasts (S. Imai and T. Takano, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 189:148-153, 1992). From transient transfection assays, it was determined that these changes involved the functions of two immortalization-susceptible cis-acting elements, ISE1 and ISE2, located in a 100-bp region about 1.7 kb upstream. The profiles of binding of an activator, Proserpine, to the enhancer ISE1 were similar in the extracts of young, senescent preimmortalized and immortalized cells. ISE2 contained both negative and positive regulatory elements located adjacent to each other. The positive regulatory element consisted of a tandem array of putative Ets family- and AP-1-binding sites. An activator, Pluto, interacted with this positive regulatory element and had an AP-1-related component as a complex. The binding activity of Pluto was predominantly detected only in the extract from senescent preimmortalized cells. In contrast, a repressor, Orpheus, which bound to the ATG-rich negative regulatory element of ISE2, was prominently detected in extracts from both young preimmortalized and immortalized cells and appeared to suppress transcription in an orientation-dependent manner. Thus, the interplay of Pluto and Orpheus was suggested to be crucial for regulation of the collagenase gene accompanying in vitro aging and immortalization. Proserpine seemed to interact with Pluto to mediate strong expression of the collagenase gene in cellular senescence. On the basis of these results, we propose a model for regulation of the collagenase gene during in vitro aging and immortalization. Images PMID:7935433

Landslides on Charon

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-18

Scientists from NASA's New Horizons mission have spotted signs of long run-out landslides on Pluto's largest moon, Charon. This image of Charon's informally named "Serenity Chasma" was taken by New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on July 14, 2015, from a distance of 48,912 miles (78,717 kilometers). An annotated image shows arrows in the annotated figure mark indications of landslide activity at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21128

Recommended OSC design and analysis of AMTEC power system for outer-planet missions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schock, A.; Noravian, H.; Or, C.

1999-01-01

The paper describes OSC designs and analyses of AMTEC cells and radioisotope power systems for possible application to NASA{close_quote}s Europa Orbiter and Pluto Kuiper Express missions, and compares their predicted performance with JPL{close_quote}s preliminary mission goals. The latest cell and generator designs presented here were the culmination of studies covering a wide variety of generator configurations and operating parameters. The many steps and rationale leading to OSC{close_quote}s design evolution and materials selection were discussed in earlier publications and will not be repeated here except for a description of OSC{close_quote}s latest design, including a recent heat source support scheme and cellmore » configuration that have not been described in previous publications. As shown, that heat source support scheme eliminates all contact between the heat source and the AMTEC (Alkali Metal Thermal-to-Electrical Conversion) cells, which simplifies the generator{close_quote}s structural design as well as its fabrication and assembly procedure. An additional purpose of the paper is to describe a revised cell design and fabrication procedure which represent a major departure from previous OSC designs. Previous cells had a uniform diameter, but in the revised design the cell wall beyond the BASE tubes has a greatly reduced diameter. The paper presents analytical performance predictions which show that the revised ({open_quotes}chimney{close_quotes}) cell design yields substantially higher efficiencies than the previous (cylindrical) design. This makes it possible to meet and substantially exceed the JPL-stipulated EOM power goal with four instead of six General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) modules, resulting in a one-third reduction in the heat source mass, cost, and fuel requirements. OSC{close_quote}s performance predictions were based on its techniques for the coupled thermal, electrical, and fluid flow analyses of AMTEC generators. Those analytical techniques have been partially validated by tests of prototypic test assemblies designed by OSC, built by AMPS, and tested by AFRL. The analytical results indicate that the OSC power system design, operating within the stipulated evaporator and clad temperature limits and well within its mass goals, can yield EOM power outputs and system efficiencies that substantially exceed the JPL-specified goals for the Europa and Pluto missions. However, those results only account for radioisotope decay. Other degradation mechanisms are still under study, and their short-and long-term effects must be quantified and understood before final conclusions about the adequacy and competitiveness of the AMTEC system can be drawn. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Institute of Physics.}« less

Dynamical and observational constraints on satellites in the inner Pluto-Charon system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, S. Alan; Parker, Joel William; Duncan, Martin J.; Snowdall, J. Clark, Jr.; Levison, Harold F.

1994-01-01

It is not known if Pluto has other satellites besides its massive partner Charon. In the past, searches for additional satellites in the Pluto-Charon system have extended from the solar-tidal stability boundary (approximately 90 arcsec from Pluto) inward to about 1 arcsec from Pluto. Here we further explore the inner (i.e., less than 10 arcsec) region of the Pluto-Charon system to determine where additional satellites might lie. In particular, we report on (1) dynamical simulations to delineate the region where unstable orbits lie around Charon, (2) dynamical simulations which use the low orbital eccentricity of Charon to constrain the mass of any third body near Pluto, and (3) analysis of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) archival images to search for satellites in the inner Pluto-Charon system. Although no objects were found, significant new constraints on bodies orbiting in the inner Pluto-Charon system were obtained.

A Full View of Pluto Stunning Crescent

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-10-29

In September, NASA's New Horizons team released a stunning but incomplete image of Pluto's crescent. Thanks to new processing work by the science team, New Horizons is releasing the entire, breathtaking image of Pluto. This image was made just 15 minutes after New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, as the spacecraft looked back at Pluto toward the sun. The wide-angle perspective of this view shows the deep haze layers of Pluto's atmosphere extending all the way around Pluto, revealing the silhouetted profiles of rugged plateaus on the night (left) side. The shadow of Pluto cast on its atmospheric hazes can also be seen at the uppermost part of the disk. On the sunlit side of Pluto (right), the smooth expanse of the informally named icy plain Sputnik Planum is flanked to the west (above, in this orientation) by rugged mountains up to 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) high, including the informally named Norgay Montes in the foreground and Hillary Montes on the skyline. Below (east) of Sputnik, rougher terrain is cut by apparent glaciers. The backlighting highlights more than a dozen high-altitude layers of haze in Pluto's tenuous atmosphere. The horizontal streaks in the sky beyond Pluto are stars, smeared out by the motion of the camera as it tracked Pluto. The image was taken with New Horizons' Multi-spectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) from a distance of 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) to Pluto. The resolution is 700 meters (0.4 miles).

Next space station crew discusses mission on This Week @NASA – September 25, 2015

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-25

A news conference was held on Sept. 24 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center with the next crew launching to the International Space Station, including NASA astronaut Tim Kopra. ESA astronaut Timothy Peake, cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Kopra will launch to the station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft on Dec. 15 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. They’re currently scheduled to return to Earth in May 2016. Also, The rich colors of Pluto, Anniversary of MAVEN’s arrival at Mars, Fall IceBridge missions at both poles, New aviation technology and Robotics team on Capitol Hill!

Optimum solar electric interplanetary mission opportunities from 1975 to 1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mann, F. I.; Horsewood, J. L.

1971-01-01

A collection of optimum trajectory and spacecraft data is presented for unmanned interplanetary missions from 1975 to 1990 using solar electric propulsion. Data are presented for one-way flyby and orbiter missions from Earth to Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The solar system model assumes planetary ephemerides which very closely approximate the true motion of the planets. Direct and indirect flight profiles are investigated. Data are presented for two representative flight times for each mission. The launch vehicle is the Titan 3 B (core)/Centaur, and a constant jet exhaust speed solar electric propulsion system having a specific mass of 30 kg/kw is completely optimized in terms of power level and jet exhaust speed to yield maximum net spacecraft mass. The hyperbolic excess speeds at departure and arrival and the launch date are optimized for each mission. For orbiter missions, a chemical retro stage is used to brake the spacecraft into a highly eccentric capture orbit about the target planet.

X-Rays from Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-09-14

The first detection of Pluto in X-rays has been made using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in conjunction with observations from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft. As New Horizons approached Pluto in late 2014 and then flew by the planet during the summer of 2015, Chandra obtained data during four separate observations. During each observation, Chandra detected low-energy X-rays from the small planet. The main panel in this graphic is an optical image taken from New Horizons on its approach to Pluto, while the inset shows an image of Pluto in X-rays from Chandra. There is a significant difference in scale between the optical and X-ray images. New Horizons made a close flyby of Pluto but Chandra is located near the Earth, so the level of detail visible in the two images is very different. The Chandra image is 180,000 miles across at the distance of Pluto, but the planet is only 1,500 miles across. Pluto is detected in the X-ray image as a point source, showing the sharpest level of detail available for Chandra or any other X-ray observatory. This means that details over scales that are smaller than the X-ray source cannot be seen here. Detecting X-rays from Pluto is a somewhat surprising result given that Pluto - a cold, rocky world without a magnetic field - has no natural mechanism for emitting X-rays. However, scientists knew from previous observations of comets that the interaction between the gases surrounding such planetary bodies and the solar wind - the constant streams of charged particles from the sun that speed throughout the solar system -- can create X-rays. The researchers were particularly interested in learning more about the interaction between the gases in Pluto's atmosphere and the solar wind. The New Horizon spacecraft carries an instrument designed to measure that activity up-close -- Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) -- and scientists examined that data and proposed that Pluto contains a very mild, close-in bowshock, where the solar wind first "meets" Pluto (similar to a shock wave that forms ahead of a supersonic aircraft) and a small wake or tail behind the planet. The immediate mystery is that Chandra's readings on the brightness of the X-rays are much higher than expected from the solar wind interacting with Pluto's atmosphere. The Chandra detection is also surprising since New Horizons discovered Pluto's atmosphere was much more stable than the rapidly escaping, "comet-like" atmosphere that many scientists expected before the spacecraft flew past in July 2015. In fact, New Horizons found that Pluto's interaction with the solar wind is much more like the interaction of the solar wind with Mars, than with a comet. While Pluto is releasing enough gas from its atmosphere to make the observed X-rays, there isn't enough solar wind flowing directly at Pluto at its great distance from the Sun to make them according to certain theoretical models. There are several suggested possibilities for the enhanced X-ray emission from Pluto. These include a much wider and longer tail of gases trailing Pluto than New Horizons detected using its SWAP instrument. Because Pluto is so small compared to the size of a Chandra point source, scientists may be unable to detect such a tail in X-rays. Other possibilities are that interplanetary magnetic fields are focusing more particles than expected from the solar wind into the region around Pluto, or the low density of the solar wind in the outer solar system at the distance of Pluto could allow for the formation of a doughnut, or torus, of neutral gas centered around Pluto's orbit. It will take deeper and higher resolution images of X-rays from Pluto's environment than we currently have from Chandra to distinguish between these possibilities. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21061

Polar Wander on Triton and Pluto Due to Volatile Migration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rubincam, David Parry

2002-01-01

Polar wander may occur on Triton and Pluto because of volatile migration. Triton, with its low obliquity, can theoretically sublimate volatiles (mostly nitrogen) at the rate of approximately 10(exp 14) kilograms per year from the equatorial regions and deposit them at the poles. Assuming Triton to be rigid on the sublimation timescale, after approximately 10(exp 5) years the polar caps would become large enough to cancel the rotational flattening, with a total mass equivalent to a global layer approximately 120-250 m in depth. At this point the pole wanders about the tidal bulge axis, which is the line joining Triton and Neptune. Rotation about the bulge axis might be expected to disturb the leading side/trailing side cratering statistics. Because no such disturbance is observed, it may be that Triton's mantle viscosity is too high but its surface volatile inventory is too low to permit wander. On the other hand, its mantle viscosity might be low, so that any uncompensated cap load might be expected to wander toward the tidal bulge axis. In this case, the axis of wander passes through the equator from the leading side to the trailing side; rotation about this wander axis would not disturb the cratering statistics. Low-viscosity polar wander may explain the bright southern hemisphere: this is the pole which is wandering toward the equator. In any case the permanent polar caps may be geologically very young. Polar wander may possibly take place on Pluto, due to its obliquity oscillations and perihelion-pole geometry. However, Pluto is probably not experiencing any wander at present. The Sun has been shining strongly on the poles over the last half of the obliquity cycle, so that volatiles should migrate to the equator, stabilizing the planet against wander. Spacecraft missions to Triton and Pluto which measure the dynamical flattening could give information about the accumulation of volatiles at the poles. Such information is best obtained by measuring gravity and topography from orbiters, as was done for Mars with the highly successful Mars Global Surveyor.

Pluto: improved astrometry from 19 years of observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetti-Rossi, G.; Vieira Martins, R.; Camargo, J. I. B.; Assafin, M.; Braga-Ribas, F.

2014-10-01

Context. We present astrometric positions of Pluto, consistent with the International Celestial Reference System, from 4412 CCD frames observed over 120 nights with three telescopes at the Observatório do Pico dos Dias in Brazil, covering a time span from 1995 to 2013, and also 145 frames observed over 11 nights in 2007 and 2009 with the ESO/MPG 2.2m telescope equipped with the Wide Field Imager (WFI). Aims: Our aim is to contribute to the study and improvement of the orbit of Pluto with new astrometric methods and positions. Methods: All astrometric positions of Pluto were reduced with the Platform for Reduction of Astronomical Images Automatically (PRAIA), using the USNO CCD Astrograph Catalogue 4 (UCAC4) as the reference catalog. We also used the planetary ephemeris DE421+plu021 for comparisons. The positions were corrected for differential chromatic refraction. The (x, y) center of Pluto was determined from corrections to the measured photocenter, which was contaminated by Charon. The corrections were obtained with an original procedure based on analytical expressions derived from a two-dimensional Gaussian function i.e. the point spread function PSF fitted to the images to derive the (x, y) measurements. Results: We obtained mean values of 4 mas and 37 mas for right ascension and declination, and standard deviations of σα = 45 mas and σδ = 49 mas, for the offsets in the sense observed minus ephemeris position, after the corrections. We confirm the presence of a linear drift in the ephemeris declinations from 2005 on, also obtained from stellar occultations. Conclusions: We present astrometric positions of Pluto for 19 years of observations in Brazil. The positions, corrected for differential chromatic refraction and Pluto/Charon photocenter effects, presented the same behavior as obtained from stellar occultations, with a drift in declinations of about 100 mas since 2005. The results indicate that the DE421 Pluto ephemeris used in this work need to be corrected. Full Table 4 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/570/A86Based on observations made at Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica (LNA), Itajubá-MG, Brazil.Partially based on observations through the ESO runs 079.A-9202(A), 075.C-0154, 077.C-0283, and 079.C-0345.

Pluto's atmosphere in 2015 from high-resolution spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roe, Henry G.; Cook, Jason C.; Mace, Gregory N.; Holler, Bryan J.; Young, Leslie A.; McLane, Jacob N.; Jaffe, Daniel T.

2015-11-01

Pluto's thin N2/CH4 atmosphere is in vapor-pressure equilibrium with ices on its surface. The atmosphere evolves seasonally with the varying insolation pattern on Pluto's heterogenous surface, perhaps even largely freezing out to the surface during the coldest portion of Pluto's year. We use high-resolution (R≈25,000-50,000) near-infrared spectroscopy to resolve atmospheric methane absorption lines from Pluto's continuum spectra, as well as separate Pluto's atmospheric lines from the telluric spectrum. In addition to measuring the abundance and temperature of Pluto's atmospheric CH4, with broad wavelength coverage we are able to search for the inevitable products of N2/CH4 photochemistry. In 2015 we are undertaking an intensive campaign using NIRSPEC at Keck Observatory and IGRINS (Immersion Grating INfrared Spectrometer) at McDonald Observatory to coincide with the New Horizons Pluto encounter. We will report initial results from this 2015 campaign and compare the state of Pluto's atmosphere at the time of the New Horizons encounter with earlier years.

Panel proposes solar system missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

A proposed probe to the Kuiper Belt and Pluto and another to Europa are among the priority Solar System exploration missions that should be pursued by NASA over the next decade, according to an 11 July report by a steering group of the Space Studies Board of the U.S. National Research Council (NRC).The report, "New Frontiers in the Solar System: An Integrated Exploration Strategy," was requested by NASA, and proposes a set of new missions and facilities to respond to key questions in four cross-cutting themes. The themes, which the report indicates form the basis for an integrated space exploration strategy are: the first billion years of Solar System history; volatiles and organics: the stuff of life; the origin and evolution of habitable worlds; and processes: how planets work.

Mass-radius relationships and constraints on the composition of Pluto

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lupo, M. J.; Lewis, J. S.

1980-01-01

With the new upper limit of Pluto's mass, an upper limit for Pluto's density of 1.74 g/cu cm has been found. Assuming Pluto to be 100% methane, available methane density data can be used to set a lower limit of 0.53 g/cu cm on Pluto's density, thus placing an absolute upper limit of 1909 km on the radius and a lower limit of 0.32 on the albedo. The results of 280 computer models covering a wide range of composition ratios of rock, water ice, and methane ice are reported. Limits are placed on Pluto's silicate content, and a simple spacecraft method for determining Pluto's water content from its density and moment of inertia is given. The low thermal conductivity and strength of solid methane suggest rapid solid-state convection in Pluto's methane layer.

So What's an RTG and Are They Safe?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barret, Chris; Hughes, R. W. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

When one considers space missions to the outer edges of our solar system and far beyond, our sun cannot be relied on to produce the required spacecraft (s/c) power. Solar energy diminishes as the square of the distance from the Sun. At Mars it is only 43% of that at earth. At Jupiter, it falls off to only 3.6% of Earth's. By the time we get out to Pluto, solar energy is only .066% what it is on Earth. Beyond the orbit of Mars, it is not practical to depend on solar power for a s/c. However, the farther out we go the more power we need to heat the s/c and to transmit data back to Earth over the long distances. On Earth, knowledge is power. In the outer solar system, power is knowledge. Solar arrays only operate at 19% efficiency, are very vulnerable to damage from radiation and temperature extremes, and cannot be used for even nearby missions that operate in extended darkness, or under the surface of a planet or moon. Twenty-six U.S. space missions, from the Transit to Cassini, have used radioisotope power systems and heater units to take s/c to the far reaches of our solar system and have demonstrated an outstanding record of safety and reliability. Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG's) have proven to be safe, reliable, maintenance-free, and capable of providing both thermal and electrical power for decades under the harsh environments of deep space. RTG's have no problem operating in the high radiation belts of space, the extreme temperatures, or the severe dust storms of Mars, and they have proven to be the most reliable power source ever flown on U.S. s/c. For example, the two Pioneer s/c operated for more than two decades and the Voyager s/c may last for 40 years. RTG's are not nuclear reactors, they serve only as power generators and are not involved in the propulsion of the s/c. They operate on the principle of thermoelectric generation that converts heat directly into electricity, they have no moving parts, are extremely reliable, and have met or exceeded all safety and performance expectations. Federal laws and regulations require analysis and evaluation of the safety risks and any potential environmental impacts. Extensive safety testing of RTG's and RTG components has been performed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to demonstrate the ability to survive accidents related to Space Shuttle launches and assure that the systems would be safe under all accident conditions, including accidents at or near the launch pad or during orbital reentry. Many design improvements have been made over the four decades that RTG's have been flown on space missions. This paper outlines the operation and safety standards of RTG's and the advanced developments expected to be used on future deep space missions such as the Europa Orbiter, Pluto/Kuiper Express, Solar Probe, Europa Lander, and Titan Explorer missions.

Pluto Color Map

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-01-20

This new, detailed global mosaic color map of Pluto is based on a series of three color filter images obtained by the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera aboard New Horizons during the NASA spacecraft's close flyby of Pluto in July 2015. The mosaic shows how Pluto's large-scale color patterns extend beyond the hemisphere facing New Horizons at closest approach- which were imaged at the highest resolution. North is up; Pluto's equator roughly bisects the band of dark red terrains running across the lower third of the map. Pluto's giant, informally named Sputnik Planitia glacier - the left half of Pluto's signature "heart" feature -- is at the center of this map. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11707

The structure and temperature of Pluto's Sputnik Planum using 4.2 cm radiometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linscott, Ivan; Protopapa, Silvia; Hinson, David P.; Bird, Mike; Tyler, G. Leonard; Grundy, William M.; McKinnon, William B.; Olkin, Catherine B.; Stern, S. Alan; Stansberry, John A.; Weaver, Harold A.; Pluto Composition Team, Pluto Geophysics and Geology Team, Pluto Atmospheres Team

2016-10-01

New Horizons measured the radiometric brightness temperature of Pluto at 4.2 cm, during the encounter with two scans of the spacecraft's high gain antenna shortly after closest approach. The Pluto mid-section scan included the region informally known as Sputnik Planum, now understood to be filled with nitrogen ice. The mean radiometric brightness temperature at 4.2 cm, obtained in this region is 25 K, for both Right Circular Polarization (RCP) and Left Circular Polarization (LCP), well below the sublimation temperature for nitrogen ice. Sputnik Planum was near the limb and the termination of the radiometric scan. Consequently, the thermal emission was measured obliquely over a wide range of emission angles. This geometry affords detailed modeling of the angular dependence of the thermal radiation, incorporating surface and subsurface electromagnetic scattering models as well as emissivity models of the nitrogen ice. In addition, a bistatic radar measurement detected the scattering of a 4.2 cm uplink transmitted from Earth. The bistatic specular point was within Sputnik Planum and the measurements are useful for constraining the dielectric constant as well as the surface and subsurface scattering functions of the nitrogen ice. The combination of the thermal emission's angular dependence, RCP and LCP polarization dependence, and the bistatic scattering, yields estimates of the radiometric thermal emissivity, nitrogen ice temperature and spatial correlation scales.This work is supported by the NASA New Horizons Mission.

Water Ice on Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-10-16

The Ralph instrument on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft detected water ice on Pluto's surface, picking up on the ice's near-infrared spectral characteristics. (See featured image from Oct. 8, 2015.) The middle panel shows a region west of Pluto's "heart" feature -- which the mission team calls Tombaugh Regio -- about 280 miles (450 kilometers) across. It combines visible imagery from Ralph's Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) with infrared spectroscopy from the Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA). Areas with the strongest water ice spectral signature are highlighted in blue. Major outcrops of water ice occur in regions informally called Viking Terra, along Virgil Fossa west of Elliot crater, and in Baré Montes. Numerous smaller outcrops are associated with impact craters and valleys between mountains. In the lower left panel, LEISA spectra are shown for two regions indicated by cyan and magenta boxes. The white curve is a water ice model spectrum, showing similar features to the cyan spectrum. The magenta spectrum is dominated by methane ice absorptions. The lower right panel shows an MVIC enhanced color view of the region in the white box, with MVIC's blue, red and near-infrared filters displayed in blue, green and red channels, respectively. The regions showing the strongest water ice signature are associated with terrains that are actually a lighter shade of red. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20030

Pluto in Hi-Def Note: There is debate within the science community as to whether Pluto should be

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

This image demonstrates the first detection of Pluto using the high-resolution mode on the New Horizons Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI). The mode provides a clear separation between Pluto and numerous nearby background stars. When the image was taken on October 6, 2007, Pluto was located in the constellation Serpens, in a region of the sky dense with background stars.

Typically, LORRI's exposure time in hi-res mode is limited to approximately 0.1 seconds, but by using a special pointing mode that allowed an increase in the exposure time to 0.967 seconds, scientists were able to spot Pluto, which is approximately 15,000 times fainter than human eyes can detect.

New Horizons was still too far from Pluto (3.6 billion kilometers, or 2.2 billion miles) for LORRI to resolve any details on Pluto's surface that won't happen until summer 2014, approximately one year before closest approach. For now the entire Pluto system remains a bright dot to the spacecraft's telescopic camera, though LORRI is expected to start resolving Charon from Pluto seeing them as separate objects in summer 2010.

Energetic Particles in the far and near Environment of Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kollmann, P.; Hill, M. E.; McNutt, R. L., Jr.; Brown, L. E.; Kusterer, M. B.; Vandegriff, J. D.; Smith, H. T.; Mitchell, D. G.; Haggerty, D. K.; Bagenal, F.; Krimigis, S. M.; Lisse, C. M.; Delamere, P. A.; Elliott, H. A.; Horanyi, M.; McComas, D. J.; Piquette, M. R.; Poppe, A. R.; Sidrow, E. J.; Strobel, D. F.; Szalay, J.; Valek, P. W.; Weidner, S.; Zirnstein, E.; Ennico Smith, K.; Olkin, C.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Young, L. A.; Stern, A.

2015-12-01

The New Horizons spacecraft was launched in 2006, passed Jupiter and its magnetotail, took continuous measurements in the solar wind throughout the recent years, and flew by Pluto in July 2015. The onboard PEPSSI instrument measures ion and electron intensities, masses, and energies in the keV to MeV range. The closest approach distance to Pluto was 11 Pluto radii, inside the orbit of Charon. Data taken near Pluto is downlinked throughout August. We will present analysis of this data and set it into context with previous measurements. We expect a number of interesting particle structures around Pluto. Parts of Pluto's molecular nitrogen atmosphere is escaping and will co-orbit with Pluto, potentially forming a partial gas torus. This torus can be additionally sourced by other Kuiper belt objects. The neutrals are eventually ionized and pick-up by the solar wind brings them into the PEPSSI energy range. The measured ion densities can be used to constrain the Pluto torus. Pluto is not expected to have an intrinsic magnetic field, but the energetic particle data can be used to infer its properties, if any. Pluto interacts instead with the solar wind via the pick-up of its ions and the magnetic fields created by currents in its ionosphere. The relative role of these mechanisms can be revealed by the flyby data and directly compared to data that was taken at Jupiter with identical instrumentation.

Faces of Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-06-11

These images, taken by NASA's New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), show four different "faces" of Pluto as it rotates about its axis with a period of 6.4 days. All the images have been rotated to align Pluto's rotational axis with the vertical direction (up-down) on the figure, as depicted schematically in the upper left. From left to right, the images were taken when Pluto's central longitude was 17, 63, 130, and 243 degrees, respectively. The date of each image, the distance of the New Horizons spacecraft from Pluto, and the number of days until Pluto closest approach are all indicated in the figure.These images show dramatic variations in Pluto's surface features as it rotates. When a very large, dark region near Pluto's equator appears near the limb, it gives Pluto a distinctly, but false, non-spherical appearance. Pluto is known to be almost perfectly spherical from previous data. These images are displayed at four times the native LORRI image size, and have been processed using a method called deconvolution, which sharpens the original images to enhance features on Pluto. Deconvolution can occasionally introduce "false" details, so the finest details in these pictures will need to be confirmed by images taken from closer range in the next few weeks. All of the images are displayed using the same brightness scale. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19686

A Colorful Landing on Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-01-21

What would it be like to actually land on Pluto? This image is one of more than 100 images taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft over six weeks of approach and close flyby in the summer of 2015. A video offers a trip down onto the surface of Pluto -- starting with a distant view of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon -- and leading up to an eventual ride in for a "landing" on the shoreline of Pluto's informally named Sputnik Planitia. After a 9.5-year voyage covering more than three billion miles, New Horizons flew through the Pluto system on July 14, 2015, coming within 7,800 miles (12,500 kilometers) of Pluto. Carrying powerful telescopic cameras that could spot features smaller than a football field, New Horizons sent back hundreds of images of Pluto and its moons that show how dynamic and fascinating their surfaces are. Movies are available at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11709

Pluto: The Farthest Planet (Usually).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Universe in the Classroom, 1988

1988-01-01

Provides background information about the planet Pluto. Includes the history of Pluto and discusses some of the common misconceptions about the planets. Addresses some of the recent discoveries about Pluto and contains a resource list of books, articles, and a videotape. (TW)

Closing the uplink/downlink loop on the new Horizons Mission to Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, Joseph G.; Birath, Emma; Carcich, Brian; Harch, Ann

Commanding the payload on a spacecraft (“ uplink” sequencing and command generation) and processing the instrument data returned (“ downlink” data processing) are two primary functions of Science Operations on a mission. While vitally important, it is sometimes surprisingly difficult to connect data returned from a spacecraft to the corresponding commanding and sequencing information that created the data, especially when data processing is done via an automated science data pipeline and not via a manual process with humans in the loop. For a variety of reasons it is necessary to make such a connection and close this loop. Perhaps the most important reason is to ensure that all data asked for has arrived safely on the ground. This is especially critical when the mission must erase parts of the spacecraft memory to make room for new data; mistakes here can result in permanent loss of data. Additionally, there are often key pieces of information (such as intended observation target or certain instrument modes that are not included in housekeeping, etc.) that are known only at the time of commanding and never makes it down in the telemetry. Because missions like New Horizons strive to be frugal with how much telemetry is sent back to Earth, and the telemetry may not include unambiguous identifiers (like observation ids, etc.), connecting downlinked data with uplink command information in an automated way can require creative approaches and heuristics. In this paper, we describe how these challenges were overcome on the New Horizons Mission to Pluto. The system developed involves ingesting uplink information into a database and automatically correlating it with downlinked data products. This allows for more useful data searches and the ability to attach the original intent of each observation to the processed science data. Also a new data tracking tool is now being developed to help in planning data playback from the spacecraft and to ensu- e data is verified on the ground before being erased from spacecraft memory. The development of these tools and techniques have also uncovered powerful lessons-learned for future missions. At the early stages of the design of a mission's dataflow, the allocation of a few more bytes of telemetry can go a long way toward making the uplink to downlink loop even easier to close on the ground, simplifying ground systems for future missions.

KSC-05pd2273

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-09-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, the Atlas V fairing halves for the New Horizons spacecraft have been offloaded from the Russian cargo plane (background). The fairing halves will be transported to Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville. The fairing later will be placed around the New Horizons spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Service Facility. A fairing protects a spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once in space, it is jettisoned. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015.

KSC-05pd2274

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-09-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, one of the Atlas V fairing halves for the New Horizons spacecraft is offloaded from the Russian cargo plane. The fairing halves will be transported to Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville. The fairing later will be placed around the New Horizons spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Service Facility. A fairing protects a spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once in space, it is jettisoned. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015.

New Horizons Observations of the Atmospheres of Pluto and Charon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gladstone, G. R.; Stern, S. A.; Weaver, H. A.; Young, L. A.; Ennico, K. A.; Olkin, C. B.; Cheng, A. F.; Greathouse, T. K.; Hinson, D. P.; Kammer, J. A.; Linscott, I. R.; Parker, A. H.; Parker, J. Wm.; Retherford, K. D.; Schindhelm, E.; Singer, K. N.; Steffl, A. J.; Strobel, D. F.; Summers, M. E.; Tsang, C. C. C.; Tyler, G. L.; Versteeg, M. H.; Woods, W. W.; Cunningham, N.; Curdt, W.

2015-11-01

Major goals of the New Horizons (NH) mission are to explore and characterize the structure and composition of Pluto’s atmosphere, and to establish whether Charon has a measurable atmosphere of its own. The primary instruments onboard NH which contribute to these goals are the REX instrument, through uplink X-band radio occultations, the Alice instrument, through extreme- and far-ultraviolet solar occultations, and the LORRI panchromatic imager, through high-phase-angle imaging. The associated datasets were obtained following closest approach of NH to Pluto. Pressure and temperature profiles of the lower atmosphere are derived from the REX data, the composition and structure of the extended atmosphere are derived from the Alice data (supported by approach observations of reflected ultraviolet sunlight), and the distribution and properties of Pluto’s hazes are derived from the LORRI data. In this talk an overview of the early atmosphere science results will be presented.This work was supported by NASA's New Horizons project.

Probing Pluto's underworld: Ice temperatures from microwave radiometry decoupled from surface conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leyrat, Cedric; Lorenz, Ralph D.; Le Gall, Alice

2016-04-01

Present models admit a wide range of 2015 surface conditions at Pluto and Charon, where the atmospheric pressure may undergo dramatic seasonal variation and for which measurements are imminent from the New Horizons mission. One anticipated observation is the microwave brightness temperature, heretofore anticipated as indicating surface conditions relevant to surface-atmosphere equilibrium. However, drawing on recent experience with Cassini observations at Iapetus and Titan, we call attention to the large electrical skin depth of outer Solar System materials such as methane, nitrogen or water ice, such that this observation may indicate temperatures averaged over depths of several or tens of meters beneath the surface. Using a seasonally-forced thermal model to determine microwave emission we predict that the southern hemisphere observations (in polar night) of New Horizons in July 2015 will suggest effective temperatures of ∼40 K, reflecting deep heat buried over the last century of summer, even if the atmospheric pressure suggests that the surface nitrogen frost point may be much lower.

KSC-05pd2271

NASA Image and Video Library

2005-09-29

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Russian cargo plane sits on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center with the Atlas V fairing for the New Horizons spacecraft inside. The two fairing halves will be removed, loaded onto trucks and transported to Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville. The fairing later will be placed around the New Horizons spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Service Facility. A fairing protects a spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once in space, it is jettisoned. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015.

The Pluto-Charon System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grundy, Will

2018-05-01

Pluto orbits the Sun at a mean distance of 39 AU, with an orbital period of 248 Earth years. Its orbit is just eccentric enough to cross that of Neptune. They never collide thanks to a 2:3 mean-motion resonance: Pluto completes two orbits of the Sun for every three by Neptune. The Pluto system consists of Pluto and its large satellite Charon, plus four small satellites: Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra. Pluto and Charon are spherical bodies, with diameters of 2377 and 1212 km, respectively. They are tidally locked to one another such that each spins about its axis with the same 6.39 day period as their mutual orbit about their common barycenter. Pluto's surface is dominated by frozen volatiles nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide. Their vapor pressure supports an atmosphere with multiple layers of photochemical hazes. Pluto's equator is marked by a belt of dark red maculae, where the photochemical haze has accumulated over time. Some regions are ancient and cratered, while others are geologically active via processes including sublimation and condensation, glaciation, and eruption of material from the subsurface. The surfaces of the satellites are dominated by water ice. Charon has dark red polar stains produced from chemistry fed by Pluto's escaping atmosphere. The existence of a planet beyond Neptune had been postulated by Percival Lowell and William Pickering in the early 20th century, to account for supposed clustering in comet aphelia and perturbations of the orbit of Uranus. Both lines of evidence turned out to be spurious, but they motivated a series of searches that culminated in Clyde Tombaugh's discovery of Pluto in 1930, at the observatory Lowell had founded in Arizona. Over subsequent decades, basic facts about Pluto were hard-won through application of technological advances in astronomical instrumentation. The progression from photographic plates, through photoelectric photometers, to digital array detectors, space-based telescopes, and ultimately, direct exploration by robotic spacecraft each revealed more about Pluto. A key breakthrough came in 1978 with the discovery of Charon by Christy and Harrington. Charon's orbit revealed the mass of the system. Observations of stellar occultations constrained the sizes of Pluto and Charon, and enabled the detection of Pluto's atmosphere in 1988. Spectroscopic instruments revealed Pluto's volatile ices. In a series of mutual events from 1985 through 1990, Pluto and Charon alternated in passing in front of the other as seen from Earth. Observations of these events provided additional constraints on their sizes and albedo patterns and revealed their distinct compositions. Hubble Space Telescope's vantage above Earth's atmosphere enabled further mapping of Pluto's albedo patterns and the discovery of the small satellites. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew through the system in 2015. Its instruments mapped the diversity and compositions of geological features on Pluto and Charon and provided detailed information on Pluto's atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind.

Pluto's Radius

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Eliot F.; Young, L. A.; Buie, M.

2007-10-01

The size of Pluto has been difficult to measure. Stellar occultations by Pluto have not yet probed altitudes lower than 1198 km, assuming the clear atmosphere model of Elliot, Person and Qu (2003). Differential refraction by Pluto's atmosphere attenuates the light from an occulted star to a level that is indistinguishable from the zero-level baseline long before Pluto's solid surface is a factor. Since Charon has no detectable atmosphere, its radius was well determined from a stellar occultation in 2005 (Gulbis et al. 2006, Sicardy et al. 2006). Combined with the mutual event photometry (Charon transited Pluto every 6.38 days between 1986 through 1992) - for which differential refraction is a negligible effect - the well-known radius of Charon translates into a more accurate radius for Pluto's solid surface. Our preliminary solid radius estimate for Pluto is 1161 km. We will discuss error bars and the correlations of this determination with Pluto albedo maps. We will also discuss the implications for Pluto's thermal profile, surface temperature and pressure, and constraints on the presence of a haze layer. This work is funded by NASA's Planetary Astronomy program. References Elliot, J.L., Person, M.J., & Qu, S. 2003, "Analysis of Stellar Occultation Data. II. Inversion, with Application to Pluto and Triton." AJ, 126, 1041. Gulbis, A.A.S. et al. 2006, "Charon's radius and atmospheric constraints from observations of a stellar occultation." Nature, 49, 48. Sicardy, B. et al. 2006, "Charon's size and an upper limit on its atmosphere from a stellar occultation." Nature, 49, 52.

Radar-Sounding of Icy Mantles and Comets Using Natural Radio Noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winebrenner, D. P.; Sahr, J. D.

2011-10-01

Radar-sounding of ice sheets on Earth yields crucial information on ice history and dynamics, including discoveries of subglacial lakes beneath 3-4 km of ice [1]. Mars Express and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have now demonstrated the corresponding power of orbital radar sounding for planetary exploration, in particular by imaging structures within and beneath kilometers of Martian water ice [2-4]. Based on this experience, a sophisticated orbital radar sounder is planned for a flagship mission to Europa, with the aim of imaging stratigraphy, faults, diapirs and other geological structure in the upper few kilometers of the water-ice mantle there, and possibly even detecting the upper surface of the (likely) underlying ocean [5]. Recent modeling of the formation and evolution of volatilerich bodies suggests that oceans or lakes of liquid water occur beneath water-ice mantles in a surprising variety of places, including Ceres in the outer asteroid belt [6], 3 of the 4 Galilean moons of Jupiter as well as Enceladus and Titan in the Saturnian system [7], and possibly even Pluto [8]. Thus there is now a wide scope for low-cost missions to bodies of exceptional interest, and for radar sounding of icy mantles to image near-surface structural geology related to underlying water (whether past or present).

Planet X - Fact or fiction?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, John

1988-01-01

The search for a possible tenth planet in our solar system is examined. The history of the discoveries of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are reviewed. Searches of the sky with telescopes and theoretical studies of the gravitational influences on the orbits of known objects in the solar system are discussed. Information obtained during the Pioneer 10 and 11 missions which could suggest the presence of an undiscovered planet and computer simulations of the possible orbit of a tenth planet are presented.

Global albedos of Pluto and Charon from LORRI New Horizons observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buratti, B. J.; Hofgartner, J. D.; Hicks, M. D.; Weaver, H. A.; Stern, S. A.; Momary, T.; Mosher, J. A.; Beyer, R. A.; Verbiscer, A. J.; Zangari, A. M.; Young, L. A.; Lisse, C. M.; Singer, K.; Cheng, A.; Grundy, W.; Ennico, K.; Olkin, C. B.

2017-05-01

The exploration of the Pluto-Charon system by the New Horizons spacecraft represents the first opportunity to understand the distribution of albedo and other photometric properties of the surfaces of objects in the Solar System's ;Third Zone; of distant ice-rich bodies. Images of the entire illuminated surface of Pluto and Charon obtained by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) camera provide a global map of Pluto that reveals surface albedo variegations larger than any other Solar System world except for Saturn's moon Iapetus. Normal reflectances on Pluto range from 0.08-1.0, and the low-albedo areas of Pluto are darker than any region of Charon. Charon exhibits a much blander surface with normal reflectances ranging from 0.20-0.73. Pluto's albedo features are well-correlated with geologic features, although some exogenous low-albedo dust may be responsible for features seen to the west of the area informally named Tombaugh Regio. The albedo patterns of both Pluto and Charon are latitudinally organized, with the exception of Tombaugh Regio, with darker regions concentrated at the Pluto's equator and Charon's northern pole. The phase curve of Pluto is similar to that of Triton, the large moon of Neptune believed to be a captured Kuiper Belt Object (KBO), while Charon's is similar to that of the Moon. Preliminary Bond albedos are 0.25 ± 0.03 for Charon and 0.72 ± 0.07 for Pluto. Maps of an approximation to the Bond albedo for both Pluto and Charon are presented for the first time. Our work shows a connection between very high albedo (near unity) and planetary activity, a result that suggests the KBO Eris may be currently active.

Pluto' interaction with its space environment: Solar wind, energetic particles, and dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagenal, F.; Horányi, M.; McComas, D. J.; McNutt, R. L.; Elliott, H. A.; Hill, M. E.; Brown, L. E.; Delamere, P. A.; Kollmann, P.; Krimigis, S. M.; Kusterer, M.; Lisse, C. M.; Mitchell, D. G.; Piquette, M.; Poppe, A. R.; Strobel, D. F.; Szalay, J. R.; Valek, P.; Vandegriff, J.; Weidner, S.; Zirnstein, E. J.; Stern, S. A.; Ennico, K.; Olkin, C. B.; Weaver, H. A.; Young, L. A.; Gladstone, G. R.; Grundy, W. M.; McKinnon, W. B.; Moore, J. M.; Spencer, J. R.; Andert, T.; Andrews, J.; Banks, M.; Bauer, B.; Bauman, J.; Barnouin, O. S.; Bedini, P.; Beisser, K.; Beyer, R. A.; Bhaskaran, S.; Binzel, R. P.; Birath, E.; Bird, M.; Bogan, D. J.; Bowman, A.; Bray, V. J.; Brozovic, M.; Bryan, C.; Buckley, M. R.; Buie, M. W.; Buratti, B. J.; Bushman, S. S.; Calloway, A.; Carcich, B.; Cheng, A. F.; Conard, S.; Conrad, C. A.; Cook, J. C.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Custodio, O. S.; Dalle Ore, C. M.; Deboy, C.; Dischner, Z. J. B.; Dumont, P.; Earle, A. M.; Ercol, J.; Ernst, C. M.; Finley, T.; Flanigan, S. H.; Fountain, G.; Freeze, M. J.; Greathouse, T.; Green, J. L.; Guo, Y.; Hahn, M.; Hamilton, D. P.; Hamilton, S. A.; Hanley, J.; Harch, A.; Hart, H. M.; Hersman, C. B.; Hill, A.; Hinson, D. P.; Holdridge, M. E.; Howard, A. D.; Howett, C. J. A.; Jackman, C.; Jacobson, R. A.; Jennings, D. E.; Kammer, J. A.; Kang, H. K.; Kaufmann, D. E.; Kusnierkiewicz, D.; Lauer, T. R.; Lee, J. E.; Lindstrom, K. L.; Linscott, I. R.; Lunsford, A. W.; Mallder, V. A.; Martin, N.; Mehoke, D.; Mehoke, T.; Melin, E. D.; Mutchler, M.; Nelson, D.; Nimmo, F.; Nunez, J. I.; Ocampo, A.; Owen, W. M.; Paetzold, M.; Page, B.; Parker, A. H.; Parker, J. W.; Pelletier, F.; Peterson, J.; Pinkine, N.; Porter, S. B.; Protopapa, S.; Redfern, J.; Reitsema, H. J.; Reuter, D. C.; Roberts, J. H.; Robbins, S. J.; Rogers, G.; Rose, D.; Runyon, K.; Retherford, K. D.; Ryschkewitsch, M. G.; Schenk, P.; Schindhelm, E.; Sepan, B.; Showalter, M. R.; Singer, K. N.; Soluri, M.; Stanbridge, D.; Steffl, A. J.; Stryk, T.; Summers, M. E.; Tapley, M.; Taylor, A.; Taylor, H.; Throop, H. B.; Tsang, C. C. C.; Tyler, G. L.; Umurhan, O. M.; Verbiscer, A. J.; Versteeg, M. H.; Vincent, M.; Webbert, R.; Weigle, G. E.; White, O. L.; Whittenburg, K.; Williams, B. G.; Williams, K.; Williams, S.; Woods, W. W.; Zangari, A. M.

2016-03-01

The New Horizons spacecraft carried three instruments that measured the space environment near Pluto as it flew by on 14 July 2015. The Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument revealed an interaction region confined sunward of Pluto to within about 6 Pluto radii. The region's surprisingly small size is consistent with a reduced atmospheric escape rate, as well as a particularly high solar wind flux. Observations from the Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) instrument suggest that ions are accelerated and/or deflected around Pluto. In the wake of the interaction region, PEPSSI observed suprathermal particle fluxes equal to about 1/10 of the flux in the interplanetary medium and increasing with distance downstream. The Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter, which measures grains with radii larger than 1.4 micrometers, detected one candidate impact in ±5 days around New Horizons' closest approach, indicating an upper limit of <4.6 kilometers-3 for the dust density in the Pluto system.

Isotopic constraints on the source of Pluto's nitrogen and the history of atmospheric escape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandt, Kathleen E.; Mousis, Olivier; Luspay-Kuti, Adrienn

2016-10-01

The origin and evolution of nitrogen in solar system bodies is an important question for understanding processes that took place during the formation of the planets and solar system bodies. Pluto has an atmosphere that is 99% molecular nitrogen, but it is unclear if this nitrogen is primordial or derived from ammonia in the protosolar nebula. The nitrogen isotope ratio is an important tracer of the origin of nitrogen on solar system bodies, and can be used at Pluto to determine the origin of its nitrogen. After evaluating the potential impact of escape and photochemistry on Pluto's nitrogen isotope ratio (14N/15N), we find that if Pluto's nitrogen originated as N2 the current ratio in Pluto's atmosphere would be greater than 324 while it would be less than 157 if the source of Pluto's nitrogen were NH3. The New Horizons spacecraft successfully visited the Pluto system in July 2015 providing a potential opportunity to measure 14N/15N in N2.

The far ultraviolet spectrum of Pluto and the discovery of its ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steffl, A.; Stern, A.; Gladstone, R.; Parker, J. W.; Greathouse, T. K.; Retherford, K. D.; Young, L. A.; Schindhelm, E.; Kammer, J.; Strobel, D. F.; Summers, M. E.; Versteeg, M.; Olkin, C.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Hinson, D. P.; Linscott, I.

2016-12-01

During the New Horizons spacecraft's encounter with Pluto in July 2015, the Alice far ultraviolet spectrograph made numerous observations of Pluto and its atmosphere. We present here the far ultraviolet spectrum of Pluto. We observe faint emission (<0.01 Rayleighs/Ångstrom) from singly ionized nitrogen at 108.6 nm-the first detection of an ionosphere at Pluto. This N+ line is produced primarily by dissociative photoionization of molecular N2 by solar EUV photons (energy > 34.7 eV; wavelength < 36nm). Notably absent from Pluto's spectrum are emission lines from argon at 104.8 and 106.7 nm. We place upper limits on the amount of argon in Pluto's atmosphere above the tau=1 level (observed to be at 750km tangent altitude) that are significantly lower than previous models. We also identify and derive column densities for various hydrocarbon species such as C2H4 through their absorption of sunlight reflected from Pluto's surface.

Pluto's interaction with its space environment: Solar wind, energetic particles, and dust.

PubMed

Bagenal, F; Horányi, M; McComas, D J; McNutt, R L; Elliott, H A; Hill, M E; Brown, L E; Delamere, P A; Kollmann, P; Krimigis, S M; Kusterer, M; Lisse, C M; Mitchell, D G; Piquette, M; Poppe, A R; Strobel, D F; Szalay, J R; Valek, P; Vandegriff, J; Weidner, S; Zirnstein, E J; Stern, S A; Ennico, K; Olkin, C B; Weaver, H A; Young, L A

2016-03-18

The New Horizons spacecraft carried three instruments that measured the space environment near Pluto as it flew by on 14 July 2015. The Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument revealed an interaction region confined sunward of Pluto to within about 6 Pluto radii. The region's surprisingly small size is consistent with a reduced atmospheric escape rate, as well as a particularly high solar wind flux. Observations from the Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) instrument suggest that ions are accelerated and/or deflected around Pluto. In the wake of the interaction region, PEPSSI observed suprathermal particle fluxes equal to about 1/10 of the flux in the interplanetary medium and increasing with distance downstream. The Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter, which measures grains with radii larger than 1.4 micrometers, detected one candidate impact in ±5 days around New Horizons' closest approach, indicating an upper limit of <4.6 kilometers(-3) for the dust density in the Pluto system. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Pluto and Charon - the dance goes on

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beatty, J.K.

1987-09-01

Various methods for estimating the diameters of Pluto and Charon are discussed. The application of speckle interferometry, the timing of occultations, and the monitoring of Charon and Pluto rotations to calculate the diameter of the planet and its satellite are described. Walker (1980) estimated Charon's diameter as greater than 1200 km using the occultated star method; the speckle interferometry estimates of Baier and Weigelt (1983) are between 2710-3460 km for Pluto and between 1050-1520 km for Charon; and using the mutual events method Dunbar and Tedesco (1986) estimated the diameter of Pluto as 2300 + or - 100 km andmore » of Charon as 1500 + or - 100 km. The use of IRAS data combined with visual brightness to estimate planet and satellite diameters is examined; Tedesco et al. (1987) estimated Pluto's diameter as 2200 + or - 150 km and Charon's as 1300 + or - 150 km, and Aumann and Walker (1987) obtained estimates of 2360 km for Pluto and 1534 km for Charon. The compositions of Pluto's and Charon's atmospheres are analyzed.« less

Implications of the observed Pluto-Charon density contrast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bierson, C. J.; Nimmo, F.; McKinnon, W. B.

2018-07-01

Observations by the New Horizons spacecraft have determined that Pluto has a larger bulk density than Charon by 153 ± 44 kg m-3 (2σ uncertainty). We use a thermal model of Pluto and Charon to determine if this density contrast could be due to porosity variations alone, with Pluto and Charon having the same bulk composition. We find that Charon can preserve a larger porous ice layer than Pluto due to its lower gravity and lower heat flux but that the density contrast can only be explained if the initial ice porosity is ≳ 30%, extends to ≳100 km depth and Pluto retains a subsurface ocean today. We also find that other processes such as a modern ocean on Pluto, self-compression, water-rock interactions, and volatile (e.g., CO) loss cannot, even in combination, explain this difference in density. Although an initially high porosity cannot be completely ruled out, we conclude that it is more probable that Pluto and Charon have different bulk compositions. This difference could arise either from forming Charon via a giant impact, or via preferential loss of H2O on Pluto due to heating during rapid accretion.

The Effect of Surface Ice and Topography on the Atmospheric Circulation and Distribution of Nitrogen Ice on Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rafkin, Scot C. R.; Soto, Alejandro; Michaels, Timothy I.

2016-10-01

A newly developed general circulation model (GCM) for Pluto is used to investigate the impact of a heterogeneous distribution of nitrogen surface ice and large scale topography on Pluto's atmospheric circulation. The GCM is based on the GFDL Flexible Modeling System (FSM). Physics include a gray model radiative-conductive scheme, subsurface conduction, and a nitrogen volatile cycle. The radiative-conductive model takes into account the 2.3, 3.3 and 7.8 μm bands of CH4 and CO, including non-local thermodynamic equilibrium effects. including non-local thermodynamic equilibrium effects. The nitrogen volatile cycle is based on a vapor pressure equilibrium assumption between the atmosphere and surface. Prior to the arrival of the New Horizons spacecraft, the expectation was that the volatile ice distribution on the surface of Pluto would be strongly controlled by the latitudinal temperature gradient. If this were the case, then Pluto would have broad latitudinal bands of both ice covered surface and ice free surface, as dictated by the season. Further, the circulation, and the thus the transport of volatiles, was thought to be driven almost exclusively by sublimation and deposition flows associated with the volatile cycle. In contrast to expectations, images from New Horizon showed an extremely complex, heterogeneous distribution of surface ices draped over substantial and variable topography. To produce such an ice distribution, the atmospheric circulation and volatile transport must be more complex than previously envisioned. Simulations where topography, surface ice distributions, and volatile cycle physics are added individually and in various combinations are used to individually quantify the importance of the general circulation, topography, surface ice distributions, and condensation flows. It is shown that even regional patches of ice or large craters can have global impacts on the atmospheric circulation, the volatile cycle, and hence, the distribution of surface ices. The work demonstrates that explaining Pluto's volatile cycle and the expression of that cycle in the surface ice distributions requires consideration of atmospheric processes beyond simple vapor pressure equilibrium arguments.

Pluto Seen from Saturn

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-16

As one NASA spacecraft sailed past the distant ice world of Pluto, collecting never-before-seen vistas and invaluable science data, another spacecraft turned its gaze in that direction from its outpost at Saturn. NASA's Cassini spacecraft took a momentary break from its duties to capture this far-off portrait around the time of the New Horizons encounter with Pluto. The image was taken within a few minutes of New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto. After New Horizons, Cassini was the closest spacecraft to Pluto at the time of the flyby. Pluto is the bright dot closest to the center of the field of stars seen in this view. A labeled version of the image, indicating Pluto's position, is also presented here. The four stars identified in the labeled view have visual magnitudes between about 11 and 12. The entire Pluto system -- the dwarf planet and all of its moons -- is below the resolution of this image, thus the small bright specks near the main dot representing Pluto are likely noise (possibly due to what astronomers call the point-spread function). Charon and the other moons would not be resolved at this scale. The image was obtained using the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on July 14, 2015 at a distance of about 2.4 billion miles (3.9 billion kilometers) from Pluto. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19641

Pluto's Extended Atmosphere: New Horizons Alice Lyman-α Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Retherford, Kurt D.; Gladstone, G. Randall; Stern, S. Alan; Weaver, Harold A.; Young, Leslie A.; Ennico, Kimberly A.; Olkin, Cathy B.; Cheng, Andy F.; Greathouse, Thomas K.; Hinson, David P.; Kammer, Joshua A.; Linscott, Ivan R.; Parker, Alex H.; Parker, Joel Wm.; Pryor, Wayne R.; Schindhelm, Eric; Singer, Kelsi N.; Steffl, Andrew J.; Strobel, Darrell F.; Summers, Michael E.; Tsang, Constantine C. C.; Tyler, G. Len; Versteeg, Maarten H.; Woods, William W.; Cunningham, Nathaniel J.; Curdt, Werner

2015-11-01

Pluto's upper atmosphere is expected to extend several planetary radii, proportionally more so than for any planet in our solar system. Atomic hydrogen is readily produced at lower altitudes due to photolysis of methane and transported upward to become an important constituent. The Interplanetary Medium (IPM) provides a natural light source with which to study Pluto's atomic hydrogen atmosphere. While direct solar Lyman-α emissions dominate the signal at 121.6 nm at classical solar system distances, the contribution of diffuse illumination by IPM Lyman-α sky-glow is roughly on par at Pluto (Gladstone et al., Icarus, 2015). Hydrogen atoms in Pluto's upper atmosphere scatter these bright Lyα emission lines, and detailed simulations of the radiative transfer for these photons indicate that Pluto would appear dark against the IPM Lyα background. The Pluto-Alice UV imaging spectrograph on New Horizons conducted several observations of Pluto during the encounter to search for airglow emissions, characterize its UV reflectance spectra, and to measure the radial distribution of IPM Lyα near the disk. Our early results suggest that these model predictions for the darkening of IPM Lyα with decreasing altitude being measureable by Pluto-Alice were correct. We'll report our progress toward extracting H and CH4 density profiles in Pluto's upper atmosphere through comparisons of these data with detailed radiative transfer modeling. These New Horizons findings will have important implications for determining the extent of Pluto's atmosphere and related constraints to high-altitude vertical temperature structure and atmospheric escape.This work was supported by NASA's New Horizons project.

Flying Past Pluto Animation

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-08-28

This dramatic view of the Pluto system is as NASA's New Horizons spacecraft saw it in July 2015. The animation, made with real images taken by New Horizons, begins with Pluto flying in for its close-up on July 14; we then pass behind Pluto and see the atmosphere glow in sunlight before the sun passes behind Pluto's largest moon, Charon. The movie ends with New Horizons' departure, looking back on each body as thin crescents. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19873

Interstellar Probe: The Next Step To Flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNutt, Ralph; Zurbuchen, Thomas H.

2016-07-01

In the years following the discovery of the solar wind, the term "heliosphere" was coined and defined as "the region of interplanetary space where the solar wind is flowing supersonically." In June 1971, with the development of the Pioneer probes to Jupiter and beyond well underway, a session of the American Astronautical Society meeting considered scientific exploration reaching beyond the solar system and into the interstellar medium. Despite many discussions, studies, and meetings since, the most recent held under the auspices of the Keck Institute for Space Studies (8-11 September 2014 and 13-15 January 2015), such missions have been relegated to the '"future" due to the large distances and solar system escape speeds contemplated for their execution. In the meantime, the Voyager Interstellar Mission (VIM), consisting of the twin Voyager spacecraft almost 40 years since their respective launches, are making inroads into this region beyond the termination shock of the solar wind, a new region of the solid bodies of the solar system has been opened by the New Horizons flyby of the Pluto system, and the Cassini Ion and Neutral CAmera (INCA) and Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) have remotely sensed neutral atoms that have provided significant clues to the global structure of the interaction of the solar wind and interstellar medium. It is now time for a dedicated mission to the regime beyond the solar system to explore our galactic environment. A first, near-term implementation can be carried out with the near-current flight system technology. What is also clear is that the high speeds required will limit the spacecraft to a relatively small mass of no more than ~500 kg, regardless of the propulsion details. The recent success of the New Horizons mission at the Pluto system illustrates that with modern technologies, such spacecraft sizes can still accommodate the means to produce paradigm-shifting science, providing for a compelling scientific mission. The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) has recently established a new Panel on Interstellar Research (PIR) to consider the next steps toward finally making a dedicated Interstellar Probe mission a reality. Crucial tasks are to build consensus amongst the international scientific community for the appropriate scientific campaigns and measurements to be carried out for such a mission, taking into account the new and continuing results from the outer solar system and beyond by VIM, IBEX, New Horizons, and exoplanet observations and studies.

Pluto-Charon solar wind interaction dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hale, J. P. M.; Paty, C. S.

2017-05-01

This work studies Charon's effects on the Pluto-solar wind interaction using a multifluid MHD model which simulates the interactions of Pluto and Charon with the solar wind as well as with each other. Specifically, it investigates the ionospheric dynamics of a two body system in which either one or both bodies possess an ionosphere. Configurations in which Charon is directly upstream and directly downstream of Pluto are considered. Depending on ionospheric and solar wind conditions, Charon could periodically pass into the solar wind flow upstream of Pluto. The results of this study demonstrate that in these circumstances Charon modifies the upstream flow, both in the case in which Charon possesses an ionosphere, and in the case in which Charon is without an ionosphere. This modification amounts to a change in the gross structure of the interaction region when Charon possesses an ionosphere but is more localized when Charon lacks an ionosphere. Furthermore, evidence is shown that supports Charon acting to partially shield Pluto from the solar wind when it is upstream of Pluto, resulting in a decrease in ionospheric loss by Pluto.

Pluto Haze

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-10

Two different versions of an image of Pluto's haze layers, taken by New Horizons as it looked back at Pluto's dark side nearly 16 hours after close approach, from a distance of 480,000 miles (770,000 kilometers), at a phase angle of 166 degrees. Pluto's north is at the top, and the sun illuminates Pluto from the upper right. These images are much higher quality than the digitally compressed images of Pluto's haze downlinked and released shortly after the July 14 encounter, and allow many new details to be seen. The left version has had only minor processing, while the right version has been specially processed to reveal a large number of discrete haze layers in the atmosphere. In the left version, faint surface details on the narrow sunlit crescent are seen through the haze in the upper right of Pluto's disk, and subtle parallel streaks in the haze may be crepuscular rays- shadows cast on the haze by topography such as mountain ranges on Pluto, similar to the rays sometimes seen in the sky after the sun sets behind mountains on Earth. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19880

Pluto's Ultraviolet Airglow and Detection of Ions in the Upper Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steffl, A.; Young, L. A.; Kammer, J.; Gladstone, R.; Hinson, D. P.; Summers, M. E.; Strobel, D. F.; Stern, S. A.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Olkin, C.; Ennico Smith, K.

2017-12-01

In July 2015, the Alice ultraviolet spectrograph aboard the New Horizons spacecraft made numerous observations of Pluto and its atmosphere. We present here the far ultraviolet reflectance spectrum of Pluto and airglow emissions from its atmosphere. At wavelengths greater than 1400Å, Pluto's spectrum is dominated by sunlight reflected from the surface of the planet. Various hydrocarbon species such as C2H4 are detected in absorption of the solar continuum. Below 1400Å, Pluto's atmosphere is opaque and the surface cannot be detected. However, after carefully removing various sources of background light, we see extremely faint airglow emissions (<0.05 Rayleighs/Ångstrom) from Pluto's atmosphere. All of the emissions are produced by nitrogen in various forms: molecular, atomic, and singly ionized. The detection of N+ at 1086Å is the first, and thus far only, direct detection of ions in Pluto's atmosphere. This N+ emission line is produced primarily by dissociative photoionization of molecular N2 by solar EUV photons (energy > 34.7 eV; wavelength < 360Å). Notably absent from Pluto's spectrum are emission lines from argon at 1048 and 1067Å. We place upper limits on the amount of argon in Pluto's atmosphere above the tau=1 level (observed to be at 750km tangent altitude) that are significantly lower than pre-encounter atmospheric models.

Zooming in on Pluto Pattern of Pits

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-12-10

On July 14, 2015, the telescopic camera on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft took the highest resolution images ever obtained of the intricate pattern of "pits" across a section of Pluto's prominent heart-shaped region, informally named Tombaugh Regio. Mission scientists believe these mysterious indentations may form through a combination of ice fracturing and evaporation. The scarcity of overlying impact craters in this area also leads scientists to conclude that these pits -- typically hundreds of yards across and tens of yards deep -- formed relatively recently. Their alignment provides clues about the ice flow and the exchange of nitrogen and other volatile materials between the surface and the atmosphere. The image is part of a sequence taken by New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) as the spacecraft passed within 9,550 miles (15,400 kilometers) of Pluto's surface, just 13 minutes before the time of closest approach. The small box on the global view shows the section of the region imaged in the southeast corner of the giant ice sheet informally named Sputnik Planum. The magnified view is 50-by-50 miles (80-by-80 kilometers) across. The large ring-like structure near the bottom right of the magnified view -- and the smaller one near the bottom left -- may be remnant craters. The upper-left quadrant of the image shows the border between the relatively smooth Sputnik Planum ice sheet and the pitted area, with a series of hills forming slightly inside this unusual "shoreline." http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20212

Secrets Revealed from Pluto Twilight Zone

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-06-02

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft took this stunning image of Pluto only a few minutes after closest approach on July 14, 2015. The image was obtained at a high phase angle -- that is, with the sun on the other side of Pluto, as viewed by New Horizons. Seen here, sunlight filters through and illuminates Pluto's complex atmospheric haze layers. The southern portions of the nitrogen ice plains informally named Sputnik Planum, as well as mountains of the informally named Norgay Montes, can also be seen across Pluto's crescent at the top of the image. Looking back at Pluto with images like this gives New Horizons scientists information about Pluto's hazes and surface properties that they can't get from images taken on approach. The image was obtained by New Horizons' Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC) approximately 13,400 miles (21,550 kilometers) from Pluto, about 19 minutes after New Horizons' closest approach. The image has a resolution of 1,400 feet (430 meters) per pixel. Pluto's diameter is 1,475 miles (2,374 kilometers). The inset at top right in the annotated version shows a detail of Pluto's crescent, including an intriguing bright wisp (near the center) measuring tens of miles across that may be a discreet, low-lying cloud in Pluto's atmosphere; if so, it would be the only one yet identified in New Horizons imagery. This cloud -- if that's what it is -- is visible for the same reason the haze layers are so bright: illumination from the sunlight grazing Pluto's surface at a low angle. Atmospheric models suggest that methane clouds can occasionally form in Pluto's atmosphere. The scene in this inset is 140 miles (230 kilometers) across. The inset at bottom right shows more detail on the night side of Pluto. This terrain can be seen because it is illuminated from behind by hazes that silhouette the of the annotated version limb. The topography here appears quite rugged, and broad valleys and sharp peaks with relief totaling 3 miles (5 kilometers) are apparent. This image, made from closer range, is much better than the lower-resolution images of this same terrain taken several days before closest approach. These silhouetted terrains therefore act as a useful "anchor point," giving New Horizons scientists a rare, detailed glimpse at the lay of the land in this mysterious part of Pluto seen at high resolution only in twilight. The scene in this inset is 460 miles (750 kilometers) wide. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20727

Clues From Pluto's Ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-05-01

Nearly a year ago, in July 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft passed by the Pluto system. The wealth of data amassed from that flyby is still being analyzed including data from the Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument. Recent examination of this data has revealedinteresting new information about Plutos atmosphere and how the solar wind interacts with it.A Heavy Ion TailThe solar wind is a constant stream of charged particles released by the Sun at speeds of around 400 km/s (thats 1 million mph!). This wind travels out to the far reaches of the solar system, interacting with the bodies it encounters along the way.By modeling the SWAP detections, the authors determine the directions of the IMF that could produce the heavy ions detected. Red pixels represent IMF directions permitted. No possible IMF could reproduce the detections if the ions are nitrogen (bottom panels), and only retrograde IMF directions can produce the detections if the ions are methane. [Adapted from Zirnstein et al. 2016]New Horizons data has revealed that Plutos atmosphere leaks neutral nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide molecules that sometimes escape its weak gravitational pull. These molecules become ionized and are subsequently picked up by the passing solar wind, forming a tail of heavy ions behind Pluto. The details of the geometry and composition of this tail, however, had not yet been determined.Escaping MethaneIn a recent study led by Eric Zirnstein (Southwest Research Institute), the latest analysis of data from the SWAP instrument on board New Horizons is reported. The team used SWAPs ion detections from just after New Horizons closest approach to Pluto to better understand how the heavy ions around Pluto behave, and how the solar wind interacts with Plutos atmosphere.In the process of analyzing the SWAP data, Zirnstein and collaborators first establish what the majority of the heavy ions picked up by the solar wind are. Models of the SWAP detections indicate they are unlikely to be nitrogen ions, despite nitrogen being the most abundant molecule in Plutos atmosphere. Instead, the detections are likely of methane ions possibly present because methane molecules are lighter, allowing them to more efficiently escape Plutos atmosphere.Reconstructed origins of heavy ions detected by SWAP shortly after New Horizons closest approach to Pluto. Color represents the energy at the time of detection. [Adapted from Zirnstein et al. 2016]Magnetic DirectionNew Horizons does not have a magnetometer on board, which prevented it from making direct measurements of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF; the solar magnetic field extended throughout the solar system) during the Pluto encounter. In spite of this, Zirnstein and collaborators are able to determine the IMF direction using some clever calculations about SWAPs field of view and the energies of heavy ions it detected.They demonstrate that the IMF was likely oriented roughly parallel to the ecliptic plane, and in the opposite direction of Plutos orbital motion, during New Horizons Pluto encounter. This would cause the solar wind to deflect southward around Pluto, resulting in a north-south asymmetry in the heavy ion tail behind Pluto.The new knowledge gained from SWAP about the geometry and the composition of Plutos extended atmosphere will help us to interpret further data from New Horizons. Ultimately, this provides us with a better understanding both of Plutos atmosphere and how the solar wind interacts with bodies in our solar system.CitationE. J. Zirnstein et al 2016 ApJ 823 L30. doi:10.3847/2041-8205/823/2/L30

"Pluto Has Been a Planet My Whole Life!" Emotions, Attitudes, and Conceptual Change in Elementary Students' Learning about Pluto's Reclassification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broughton, Suzanne H.; Sinatra, Gale M.; Nussbaum, E. Michael

2013-01-01

Learning about certain scientific topics has potential to spark strong emotions among students. We investigated whether emotions predicted students' attitudes after engaging in independent rereading and/or rereading plus discussion about Pluto's reclassification. Fifth and sixth grade students read a refutation text on Pluto's reclassification.…

Methane in Pluto's Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roe, Henry G.

2006-09-01

The abundance of methane in Pluto's atmosphere has not been remeasured since its initial detection in 1992 by Young et al. (1997). As Pluto recedes from the Sun its atmosphere should eventually collapse and freeze out on the surface, but recent occultation observations (Elliot et al. 2003) show an expansion of the atmosphere rather than contraction. New measurements of Pluto's atmospheric methane abundance are warranted. We obtained high resolution (R=25000) near-infrared spectra of Pluto in July 2006 with NIRSPEC at the W.M. Keck II telescope and will report our initial analysis and results.

Global Mosaics of Pluto and Charon

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-14

Global mosaics of Pluto and Charon projected at 300 meters (985 feet) per pixel that have been assembled from most of the highest resolution images obtained by the Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) and the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) onboard New Horizons. Transparent, colorized stereo topography data generated for the encounter hemispheres of Pluto and Charon have been overlain on the mosaics. Terrain south of about 30°S on Pluto and Charon was in darkness leading up to and during the flyby, so is shown in black. "S" and "T" respectively indicate Sputnik Planitia and Tartarus Dorsa on Pluto, and "C" indicates Caleuche Chasma on Charon. All feature names on Pluto and Charon are informal. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21862

Improved orbital and physical parameters for the Pluto-Charon system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tholen, D. J.; Buie, M. W.; Binzel, R. P.; Frueh, M. L.

1987-07-01

Analysis of the observations of several Pluto-Charon occultation and transit events in 1985 and 1986 has provided a more detailed knowledge of the system. The sum of the radii of Pluto and Charon is 1786±19 kilometers, but the individual radii are somewhat more poorly determined; Pluto is 1145±46 kilometers in radius and Charon is 642±34 kilometers in radius. The mean density of the system is 1.84±0.19 grams per cubic centimeter implying that more than half of the mass is due to rock. Charon appears to have hemispheres of two different colors, the Pluto-facing side being neutral in color and the opposite hemisphere being a reddish color similar to Pluto.

Student Dust Counter I : Science Objectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, C.; Bryant, C.; Bunch, N.; Chanthawanich, T.; Colgan, M.; Fernandez, A.; Grogan, B.; Holland, G.; Krauss, C.; Krauss, E.; Krauss, O.; Neeland, M.; Horanyi, M.

2003-12-01

The New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt is scheduled for launch in January 2006. As part of the Education and Public Outreach activity of the mission, undergraduate and graduate students at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, are building a space experiment: the Student Dust Counter (SDC). This talk will summarize the scientific goals of this experiment. An accompanying poster describes the technical details of SDC. The primary goal of SDC is to map the dust distribution in the Solar System from 1 to 50 AU. It will greatly enhance our knowledge of dust production and transport in the outer Solar System by providing more sensitive observations than earlier experiments past Saturn, and the first in situ dust observations beyond 18 AU.

Inadvertent Earth Reentry Breakup Analysis for the New Horizons Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ling, Lisa M.; Salama, Ahmed; Ivanov, Mark; McRonald, Angus

2007-01-01

The New Horizons (NH) spacecraft was launched in January 2006 aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle, in a mission to explore Pluto, its moons, and other bodies in the Kuiper Belt. The NH spacecraft is powered by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) which encases multiple General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) modules. Thus, a pre-launch vehicle breakup analysis for an inadvertent atmospheric reentry in the event of a launch failure was required to assess aerospace nuclear safety and for launch contingency planning. This paper addresses potential accidental Earth reentries analyzed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) which may arise during the ascent to parking orbit, resulting in a suborbital reentry, as well as a departure from parking orbit, resulting in an orbital reentry.

Sedna Size Comparisons Artist Concept

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-15

The artist's rendition shows the newly discovered planet-like object, dubbed "Sedna," in relation to other bodies in the solar system, including Earth and its Moon; Pluto; and Quaoar, a planetoid beyond Pluto that was until now the largest known object beyond Pluto. The diameter of Sedna is slightly smaller than Pluto's but likely somewhat larger than Quaoar. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05567

Past epochs of significantly higher pressure atmospheres on Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stern, S. A.; Binzel, R. P.; Earle, A. M.; Singer, K. N.; Young, L. A.; Weaver, H. A.; Olkin, C. B.; Ennico, K.; Moore, J. M.; McKinnon, W. B.; Spencer, J. R.; New Horizons Geology; Geophysics; Atmospheres Teams

2017-05-01

Pluto is known to have undergone thousands of cycles of obliquity change and polar precession. These variations have a large and corresponding impact on the total average solar insolation reaching various places on Pluto's surface as a function of time. Such changes could produce dramatic increases in surface pressure and may explain certain features observed by New Horizons on Pluto's surface, including some that indicate the possibility of surface paleo-liquids. This paper is the first to discuss multiple lines of geomorphological evidence consistent with higher pressure epochs in Pluto's geologic past, and it also the first to provide a mechanism for potentially producing the requisite high pressure conditions needed for an environment that could support liquids on Pluto. The presence of such liquids and such conditions, if borne out by future work, would fundamentally affect our view of Pluto's past climate, volatile transport, and geological evolution. This paper motivates future, more detailed climate modeling and geologic interpretation efforts in this area.

Pluto's elongated dark regions formed by the Charon-forming giant impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Genda, Hidenori; Sekine, Yusuhito; Kamata, Shunichi; Funatsu, Taro

2017-04-01

The New Horizons spacecraft has found elongated dark areas in the equatorial region of Pluto, which were informally called "the Whale" or Cthulhu Region (Stern et al. 2015). Here we examine the possibility that the dark areas on Pluto were formed by thermal alterations and polymerization of interstellar volatiles caused by a Charon-forming giant impact. Pluto is one of the largest Kuiper belt objects, which is highly likely to contain various interstellar volatiles, including aldehyde and ammonia. The previous study (Cordy et al. 2011) shows that these interstellar volatiles are thermally polymerized in solutions at high temperatures, forming complex insoluble organic solids. Given the satellite-to-planet mass ratio, the Pluto-Charon system is suggested to be of a giant impact origin (Canup 2005). Impact-induced heating on Pluto could have converted these volatile into complex organic matter in solution near the surface, which may explain the presence of dark areas in the equatorial region of Pluto. Here, we produce complex organic matter for various temperatures by thermal polymerization of formaldehyde and ammonia in solutions. By measuring the UV-VIS absorption spectra of the produced organic matter, we found that the color of the solution changes to be dark if the temerature is above 50 degree C for months or more. This duration corresponds to the cooling timescale of a water pond with 500-km thickness. By using SPH code (Genda et al. 2015), we carried out many simulations of a giant impact, and we found that a molten hot pond with > 500-km thickness is formed around the equatorial region of Pluto by a Charon-forming giant impact, if the water/rock mixing mass ratio is less than 1 or if the pre-impact interior temperature is 150 K. Both the dark equatorial region and a Charon-sized moon are formed when the pre-impact Pluto is undifferentiated. To keep a rock-rich Pluto undifferentiated at time of the giant impact, Pluto may have been formed >100 Myrs after CAIs, and the giant impact may have occurred <100 Myrs after the Pluto's formation.

Seasonal Nitrogen Cycles on Pluto

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, Candice J.; Paige, David A.

1996-01-01

A thermal model, developed to predict seasonal nitrogen cycles on Triton, has been modified and applied to Pluto. The model was used to calculate the partitioning of nitrogen between surface frost deposits and the atmosphere, as a function of time for various sets of input parameters. Volatile transport was confirmed to have a significant effect on Pluto's climate as nitrogen moved around on a seasonal time scale between hemispheres, and sublimed into and condensed out of the atmosphere. Pluto's high obliquity was found to have a significant effect on the distribution of frost on its surface. Conditions that would lead to permanent polar caps on Triton were found to lead to permanent zonal frost bands on Pluto. In some instances, frost sublimed from the middle of a seasonal cap outward, resulting in a "polar bald spot". Frost which was darker than the substrate did not satisfy observables on Pluto, in contrast to our findings for Triton. Bright frost (brighter than the substrate) came closer to matching observables. Atmospheric pressure varied seasonally. The amplitudes, and to a lesser extent the phase, of the variation depended significantly on frost and substrate properties. Atmospheric pressure was found to be determined both by Pluto's distance from the sun and by the subsolar latitude. In most cases two peaks in atmospheric pressure were observed annually: a greater one associated with the sublimation of the north polar cap just as Pluto receded from perihelion, and a lesser one associated with the sublimation of the south polar cap as Pluto approached perihelion. Our model predicted frost-free dark substrate surface temperatures in the 50 to 60 K range, while frost temperatures typically ranged between 30 to 40 K. Temporal changes in frost coverage illustrated by our results, and changes in the viewing geometry of Pluto from the Earth, may be important for interpretation of ground-based measurements of Pluto's thermal emission.

Pluto in Hi-Def

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-01-24

This image demonstrates the first detection of Pluto using the high-resolution mode on the NASA New Horizons Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager. The mode provides a clear separation between Pluto and numerous nearby background stars.

Map of Pluto Surface

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-03-28

This image-based surface map of Pluto was assembled by computer image processing software from four separate images of Pluto disk taken with the European Space Agency Faint Object Camera aboard NASA Hubble Space Telescope.

Missions to the Outer Solar System and Beyond - Concept Study for a Kuiper Belt Sample-Return

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganapathy, Rohan M.

The exploration of Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) might deliver crucial data for answering questions about the evolution of the solar system and the origin of life. Whereas the current New Horizons mission performs a flyby at KBOs, an in-depth exploration of the Kuiper belt requires an orbiter, lander or even a sample return. In this paper, we present a range of potential mission architectures for a Kuiper belt sample return mission. We use the Systems Modeling Language (SysML) for the necessary modeling and the systems engineering tool MagicDraw. A process similar to the NASA Rapid Mission Architecture approach was used. We start with a rationale a KBO sample return, dene science objectives, high-level requirements and select a strawman payload. From a key trade-matrix, mission architecture options are generated. Finally, necessary technologies and prerequisites for the mission are identied. We conclude that one of the dwarf planets Pluto, Haumea, Orcus or Quaoar and their moons should be considered as a target for the mission. The samples should be collected from the dwarf planet of choice or from its moon(s), which omits the rather high velocity requirements for a landing and departure from the dwarf planet itself. Attractive mission architectures include radioisotopic electric propulsion-based missions, missions with a combination of a solar electric propulsion stage and radioisotopic electric propulsion, or missions using nuclear electric propulsion.

Pluto's Atmospheric Figure from the P131.1 Stellar Occultation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Person, M. J.; Elliot, J. L.; Clancy, K. B.; Kern, S. D.; Salyk, C. V.; Tholen, D. J.; Pasachoff, J. M.; Babcock, B. A.; Souza, S. P.; Ticehurst, D. R.; Hall, D.; Roberts, L. C., Jr.; Bosh, A. S.; Buie, M. W.; Dunham, E. W.; Olkin, C. B.; Taylor, B.; Levine, S. E.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Moon, D.-S.; Osip, D. J.

2003-05-01

The stellar occultation by Pluto of the 15th magnitude star designated P131.1 (McDonald and Elliot, AJ, 119, 1999) on 2002 August 21 (UT) provided the first significant chance to compare Pluto's atmospheric structure to that determined from the 1988 occultation of P8 (Millis, et al., Icarus, 105, 282). The P131.1 occultation was observed from several stations in Hawaii and the western United States (Elliot et al., Nature, in press, 2003). Numerous occultation chords were obtained enabling us to examine Pluto's atmospheric figure. The light curves from the observations were analyzed together in the occultation coordinate system of Elliot et al., (AJ, 106, 2544). The Mauna Kea and Lick datasets straddle the center of Pluto's figure, providing strong constraints on model fits to cross sections of the atmospheric shape. In 1988, Millis (et al., Icarus, 105, 282) did not report any deviation from sphericity in Pluto's atmospheric figure. From the 2002 data, Pluto;s isobars at the radii probed by the occultation ( 1250 km) appear to be distorted from a circular cross-section. Least-squares fits to this cross-section by elliptical models reveal ellipticities in the range 0.05-0.08 although the shape may be more complex than ellipsoidal. The orientation of the distortion appears uncorrelated with Pluto;s rotational axis. Taken at face value, this ellipticity could imply wind speeds of up to twice the sonic speed ( 200 m/s), which would be difficult to explain. Similar distortions have been reported for Triton's atmosphere (Elliot, J. L., et al., Icarus 148, 347). This work has been supported in part by Research Corporation, the Air Force Research Laboratory, NSF, and NASA.

Volatile Transport on Pluto: First Results from the 2013 Observing Season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buratti, B. J.; Dalba, P. A.; Hicks, M.; Chu, D.; O'Neill, A.; Chesley, J. P.

2013-12-01

With the New Horizons spacecraft due to encounter Pluto in slightly less than two years, close scrutiny of this dwarf ice planet has begun in earnest. Ground-based observations are especially critical for context and for a larger temporal excursion. Seasonal transport of volatiles should occur on Pluto, and this transport should be detectable through changes in its rotational light curve, once all variations due to viewing geometry have been modeled. Giving the steady increase observed in Pluto's atmospheric pressure over the past two decades, associated sublimation of frost from the surface has likely occurred, as predicted by volatile transport models. Rotational light curves of Pluto through time have been created for static frost models based on images from the Hubble Space Telescope. These models, which account for changes in viewing geometry, have been compared with observed light curves obtained between 1950 and 2013. No evidence for transport was evident prior to 2000. Observations from 2002 (Buie et al., 2010, Astron. J. 139, 1128) and 2007-2008 (Hicks et al. 2008, B.A.A.S. 40, 460) suggest changes in the frost pattern on Pluto's surface. New observations of Pluto's light curve from the 2013 season from Table Mountain Observatory show no evidence for the large transport of volatiles on Pluto's surface. Our data are the first measurement of a large opposition surge on Pluto similar to that seen on other icy bodies. Both Buie et al. (2010) and our observations from the 2012-2013 seasons show that Pluto is becoming more red in color. This observation makes sense if nitrogen is being removed from the surface to uncover a red, photolyzed substrate of methane. Funded by NASA.

Pluto and Charon: Surface Colors and Compositions - A Hypothesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruikshank, D. P.

2016-01-01

The surface of Pluto displays an array of colors ranging from yellow to red to brown, while the surface of Charon is largely gray with a north polar zone of red color similar to regions on Pluto. Pluto's surface shows layers of intensely colored material in tilted and transported blocks, and fractured geo-graphical units. This arrangement suggests episodes of formation or deposition of that material interspersed with episodes of emplacement of ices having little or no color. The ices identified on the surfaces of these two bodies (N2, CH4, CO, C2H6, H2O on Pluto, and H2O and NH3 on Charon) are colorless, as are nearly all ices in a powdery state. The colors on Pluto probably arise from the in situ formation of a macro-molecular carbonaceous material generated by energetic processing of the ices on the surface. Laboratory experiments producing refractory tholins particularly relevant to Pluto explored the chemistry of both UV and low-energy electron bombardment of a mix of Pluto ices (N2:CH4:CO = 100:1:1). We can term this Pluto ice tholin PIT. Water ice in the crystalline state characterizes Charon's surface, and while most of Charon's surface is neutral in color, with geometric albedo approximately 0.38, the polar zone and a light cover of fainter but similar reddish color over some surface regions suggest a common origin with the colored material on Pluto. NH3 or NH3 x nH2O was identified from disk-integrated Earth-based spectra, and a few concentrated NH3 exposures have been found in the New Horizons spectral images.

Determination of the Charon/Pluto Mass Ratio from Center-of-Light Astrometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foust, Jeffrey A.; Elliot, J. L.; Olkin, Catherine B.; McDonald, Stephen W.; Dunham, Edward W.; Stone, Remington P. S.; McDonald, John S.; Stone, Ronald C.

1997-01-01

The Charon/Pluto mass ratio is a fundamental but poorly known parameter of the two-body system. Previous values for the mass ratio have ranged from 0.0837 plus or minus 0.0147 (Null et al., 1993, Astron. J. 105, 2319-2335) to 0.1566 plus or minus 0.0035 (Young et al., 1994, Icarus 108,186-199). We report here a new determination of the Charon/Pluto mass ratio, using five sets of groundbased images taken at four sites in support of Pluto occultation predictions. Unlike the Null et al. and Young et A determinations, where the centers of light for Pluto and Charon could be determined separately, this technique examines the motion of the center of light of the blended Pluto-Charon image. We compute the offsets of the observed center-of-light position of Pluto-Charon from the ephemeris position of the system and fit these offsets to a model of the Pluto-Charon system. The least-squares fits to the five data sets agree within their errors, and the weighted mean mass ratio is 0.117 plus or minus 0.006. The effects of errors in the Charon light fraction, semimajor axis, and ephemeris have been examined and are equal to only a small fraction of the formal error from the fit. This result is intermediate between those of Null et al., and Young et al. and matches a new value of 0.124 plus or minus 0.008 by Null and Owen (1996, Astron. J. 111, 1368-1381). The mass ratio and resulting individual masses and densities of Pluto and Charon are consistent with a collisional origin for the Pluto-Charon system.

The Icy Cold Heart of Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, Douglas P.

2015-11-01

The locations of large deposits of frozen volatiles on planetary surfaces are largely coincident with areas receiving the minimum annual influx of solar energy; familiar examples include the polar caps of Earth and Mars. For planets tilted by more than 45 degrees, however, the poles actually receive more energy than some other latitudes. Pluto, with its current obliquity of 119 degrees, has minima in its average annual insolation at +/- 27 degrees latitude, with ~1.5% more energy flux going to the equator and ~15% more to the poles. Remarkably, the fraction of annual solar energy incident on different latitudes depends only on the obliquity of the planet and not on any of its orbital parameters.Over millions of years, Pluto's obliquity varies sinusoidally from 102-126 degrees, significantly affecting the latitudinal profile of solar energy deposition. Roughly 1Myr ago, the poles received 15% more energy that today while the equator received 13% less. The energy flux to latitudes between 25-35 degrees is far more stable, remaining low over the presumably billions of years since Pluto acquired its current spin properties. Like the poles at Earth, these mid latitudes on Pluto should be favored for the long-term deposition of volatile ices. This is, indeed, the location of the bright icy heart of Pluto, Sputnik Planum.Reflected light and emitted thermal radiation from Charon increases annual insolation to one side of Pluto by of order 0.02%. Although small, the bulk of the energy is delivered at night to Pluto's cold equatorial regions. Furthermore, Charon's thermal infrared radiation is easily absorbed by icy deposits on Pluto, slowing deposition and facilitating sublimation of volatiles. We argue that the slight but persistent preference for ices to form and survive in the anti-Charon Pluto's heart.

Constraints on Pluto's Hazes from 2-Color Occultation Lightcurves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartig, Kara; Barry, T.; Carriazo, C. Y.; Cole, A.; Gault, D.; Giles, B.; Giles, D.; Hill, K. M.; Howell, R. R.; Hudson, G.; Loader, B.; Mackie, J. A.; Olkin, C. B.; Rannou, P.; Regester, J.; Resnick, A.; Rodgers, T.; Sicardy, B.; Skrutskie, M. F.; Verbiscer, A. J.; Wasserman, L. H.; Watson, C. R.; Young, E. F.; Young, L. A.; Buie, M. W.; Nelson, M.

2015-11-01

The controversial question of aerosols in Pluto's atmosphere first arose in 1988, when features in a Pluto occultation lightcurve were alternately attributed to haze opacity (Elliot et al. 1989) or a thermal inversion (Eshleman 1989). A stellar occultation by Pluto in 2002 was observed from several telescopes on Mauna Kea in wavelengths ranging from R- to K-bands (Elliot et al. 2003). This event provided compelling evidence for haze on Pluto, since the mid-event baseline levels were systematically higher at longer wavelengths (as expected if there were an opacity source that scattered more effectively at shorter wavelengths). However, subsequent occultations in 2007 and 2011 showed no significant differences between visible and IR lightcurves (Young et al. 2011).The question of haze on Pluto was definitively answered by direct imaging of forward-scattering aerosols by the New Horizons spacecraft on 14-JUL-2015. We report on results of a bright stellar occultation which we observed on 29-JUN-2015 in B- and H-bands from both grazing and central sites. As in 2007 and 2011, we see no evidence for wavelength-dependent extinction. We will present an analysis of haze parameters (particle sizes, number density profiles, and fractal aggregations), constraining models of haze distribution to those consistent with and to those ruled out by the occultation lightcurves and the New Horizons imaging.References:Elliot, J.L., et al., "Pluto's Atmosphere." Icarus 77, 148-170 (1989)Eshleman, V.R., "Pluto's Atmosphere: Models based on refraction, inversion, and vapor pressure equilibrium." Icarus 80 439-443 (1989)Elliot, J.L., et al., "The recent expansion of Pluto's atmosphere." Nature 424 165-168 (2003)Young, E.F., et al., "Search for Pluto's aerosols: simultaneous IR and visible stellar occultation observations." EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2011, held 2-7 October 2011 in Nantes, France (2011)

The Orbits and Masses of Pluto's Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobson, Robert A.; Brozovic, M.

2012-10-01

We have fit numerically integrated orbits of Pluto's satellites, Charon, Nix, Hydra, and S/2011 (134340) 1, to an extensive set of astrometric, mutual event, and stellar occultation observations over the time interval April 1965 to July 2011. We did not include the newly discovered satellite S/2012 (134340) 1 because its observation set is insufficient to constrain a numerically integrated orbit. The data set contains all of the HST observations of Charon relative to Pluto which have been corrected for the Pluto center-of-figure center-of-light (COF) offset due to the Pluto albedo variations (Buie et al. 2012 AJ submitted). Buie et al. (2010 AJ 139, 1117 and 1128) discuss the development of the albedo model and the COF offset. We applied COF offset corrections to the remainder of the Pluto relative observations where applicable. The dual stellar occultations in 2008 and 2011 provided precise Pluto_Charon relative positions. We obtain a well determined value for the Pluto system mass, however, the lack of orbital resonances in the system makes it difficult to determine the satellite masses. The primary source of information for the Charon mass is a small quantity of absolute position measurements which are sensitive to the independent motions of Pluto and Charon about the system barycenter. The long term dynamical interaction among the satellites yields a weak determination of Hydra's mass; the masses of the other two satellites are found to be small but indeterminate. We have delivered ephemerides based on our integrated orbits to the New Horizons project along with their expected uncertainties at the time of the New Horizons encounter with the Pluto system. Acknowledgments: The research described in this paper was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The Pluto system: Initial results from its exploration by New Horizons.

PubMed

Stern, S A; Bagenal, F; Ennico, K; Gladstone, G R; Grundy, W M; McKinnon, W B; Moore, J M; Olkin, C B; Spencer, J R; Weaver, H A; Young, L A; Andert, T; Andrews, J; Banks, M; Bauer, B; Bauman, J; Barnouin, O S; Bedini, P; Beisser, K; Beyer, R A; Bhaskaran, S; Binzel, R P; Birath, E; Bird, M; Bogan, D J; Bowman, A; Bray, V J; Brozovic, M; Bryan, C; Buckley, M R; Buie, M W; Buratti, B J; Bushman, S S; Calloway, A; Carcich, B; Cheng, A F; Conard, S; Conrad, C A; Cook, J C; Cruikshank, D P; Custodio, O S; Dalle Ore, C M; Deboy, C; Dischner, Z J B; Dumont, P; Earle, A M; Elliott, H A; Ercol, J; Ernst, C M; Finley, T; Flanigan, S H; Fountain, G; Freeze, M J; Greathouse, T; Green, J L; Guo, Y; Hahn, M; Hamilton, D P; Hamilton, S A; Hanley, J; Harch, A; Hart, H M; Hersman, C B; Hill, A; Hill, M E; Hinson, D P; Holdridge, M E; Horanyi, M; Howard, A D; Howett, C J A; Jackman, C; Jacobson, R A; Jennings, D E; Kammer, J A; Kang, H K; Kaufmann, D E; Kollmann, P; Krimigis, S M; Kusnierkiewicz, D; Lauer, T R; Lee, J E; Lindstrom, K L; Linscott, I R; Lisse, C M; Lunsford, A W; Mallder, V A; Martin, N; McComas, D J; McNutt, R L; Mehoke, D; Mehoke, T; Melin, E D; Mutchler, M; Nelson, D; Nimmo, F; Nunez, J I; Ocampo, A; Owen, W M; Paetzold, M; Page, B; Parker, A H; Parker, J W; Pelletier, F; Peterson, J; Pinkine, N; Piquette, M; Porter, S B; Protopapa, S; Redfern, J; Reitsema, H J; Reuter, D C; Roberts, J H; Robbins, S J; Rogers, G; Rose, D; Runyon, K; Retherford, K D; Ryschkewitsch, M G; Schenk, P; Schindhelm, E; Sepan, B; Showalter, M R; Singer, K N; Soluri, M; Stanbridge, D; Steffl, A J; Strobel, D F; Stryk, T; Summers, M E; Szalay, J R; Tapley, M; Taylor, A; Taylor, H; Throop, H B; Tsang, C C C; Tyler, G L; Umurhan, O M; Verbiscer, A J; Versteeg, M H; Vincent, M; Webbert, R; Weidner, S; Weigle, G E; White, O L; Whittenburg, K; Williams, B G; Williams, K; Williams, S; Woods, W W; Zangari, A M; Zirnstein, E

2015-10-16

The Pluto system was recently explored by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, making closest approach on 14 July 2015. Pluto's surface displays diverse landforms, terrain ages, albedos, colors, and composition gradients. Evidence is found for a water-ice crust, geologically young surface units, surface ice convection, wind streaks, volatile transport, and glacial flow. Pluto's atmosphere is highly extended, with trace hydrocarbons, a global haze layer, and a surface pressure near 10 microbars. Pluto's diverse surface geology and long-term activity raise fundamental questions about how small planets remain active many billions of years after formation. Pluto's large moon Charon displays tectonics and evidence for a heterogeneous crustal composition; its north pole displays puzzling dark terrain. Small satellites Hydra and Nix have higher albedos than expected. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Reorientation and faulting of Pluto due to volatile loading within Sputnik Planitia.

PubMed

Keane, James T; Matsuyama, Isamu; Kamata, Shunichi; Steckloff, Jordan K

2016-12-01

Pluto is an astoundingly diverse, geologically dynamic world. The dominant feature is Sputnik Planitia-a tear-drop-shaped topographic depression approximately 1,000 kilometres in diameter possibly representing an ancient impact basin. The interior of Sputnik Planitia is characterized by a smooth, craterless plain three to four kilometres beneath the surrounding rugged uplands, and represents the surface of a massive unit of actively convecting volatile ices (N 2 , CH 4 and CO) several kilometres thick. This large feature is very near the Pluto-Charon tidal axis. Here we report that the location of Sputnik Planitia is the natural consequence of the sequestration of volatile ices within the basin and the resulting reorientation (true polar wander) of Pluto. Loading of volatile ices within a basin the size of Sputnik Planitia can substantially alter Pluto's inertia tensor, resulting in a reorientation of the dwarf planet of around 60 degrees with respect to the rotational and tidal axes. The combination of this reorientation, loading and global expansion due to the freezing of a possible subsurface ocean generates stresses within the planet's lithosphere, resulting in a global network of extensional faults that closely replicate the observed fault networks on Pluto. Sputnik Planitia probably formed northwest of its present location, and was loaded with volatiles over million-year timescales as a result of volatile transport cycles on Pluto. Pluto's past, present and future orientation is controlled by feedbacks between volatile sublimation and condensation, changing insolation conditions and Pluto's interior structure.

Beagle 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, D. S.; Pillinger, C. T.; Sims, M. R.; Pullan, D.; Whitehead, S.; Thatcher, J.; Clemmet, J.; Linguard, S.; Underwood, J.; Richter, L.

2000-07-01

Beagle 2 is the British-led lander of the ESA Mars Express mission. The prime objectives of Beagle 2 are to (1) search for criteria relating to past life on Mars, (2) seek trace atmospheric species indicative of extant life, (3) measure the detailed atmospheric composition to establish the geological history of the planet and to document the processes involved in seasonal climatic changes or diurnal cycling, (4) investigate the oxidative state of the Martian surface, rock interiors and beneath boulders, (5) examine the geological nature of the rocks, their chemistry, mineralogy, petrology and age, (6) characterise the geomorphology of the landing site, and (7) appraise the environmental conditions including temperature, pressure, wind speed, UV flux, etc. The entry system comprises a front shield/aeroshell, a back cover/bioshield and release mechanisms. The descent system depends on a mortar, pilot chute, main parachute and main parachute release mechanism. The Lander itself has a clam-like structure and lands cocooned within gas-filled airbags. The outer shell provides energy absorption and thermal insulation within a casing that must spread the impact loads and resists tearing. Many of the Beagle 2 science instruments are integrated with a robotic arm that transports them to deploy them in positions where they can study or obtain samples of the rocks and soil. Sub-surface samples are obtained using a Pluto (PLanetary Undersurface TOol) which has the ability to crawl across, and burrow below the planetary surface. The constraints placed on Beagle 2 by mass restrictions of the Mars Express mission has meant that many innovations are necessary to ensure delivery of a sufficient science payload mass capable of the full range of measurements necessary to achieve the mission objectives. In particular a highly integrated approach to lander sytems and science instruments has been essential. This approach and the necessary technology developments have important implications for future in-situ analyses of the Martian surface and sub-surface.

Radio Occultation Measurements of Pluto's Atmosphere with New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinson, D. P.; Linscott, I.; Tyler, G. L.; Bird, M. K.; Paetzold, M.; Strobel, D. F.; Summers, M. E.; Woods, W. W.; Stern, A.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Olkin, C.; Young, L. A.; Ennico Smith, K.; Gladstone, R.; Greathouse, T.; Kammer, J.; Parker, A. H.; Parker, J. W.; Retherford, K. D.; Schindhelm, E.; Singer, K. N.; Steffl, A.; Tsang, C.; Versteeg, M.

2015-12-01

The reconnaissance of the Pluto System by New Horizons included radio occultations at both Pluto and Charon. This talk will present the latest results from the Pluto occultation. The REX instrument onboard New Horizons received and recorded uplink signals from two 70-m antennas and two 34-m antennas of the NASA Deep Space Network - each transmitting 20 kW at 4.2-cm wavelength - during a diametric occultation by Pluto. At the time this was written only a short segment of data at occultation entry (193°E, 17°S) was available for analysis. The REX measurements extend unequivocally to the surface, providing the first direct measure of the surface pressure and the temperature structure in Pluto's lower atmosphere. Preliminary analysis yields a surface pressure of about 10 microbars, smaller than expected. Data from occultation exit (16°E, 15°N) are scheduled to arrive on the ground in late August 2015. Those observations will yield an improved estimate of the surface pressure, a second temperature profile, and a measure of the diameter of Pluto with a precision of a few hundred meters.

Discovery of two new satellites of Pluto.

PubMed

Weaver, H A; Stern, S A; Mutchler, M J; Steffl, A J; Buie, M W; Merline, W J; Spencer, J R; Young, E F; Young, L A

2006-02-23

Pluto's first known satellite, Charon, was discovered in 1978. It has a diameter (approximately 1,200 km) about half that of Pluto, which makes it larger, relative to its primary, than any other moon in the Solar System. Previous searches for other satellites around Pluto have been unsuccessful, but they were not sensitive to objects less, similar150 km in diameter and there are no fundamental reasons why Pluto should not have more satellites. Here we report the discovery of two additional moons around Pluto, provisionally designated S/2005 P 1 (hereafter P1) and S/2005 P 2 (hereafter P2), which makes Pluto the first Kuiper belt object known to have multiple satellites. These new satellites are much smaller than Charon, with estimates of P1's diameter ranging from 60 km to 165 km, depending on the surface reflectivity; P2 is about 20 per cent smaller than P1. Although definitive orbits cannot be derived, both new satellites appear to be moving in circular orbits in the same orbital plane as Charon, with orbital periods of approximately 38 days (P1) and approximately 25 days (P2).

Changes in Pluto's Atmosphere Revealed by Occultations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sicardy, Bruno; Widemann, Thomas; Lellouch, Emmanuel; Veillet, Christian; Colas, Francois; Roques, Francoise; Beisker, Wolfgang; Kretlow, Mike; Cuillandre, Jean-Charles; Hainaut, Olivier

After the discovery and study of Pluto's tenuous atmosphere in 1985 and 1988 with stellar occultations 14 years were necessary before two other occultations by the planet could be observed on 20 July 2002 and 21 August 2002 from Northern Chile with a portable telescope and from CFHT in Hawaii respectively. These occultations reveal drastric changes in Pluto's nitrogen atmosphere whose pressure increased by a factor two or more since 1988. In spite of an increasing distance to the Sun (and a correlated decrease of solar energy input at Pluto) this increase can be explained by the fact that Pluto's south pole went from permanent darkness to permanent illumination between 1988 and 2002. This might cause the sublimation of the south polar cap and the increase of pressure which could go on till 2015 according to current nitrogen cycle models. Furthermore we detect temperature contrasts between the polar and the equatorial regions probed on Pluto possibly caused by different diurnally averaged insolations at those locations. Finally spikes observed in the light curves reveal a dynamical activity in Pluto's atmosphere.

Occultation Lightcurves for Selected Pluto Volatile Transport Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, L. A.

2004-11-01

The stellar occultations by Pluto in 1988 and 2002 are demonstrably sensitive to changes in Pluto's atmosphere near one microbar (Elliot and Young 1992, AJ 103, 991; Elliot et al. 2003, Nature 424, 165; Sicardy 2003, Nature 424, 168). However, Pluto volatile-transport models focus on the changes in the atmospheric pressure at the surface (e.g., Hansen and Paige 1996, Icarus 20, 247; Stansberry and Yelle 1999, Icarus 141, 299). What's lacking is a connection between predictions about the surface properties and either temperature and pressure profiles measurable from stellar occultations, or the occultation light curve morphology itself. Radiative-conductive models can illuminate this connection. I will illustrate how Pluto's changing surface pressure, temperature, and heliocentric distance may affect occultation light curves for a selection of existing volatile transport models. Changes in the light curve include the presence or absence of an observable ``kink'' (or departure from an isothermal light curve), the appearance of non-zero minimum flux levels, and the detectability of the solid surface. These light curves can serve as examples of what we may anticipate during the upcoming Pluto occultation season, as Pluto crosses the galactic plane.

Pluto Big Heart in Color

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-14

Pluto nearly fills the frame in this image from NASA New Horizons spacecraft, taken on July 13, 2015. This is the last and most detailed image sent to Earth before the spacecraft closest approach to Pluto on July 14.

Pluto Bladed Terrain in 3-D

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-31

One of the strangest landforms spotted by NASA New Horizons spacecraft when it flew past Pluto last July was the bladed terrain just east of Tombaugh Regio, the informal name given to Pluto large heart-shaped surface feature.

Image Analysis of the 2012 Pluto (Near) Occultation

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

Image Analysis of the 2012 Pluto (Near) Occultation Keith T. Knox Air Force Research Laboratory ABSTRACT Imagery was gathered at the AMOS...observatory on the 3.6-meter telescope for the expected occultation of a star by the dwarf planet, Pluto , on 29 June 2012. The imagery was taken at...5 Hz for 40 minutes before and after the expected time of occultation. The initial analysis of the photometry indicated that Pluto did not occult

Astrometrical observations of Pluto-Charon system with the automated telescopes of Pulkovo observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slesarenko, V. Yu.; Bashakova, E. A.; Devyatkin, A. V.

2016-03-01

The space probe "New Horizons" was launched on 19th of January 2006 in order to study Pluto and its moons. Spacecraft performed close fly-by to Pluto on 14th of July 2015 and obtained the most detailed images of Pluto and its moon until this moment. At the same time, observation obtained by the ground-based telescopes may also be helpful for the research of such distant system. Thereby, the Laboratory of observational astrometry of Pulkovo Observatory of RAS made a decision to reprocess observations obtained during last decade. More than 350 positional observations of Pluto-Charon system were carried out with the mirror astrograph ZA-320M at Pulkovo and Maksutov telescope MTM-500M near Kislovodsk. These observations were processed by means of software system APEX-II developed in Pulkovo observatory and numerical simulations were performed to calculate the differences between positions of photocenter and barycenter of Pluto-Charon system.

ScienceCast 26: Visit to Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-02

Pluto is a world of mystery waiting to be visited for the 1st time. NASA's New Horizons probe is racing across the solar system for a close encounter that could alter what researchers "know" about Pluto and other small worlds.

Pluto is the new Mars!

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Jeffrey M.; Mckinnon, William B.; Spencer, John R.; Howard, Alan D.; Grundy, William M.; Stern, S. Alan; Weaver, Harold A.; Young, Leslie A.; Ennico, Kimberly; Olkin, Cathy

2016-01-01

Data from NASA's New Horizons encounter with Pluto in July 2015 revealed an astoundingly complex world. The surface seen on the encounter hemisphere ranged in age from ancient to recent. A vast craterless plain of slowly convecting solid nitrogen resides in a deep primordial impact basin, reminiscent of young enigmatic deposits in Mars' Hellas basin. Like Mars, regions of Pluto are dominated by valleys, though the Pluto valleys are thought to be carved by nitrogen glaciers. Pluto has fretted terrain and halo craters. Pluto is cut by tectonics of several different ages. Like Mars, vast tracts on Pluto are mantled by dust and volatiles. Just as on Mars, Pluto has landscapes that systematically vary with latitude due to past and present seasonal (and mega-seasonal) effects on two major volatiles. On Mars, those volatiles are H2O and CO2; on Pluto they are CH4 and N2. Like Mars, some landscapes on Pluto defy easy explanation. In the Plutonian arctic there is a region of large (approx. 40 km across) deep (approx. 3-4 km) pits that probably could not be formed by sublimation, or any other single process, alone. Equally bizarre is the Bladed terrain, which is composed of fields of often roughly aligned blade-like ridges covering the flanks and crests of broad regional swells. Topping the unexpected are two large mounds approximately150 km across, approx. 5-6 km high, with great central depressions at their summits. The central depressions are almost as deep as the mounds are tall. These mounds have many of the characteristics of volcanic mountains seen on Mars and elsewhere in the inner solar system. Hypotheses for the formation of these Plutonian mounds so far all have challenges, principally revolving around the need for H2O ice to support their relief and the difficulty imagining mechanisms that would mobilize H2O. From the perspective of one year after the encounter, our appreciation of the extent of Pluto's diversity and complexity is quite reminiscent of the perspective the science community had of Mars, with similar quality data sets, soon after the early reconnaissance of that planet in the late 1960s and early 70s. So certainly in this sense, Pluto is the new Mars.

Pluto in Twilight

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-10

This image of Pluto from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, processed in two different ways, shows how Pluto's bright, high-altitude atmospheric haze produces a twilight that softly illuminates the surface before sunrise and after sunset, allowing the sensitive cameras on New Horizons to see details in nighttime regions that would otherwise be invisible. The right-hand version of the image has been greatly brightened to bring out faint details of rugged haze-lit topography beyond Pluto's terminator, which is the line separating day and night. The image was taken as New Horizons flew past Pluto on July 14, 2015, from a distance of 50,000 miles (80,000 kilometers). http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19931

NASA Researchers Discover “Bladed Terrain” on Pluto is Made of Frozen Methane (Video News File)

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-22

NASA has identified large formations of frozen methane on the surface of Pluto that are as tall as skyscrapers. Researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley used high resolution maps from the New Horizons flyby of Pluto in 2015 to understand these dramatic structures. The “bladed terrain” occurs only at high altitudes and in the region around the equator of Pluto. These jagged spires are thought to be created by an erosion process as the methane ice sublimates into gas. Researchers hope to use their findings to fill in the details of the areas of Pluto that were only measured in low resolution.

Pluto behaving badly: false beliefs and their consequences.

PubMed

Berkowitz, Shari R; Laney, Cara; Morris, Erin K; Garry, Maryanne; Loftus, Elizabeth F

2008-01-01

We exposed college students to suggestive materials in order to lead them to believe that, as children, they had a negative experience at Disneyland involving the Pluto character. A sizable minority of subjects developed a false belief or memory that Pluto had uncomfortably licked their ear. Suggestions about a positive experience with Pluto led to even greater acceptance of a lovable ear-licking episode. False beliefs and memories had repercussions; those seduced by the bad suggestions were not willing to pay as much for a Pluto souvenir. These findings are among the first to demonstrate that false beliefs can have repercussions for people, meaning that they can influence their later thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors.

Measuring the Size of a Small, Frost World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-01-01

Observing a very rare occultation of a star by Pluto's satellite Charon from three different sites, including Paranal, home of the VLT, astronomers were able to determine with great accuracy the radius and density of the satellite to the farthest planet. The density, 1.71 that of water, is indicative of an icy body with about slightly more than half of rocks. The observations also put strong constraints on the existence of an atmosphere around Charon. ESO PR Photo 02a/06 ESO PR Photo 02a/06 Artist's Impression of the Pluto-Charon system Since its discovery in 1978, Charon and Pluto have appeared to form a double planet, rather than a planet-satellite couple. Actually, Charon is about twice as small as Pluto in size, and about eight times less massive. However, there have been considerable discussions concerning the precise radii of Pluto and Charon, as well as about the presence of a tenuous atmosphere around Charon. In August 2004, Australian amateur astronomer Dave Herald predicted that the 15-magnitude star UCAC2 26257135 should be occulted by Charon on 11 July 2005. The occultation would be observable from some parts of South America, including Cerro Paranal, in the northern Atacama Desert, the location of ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). Stellar occultations have proved to be powerful tools to both measure sizes - at km-level accuracy, i.e. a factor ten better than what is feasible with other techniques - and detect very tenuous atmosphere - at microbar levels or less. Unfortunately, in the case of Charon, such occultations are extremely rare, owing to the very small angular diameter of the satellite on the sky: 55 milli-arcsec, i.e. the size of a one Euro coin observed from 100 km away! This explains why only one occultation by Charon was ever observed before 2005, namely on 7 April 1980 by Alistair Walker, from the South Africa Astronomical Observatory. Similarly, only in 1985, 1988 and 2002 could astronomers observe stellar occultations by Pluto. Quite surprisingly, the 2002 event showed that Pluto's atmospheric pressure had increased by a factor of two in four years (ESO PHOT 21/02). "Several factors, however, have boosted our odds for witnessing occultations of Charon," said Bruno Sicardy, from Paris Observatory (France) and lead author of the paper reporting the results. "First, larger telescopes now give access to fainter stars, thus multiplying the candidates for occultations. Secondly, stellar catalogues have become much more precise, allowing us to do better predictions. And, finally, the Pluto-Charon system is presently crossing the Milky Way, thereby increasing the likelihood of an occultation." ESO PR Photo 02b/06 ESO PR Photo 02b/06 The Pluto-Charon System (NACO/VLT) The July 2005 event was eventually observed from Paranal with Yepun, the fourth Unit Telescope of the VLT, equipped with the adaptive optics instrument NACO, as well as with the 0.5m "Campo Catino Austral Telescope" at San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), and with the 2.15m "Jorge Sahade" telescope at Cerro El Leoncito (Argentina). An accurate timing of the occultation seen at the three sites provides the most accurate measurement of Charon's size: its radius is found to be 603.6 km, with an error of the order of 5 km. This accuracy now allows astronomers to pin Charon's density down to 1.71 that of water, indicative of an icy body with about slightly more than half of rocks. Quite remarkably, Charon's density is now measured with much more precision than Pluto's. ESO PR Photo 02c/06 ESO PR Photo 02c/06 Charon's Occultation on July 11, 2005 Thanks to these observations, Sicardy and his collaborators could determine that if an tenuous atmosphere exists on Charon, linking it to the freezing ­-220­ degrees centigrade or so surface, its pressure has to be less than one tenth of a millionth that at the surface of the Earth, or 0.1 microbar, assuming that it is constituted entirely of nitrogen. A similar upper limit is derived for a gas like carbon monoxide. This is more than a factor one hundred smaller than Pluto's surface pressure, which is estimated to be in the range 10-15 microbars. "Comparing Pluto and Charon, we seem to cross a borderline between bodies which may have bound atmospheres - like Pluto - and airless bodies like Charon", said Olivier Hainaut, from ESO and member of the team. The observations also indicate that methane ice, if present, should be restricted to very cold regions of the surface. Similarly, nitrogen ice would be confined at best to high northern latitudes or permanently shadowed regions of Charon. As Pluto and its satellite sweep across the Milky Way, observations of more occultations will be tempted from the ground, while the NASA's Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission, to be launched in January 2006, will be travelling towards the planet, that it should reach in July 2015. A report of these results is to be published in the January 5, 2006 issue of Nature ("Charon's size and upper limit on its atmosphere from a stellar occultation", by B. Sicardy, A. Bellucci, E. Gendron, F. Lacombe, S. Lacour, J. Lecacheux, E. Lellouch, S. Renner, S. Pau, F. Roques, T. Widemann, F. Colas, F. Vachier, N. Ageorges, O. Hainaut, O. Marco, W. Beisker, E. Hummel, C. Feinstein, H. Levato, A. Maury, E. Frappa, B. Gaillard, M. Lavayssière, M. Di Sora, F. Mallia, G. Masi, R. Behrend, F. Carrier, O. Mousis, P. Rousselot, A. Alvarez-Candal, D. Lazzaro, C. Veiga, A.H. Andrei, M. Assafin, D.N. da Silva Neto, R. Vieira Martins, C. Jacques, E. Pimentel, D. Weaver, J.-F Lecampion, F. Doncel, T. Momiyama, and G. Tancredi). High resolution images and their captions are available on this page.

The State of Pluto's Bulk Atmosphere at the Time of the New Horizons Encounter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Resnick, Aaron C.; Barry, T.; Buie, M. W.; Carriazo, C. Y.; Cole, A.; Gault, D.; Giles, B.; Giles, D.; Hartig, K.; Hill, K.; Howell, R. R.; Hudson, G.; Loader, B.; Mackie, J.; Nelson, M.; Olkin, C.; Register, J.; Rodgers, T.; Sicardy, B.; Skrutskie, M.; Verbiscer, A.; Wasserman, L.; Watson, C.; Young, E.; Young, L.; Zalucha, A.

2015-11-01

On 29-JUL-2015, our team - plus many critical amateur astronomers - observed a stellar occultation by Pluto from sites in Australia and New Zealand. This event was remarkable for two reasons: it preceded the New Horizons flyby of Pluto by just two weeks, and the occulted star was about 10x brighter than Pluto itself, by far the brightest Pluto occultation event observed to date. The separation of ground sites spanned nearly 900 km with respect to the central chord, allowing a good geometric solution for the shadow path. The lightcurves show some inflection points and broad "fangs" that are characteristic of perturbations in the temperature profile. Preliminary fits show that the temperature profile derived from a 2006 occultation (Young et al. 2008) reproduces the 29-JUN-2015 lightcurves well. Assuming a surface radius of 1187 km for Pluto, we find that the surface pressure is 18 +/- 3 µbar. This pressure indicates that Pluto's surface has not yet started to cool down, despite a decrease in absorbed solar flux of more than 17% since perihelion in 1988. A surface pressure of 18 µbar would correspond to a nitrogen ice surface temperature of 38.0 K.References:Young, E.F., et al. "Vertical Structure in Pluto's Atmosphere from the 2006 June 12 Stellar Occultation," AJ 136 1757-1769 (2008)

High Precision Piezoelectric Linear Motors for Operations at Cryogenic Temperatures and Vacuum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, D.; Carman, G.; Stam, M.; Bar-Cohen, Y.; Sen, A.; Henry, P.; Bearman, G.; Moacanin, J.

1995-01-01

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory evaluated the use of an electromechanical device for optically positioning a mirror system during the pre-project phase of the Pluto-Fast-Flyby (PFF) mission. The device under consideration was a piezoelectric driven linear motor functionally dependent upon a time varying electric field which induces displacements ranging from submicrons to millimeters with positioning accuracy within nanometers. Using a control package, the mirror system provides image motion compensation and mosaicking capabilities. While this device offers unique advantages, there were concerns pertaining to its operational capabilities for the PFF mission. The issues include irradiation effects and thermal concerns. A literature study indicated that irradiation effects will not significantly impact the linear motor's operational characteristics. On the other hand, thermal concerns necessitated an in depth study.

Radioisotope Electric Propulsion for Fast Outer Planetary Orbiters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oleson, Steven; Benson, Scott; Gefert, Leon; Patterson, Michael; Schreiber, Jeffrey

2002-01-01

Recent interest in outer planetary targets by the Office of Space Science has spurred the search for technology options to enable relatively quick missions to outer planetary targets. Several options are being explored including solar electric propelled stages combined with aerocapture at the target and nuclear electric propulsion. Another option uses radioisotope powered electric thrusters to reach the outer planets. Past work looked at using this technology to provide faster flybys. A better use for this technology is for outer planet orbiters. Combined with medium class launch vehicles and a new direct trajectory these small, sub-kilowatt ion thrusters and Stirling radioisotope generators were found to allow missions as fast as 5 to 12 years for objects from Saturn to Pluto, respectively. Key to the development is light spacecraft and science payload technologies.

Two Faces of Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-01

This pair of approximately true color images of Pluto and its big moon Charon, taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, highlight the dramatically different appearance of different sides of the dwarf planet, and reveal never-before-seen details on Pluto's varied surface. The views were made by combining high-resolution black-and-white images from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) with color information from the lower-resolution color camera that is part of the Ralph instrument. The left-hand image shows the side of Pluto that always faces away from Charon -- this is the side that will be seen at highest resolution by New Horizons when it makes its close approach to Pluto on July 14th. This hemisphere is dominated by a very dark region that extends along the equator and is redder than its surroundings, alongside a strikingly bright, paler-colored region which straddles the equator on the right-hand side of the disk. The opposite hemisphere, the side that faces Charon, is seen in the right-hand image. The most dramatic feature on this side of Pluto is a row of dark dots arranged along the equator. The origin of all these features is still mysterious, but may be revealed in the much more detailed images that will be obtained as the spacecraft continues its approach to Pluto. In both images, Charon shows a darker and grayer color than Pluto, and a conspicuous dark polar region. The left-hand image was obtained at 5:37 UT on June 25th 2015, at a distance from Pluto of 22.9 million kilometers (14.3 million miles) and has a central longitude of 152 degrees. The right-hand image was obtained at 23:15 UT on June 27th 2015, at a distance from Pluto of 19.7 million kilometers (12.2 million miles) with a central longitude of 358 degrees. Insets show the orientation of Pluto in each image -- the solid lines mark the equator and the prime meridian, which is defined to be the longitude that always faces Charon. The smallest visible features are about 200 km (120 miles) across. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19693

Final Hazard Search

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-08

This single frame from a four-frame movie shows New Horizons' final deep search for hazardous material around Pluto, obtained on July 1, 2015. These data allow a highly sensitive search for any new moons. The images were taken with the spacecraft's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) over a 100-minute period, and were the final observations in the series of dedicated searches for hazards in the Pluto system which began on May 11. The images show all five known satellites of Pluto moving in their orbits around the dwarf planet, but analysis of these data has so far not revealed the existence of any additional moons. This means that any undiscovered Plutonian moons further than a few thousand miles from Pluto must be smaller than about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) in diameter, if their surfaces have similar brightness to Pluto's big moon Charon. For comparison, Pluto's faintest known moon, Styx, which is conspicuous in the lower left quadrant of these images, is about 4 miles (7 kilometers) across, assuming the same surface brightness. The absence of additional moons, and also the absence of detectable rings in the hazard search data, imply that the spacecraft is very unlikely to be damaged by collisions with rings, or dust particles ejected from moons, during its high-speed passage through the Pluto system. The four movie frames were taken at 16:28, 16:38, 17:52, and 18:04 UTC on July 1, from a range of 9.4 million miles (15.2 million kilometers). Each frame is a mosaic of four sets of overlapping images, with a total exposure time of 120 seconds. The images have been heavily processed to remove the glare of Pluto and Charon, and the dense background of stars, though blemishes remain at the locations of many of the brighter stars. The "tails" extending to the right or downward from Pluto and Charon are camera artifacts caused by the extreme overexposure of both objects. Pluto and its five moons Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra are identified by their initials, and their orbits around the center of gravity of the system (which is located just outside Pluto itself) are also shown. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19701

Peering Into Distant Lands: The Geology of Pluto and Charon as Revealed by New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umurhan, Orkan; Spencer, John; McKinnon, William; Weaver, Harold; Olkin, Cathy; Ennico, Kimberly; Young, Leslie; Moore, Jeffrey M.; Stern, S. Alan

2016-07-01

The New Horizons spacecraft's close-encounter with Pluto and Charon has revealed these two planetary bodies to have strikingly different surface appearances despite their similar densities and (presumed) compositions [1,2]. Pluto's surface landforms are varied but most appear to be a consequence of surface-atmosphere interactions and insolation mobilization of volatile ices. Pluto exhibits an abundance of valley systems that appear to be shaped by glacial dynamics involving N_{2} ice. N_{2} and (possibly) CO ice appears to be involved in solid-state convection in the 3-4 km deep, 900 km wide equatorial region called Sputnik Planum [3] with convection pattern size scales ranging from 15-40 km. Calculations involving known properties of volatiles under Pluto's current conditions show that Pluto's radiogenic heat loss is enough to power advection and convection of volatile ices. The Piri Planitia/Rupes complex, located in the uplands west of Sputnik Planum, appears to be a landform undergoing scarp retreat driven by the sublimation of CH_{4} gas. The prominent mountain ranges found on the western margin of Sputnik Planum, including Norgay and Hillary Montes, as well as the odd-looking mound features (possibly cryovolcanic) found to the south, like the 3-4 km high Wright Mons, are likely composed of H_{2}O ice and appear to be geologically young - as suggested by their light cratering and superposition relationships. What drives the formation and development of these Plutonian structures so late in Solar System history remains puzzling and is under investigation. While also harboring geologically varied features, Charon's terrain is heavily cratered and appears to be 4 Ga old and lacks obvious evidence of dynamic remolding by volatile transport. Oz Terra, in the northern portion of the encounter hemisphere, exhibits extremely rugged terrain with craters up to 240 km in diameter and a network of polygonal troughs as deep as 10 km. Oz Terra is separated from the southern smooth terrain called Vulcan Planum by a series of graben and tilted blocks indicative of a past and rather vigorous endogenic phase expressed through tectonism. The presence of 1 - 2 km high convex marginal scarps, some of which form moats around isolated mountains, suggests that a viscous fluid, possibly an ammonia/water mixture, was responsible for surfacing the plains of Vulcan Planum. Many young craters, including Nasreddin crater, show conspicuous light and dark rays - suggesting subsurface inhomogeneities. Speculations as to the geologic histories of these two bodies will be discussed. References [1] Stern, S. A. et al. (2015) Science, 350, 292. [2] Moore et al. (2016) Science, in press. [3] All place names on Pluto and Charon are informal.

Blue Rays: New Horizons High-Res Farewell to Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-24

This is the highest-resolution color departure shot of Pluto's receding crescent from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, taken when the spacecraft was 120,000 miles (200,000 kilometers) away from Pluto. Shown in approximate true color, the picture was constructed from a mosaic of six black-and-white images from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), with color added from a lower resolution Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) color image, all acquired between 15:20 and 15:45 UT -- about 3.5 hours after closest approach to Pluto -- on July 14, 2015. The resolution of the LORRI images is about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) per pixel; the sun illuminates the scene from the other side of Pluto and somewhat toward the top of this image. The image is dominated by spectacular layers of blue haze in Pluto's atmosphere. Scientists believe the haze is a photochemical smog resulting from the action of sunlight on methane and other molecules in Pluto's atmosphere, producing a complex mixture of hydrocarbons such as acetylene and ethylene. These hydrocarbons accumulate into small haze particles, a fraction of a micrometer in size, which preferentially scatter blue sunlight -- the same process that can make haze appear bluish on Earth. As they settle down through the atmosphere, the haze particles form numerous intricate, horizontal layers, some extending for hundreds of miles around large portions of the limb of Pluto. The haze layers extend to altitudes of over 120 miles (200 kilometers). Pluto's circumference is 4,667 miles (7,466 kilometers). Adding to the beauty of this picture are mountains and other topographic features on Pluto's surface that are silhouetted against the haze near the top of the image. Sunlight casts dramatic and beautiful finger-like shadows from many of these features onto the haze (especially on the left, near the 11 o'clock position), forming crepuscular rays like those often seen in Earth's atmosphere near sunrise or sunset. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21590

Pluto in 3-D

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-10-23

Global stereo mapping of Pluto surface is now possible, as images taken from multiple directions are downlinked from NASA New Horizons spacecraft. Stereo images will eventually provide an accurate topographic map of most of the hemisphere of Pluto seen by New Horizons during the July 14 flyby, which will be key to understanding Pluto's geological history. This example, which requires red/blue stereo glasses for viewing, shows a region 180 miles (300 kilometers) across, centered near longitude 130 E, latitude 20 N (the red square in the global context image). North is to the upper left. The image shows an ancient, heavily cratered region of Pluto, dotted with low hills and cut by deep fractures, which indicate extension of Pluto's crust. Analysis of these stereo images shows that the steep fracture in the upper left of the image is about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) deep, and the craters in the lower right part of the image are up to 1.3 miles (2.1 km) deep. Smallest visible details are about 0.4 miles (0.6 kilometers) across. You will need 3D glasses to view this image showing an ancient, heavily cratered region of Pluto. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20032

Astrometry of Pluto from 1930-1951 observations: The Lampland plate collection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buie, Marc W.; Folkner, William M., E-mail: buie@boulder.swri.edu, E-mail: william.m.folkner@jpl.nasa.gov

We present a new analysis of 843 photographic plates of Pluto taken by Carl Lampland at Lowell Observatory from 1930–1951. This large collection of plates contains useful astrometric information that improves our knowledge of Pluto's orbit. This improvement provides critical support to the impending flyby of Pluto by New Horizons. New Horizons can do inbound navigation of the system to improve its targeting. This navigation is capable of nearly eliminating the sky-plane errors but can do little to constrain the time of closest approach. Thus the focus on this work was to better determine Pluto's heliocentric distance and to determinemore » the uncertainty on that distance with a particular eye to eliminating systematic errors that might have been previously unrecognized. This work adds 596 new astrometric measurements based on the USNO CCD Astrograph Catalog 4. With the addition of these data the uncertainty of the estimated heliocentric position of Pluto in Developmental Ephemerides 432 (DE432) is at the level of 1000 km. This new analysis gives us more confidence that these estimations are accurate and are sufficient to support a successful flyby of Pluto by New Horizons.« less

Astrometry of Pluto from 1930-1951 Observations: the Lampland Plate Collection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buie, Marc W.; Folkner, William M.

2015-01-01

We present a new analysis of 843 photographic plates of Pluto taken by Carl Lampland at Lowell Observatory from 1930-1951. This large collection of plates contains useful astrometric information that improves our knowledge of Pluto's orbit. This improvement provides critical support to the impending flyby of Pluto by New Horizons. New Horizons can do inbound navigation of the system to improve its targeting. This navigation is capable of nearly eliminating the sky-plane errors but can do little to constrain the time of closest approach. Thus the focus on this work was to better determine Pluto's heliocentric distance and to determine the uncertainty on that distance with a particular eye to eliminating systematic errors that might have been previously unrecognized. This work adds 596 new astrometric measurements based on the USNO CCD Astrograph Catalog 4. With the addition of these data the uncertainty of the estimated heliocentric position of Pluto in Developmental Ephemerides 432 (DE432) is at the level of 1000 km. This new analysis gives us more confidence that these estimations are accurate and are sufficient to support a successful flyby of Pluto by New Horizons.

Developer Initiation and Social Interactions in OSS: A Case Study of the Apache Software Foundation

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-01

public interaction with the Apache Pluto community is on the mailing list in August 2006: Hello all, I’am John from the University [...], we are...developing the Prototype for the JSR 286. I hope that we can discuss the code [...] we have made and then develop new code for Pluto together [...], referring...to his and some of his fellow student’s intentions to contribute to Pluto . John gets the attention of Pluto committers and is immediately welcomed as

The New Horizons Radio Science Experiment: Expected Performance in Measurements of Pluto's Atmospheric Structure, Surface Pressure, and Surface Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinson, D. P.; Linscott, I.; Woods, W. W.; Tyler, G. L.; Bird, M. K.; Paetzold, M.; Strobel, D. F.

2014-12-01

The New Horizons (NH) payload includes a Radio Science Experiment (REX) for investigating key characteristics of Pluto and Charon during the upcoming flyby in July 2015. REX flight equipment augments the NH radio transceiver used for spacecraft communications and tracking. The REX hardware implementation requires 1.6 W and 160 g. This presentation will focus on the final design and the predicted performance of two high-priority observations. First, REX will receive signals from a pair of 70-m antennas on Earth - each transmitting 20 kW at 4.2-cm wavelength - during a diametric radio occultation by Pluto. The data recorded by REX will reveal the surface pressure, the temperature structure of the lower atmosphere, and the surface radius. Second, REX will measure the thermal emission from Pluto at 4.2-cm wavelength during two linear scans across the disk at close range when both the dayside and the nightside are visible, allowing the surface temperature and its spatial variations to be determined. Both scans extend from limb to limb with a resolution of about 10 pixels; one bisects Pluto whereas the second crosses the winter pole. We will illustrate the capabilities of REX by reviewing the method of analysis and the precision achieved in a lunar occultation observed by New Horizons in May 2011. Re-analysis of radio occultation measurements by Voyager 2 at Triton is also under way. More generally, REX objectives include a radio occultation search for Pluto's ionosphere; examination of Charon through both radio occultation and radiometry; a search for a radar echo from Pluto's surface; and improved knowledge of the Pluto system mass and the Pluto-Charon mass ratio from a combination of two-way and one-way Doppler frequency measurements.

Mapping the stability region of the 3:2 Neptune-Pluto resonance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levison, H. F.; Stern, S. A.

1993-01-01

Pluto and Charon are most likely the remnants of a large number of objects that existed in the Uranus-Neptune region at early epochs of the solar system. Numerical integrations have shown that, in general, such objects were ejected from the planetary region on timescales of approximately 10(exp 7) years after Neptune and Uranus reached their current masses. It is thought that the Pluto-Charon system survived to current times without being dynamically removed in this way because it is trapped in a set of secular and mean motion resonances with Neptune. The best-known Pluto-Neptune orbit coupling is the 3:2 mean motion resonance discovered almost 30 years ago by C. Cohen and E. Hubbard. These workers showed that the resonance angle, delta is equivalent to 3(lambda(sub P)) - 2(lambda(sub N)) - omega-bar(sub P) where omega-bar(sub P) is the longitude of perihelion of the Pluto-Charon system, and lambda(sub N) and lambda(sub P) are the mean longitude of Neptune and Pluto-Charon respectively, librates about 180 deg with an amplitude, A(sub delta), of 76 deg. A numerical simulation project to map out the stability region of the 3:2 resonance is reported. The results of these simulations are important to understanding whether Pluto's long-term heliocentric stability requires only the 3:2 resonance, or whether it instead requires one or more of the other Pluto-Neptune resonances. Our study also has another important application. By investigating stability timescales as a function of orbital elements, we gain insight into the fraction of orbital phase space which the stable 3:2 resonance occupies. This fraction is directly related to the probability that the Pluto-Charon system (and possibly other small bodies) could have been captured into this resonance.

Surface compositions across Pluto and Charon.

PubMed

Grundy, W M; Binzel, R P; Buratti, B J; Cook, J C; Cruikshank, D P; Dalle Ore, C M; Earle, A M; Ennico, K; Howett, C J A; Lunsford, A W; Olkin, C B; Parker, A H; Philippe, S; Protopapa, S; Quirico, E; Reuter, D C; Schmitt, B; Singer, K N; Verbiscer, A J; Beyer, R A; Buie, M W; Cheng, A F; Jennings, D E; Linscott, I R; Parker, J Wm; Schenk, P M; Spencer, J R; Stansberry, J A; Stern, S A; Throop, H B; Tsang, C C C; Weaver, H A; Weigle, G E; Young, L A

2016-03-18

The New Horizons spacecraft mapped colors and infrared spectra across the encounter hemispheres of Pluto and Charon. The volatile methane, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen ices that dominate Pluto's surface have complicated spatial distributions resulting from sublimation, condensation, and glacial flow acting over seasonal and geological time scales. Pluto's water ice "bedrock" was also mapped, with isolated outcrops occurring in a variety of settings. Pluto's surface exhibits complex regional color diversity associated with its distinct provinces. Charon's color pattern is simpler, dominated by neutral low latitudes and a reddish northern polar region. Charon's near-infrared spectra reveal highly localized areas with strong ammonia absorption tied to small craters with relatively fresh-appearing impact ejecta. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Pluto's surface composition and atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, L. A.; Gladstone, R.; Summers, M. E.; Strobel, D. F.; Kammer, J.; Hinson, D. P.; Grundy, W. M.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Protopapa, S.; Schmitt, B.; Stern, A.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Olkin, C.; Ennico Smith, K.

2017-12-01

New Horizons studied Pluto's N2-dominated neutral atmosphere through radio (at 4.2 cm with the REX radio experiment), solar and stellar occultations and airglow (at 52-187 nm with the Alice ultraviolet spectrograph), and imaging (with the LORRI and MVIC visible-wavelength cameras). It studied the plasma environment and solar wind interaction with in situ instruments (PEPPSI and SWAP). Contemporaneous observations of Pluto's atmosphere from Earth included a ground-based stellar occultation and ALMA observations of gaseous CO and HCN. Joint analysis of these datasets reveal a variable boundary layer; a stable lower atmosphere; radiative heating and cooling; haze production and hydrocarbon chemistry; diffusive equilibrium; and slower-than-expected escape. New Horizons studied Pluto's surface composition with the LEISA near-infrared spectral imager from 1.25 to 2.5 micron. Additional compositional information at higher spatial resolution came from the MVIC 4-channel color imager, which included a channel centered at 0.89 micron specifically designed to detect solid CH4. These instruments allow mapping of the volatiles N2, CO, and CH4, the surface expression of the H2O bedrock, and the dark, reddish material presumed to be tholins. These observations reveal a large equatorial basin (informally named Sptunik Planitia), filled with N2 ice with minor amounts of CO and CH4, surrounded by hills of CH4 and H2O ice. Broadly speaking, composition outside of Sptunik Planitia follows latitudinal banding, with dark, mainly volatile free terrains near the equator, with N2, CO, and CH4 at mid-northern latitudes, and mainly CH4 at high northern latitudes. Deviations from these broad trends are seen, and point to complex surface-atmosphere interactions at diurnal, seasonal, perennial, and million-year timescales.

What Eating at Pluto?

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-10

Scientists on NASA's New Horizons mission have discovered what looks like a giant bite-mark on the planet's surface. In this image, north is up. The southern portion of the left inset above shows the cratered plateau uplands informally named Vega Terra (note that all feature names are informal). This terrain is separated from the young, nearly uncratered, mottled plains of Piri Planitia in the center of the image by a generally north-facing jagged scarp called Piri Rupes. The scarp breaks up into isolated mesas in several places. Cutting diagonally across Piri Planitia is the long extensional fault of Inanna Fossa, which stretches eastward 370 miles (600 kilometers) from here to the western edge of the great nitrogen ice plains of Sputnik Planum. Compositional data from the New Horizons spacecraft's Ralph/Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA) instrument, shown in the right inset, indicate that the plateau uplands south of Piri Rupes are rich in methane ice (shown in false color as purple). Scientists speculate that sublimation of methane may be causing the plateau material to erode along the face of the scarp cliffs, causing them to retreat south and leave the plains of Piri Planitia in their wake. Compositional data also show that the surface of Piri Planitia is more enriched in water ice (shown in false color as blue) than the plateau uplands, which may indicate that Piri Planitia's surface is made of water ice bedrock, on top of which the layer of retreating methane ice had been sitting. Because the surface of Pluto is so cold, the water ice behaves like rock and is immobile. The light/dark mottled pattern of Piri Planitia in the left inset is reflected in the composition map, with the lighter areas corresponding to areas richer in methane – these may be remnants of methane that have not yet sublimated away entirely. The inset at left shows about 650 feet (200 meters) per pixel; the image measures approximately 280 miles (450 kilometers) long by 255 miles (410 kilometers) wide. It was obtained by New Horizons at a range of approximately 21,100 miles (33,900 kilometers) from Pluto, about 45 minutes before the spacecraft's closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015.The LEISA data at right was gathered when the spacecraft was about 29,000 miles (47,000 kilometers) from Pluto; best resolution is 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) per pixel. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20531

Haze heats Pluto's atmosphere yet explains its cold temperature.

PubMed

Zhang, Xi; Strobel, Darrell F; Imanaka, Hiroshi

2017-11-15

Pluto's atmosphere is cold and hazy. Recent observations have shown it to be much colder than predicted theoretically, suggesting an unknown cooling mechanism. Atmospheric gas molecules, particularly water vapour, have been proposed as a coolant; however, because Pluto's thermal structure is expected to be in radiative-conductive equilibrium, the required water vapour would need to be supersaturated by many orders of magnitude under thermodynamic equilibrium conditions. Here we report that atmospheric hazes, rather than gases, can explain Pluto's temperature profile. We find that haze particles have substantially larger solar heating and thermal cooling rates than gas molecules, dominating the atmospheric radiative balance from the ground to an altitude of 700 kilometres, above which heat conduction maintains an isothermal atmosphere. We conclude that Pluto's atmosphere is unique among Solar System planetary atmospheres, as its radiative energy equilibrium is controlled primarily by haze particles instead of gas molecules. We predict that Pluto is therefore several orders of magnitude brighter at mid-infrared wavelengths than previously thought-a brightness that could be detected by future telescopes.

The New Horizons Radio Science Experiment: Performance and Measurements of Pluto's Atmospheric Structure, Surface Pressure, and Surface Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linscott, I.; Hinson, D. P.; Bird, M. K.; Stern, A.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Olkin, C.; Young, L. A.; Ennico Smith, K.

2015-12-01

The New Horizons (NH) spacecraft payload contained the Radio Science Experiment (REX) for determining key characteristics of Pluto and Charon during the July 14, 2015, flyby of the Pluto/Charon system. The REX flight equipment augments the NH X-band radio transceiver by providing a high precision, narrow band recording of high power uplink transmissions from Earth stations, as well as a record of broadband radiometric power. This presentation will review the performance and initial results of two high- priority observations. First, REX received two pair of 20-kW signals, one pair per polarization, transmitted from the DSN at 4.2-cm wavelength during a diametric radio occultation by Pluto. REX recorded these uplink signals and determined precise measurement of the surface pressure, the temperature structure of the lower atmosphere, and the surface radius of Pluto. The ingress portion of one polarization was played back from the spacecraft in July and processed to obtain the pressure and temperature structure of Pluto's atmosphere. Second, REX measured the thermal emission from Pluto at 4.2- cm wavelength during two linear scans across the disk at close range when both the dayside and the night side are visible. Both scans extend from limb to limb with a resolution of one-tenth Pluto's disk and temperature resolution of 0.1 K. Occultation and radiometric temperature results presented here will encompass additional data scheduled for playback in September.

Mirages and the nature of Pluto's atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stansberry, J. A.; Lunine, J. I.; Hubbard, W. B.; Yelle, R. V.; Hunten, D. M.

1994-01-01

We present model occultation lightcurves demonstrating that a strong thermal inversion layer at the base of Pluto's stratosphere can reproduce the minimum flux measured by the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) during the 1988 occultation of a star by Pluto. The inversion layer also forms the occultation equivalent of a mirage at a radius of 1198 km, which is capable of hiding tropospheres of significant depth. Pluto's surface lies below 1198 km, its radius depending on the depth of the troposphere. We begin by computing plausible temperature structures for Pluto's lower atmosphere, constrained by a calculation of the temperature of the atmosphere near the surface. We then trace rays from the occulted star through the model atmosphere, computing the resultant bending of the ray. Model light curves are obtained by summing the contribution of individual rays within the shadow of Pluto on Earth. We find that we can reproduce the KAO lightcurve using model atmospheres with a temperature inversion and no haze. We have explored models with tropospheres as deep as 40 km (implying a Pluto radius of 1158 km) that reproduce the suite of occultation data. Deeper tropospheres can be fitted to the data, but the mutual event radius of 1150 km probably provides a lower bound. If Pluto has a shallow or nonexistent troposphere, its density is consistent with formation in the solar nebula with modest water loss due to impact ejection. If the troposhere is relatively deep, implying a smaller radius and larger density, significant amounts of water loss are required.

Miniatue Propulsion Components for the Pluto Fast Flyby Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morash, D. H.; Strand, L.

1994-01-01

Pluto is the only planet in our solar system not yet visited by our spacecraft. Recent observations through the Hubble Space Telescope have given us a glimpse of Pluto and it's moon Charon, but their small size and immense distance from earth have preserved their mystery.

Update on the Fire (solar probe) mission study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, W. Veron; Forman, Miriam A.

1995-01-01

Since mid-1994 the U.S. and Russia have been studying the technical feasibility of a joint solar probe mission as part of the 'Fire and Ice' concept to explore close to the Sun, and Pluto, together. In the current concept of the 'Fire' mission, separate spacecraft built by each country would be launched together, fly by Jupiter to shed orbital angular momentum and achieve a solar polar orbit, and arrive 3.6 years later at 4 and 10 R(sub s). The Fire mission would measure basic parameters of the modes of energy and momentum flow and transfer to the coronal plasma that are not observable remotely. Specifically, measurement of magnetic fields, waves, suprathermal particles, and critical features of the plasma particle composition and distribution function would be made from 4 to 30 R(sub s) where the solar wind is known to be accelerated. In addition, the Fire spacecraft should image coronal structures unambiguously and relate the underlying and flown-through structures to plasma characteristics measured in situ. Each country is developing a backup plan to pursue the solar probe objectives alone if the other side is unable to carry out its mission.

A giant impact origin of Pluto-Charon.

PubMed

Canup, Robin M

2005-01-28

Pluto and its moon, Charon, are the most prominent members of the Kuiper belt, and their existence holds clues to outer solar system formation processes. Here, hydrodynamic simulations are used to demonstrate that the formation of Pluto-Charon by means of a large collision is quite plausible. I show that such an impact probably produced an intact Charon, although it is possible that a disk of material orbited Pluto from which Charon later accumulated. These findings suggest that collisions between 1000-kilometer-class objects occurred in the early inner Kuiper belt.

Hemispherical Pluto and Charon Color Composition From New Horizons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ennico, K.; Parker, A.; Howett, C. A. J.; Olkin, C. B.; Spencer, J. R.; Grundy, W. M.; Reuter, D. E.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Binzel, R. P.; Buie, M. W.;

New Horizons at Pluto

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

Artist's concept of the New Horizons spacecraft as it approaches Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, in July 2015. The craft's miniature cameras, radio science experiment, ultraviolet and infrared spectrometers and space plasma experiments will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's atmosphere in detail. The spacecraft's most prominent design feature is a nearly 7-foot (2.1-meter) dish antenna, through which it will communicate with Earth from as far as 4.7 billion miles (7.5 billion kilometers) away.

On the origin of Triton and Pluto

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckinnon, W. B.

1984-01-01

Lyttleton's (1936) hypothesis that Triton and Pluto originated as adjacent prograde satellites of Neptune is evaluated, and it is shown that with the presently accepted masses of Triton and Pluto-Charon, the momentum and energy exchange required to set Triton on a retrograde orbit is impossible. The Pluto-Charon system could not have acquired its present angular momentum state during an ejection event unless a physical collision was involved, which is quite unlikely. The simplest hypothesis is that Triton and Pluto are independent representatives of large outer solar system planetesimals. Triton is simply captured, with spectacular consequences that include runaway melting of interior ices and release to the surface of clathrated CH4, CO, and N2. Condensed remnants of this protoatmosphere could account for features in Triton's unique spectrum.

On the Origin of Triton and Pluto

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckinnon, W. B.

1985-01-01

Lyttleton's (1936) hypothesis that Triton and Pluto originated as adjacent prograde satellites of Neptune is evaluated, and it is shown that with the presently accepted masses of Triton and Pluto-Charon, the momentum and energy exchange required to sell Triton on a retrograde orbit is impossible. The Pluto-Charon system could not have acquired its present angular momentum state during an ejection event unless a physical collision was involved, which is quite unlikely. The simplest hypothesis is that Triton and Pluto are independent representatives of large outer solar system planetesimals. Triton is simply captured, with spectacular consequences that include runaway melting of interior ices and release to the surface of clathrated CH4, CO, and N2. Condensed remnants of this protoatmosphere could account for features in Triton's unique spectrum.

FIRST ULTRAVIOLET REFLECTANCE SPECTRA OF PLUTO AND CHARON BY THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE COSMIC ORIGINS SPECTROGRAPH: DETECTION OF ABSORPTION FEATURES AND EVIDENCE FOR TEMPORAL CHANGE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stern, S. A.; Spencer, J. R.; Shinn, A.

We have observed the mid-UV spectra of both Pluto and its large satellite, Charon, at two rotational epochs using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) in 2010. These are the first HST/COS measurements of Pluto and Charon. Here we describe the observations and our reduction of them, and present the albedo spectra, average mid-UV albedos, and albedo slopes we derive from these data. These data reveal evidence for a strong absorption feature in the mid-UV spectrum of Pluto; evidence for temporal change in Pluto's spectrum since the 1990s is reported, and indirect evidence for a near-UV spectralmore » absorption on Charon is also reported.« less

The subsurface of Pluto from submillimetre observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greaves, J. S.; Whitelaw, A. C. M.; Bendo, G. J.

2015-04-01

Surface areas on Pluto change in brightness and colour, at optical to infrared wavelengths, over time-scales as short as years. The subsurface contains a reservoir of frozen volatiles, but little is known about it because Pluto is out of reach for cm-radar. Here we present a 0.85 mm wavelength light curve of the Pluto system, from archival data taken in 1997 August with the SCUBA (Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array) camera on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). This wavelength probes for the first time to just below the skin depth of thermal changes over Pluto's day. The light curve differs significantly from counterparts in the mid- to far-infrared, in a longitude range that is optically dark on Pluto's surface. An estimate from Herschel of the 0.5 mm flux in 2012 is comparable to the mean 0.45 mm flux from SCUBA in 1997, suggesting that layers centimetres below the surface have not undergone any gross temperature change. The longitudes that are relatively submillimetre-faint could have a different emissivity, perhaps with a subsurface layer richer in nitrogen or methane ices than at the surface. The Radio Science Experiment (REX) instrument on New Horizons may be able to constrain physical properties deeper down, as it looks back on Pluto's nightside after the 2015 July flyby.

Determination of the System Mass and the Individual Masses of Pluto and Charon from New Horizons Radio Tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahn, M.; Paetzold, M.; Andert, T.; Bird, M. K.; Tyler, G. L.; Hinson, D. P.; Linscott, I.; Stern, A.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Young, L. A.; Ennico Smith, K.; Olkin, C.

2016-12-01

One objective of the New Horizons Radio Science Experiment REX is the direct determination of the system mass and the individual masses of Pluto and Charon. About four weeks of two-way radio tracking centered around the closest approach of New Horizons to the Pluto system were processed. Major problems during the processing were the changes in spacecraft attitude by thrusters which applied extra Δv to the spacecraft motion masking partially the continuously perturbed motion caused by the attracting forces of the Pluto system members. The times of the spacecraft thruster activity are known but the applied Δv magnitude needed to be specifically adjusted. No two-way tracking was available during the flyby day on 14th July but slots of the REX one-way uplink observations cover the most important time near closest approach, these are for example the Pluto and Charon Earth occultation entries and exits. The REX data during the flyby day allowed to extract the individual masses of Pluto and Charon from the system mass at high precision. The relative errors of the mass determinations are below 0.02% and 0.2%, respectively. The masses of the 4 small satellites in the Pluto system could not be resolved.

Pluto's Nonvolatile Chemical Compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grundy, William M.; Binzel, Richard; Cook, Jason C.; Cruikshank, Dale P.; Dalle Ore, Cristina M.; Earle, Alissa M.; Ennico, Kimberly; Jennings, Donald; Howett, Carly; Kaiser, Ralf-Ingo; Linscott, Ivan; Lunsford, A. W.; Olkin, Catherine B.; Parker, Alex Harrison; Parker, Joel Wm.; Philippe, Sylvain; Protopapa, Silvia; Quirico, Eric; Reuter, D. C.; Schmitt, Bernard; Singer, Kelsi N.; Spencer, John R.; Stansberry, John A.; Stern, S. Alan; Tsang, Constantine; Verbiscer, Anne J.; Weaver, Harold A.; Weigle, G. E.; Young, Leslie

2016-10-01

Despite the migration of Pluto's volatile ices (N2, CO, and CH4) around the surface on seasonal timescales, the planet's non-volatile materials are not completely hidden from view. They occur in a variety of provinces formed over a wide range of timescales, including rugged mountains and chasms, the floors of mid-latitude craters, and an equatorial belt of especially dark and reddish material typified by the informally named Cthulhu Regio. NASA's New Horizons probe observed several of these regions at spatial resolutions as fine as 3 km/pixel with its LEISA imaging spectrometer, covering wavelengths from 1.25 to 2.5 microns. Various compounds that are much lighter than the tholin-like macromolecules responsible for the reddish coloration, but that are not volatile at Pluto surface temperatures such as methanol (CH3OH) and ethane (C2H6) have characteristic absorption bands within LEISA's wavelength range. This presentation will describe their geographic distributions and attempt to constrain their origins. Possibilities include an inheritance from Pluto's primordial composition (the likely source of H2O ice seen on Pluto's surface) or ongoing production from volatile precursors through photochemistry in Pluto's atmosphere or through radiolysis on Pluto's surface. New laboratory data inform the analysis.This work was supported by NASA's New Horizons project.

Detailed Astrometric Analysis of Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ROSSI, GUSTAVO B.; Vieira-Martins, R.; Camargo, J. I.; Assafin, M.

2013-05-01

Abstract (2,250 Maximum Characters): Pluto is the main representant of the transneptunian objects (TNO's), presenting some peculiarities such as an atmosphere and a satellite system with 5 known moons: Charon, discovered in 1978, Nix and Hydra, in 2006, P4 in 2011 and P5 in 2012. Until the arrival of the New Horizons spacecraft to this system (july 2015), stellar occultations are the most efficient method, from the ground, to know physical and dinamical properties of this system. In 2010, it was evident a drift in declinations (about 20 mas/year) comparing to the ephemerides. This fact motivated us to remake the reductions and analysis of a great set of our observations at OPD/LNA, in a total of 15 years. The ephemerides and occultations results was then compared with the astrometric and photometric reductions of CCD images of Pluto (around 6500 images). Two corrections were used for a refinement of the data set: diferential chromatic refraction and photocenter. The first is due to the mean color of background stars beeing redder than the color of Pluto, resulting in a slightly different path of light through the atmosphere (that may cause a difference in position of 0.1”). It became more evident because Pluto is crossing the region of the galactic plane. The photocenter correction is based on two gaussians curves overlapped, with different hights and non-coincident centers, corresponding to Pluto and Charon (since they have less than 1” of angular separation). The objective is to separate these two gaussian curves from the observed one and find the right position of Pluto. The method is strongly dependent of the hight of each of the gaussian curves, related to the respective albedos of charon and Pluto. A detailed analysis of the astrometric results, as well a comparison with occultation results was made. Since Pluto has an orbital period of 248,9 years and our interval of observation is about 15 years, we have around 12% of its observed orbit and also, our observations were made when Pluto was near its periapsis. With the corrections made, the ephemeris, when recalculated, shall not present sistematic drifts near the temporal interval in wich contains our observational data, allowing the determination of local adjustments at the Pluto orbit.

Small Bodies, Big Discoveries: NASA's Small Bodies Education Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayo, L.; Erickson, K. J.

2014-12-01

2014 is turning out to be a watershed year for celestial events involving the solar system's unsung heroes, small bodies. This includes the close flyby of comet C/2013 A1 / Siding Spring with Mars in October and the historic Rosetta mission with its Philae lander to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Beyond 2014, the much anticipated 2015 Pluto flyby by New Horizons and the February Dawn Mission arrival at Ceres will take center stage. To deliver the excitement and wonder of our solar system's small bodies to worldwide audiences, NASA's JPL and GSFC education teams in partnership with NASA EDGE will reach out to the public through multiple venues including broadcast media, social media, science and math focused educational activities, observing challenges, interactive visualization tools like "Eyes on the Solar System" and more. This talk will highlight NASA's focused education effort to engage the public in small bodies mission science and the role these objects play in our understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system.

Radioisotope Power: A Key Technology for Deep Space Explorations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, George R.; Sutliff, Thomas J.; Duddzinski, Leonard

2009-01-01

A Radioisotope Power System (RPS) generates power by converting the heat released from the nuclear decay of radioactive isotopes, such as Plutonium-238 (Pu-238), into electricity. First used in space by the U.S. in 1961, these devices have enabled some of the most challenging and exciting space missions in history, including the Pioneer and Voyager probes to the outer solar system; the Apollo lunar surface experiments; the Viking landers; the Ulysses polar orbital mission about the Sun; the Galileo mission to Jupiter; the Cassini mission orbiting Saturn; and the recently launched New Horizons mission to Pluto. Radioisotopes have also served as a versatile heat source for moderating equipment thermal environments on these and many other missions, including the Mars exploration rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The key advantage of RPS is its ability to operate continuously, independent of orientation and distance relative to the Sun. Radioisotope systems are long-lived, rugged, compact, highly reliable, and relatively insensitive to radiation and other environmental effects. As such, they are ideally suited for missions involving long-lived, autonomous operations in the extreme conditions of space and other planetary bodies. This paper reviews the history of RPS for the U.S. space program. It also describes current development of a new Stirling cycle-based generator that will greatly expand the application of nuclear-powered missions in the future.

Radioisotope Power: A Key Technology for Deep Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, George; Sutliff, Tom; Dudzinski, Leonard

2008-01-01

A Radioisotope Power System (RPS) generates power by converting the heat released from the nuclear decay of radioactive isotopes, such as Plutonium-238 (Pu-238), into electricity. First used in space by the U.S. in 1961, these devices have enabled some of the most challenging and exciting space missions in history, including the Pioneer and Voyager probes to the outer solar system; the Apollo lunar surface experiments; the Viking landers; the Ulysses polar orbital mission about the Sun; the Galileo mission to Jupiter; the Cassini mission orbiting Saturn; and the recently launched New Horizons mission to Pluto. Radioisotopes have also served as a versatile heat source for moderating equipment thermal environments on these and many other missions, including the Mars exploration rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The key advantage of RPS is its ability to operate continuously, independent of orientation and distance relative to the Sun. Radioisotope systems are long-lived, rugged, compact, highly reliable, and relatively insensitive to radiation and other environmental effects. As such, they are ideally suited for missions involving long-lived, autonomous operations in the extreme conditions of space and other planetary bodies. This paper reviews the history of RPS for the U.S. space program. It also describes current development of a new Stirling cycle-based generator that will greatly expand the application of nuclear-powered missions in the future.

The rapid formation of Sputnik Planitia early in Pluto's history.

PubMed

Hamilton, Douglas P; Stern, S A; Moore, J M; Young, L A

2016-11-30

Pluto's Sputnik Planitia is a bright, roughly circular feature that resembles a polar ice cap. It is approximately 1,000 kilometres across and is centred on a latitude of 25 degrees north and a longitude of 175 degrees, almost directly opposite the side of Pluto that always faces Charon as a result of tidal locking. One explanation for its location includes the formation of a basin in a giant impact, with subsequent upwelling of a dense interior ocean. Once the basin was established, ice would naturally have accumulated there. Then, provided that the basin was a positive gravity anomaly (with or without the ocean), true polar wander could have moved the feature towards the Pluto-Charon tidal axis, on the far side of Pluto from Charon. Here we report modelling that shows that ice quickly accumulates on Pluto near latitudes of 30 degrees north and south, even in the absence of a basin, because, averaged over its orbital period, those are Pluto's coldest regions. Within a million years of Charon's formation, ice deposits on Pluto concentrate into a single cap centred near a latitude of 30 degrees, owing to the runaway albedo effect. This accumulation of ice causes a positive gravity signature that locks, as Pluto's rotation slows, to a longitude directly opposite Charon. Once locked, Charon raises a permanent tidal bulge on Pluto, which greatly enhances the gravity signature of the ice cap. Meanwhile, the weight of the ice in Sputnik Planitia causes the crust under it to slump, creating its own basin (as has happened on Earth in Greenland). Even if the feature is now a modest negative gravity anomaly, it remains locked in place because of the permanent tidal bulge raised by Charon. Any movement of the feature away from 30 degrees latitude is countered by the preferential recondensation of ices near the coldest extremities of the cap. Therefore, our modelling suggests that Sputnik Planitia formed shortly after Charon did and has been stable, albeit gradually losing volume, over the age of the Solar System.

The rapid formation of Sputnik Planitia early in Pluto's history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, Douglas P.; Stern, S. A.; Moore, J. M.; Young, L. A.; Binzel, R. P.; Buie, M. W.; Buratti, B. J.; Cheng, A. F.; Ennico, K.; Grundy, W. M.; Linscott, I. R.; McKinnon, W. B.; Olkin, C. B.; Reitsema, H. J.; Reuter, D. C.; Schenk, P.; Showalter, M. R.; Spencer, J. R.; Tyler, G. L.; Weaver, H. A.

2016-12-01

Pluto's Sputnik Planitia is a bright, roughly circular feature that resembles a polar ice cap. It is approximately 1,000 kilometres across and is centred on a latitude of 25 degrees north and a longitude of 175 degrees, almost directly opposite the side of Pluto that always faces Charon as a result of tidal locking. One explanation for its location includes the formation of a basin in a giant impact, with subsequent upwelling of a dense interior ocean. Once the basin was established, ice would naturally have accumulated there. Then, provided that the basin was a positive gravity anomaly (with or without the ocean), true polar wander could have moved the feature towards the Pluto-Charon tidal axis, on the far side of Pluto from Charon. Here we report modelling that shows that ice quickly accumulates on Pluto near latitudes of 30 degrees north and south, even in the absence of a basin, because, averaged over its orbital period, those are Pluto's coldest regions. Within a million years of Charon's formation, ice deposits on Pluto concentrate into a single cap centred near a latitude of 30 degrees, owing to the runaway albedo effect. This accumulation of ice causes a positive gravity signature that locks, as Pluto's rotation slows, to a longitude directly opposite Charon. Once locked, Charon raises a permanent tidal bulge on Pluto, which greatly enhances the gravity signature of the ice cap. Meanwhile, the weight of the ice in Sputnik Planitia causes the crust under it to slump, creating its own basin (as has happened on Earth in Greenland). Even if the feature is now a modest negative gravity anomaly, it remains locked in place because of the permanent tidal bulge raised by Charon. Any movement of the feature away from 30 degrees latitude is countered by the preferential recondensation of ices near the coldest extremities of the cap. Therefore, our modelling suggests that Sputnik Planitia formed shortly after Charon did and has been stable, albeit gradually losing volume, over the age of the Solar System.

Pluto and Charon: Ice Worlds on the Ragged Edge of the Solar System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stern, Alan; Mitton, Jacqueline

1997-10-01

Rave reviews for Pluto and Charon: Ice Worlds on the Ragged Edge of the Solar System The story of the quest to understand Pluto and the resulting transformation of our concept of the diminutive planet from that of solar-system misfit to king of the Kuiper Belt is told in this book by Alan Stern and Jacqueline Mitton. Stern, a Plutophile to the core, is one of the most energetic, talented, and savvy planetary astronomers in the business today. Mitton, trained as an astronomer, is an experienced writer and editor of scientific books for nonscientists. Together they have created an immensely informative book . . . Written in an engaging and informal style, Pluto and Charon takes the reader step by step from the discovery of the ninth planet in 1930 to the current understanding of Pluto and its moon, Charon.-Sky & Telescope More than a book summarizing what we know about [the] planet, [Pluto and Charon is] about how far and how fast astronomical technology has come since 1965 . . . Stern and Mitton use the narrative of Pluto research to explain in comfortable, everyday language how such work is done . . . One of the nice touches in the book is that Stern and Mitton tell us something about each astronomer.-Astronomy Pluto and Charon presents the exploration of the ninth planet-written as a vivid historical account-for anyone with an interest in science and astronomy . . . the authors describe in simple language the methods researchers use to explore the universe and the way ever-improving instrumentation helps their knowledge advance.-Physics Today

The Icy Mountains of Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-15

New close-up images of a region near Pluto's equator reveal a giant surprise: a range of youthful mountains rising as high as 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) above the surface of the icy body. The mountains likely formed no more than 100 million years ago -- mere youngsters relative to the 4.56-billion-year age of the solar system -- and may still be in the process of building. That suggests the close-up region, which covers less than one percent of Pluto's surface, may still be geologically active today. The youthful age estimate is based on the lack of craters in this scene. Like the rest of Pluto, this region would presumably have been pummeled by space debris for billions of years and would have once been heavily cratered -- unless recent activity had given the region a facelift, erasing those pockmarks. Unlike the icy moons of giant planets, Pluto cannot be heated by gravitational interactions with a much larger planetary body. Some other process must be generating the mountainous landscape. The mountains are probably composed of Pluto's water-ice "bedrock." Although methane and nitrogen ice covers much of the surface of Pluto, these materials are not strong enough to build the mountains. Instead, a stiffer material, most likely water-ice, created the peaks. The close-up image was taken about 1.5 hours before New Horizons closest approach to Pluto, when the craft was 47,800 miles (770,000 kilometers) from the surface of the planet. The image easily resolves structures smaller than a mile across. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19710

Structure-Function Relationship of a Plant NCS1 Member – Homology Modeling and Mutagenesis Identified Residues Critical for Substrate Specificity of PLUTO, a Nucleobase Transporter from Arabidopsis

PubMed Central

Witz, Sandra; Panwar, Pankaj; Schober, Markus; Deppe, Johannes; Pasha, Farhan Ahmad; Lemieux, M. Joanne; Möhlmann, Torsten

2014-01-01

Plastidic uracil salvage is essential for plant growth and development. So far, PLUTO, the plastidic nucleobase transporter from Arabidopsis thaliana is the only known uracil importer at the inner plastidic membrane which represents the permeability barrier of this organelle. We present the first homology model of PLUTO, the sole plant NCS1 member from Arabidopsis based on the crystal structure of the benzyl hydantoin transporter MHP1 from Microbacterium liquefaciens and validated by molecular dynamics simulations. Polar side chains of residues Glu-227 and backbones of Val-145, Gly-147 and Thr-425 are proposed to form the binding site for the three PLUTO substrates uracil, adenine and guanine. Mutational analysis and competition studies identified Glu-227 as an important residue for uracil and to a lesser extent for guanine transport. A differential response in substrate transport was apparent with PLUTO double mutants E227Q G147Q and E227Q T425A, both of which most strongly affected adenine transport, and in V145A G147Q, which markedly affected guanine transport. These differences could be explained by docking studies, showing that uracil and guanine exhibit a similar binding mode whereas adenine binds deep into the catalytic pocket of PLUTO. Furthermore, competition studies confirmed these results. The present study defines the molecular determinants for PLUTO substrate binding and demonstrates key differences in structure-function relations between PLUTO and other NCS1 family members. PMID:24621654

Structure-function relationship of a plant NCS1 member--homology modeling and mutagenesis identified residues critical for substrate specificity of PLUTO, a nucleobase transporter from Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Witz, Sandra; Panwar, Pankaj; Schober, Markus; Deppe, Johannes; Pasha, Farhan Ahmad; Lemieux, M Joanne; Möhlmann, Torsten

2014-01-01

Plastidic uracil salvage is essential for plant growth and development. So far, PLUTO, the plastidic nucleobase transporter from Arabidopsis thaliana is the only known uracil importer at the inner plastidic membrane which represents the permeability barrier of this organelle. We present the first homology model of PLUTO, the sole plant NCS1 member from Arabidopsis based on the crystal structure of the benzyl hydantoin transporter MHP1 from Microbacterium liquefaciens and validated by molecular dynamics simulations. Polar side chains of residues Glu-227 and backbones of Val-145, Gly-147 and Thr-425 are proposed to form the binding site for the three PLUTO substrates uracil, adenine and guanine. Mutational analysis and competition studies identified Glu-227 as an important residue for uracil and to a lesser extent for guanine transport. A differential response in substrate transport was apparent with PLUTO double mutants E227Q G147Q and E227Q T425A, both of which most strongly affected adenine transport, and in V145A G147Q, which markedly affected guanine transport. These differences could be explained by docking studies, showing that uracil and guanine exhibit a similar binding mode whereas adenine binds deep into the catalytic pocket of PLUTO. Furthermore, competition studies confirmed these results. The present study defines the molecular determinants for PLUTO substrate binding and demonstrates key differences in structure-function relations between PLUTO and other NCS1 family members.

Radiation heat transfer in multitube, alkaline-metal thermal-to-electric converter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tournier, J.M.P.; El-Genk, M.S.

Vapor anode, multitube Alkali-Metal Thermal-to-Electric Converters (AMTECs) are being considered for a number of space missions, such as the NASA Pluto/Express (PX) and Europa missions, scheduled for the years 2004 and 2005, respectively. These static converters can achieve a high fraction of Carnot efficiency at relatively low operating temperatures. An optimized cell can potentially provide a conversion efficiency between 20 and 30 percent, when operated at a hot-side temperature of 1000--1200 K and a cold-side temperature of 550--650 K. A comprehensive modeling and testing program of vapor anode, multitube AMTEC cells has been underway for more than three years atmore » the Air Force Research Laboratory`s Power and Thermal Group (AFRL/VSDVP), jointly with the University of New Mexico`s Institute for Space and Nuclear Power Studies. The objective of this program is to demonstrate the readiness of AMTECs for flight on future US Air Force space missions. A fast, integrated AMTEC Performance and Evaluation Analysis Model (APEAM) has been developed to support ongoing vacuum tests at AFRL and perform analyses and investigate potential design changes to improve the PX-cell performance. This model consists of three major components (Tournier and El-Genk 1998a, b): (a) a sodium vapor pressure loss model, which describes continuum, transition and free-molecule flow regimes in the low-pressure cavity of the cell; (b) an electrochemical and electrical circuit model; and (c) a radiation/conduction heat transfer model, for calculating parasitic heat losses. This Technical Note describes the methodology used to calculate the radiation view factors within the enclosure of the PX-cells, and the numerical procedure developed in this work to determine the radiation heat transport and temperatures within the cell cavity.« less

A Remarkable World

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-03

This image of Pluto and its big moon Charon was taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft at 04:15 (UTC) on July 1, 2015, and shows the clearest view yet of the sides of Pluto and Charon that will be studied in great detail during New Horizons' closest approach to the dwarf planet on July 14, 2015. There will be just two more rotations of Pluto and Charon, and two more orbits about their mutual center of gravity, between the time of this image and closest approach (the rotation period of the system is 6.4 days). The image, which has been sharpened by the image processing technique known as deconvolution, shows details as small as about 160 kilometers (100 miles). The highest-resolution images of this side of Pluto, taken on July 14, will show details that are 1,000 times smaller. New Horizons is revealing Pluto to be a world that, at this point, looks like no other in the solar system. Its equatorial regions are occupied by a discontinuous band of very dark material, which is interrupted on this hemisphere by a very bright region which appears sharp-edged at the resolution of the image. The north polar region is blander, but shows a distinctive darker southern boundary where it meets the higher-contrast equatorial regions. The origin of these remarkable features is still unknown, though some of them might be related to seasonal movement of frost across Pluto's surface. Charon, in contrast, still shows few details other than the dark polar region. The image was taken by New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI ) at a distance from Pluto of 15.8 million kilometers (9.8 million miles) and has a central longitude of 177 degrees on Pluto and 357 degrees on Charon. The inset shows the orientation of Pluto- the solid lines mark the equator and the prime meridian, which is defined to be the longitude that always faces Charon. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19694

Impact and Cratering History of the Pluto System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenstreet, Sarah; Gladman, Brett; McKinnon, William B.

2014-11-01

The observational opportunity of the New Horizons spacecraft fly-through of the Pluto system in July 2015 requires a current understanding of the Kuiper belt dynamical sub-populations to accurately interpret the cratering history of the surfaces of Pluto and its satellites. We use an Opik-style collision probability code to compute impact rates and impact velocity distributions onto Pluto and its binary companion Charon from the Canada-France Ecliptic Plane Survey (CFEPS) model of classical and resonant Kuiper belt populations (Petit et al., 2011; Gladman et al., 2012) and the scattering model of Kaib et al. (2011) calibrated to Shankman et al. (2013). Due to the uncertainty in how the well-characterized size distribution for Kuiper belt objects (with diameter d>100 km) connects to smaller objects, we compute cratering rates using three simple impactor size distribution extrapolations (a single power-law, a power-law with a knee, and a power-law with a divot) as well as the "curvy" impactor size distributions from Minton et al. (2012) and Schlichting et al. (2013). Current size distribution uncertainties cause absolute ages computed for Pluto surfaces to be entirely dependent on the extrapolation to small sizes and thus uncertain to a factor of approximately 6. We illustrate the relative importance of each Kuiper belt sub-population to Pluto's cratering rate, both now and integrated into the past, and provide crater retention ages for several cases. We find there is only a small chance a crater with diameter D>200 km has been created on Pluto in the past 4 Gyr. The 2015 New Horizons fly-through coupled with telescope surveys that cover objects with diameters d=10-100 km should eventually drop current crater retention age uncertainties on Pluto to <30%. In addition, we compute the "disruption timescale" (to a factor of three accuracy) for Pluto's smaller satellites: Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra.

Pluto followed its heart: reorientation and faulting of Pluto due to volatile loading in Sputnik Planum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuttle Keane, James; Matsuyama, Isamu; Kamata, Shunichi; Steckloff, Jordan

2016-10-01

The New Horizons flyby of Pluto revealed the dwarf planet to be a strikingly diverse, geologically active world. Perhaps the most intriguing feature on the New Horizons encounter hemisphere is Sputnik Planum—a 1000 km diameter, probable impact basin, filled with several kilometers of actively convecting volatile ices (N2, CH4, CO). One salient characteristic of Sputnik Planum is its curious alignment with the Pluto-Charon tidal axis. The alignment of large geologic features with principal axis of inertia (such as the tidal axis) is the hallmark of global reorientation, i.e. true polar wander. Here we show that the present location of Sputnik Planum is a natural consequence of loading of 1-2 km of volatile ices within the Sputnik Planum basin. Larger volatile ice thicknesses (like those inferred from studies of ice convection within Sputnik Planum) betray an underlying negative gravity anomaly associated with the basin. As Pluto reoriented in response to the loading of volatile ices within Sputnik Planum, stresses accumulated within the lithosphere (as each geographic location experiences a change in tidal/rotational potential). These reorientation stresses, coupled with loading stresses, and stresses from the freezing of a subsurface ocean resulted in the fracturing of Pluto's lithosphere in a characteristic, global pattern of extensional faults. Our predicted pattern of extensional faults due to this reorientation closely replicates the observed distribution of faults on Pluto (more so than global expansion, orbit migration, de-spinning, or loading alone). Sputnik Planum likely formed ~60° northwest of its present location, and was loaded with volatile ices over millions of years due to seasonal volatile transport cycles. This result places Pluto in a truly unique category of planetary bodies where volatiles are not only controlling surface geology and atmospheric processes, but they are also directly controlling the orientation of the entire dwarf planet. Pluto's past, present, and future orientation is controlled by complicated feedbacks between volatile transport, insolation, and interior structure.

The Cold and Icy Heart of Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, D. P.

2015-12-01

The locations of large deposits of frozen volatiles on planetary surfaces are largely coincident with areas receiving the minimum annual influx of solar energy. Thus we have the familiar polar caps of Earth and Mars, but cold equatorial regions for planets with obliquities between 54 and 126 degrees. Furthermore, for tilts between 45-66 degrees and 114-135 degrees the minimum incident energy occurs neither at the pole nor the equator. We find that the annual average insolation is always symmetric about Pluto's equator and is fully independent of the relative locations of the planet's pericenter and equinoxes. Remarkably, this symmetry holds for arbitrary orbital eccentricities and obliquities, and so we provide a short proof in the margin of this abstract. The current obliquity of Pluto is 119 degrees, giving it minima in average annual insolation at +/- 27 degrees latitude, with ~1.5% more flux to the equator and ~15% more to the poles. But the obliquity of Pluto also varies sinusoidally from 102-126 degrees and so, over the past million years, Pluto's annual equatorial and polar fluxes have changed by +15% and -13%, respectively. Interestingly, the energy flux received by latitudes between 25-35 degrees remains nearly constant over the presumably billions of years since Pluto acquired its current orbit and spin properties. Thus these latitudes are continuously cold and should be favored for the long-term deposition of volatile ices; the bright heart of Pluto, Sputnik Planum, extends not coincidentally across these latitudes. Reflected light and emitted thermal radiation from Charon increases annual insolation to one side of Pluto by of order 0.02%. Although small, the bulk of the energy is delivered at night to Pluto's cold equatorial regions. Furthermore, Charon's thermal IR is delivered very efficiently to icy deposits. Over billions of years, ices have preferentially formed and survived in the anti-Charon hemisphere.

The impactor flux in the Pluto-Charon system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weissman, Paul R.; Stern, S. Alan

1994-01-01

Current impact rates of comets on Pluto and Charon are estimated. It is shown that the dominant sources of impactors are comets from the Kuiper belt and the inner Oort cloud, each of whose perihelion distribution extends across Pluto's orbit. In contrast, long-period comets from the outer Oort cloud are a negligible source of impactors. The total predicted number of craters is not sufficient to saturate the surface areas of either Pluto of Charon over the age of the Solar System. However, heavy cratering may have occurred early in the Solar System's history during clearing of planetesimals from the outer planets' zone.

Ice Volcanoes on Pluto?

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-11-10

NASA New Horizons scientists believe that the informally named feature Wright Mons, located south of Sputnik Planum on Pluto, and another, Piccard Mons, could have been formed by the cryovolcanic eruption of ices from beneath Pluto surface. Sputnik Planum on Pluto, is an unusual feature that's about 100 miles (160 kilometers) wide and 13,000 feet (4 kilometers) high. It displays a summit depression (visible in the center of the image) that's approximately 35 miles (56 kilometers) across, with a distinctive hummocky texture on its sides. The rim of the summit depression also shows concentric fracturing. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20155

CVF spectrophotometry of Pluto - Correlation of composition with albedo. [circularly variable filter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marcialis, Robert L.; Lebofsky, Larry A.

1991-01-01

The present time-resolved, 0.96-2.65-micron spectrophotometry for the Pluto-Charon system indicates night-to-night variations in the depths of the methane absorptions such that the bands' equivalent width is near minimum light. The interpretation of these data in terms of a depletion of methane in dark regions of the planet, relative to bright ones, is consistent with the Buie and Fink (1987) observations. The near-IR spectrum of Pluto seems to be dominated by surface frost. It is suggested that the dark equatorial regions of Pluto are redder than those of moderate albedo.

Spectrophotometry of Pluto-Charon mutual events - Individual spectra of Pluto and Charon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sawyer, S. R.; Barker, E. S.; Cochran, A. L.; Cochran, W. D.

1987-01-01

Time-resolved spectra of the March 3 and April 4, 1987 mutual events of Pluto and Charon, obtained with spectral coverage from 5500 to 10,000 A with 25-A spectral resolution, are discussed. Charon has a featureless reflectance spectrum, with no evidence of methane absorption. Charon's reflectance appears neutral in color and corresponds to a geometric albedo of about 0.37 at 6000 A. The Pluto reflectance spectrum displays methane absorption bands at 7300, 7900, 8400, 8600, and 8900 A and is red in color, with a geometric albedo of about 0.56 at 6000 A.

Origin and evolution of outer solar system atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lunine, J. I.

1989-01-01

The origin and evolution of the atmospheres of bodies in the outer solar system is studied on the basis of the abundances of key molecular species. Formation models in which significant infall of icy and rocky planetesimals accompanies planet formation is supported by the enrichment of methane and deuterated species from Jupiter and Neptune. The chemistry of the solar nebula and Titan are discussed. The prospects for obtaining information on the atmosphere of Triton from the Voyager 2 mission are considered. It is found that the mean density of the Pluto-Charon system implies an origin in the rather water-poor solar nebula.

The trans-neptunian object UB313 is larger than Pluto.

PubMed

Bertoldi, F; Altenhoff, W; Weiss, A; Menten, K M; Thum, C

2006-02-02

The most distant known object in the Solar System, 2003 UB313 (97 au from the Sun), was recently discovered near its aphelion. Its high eccentricity and inclination to the ecliptic plane, along with its perihelion near the orbit of Neptune, identify it as a member of the 'scattered disk'. This disk of bodies probably originates in the Kuiper belt objects, which orbit near the ecliptic plane in circular orbits between 30 and 50 au, and may include Pluto as a member. The optical brightness of 2003 UB313, if adjusted to Pluto's distance, is greater than that of Pluto, which suggested that it might be larger than Pluto. The actual size, however, could not be determined from the optical measurements because the surface reflectivity (albedo) was unknown. Here we report observations of the thermal emission of 2003 UB313 at a wavelength of 1.2 mm, which in combination with the measured optical brightness leads to a diameter of 3,000 +/- 300 +/- 100 km. Here the first error reflects measurement uncertainties, while the second derives from the unknown object orientation. This makes 2003 UB313 the largest known trans-neptunian object, even larger than Pluto (2,300 km). The albedo is 0.60 +/- 0.10 +/- 0.05, which is strikingly similar to that of Pluto, suggesting that the methane seen in the optical spectrum causes a highly reflective icy surface.

Pluto at High Noon Artist Concept

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-06-08

Just how dim is the sunlight on Pluto, some three billion miles away? This artist concept of the frosty surface of Pluto with Charon and our sun as backdrops illustrates that while sunlight is much weaker than it is here on Earth, it isnt as dark as you might expect. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19682

PLUTO AND CHARON WITH THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE. I. MONITORING GLOBAL CHANGE AND IMPROVED SURFACE PROPERTIES FROM LIGHT CURVES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buie, Marc W.; Young, Eliot F.; Young, Leslie A.

We present new light-curve measurements of Pluto and Charon taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys High-resolution Camera on the Hubble Space Telescope. The observations were collected from 2002 June to 2003 June at 12 distinct sub-Earth longitudes over a range of solar phase angle 0.{sup 0}36-1.{sup 0}74-a larger range than previously measured. The new measurements of Pluto show that the light-curve amplitude has decreased since the mutual event season in the late 1980s. We also show that the average brightness has increased in the F555W (Johnson V equivalent) passband while the brightness has decreased in the F435W (Johnson Bmore » equivalent) passband. These data thus indicate a substantial reddening of the reflected light from Pluto. We find a weighted mean (B - V) = 0.9540 {+-} 0.0010 that is considerably higher than the long-standing value of (B - V) = 0.868 {+-} 0.003 most recently measured in 1992-1993. This change in color cannot be explained by the evolving viewing geometry and provides the strongest evidence to date for temporal changes on the surface of Pluto that are expected to be linked to volatile transport processes. We also report on the discovery of a new rotational modulation of Pluto's hemispherical color that ranges from 0.92 to 0.98 with the least red color at the longitude of maximum light and most red at minimum light. The phase coefficient of Pluto is nearly the same as measured in 1992-1993 with a value of {beta} {sub B} = 0.0392 {+-} 0.0064 and {beta} {sub V} = 0.0355 {+-} 0.0045 mag deg{sup -1} for the F435W and F555W data, respectively. The Pluto phase curve is still very close to linear but a small but significant nonlinearity is seen in the data. In contrast, the light curve of Charon is essentially the same as in 1992/1993, albeit with much less noise. We confirm that Charon's Pluto-facing hemisphere is 8% brighter than the hemisphere facing away from Pluto. The color of Charon is independent of longitude and has a mean weighted value of (B - V) = 0.7315 {+-} 0.0013. The phase curve for Charon is now shown to be strongly nonlinear and wavelength dependent. We present results for both Pluto and Charon that better constrain the single-particle scattering parameters from the Hapke scattering theory.« less

PLUTO AND CHARON WITH THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE. II. RESOLVING CHANGES ON PLUTO'S SURFACE AND A MAP FOR CHARON

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buie, Marc W.; Young, Eliot F.; Young, Leslie A.

We present new imaging of the surface of Pluto and Charon obtained during 2002-2003 with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) instrument. Using these data, we construct two-color albedo maps for the surfaces of both Pluto and Charon. Similar mapping techniques are used to re-process HST/Faint Object Camera (FOC) images taken in 1994. The FOC data provide information in the ultraviolet and blue wavelengths that show a marked trend of UV-bright material toward the sunlit pole. The ACS data are taken at two optical wavelengths and show widespread albedo and color variegation on the surface ofmore » Pluto and hint at a latitudinal albedo trend on Charon. The ACS data also provide evidence for a decreasing albedo for Pluto at blue (435 nm) wavelengths, while the green (555 nm) data are consistent with a static surface over the one-year period of data collection. We use the two maps to synthesize a true visual color map of Pluto's surface and investigate trends in color. The mid- to high-latitude region on the sunlit pole is, on average, more neutral in color and generally higher albedo than the rest of the surface. Brighter surfaces also tend to be more neutral in color and show minimal color variations. The darker regions show considerable color diversity arguing that there must be a range of compositional units in the dark regions. Color variations are weak when sorted by longitude. These data are also used to constrain astrometric corrections that enable more accurate orbit fitting, both for the heliocentric orbit of the barycenter and the orbit of Pluto and Charon about their barycenter.« less

Pluto's Atmosphere, Then and Now

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliot, J. L.; Buie, M.; Person, M. J.; Qu, S.

2002-09-01

The KAO light curve for the 1988 stellar occultation by Pluto exhibits a sharp drop just below half light, but above this level the light curve is consistent with that of an isothermal atmosphere (T = 105 +/- 8 K, with N2 as its major constituent). The sharp drop in the light curve has been interpreted as being caused by: (i) a haze layer, (ii) a large thermal gradient, or (iii) some combination of these two. Modeling Pluto's atmosphere with a haze layer yields a normal optical depth >= 0.145 (Elliot & Young 1992, AJ 103, 991). On the other hand, if Pluto's atmosphere is assumed to be clear, the occultation light curve can be inverted with a new method that avoids the large-body approximations. Inversion of the KAO light curve with this method yields an upper isothermal part, followed by a sharp thermal gradient that reaches a maximum magnitude of -3.9 +/- 0.6 K km-1 at the end of the inversion (r = 1206 +/- 10 km). Even though we do not yet understand the cause of the sharp drop, the KAO light curve can be used as a benchmark for examining subsequent Pluto occultation light curves to determine whether Pluto's atmospheric structure has changed since 1988. As an example, the Mamiña light curve for the 2002 July 20 Pluto occultation of P126A was compared with the KAO light curve by Buie et al. (this conference), who concluded that Pluto's atmospheric structure has changed significantly since 1988. Further analysis and additional light curves from this and subsequent occultations (e.g. 2002 August 21) will allow us to elucidate the nature of these changes. This work was supported, in part, by grants from NASA (NAG5-9008 and NAG5-10444) and NSF (AST-0073447).

The Orbits and Masses of Pluto's Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brozovic, Marina; Jacobson, R. A.

2013-05-01

Abstract (2,250 Maximum Characters): We report on the numerically integrated orbital fits of Pluto's satellites, Charon, Nix, Hydra, and S/2011 (134340) 1, to an extensive set of astrometric, mutual event, and stellar occultation observations over the time interval April 1965 to July 2011. The observations of Charon relative to Pluto have been corrected for the Pluto center-of-figure center-of-light (COF) offset due to the Pluto albedo variations. The most recently discovered satellite S/2012 (134340) 1 is fit with a precessing ellipse because its observation set is insufficient to constrain a numerically integrated orbit. The Pluto system mass is well determined with the current data. However, the Charon’s mass still carries a considerable amount of the uncertainty due to the fact that the primary source of information for the Charon mass is a small quantity of absolute position measurements that are sensitive to the independent motions of Pluto and Charon about the system barycenter. We used bounded-least squares algorithm to try to constrain the masses of Nix, Hydra, and S/2011 (134340) 1, but the current dataset appears to be too sparse for mass determination. The long-term dynamical interaction among the satellites does yield a weak determination of Hydra's mass. We investigated the effect of more astrometry of S/2012 (134340) 1 on the mass determination of the other satellites and found no improvement with the additional data. We have delivered ephemerides based on our integrated orbits to the New Horizons project along with their expected uncertainties at the time of the spacecraft encounter with the Pluto system. Acknowledgments: The research described in this paper was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The atmosphere of Pluto as observed by New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gladstone, G. Randall; Stern, S. Alan; Ennico, Kimberly; Olkin, Catherine B.; Weaver, Harold A.; Young, Leslie A.; Summers, Michael E.; Strobel, Darrell F.; Hinson, David P.; Kammer, Joshua A.; Parker, Alex H.; Steffl, Andrew J.; Linscott, Ivan R.; Parker, Joel Wm.; Cheng, Andrew F.; Slater, David C.; Versteeg, Maarten H.; Greathouse, Thomas K.; Retherford, Kurt D.; Throop, Henry; Cunningham, Nathaniel J.; Woods, William W.; Singer, Kelsi N.; Tsang, Constantine C. C.; Schindhelm, Eric; Lisse, Carey M.; Wong, Michael L.; Yung, Yuk L.; Zhu, Xun; Curdt, Werner; Lavvas, Panayotis; Young, Eliot F.; Tyler, G. Leonard; Bagenal, F.; Grundy, W. M.; McKinnon, W. B.; Moore, J. M.; Spencer, J. R.; Andert, T.; Andrews, J.; Banks, M.; Bauer, B.; Bauman, J.; Barnouin, O. S.; Bedini, P.; Beisser, K.; Beyer, R. A.; Bhaskaran, S.; Binzel, R. P.; Birath, E.; Bird, M.; Bogan, D. J.; Bowman, A.; Bray, V. J.; Brozovic, M.; Bryan, C.; Buckley, M. R.; Buie, M. W.; Buratti, B. J.; Bushman, S. S.; Calloway, A.; Carcich, B.; Conard, S.; Conrad, C. A.; Cook, J. C.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Custodio, O. S.; Ore, C. M. Dalle; Deboy, C.; Dischner, Z. J. B.; Dumont, P.; Earle, A. M.; Elliott, H. A.; Ercol, J.; Ernst, C. M.; Finley, T.; Flanigan, S. H.; Fountain, G.; Freeze, M. J.; Green, J. L.; Guo, Y.; Hahn, M.; Hamilton, D. P.; Hamilton, S. A.; Hanley, J.; Harch, A.; Hart, H. M.; Hersman, C. B.; Hill, A.; Hill, M. E.; Holdridge, M. E.; Horanyi, M.; Howard, A. D.; Howett, C. J. A.; Jackman, C.; Jacobson, R. A.; Jennings, D. E.; Kang, H. K.; Kaufmann, D. E.; Kollmann, P.; Krimigis, S. M.; Kusnierkiewicz, D.; Lauer, T. R.; Lee, J. E.; Lindstrom, K. L.; Lunsford, A. W.; Mallder, V. A.; Martin, N.; McComas, D. J.; McNutt, R. L.; Mehoke, D.; Mehoke, T.; Melin, E. D.; Mutchler, M.; Nelson, D.; Nimmo, F.; Nunez, J. I.; Ocampo, A.; Owen, W. M.; Paetzold, M.; Page, B.; Pelletier, F.; Peterson, J.; Pinkine, N.; Piquette, M.; Porter, S. B.; Protopapa, S.; Redfern, J.; Reitsema, H. J.; Reuter, D. C.; Roberts, J. H.; Robbins, S. J.; Rogers, G.; Rose, D.; Runyon, K.; Ryschkewitsch, M. G.; Schenk, P.; Sepan, B.; Showalter, M. R.; Soluri, M.; Stanbridge, D.; Stryk, T.; Szalay, J. R.; Tapley, M.; Taylor, A.; Taylor, H.; Umurhan, O. M.; Verbiscer, A. J.; Versteeg, M. H.; Vincent, M.; Webbert, R.; Weidner, S.; Weigle, G. E.; White, O. L.; Whittenburg, K.; Williams, B. G.; Williams, K.; Williams, S.; Zangari, A. M.; Zirnstein, E.

2016-03-01

Observations made during the New Horizons flyby provide a detailed snapshot of the current state of Pluto's atmosphere. Whereas the lower atmosphere (at altitudes of less than 200 kilometers) is consistent with ground-based stellar occultations, the upper atmosphere is much colder and more compact than indicated by pre-encounter models. Molecular nitrogen (N2) dominates the atmosphere (at altitudes of less than 1800 kilometers or so), whereas methane (CH4), acetylene (C2H2), ethylene (C2H4), and ethane (C2H6) are abundant minor species and likely feed the production of an extensive haze that encompasses Pluto. The cold upper atmosphere shuts off the anticipated enhanced-Jeans, hydrodynamic-like escape of Pluto's atmosphere to space. It is unclear whether the current state of Pluto's atmosphere is representative of its average state - over seasonal or geologic time scales.

The atmosphere of Pluto as observed by New Horizons.

PubMed

Gladstone, G Randall; Stern, S Alan; Ennico, Kimberly; Olkin, Catherine B; Weaver, Harold A; Young, Leslie A; Summers, Michael E; Strobel, Darrell F; Hinson, David P; Kammer, Joshua A; Parker, Alex H; Steffl, Andrew J; Linscott, Ivan R; Parker, Joel Wm; Cheng, Andrew F; Slater, David C; Versteeg, Maarten H; Greathouse, Thomas K; Retherford, Kurt D; Throop, Henry; Cunningham, Nathaniel J; Woods, William W; Singer, Kelsi N; Tsang, Constantine C C; Schindhelm, Eric; Lisse, Carey M; Wong, Michael L; Yung, Yuk L; Zhu, Xun; Curdt, Werner; Lavvas, Panayotis; Young, Eliot F; Tyler, G Leonard

2016-03-18

Observations made during the New Horizons flyby provide a detailed snapshot of the current state of Pluto's atmosphere. Whereas the lower atmosphere (at altitudes of less than 200 kilometers) is consistent with ground-based stellar occultations, the upper atmosphere is much colder and more compact than indicated by pre-encounter models. Molecular nitrogen (N2) dominates the atmosphere (at altitudes of less than 1800 kilometers or so), whereas methane (CH4), acetylene (C2H2), ethylene (C2H4), and ethane (C2H6) are abundant minor species and likely feed the production of an extensive haze that encompasses Pluto. The cold upper atmosphere shuts off the anticipated enhanced-Jeans, hydrodynamic-like escape of Pluto's atmosphere to space. It is unclear whether the current state of Pluto's atmosphere is representative of its average state--over seasonal or geologic time scales. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Pluto Majestic Mountains, Frozen Plains and Foggy Hazes

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-17

Just 15 minutes after its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft looked back toward the sun and captured this near-sunset view of the rugged, icy mountains and flat ice plains extending to Pluto's horizon. The smooth expanse of the informally named icy plain Sputnik Planum (right) is flanked to the west (left) by rugged mountains up to 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) high, including the informally named Norgay Montes in the foreground and Hillary Montes on the skyline. To the right, east of Sputnik, rougher terrain is cut by apparent glaciers. The backlighting highlights more than a dozen layers of haze in Pluto's tenuous but distended atmosphere. The image was taken from a distance of 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) to Pluto; the scene is 780 miles (1,250 kilometers) wide. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19948

The Geology of Pluto and Charon Through the Eyes of New Horizons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, J. M.; McKinnon, W. B.; Spencer, J. R.; Howard, A. D.; Schenk, P. M.; Beyer, R. A.; Nimmo, F.; Singer, K. N.; Umurhan, O. M.; White, O. L.;

Charon/Pluto Mass Ratio Obtained with HST CCD Observations in 1991 and 1993

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Null, George W.

1995-01-01

We have analyzed Hubble Space Telescope wide field camera observations of Pluto, Charon, and a reference star, acquired in 1991 and 1993, to observe Pluto's barycentric motion and determine the Charon/Pluto mass ratio, q = 0.1237 +/-0.0081, with 6.5% accuracy. Solution values for Charon orbital elements include the semimajor axis, a = 19662 +/-81 km; inclination, i = 96.57 +/-0.24 deg; eccentricity, e = 0.0072 +/-0.0067; longitude of periapsis, w = 2 +/-35 deg; and mean longitude, l = 123.58 +/-0.43 deg. These elements are referred to the J2000 Earth equator and equinox at epoch JED 2446600.5.

Looking over Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-10

This synthetic perspective view of Pluto, based on the latest high-resolution images to be downlinked from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, shows what you would see if you were approximately 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometers) above Pluto's equatorial area, looking northeast over the dark, cratered, informally named Cthulhu Regio toward the bright, smooth, expanse of icy plains informally called Sputnik Planum. The entire expanse of terrain seen in this image is 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometers) across. The images were taken as New Horizons flew past Pluto on July 14, 2015, from a distance of 50,000 miles (80,000 kilometers). http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19937

The formation of Charon's red poles from seasonally cold-trapped volatiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grundy, W. M.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Gladstone, G. R.; Howett, C. J. A.; Lauer, T. R.; Spencer, J. R.; Summers, M. E.; Buie, M. W.; Earle, A. M.; Ennico, K.; Parker, J. Wm.; Porter, S. B.; Singer, K. N.; Stern, S. A.; Verbiscer, A. J.; Beyer, R. A.; Binzel, R. P.; Buratti, B. J.; Cook, J. C.; Dalle Ore, C. M.; Olin, C. B.; Parker, A. H.; Protopapa, S.; Quirico, E.; Retherford, K. D.; Robbins, S. J.; Schmitt, B.; Stansberry, J. A.; Umurhan, O. M.; Weaver, H. A.; Young, L. A.; Zangari, A. M.; Bray, V. J.; Cheng, A. F.; McKinnon, W. B.; McNutt, R. L.; Morre, J. M.; Nimmo, F.; Reuter, D. C.; Schenk, P. M.; New Horizons Science Team; Stern, S. A.; Bagenal, F.; Ennico, K.; Gladstone, G. R.; Grundy, W. M.; McKinnon, W. B.; Moore, J. M.; Olkin, C. B.; Spencer, J. R.; Weaver, H. A.; Young, L. A.; Andert, T.; Barnouin, O.; Beyer, R. A.; Binzel, R. P.; Bird, M.; Bray, V. J.; Brozovic, M.; Buie, M. W.; Buratti, B. J.; Cheng, A. F.; Cook, J. C.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Dalle Ore, C. M.; Earler, A. M.; Elliott, H. A.; Greathouse, T. K.; Hahn, M.; Hamilton, D. P.; Hill, M. E.; Hinson, D. P.; Hofgartner, J.; Horányi, M.; Howard, A. D.; Howett, C. J. A.; Jennings, D. E.; Kammer, J. A.; Kollmann, P.; Lauer, T. R.; Lavvas, P.; Linscott, I. R. Lisse, C. M.; Lunsford, A. W.; McComas, D. J.; McNutt, R. L., Jr.; Mutchler, M.; Nimmo, F.; Nunez, J. I.; Paetzold, M.; Parker, A. H.; Parker, J. Wm.; Philippe, S.; Piquette, M.; Porter, S. B.; Protopapa, S.; Quirico, E.; Reitsema, H. J.; Reuter, D. C.; Robbins, S. J.; Roberts, J. H.; Runyon, K.; Schenk, P. M.; Schindhelm, E.; Schmitt, B.; Showalter, M. R.; Singer, K. N.; Stansberry, J. A.; Steffl, A. J.; Strobel, D. F.; Stryk, T.; Summers, M. E.; Szalay, J. R.; Throop, H. B.; Tsang, C. C. C.; Tyler, G. L.; Umurhan, O. M.; Verbiscer, A. J.; Versteeg, M. H.; Weigle, G. E., II; White, O. L.; Woods, W. W.; Young, E. F.; Zangari, A. M.

2016-11-01

A unique feature of Pluto's large satellite Charon is its dark red northern polar cap. Similar colours on Pluto's surface have been attributed to tholin-like organic macromolecules produced by energetic radiation processing of hydrocarbons. The polar location on Charon implicates the temperature extremes that result from Charon's high obliquity and long seasons in the production of this material. The escape of Pluto's atmosphere provides a potential feedstock for a complex chemistry. Gas from Pluto that is transiently cold-trapped and processed at Charon's winter pole was proposed as an explanation for the dark coloration on the basis of an image of Charon's northern hemisphere, but not modelled quantitatively. Here we report images of the southern hemisphere illuminated by Pluto-shine and also images taken during the approach phase that show the northern polar cap over a range of longitudes. We model the surface thermal environment on Charon and the supply and temporary cold-trapping of material escaping from Pluto, as well as the photolytic processing of this material into more complex and less volatile molecules while cold-trapped. The model results are consistent with the proposed mechanism for producing the observed colour pattern on Charon.

The New Horizons Bistatic Radio Science Experiment to Measure Pluto's Surface Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linscott, I.; Hinson, D. P.; Tyler, G. L.; Vincent, M.

2014-12-01

The New Horizons (NH) payload includes a Radio Science Experiment (REX) for principally occultation and radiometric measurement of Pluto and Charon during the flyby in July 2015. The REX subsystem is contained, together with the NH X-Band radio, in the Integrated Electronics Module (IEM) in the New Horizons spacecraft. REX samples and records in two polarizations both total RF power in a 4.5 MHz bandwidth, and radio signal waveforms in a narrow, 1.25 kHz band. During the encounter, and at closest approach to Pluto, the spacecraft's high gain antenna (HGA) will scan Pluto's equatorial latitudes, intercepting the specular zone, a region near Pluto's limb that geometrically favors reflection from the earth's direction. At the same time, a powerful 80 kW uplink beacon will have been transmitted from earth by the DSN to arrive at Pluto during spacecraft closest approach. Reflection from the specular zone is expected to be sufficiently strong to observe the bistatic uplink in the REX narrowband record. Measurements in both polarizations will then be combined to yield surface reflectivity, roughness and limits on the dielectric constant in the specular zone.

Three Views of Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-06

New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) obtained these three images of Pluto between July 1-3 ,2015, as the spacecraft closed in on its July 14 encounter with the dwarf planet and its moons. The left image shows, on the right side of the disk, a large bright area on the hemisphere opposite Charon; this is the side of Pluto that will be seen in close-up by New Horizons on July 14. The three images together show the full extent of a continuous swath of dark terrain that wraps around Pluto's equatorial region between longitudes 40° and 160°. The western end of the swath, west of longitude 40°, breaks up into a series of striking dark regularly-spaced spots on the anti-Charon hemisphere (right image) that were first noted in New Horizons images taken on Pluto's previous rotation. Intriguing details are beginning to emerge in the bright material north of the dark region, in particular a series of bright and dark patches that are conspicuous just below the center of the disk in the right-hand image. In all three black-and-white views, the apparent jagged bottom edge of Pluto is the result of image processing. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19698

The Formation of Charon's Red Poles from Seasonally Cold-Trapped Volatiles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grundy, W. M.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Gladstone, D. R.; Howett, C. J. A.; Lauer, T. R.; Spencer, J. R.; Summers, M. E.; Buie, M. W.; Earle, A. M.; Ennico, K.;

The formation of Charon's red poles from seasonally cold-trapped volatiles.

PubMed

Grundy, W M; Cruikshank, D P; Gladstone, G R; Howett, C J A; Lauer, T R; Spencer, J R; Summers, M E; Buie, M W; Earle, A M; Ennico, K; Parker, J Wm; Porter, S B; Singer, K N; Stern, S A; Verbiscer, A J; Beyer, R A; Binzel, R P; Buratti, B J; Cook, J C; Dalle Ore, C M; Olkin, C B; Parker, A H; Protopapa, S; Quirico, E; Retherford, K D; Robbins, S J; Schmitt, B; Stansberry, J A; Umurhan, O M; Weaver, H A; Young, L A; Zangari, A M; Bray, V J; Cheng, A F; McKinnon, W B; McNutt, R L; Moore, J M; Nimmo, F; Reuter, D C; Schenk, P M

2016-11-03

A unique feature of Pluto's large satellite Charon is its dark red northern polar cap. Similar colours on Pluto's surface have been attributed to tholin-like organic macromolecules produced by energetic radiation processing of hydrocarbons. The polar location on Charon implicates the temperature extremes that result from Charon's high obliquity and long seasons in the production of this material. The escape of Pluto's atmosphere provides a potential feedstock for a complex chemistry. Gas from Pluto that is transiently cold-trapped and processed at Charon's winter pole was proposed as an explanation for the dark coloration on the basis of an image of Charon's northern hemisphere, but not modelled quantitatively. Here we report images of the southern hemisphere illuminated by Pluto-shine and also images taken during the approach phase that show the northern polar cap over a range of longitudes. We model the surface thermal environment on Charon and the supply and temporary cold-trapping of material escaping from Pluto, as well as the photolytic processing of this material into more complex and less volatile molecules while cold-trapped. The model results are consistent with the proposed mechanism for producing the observed colour pattern on Charon.

Formation of the Sputnik Planum basin and the thickness of Pluto's subsurface ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, B. C.; Bowling, T.; Trowbridge, A.; Freed, A. M.

2016-12-01

Since the New Horizons flyby, evidence has been mounting that Pluto's Sputnik Planum (SP; informal name) (1,2) is associated with a 800-1000 km diameter elliptical impact basin (3,4). Global tectonics and the location of SP suggests that Pluto reoriented to align the basin with its tidal axis (4,5). This indicates there is a large positive mass anomaly associated with SP (4,5). However, even with loading of 3-10 km of dense convecting N2 ice (6,7), a positive mass anomaly associated with the deep basin requires that Pluto has a liquid ocean and the ice shell under the basin is substantially thinned (4). Although the possibility of a slowly freezing current day subsurface ocean is supported by thermal modeling (8,9) and the ubiquity of young extensional tectonic features (1), the thickness of the putative ocean is unconstrained. Here, we simulate the SP basin-forming impact into targets with a range of thermal states and ocean thicknesses. We find that SP can only achieve a large positive mass anomaly if Pluto has a more than 100 km thick salty ocean (i.e. ocean density exceeding 1100 kg/m3). This conclusion may help us better understand the composition and thermal evolution of Pluto. 1. Moore, J. M. et al. Science 351,1284-1293 (2016). 2. Stern, S. A. et al. Science 350,aad1815-aad1815 (2015). 3. Schenk, P. M. et al. A Large Impact Origin for Sputnik Planum and Surrounding Terrains, Pluto? AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts 47,(2015). 4. Nimmo, F. et al. Loading, Relaxation, and Tidal Wander at Sputnik Planum, Pluto. 47th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 47,2207 (2016). 5. Keane, J. T. & Matsuyama, I. Pluto Followed Its Heart: True Polar Wander of Pluto Due to the Formation and Evolution of Sputnik Planum. 47th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 47,2348 (2016). 6. Trowbridge, A. J., Melosh, H. J., Steckloff, J. K. & Freed, A. M. Nature 534,79-81 (2016). 7. McKinnon, W. B. et al. Nature 534,82-85 (2016). 8. Robuchon, G. & Nimmo, F. Icarus 216,426-439 (2011). 9. Hammond, N. P., Barr, A. C. & Parmentier, E. M. Geophys. Res. Lett. (2016). doi:10.1002/2016GL069220

A Binary Planet in Color

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-23

This image from NASA New Horizons highlights the contrasting appearance of the two worlds: Charon is mostly gray, with a dark reddish polar cap, while Pluto shows a wide variety of subtle color variations. Pluto and Charon are shown in enhanced color in this image, which is the highest-resolution color image of the pair so far returned to Earth by New Horizons. It was taken at 06:49 UT on July 14, 2015, five hours before Pluto closest approach, from a range of 150,000 miles (250,000 kilometers), with the spacecraft's Ralph instrument. The image highlights the contrasting appearance of the two worlds: Charon is mostly gray, with a dark reddish polar cap, while Pluto shows a wide variety of subtle color variations, including yellowish patches on the north polar cap and subtly contrasting colors for the two halves of Pluto's "heart," informally named Tombaugh Regio, seen in the upper right quadrant of the image. In order to fit Pluto and Charon in the same frame in their correct relative positions, the image has been rotated so the north pole on both Pluto and Charon is pointing towards the upper left. The image was made with the blue, red, and near-infrared color filters of Ralph's Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera, and shows colors that are similar, but not identical, to what would be seen with the human eye, which is sensitive to a narrower range of wavelengths. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19856

New Horizons Very Best View of Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-12-05

This frame from a movie is composed of the sharpest views of Pluto that NASA's New Horizons spacecraft obtained during its flyby of the distant planet on July 14, 2015. The pictures are part of a sequence taken near New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto, with resolutions of about 250-280 feet (77-85 meters) per pixel -- revealing features smaller than half a city block on Pluto's diverse surface. The images include a wide variety of spectacular, cratered, mountainous and glacial terrains -- giving scientists and the public alike a breathtaking, super-high resolution window on Pluto's geology. The images form a strip 50 miles (80 kilometers) wide trending from Pluto's jagged horizon about 500 miles (800 kilometers) northwest of the informally named Sputnik Planum, across the al-Idrisi mountains, onto the shoreline of Sputnik Planum and then across its icy plains. They were made with the telescopic Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) aboard New Horizons, over a timespan of about a minute centered on 11:36 UT on July 14 -- just about 15 minutes before New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto -- from a range of just 10,000 miles (17,000 kilometers). They were obtained with an unusual observing mode; instead of working in the usual "point and shoot," LORRI snapped pictures every three seconds while the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC) aboard New Horizons was scanning the surface. This mode requires unusually short exposures to avoid blurring the images. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20202

New Horizons Very Best View of Pluto Mosiac

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-12-05

This mosaic is composed of the sharpest views of Pluto that NASA's New Horizons spacecraft obtained during its flyby of the distant planet on July 14, 2015. The pictures are part of a sequence taken near New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto, with resolutions of about 250-280 feet (77-85 meters) per pixel -- revealing features smaller than half a city block on Pluto's diverse surface. The images include a wide variety of spectacular, cratered, mountainous and glacial terrains -- giving scientists and the public alike a breathtaking, super-high resolution window on Pluto's geology. The images form a strip 50 miles (80 kilometers) wide trending from Pluto's jagged horizon about 500 miles (800 kilometers) northwest of the informally named Sputnik Planum, across the al-Idrisi mountains, onto the shoreline of Sputnik Planum and then across its icy plains. They were made with the telescopic Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) aboard New Horizons, over a timespan of about a minute centered on 11:36 UT on July 14 -- just about 15 minutes before New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto -- from a range of just 10,000 miles (17,000 kilometers). They were obtained with an unusual observing mode; instead of working in the usual "point and shoot," LORRI snapped pictures every three seconds while the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC) aboard New Horizons was scanning the surface. This mode requires unusually short exposures to avoid blurring the images. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20201

Pluto Close-up, Now in Color

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-12-10

This enhanced color mosaic combines some of the sharpest views of Pluto that NASA's New Horizons spacecraft obtained during its July 14 flyby. The pictures are part of a sequence taken near New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto, with resolutions of about 250-280 feet (77-85 meters) per pixel -- revealing features smaller than half a city block on Pluto's surface. Lower resolution color data (at about 2,066 feet, or 630 meters, per pixel) were added to create this new image. The images form a strip 50 miles (80 kilometers) wide, trending (top to bottom) from the edge of "badlands" northwest of the informally named Sputnik Planum, across the al-Idrisi mountains, onto the shoreline of Pluto's "heart" feature, and just into its icy plains. They combine pictures from the telescopic Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) taken approximately 15 minutes before New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto, with -- from a range of only 10,000 miles (17,000 kilometers) -- with color data (in near-infrared, red and blue) gathered by the Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) 25 minutes before the LORRI pictures. The wide variety of cratered, mountainous and glacial terrains seen here gives scientists and the public alike a breathtaking, super-high-resolution color window into Pluto's geology. e border between the relatively smooth Sputnik Planum ice sheet and the pitted area, with a series of hills forming slightly inside this unusual "shoreline." http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20213

Detection of Atmospheric CO on Pluto with ALMA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurwell, Mark; Lellouch, Emmanuel; Butler, Bryan; Moullet, Arielle; Moreno, Raphael; Bockelée-Morvan, Dominique; Biver, Nicolas; Fouchet, Thierry; Lis, Darek; Stern, Alan; Young, Leslie; Young, Eliot; Weaver, Hal; Boissier, Jeremie; Stansberry, John

2015-11-01

We observed Pluto and Charon using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) interferometer in Northern Chile on June 12.2 and June 13.15, 2015, just one month prior to the New Horizons flyby of the system. The configuration of ALMA at the time provided ~0.3" resolution, allowing separation of emission from Pluto and Charon. This project targeted multiple science goals, including a search for HCN in Pluto's atmosphere [1] and high precision measurements of the individual brightness temperatures of Pluto and Charon [2], also presented at this meeting. Here we report the high SNR detection of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere of Pluto. The CO(3-2) rotational line, at 345.796 GHz (867 μm), was observed with 117 kHz spectral resolution for 45 min (on-source) on each date, providing ~3.5mJy/channel RMS. CO emission was clearly detected on both days, with a contrast of ~65 mJy above the Pluto continuum, and ~1.8 MHz FWHM linewidth, with the combined integrated line SNR >50. The presence of CO in Pluto's atmosphere is expected due to it's presence as ice on the surface in vapor pressure equilibrium with the atmosphere (e.g. [3],[4]), and it was previously detected at modest SNR in the near-IR using the VLT [5]. A preliminary assessment based upon the CO line wings shows the fractional abundance of CO is 500-750 ppm, consistent with that found in [5]. Further, the shape of the line core emission (assuming a constant CO mixing ratio), suggests that the atmospheric temperature rises quickly from the surface to ~100-110 K in the altitude range 20-70 km but decreases above that, falling to about 70 K by 200 km altitude. A detailed line inversion analysis will be performed and results presented.[1] Lellouch et al, this meeting. [2] Butler et al., this meeting. [3] Owen et al (1993), Science, 261, pp. 745-748. [4] Spencer et al (1993), In Pluto and Charon, pp. 435-473. Univ. of Arizona Press, Tucson. [5] Lellouch et al (2011), A&A, 530, L4.

The Pluto System At Small Phase Angles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verbiscer, Anne J.; Buie, Marc W.; Binzel, Richard; Ennico, Kimberly; Grundy, William M.; Olkin, Catherine B.; Showalter, Mark Robert; Spencer, John R.; Stern, S. Alan; Weaver, Harold A.; Young, Leslie; New Horizons Science Team

2016-10-01

Hubble Space Telescope observations of the Pluto system acquired during the New Horizons encounter epoch (HST Program 13667, M. Buie, PI) span the phase angle range from 0.06 to 1.7 degrees, enabling the measurement and characterization of the opposition effect for Pluto and its satellites at 0.58 microns using HST WFC3/UVIS with the F350LP filter, which has a broadband response and a pivot wavelength of 0.58 microns. At these small phase angles, differences in the opposition effect width and amplitude appear. The small satellites Nix and Hydra both exhibit a very narrow opposition surge, while the considerably larger moon Charon has a broader opposition surge. Microtextural surface properties derived from the shape and magnitude of the opposition surge of each surface contain a record of the collisional history of the system. We combine these small phase angle observations with those made at larger phase angles by the New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), which also has a broadband response with a pivot wavelength of 0.61 microns, to produce the most complete disk-integrated solar phase curves that we will have for decades to come. Modeling these disk-integrated phase curves generates sets of photometric parameters that will inform spectral modeling of the satellite surfaces as well as terrains on Pluto from spatially resolved New Horizons Ralph Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA) data from 1.2 to 2.5 microns. Rotationally resolved phase curves of Pluto reveal opposition effects that only appear at phase angles less than 0.1 degree and have widths and amplitudes that are highly dependent on longitude and therefore on Pluto's diverse terrains. The high albedo region informally known as Sputnik Planum dominates the disk-integrated reflectance of Pluto on the New Horizons encounter hemisphere. These results lay the groundwork for observations at true opposition in 2018, when the Pluto system will be observable at phase angles so small that an Earth transit across the solar disk will be visible from Pluto and its satellites.

Geology and Composition of Pluto and Charon from New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, John R.; Stern, S. Alan; Moore, Jeffrey M.; Grundy, W. M.; McKinnon, William B.; Cruikshank, Dale P.; Weaver, Harold A.; Olkin, Catherine B.; Young, Leslie; Ennico, Kimberly; New Horizons Geology/Geophysics and Composition Theme Teams

2016-10-01

Data gathered by New Horizons during its July 2015 flyby has revolutionized our understanding of the geology and surface composition of Pluto and Charon. While much of Pluto's ice shell is ancient and rigid, as evinced by locally high crater densities and deep graben, much of the surface has been reworked, up to the present day, by a bewildering variety of geological processes. These include deposition and erosion of kilometers of mantle material, sublimation, apparent cryovolcanism, chaotic breakup of the crust to form rugged mountains, erosion and creation of channel networks by probable glacial action, and active glaciation. Pluto's anti-Charon hemisphere is dominated by 1000 km wide field of actively convecting nitrogen and other ices, informally called Sputnik Planum, occupying a large depression of probable impact origin. Color and composition is very varied, and is dominated by dark red tholins and N2, CH4, and CO ices, with H2O ice bedrock also exposed in many places. Apart from Sputnik Planum, color and composition is strongly correlated with latitude, showing the importance of insolation in controlling ice distribution. Charon shows pervasive extensional tectonism and locally extensive cryovolcanic resurfacing, both dating from early in solar system history. Its color and surface composition, dominated by H2O ice plus NH3 hydrate, is remarkably uniform apart from a thin deposit of dark red material near the north pole which may be due to cold-trapping and radiolysis of hydrocarbons escaping from Pluto. Neither Pluto nor Charon is likely to have experienced tidal heating during the period when observable landforms were created. Charon's surface shows resurfacing comparable in extent and age to many Saturnian and Uranian satellites such as Dione or Ariel, suggesting that observed activity on these satellites may not necessarily be tidally-driven. Pluto demonstrates that resurfacing on small volatile-rich icy bodies can be powered for at least 4.5 Ga by ongoing radiogenic and residual early heat alone, though the fact that Triton shows much more pervasive resurfacing than Pluto provides some evidence that Triton, unlike Pluto, has access to an additional heat source, presumably tidal.

New Thematic Solar System Exploration Products for Scientists and Educators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowes, Lesile; Wessen, Alice; Davis, Phil; Lindstrom, Marilyn

2004-01-01

The next several years are an exciting time in the exploration of the solar system. NASA and its international partners have a veritable armada of spaceships heading out to the far reaches of the solar system. We'll send the first spacecraft beyond our solar system into interstellar space. We'll launch our first mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt and just our second to Mercury (the first in 30 years). We'll continue our intensive exploration of Mars and begin our detailed study of Saturn and its moons. We'll visit asteroids and comets and bring home pieces of the Sun and a comet. This is truly an unprecedented period of exploration and discovery! To facilitate access to information and to provide the thematic context for these missions NASA s Solar System Exploration Program and Solar System Exploration Education Forum have developed several products.

Electronics for Low Temperature Space Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, Richard L.; Hammoud, Ahmad; Elbuluk, Malik

2007-01-01

Exploration missions to outer planets and deep space require spacecraft, probes, and on-board data and communication systems to operate reliably and efficiently under severe harsh conditions. On-board electronics, in particular those in direct exposures to the space environment without any shielding or protection, will encounter extreme low temperature and thermal cycling in their service cycle in most of NASA s upcoming exploration missions. For example, Venus atmosphere, Jupiter atmosphere, Moon surface, Pluto orbiter, Mars, comets, Titan, Europa, and James Webb Space Telescope all involve low-temperature surroundings. Therefore, electronics for space exploration missions need to be designed for operation under such environmental conditions. There are ongoing efforts at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) to establish a database on the operation and reliability of electronic devices and circuits under extreme temperature operation for space applications. This work is being performed under the Extreme Temperature Electronics Program with collaboration and support of the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) Program. The results of these investigations will be used to establish safe operating areas and to identify degradation and failure modes, and the information will be disseminated to mission planners and system designers for use as tools for proper part selection and in risk mitigation. An overview of this program along with experimental data will be presented.

The 19th of July 2016 Multi-Chord Stellar Occultation by Pluto - A European PRO-AM cooperation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beisker, W.; Eberle, A.; Gaehrken, B.; Kattentidt, B.; Murawski, G.; Gazeas, K.; Tzouganatos, L.; Tigani, K.; Gloistein, D.; Hampf, D.; Hampf, D.; Eichler, H.; Hattenbach, J.; Guhl, K.; Dohrmann, M.; Krannich, G.; Lindner, P.; Marchini, A.; Papini, R.; Salvaggio, F.; Ohlert, J.; Kloes, O.; Farago, O.; Farago, A.; Grzedzielsk, P.; Signoret, F.; Moravec, Z.; Tsamis, V.; Wortmann, G.; Walzel, K.; Rothe, W.; Bode, H.-J.; Dangl, G.; Berard, D.; Desmars, J.; Leiva, R.; Meza, E.; Assafin, M.; Benedetti-Rossi, G.; Braga Ribas, F.; Camargo, J.; Dias de Oliveira, A.; Gomes Junior, A.; Vieira, R. M.; Ortiz, J. L.; Duffard, R.; Santos-Sanz, P.; Morales, N.; Sicardy, B.

2017-09-01

The occultation of the 14th mag star UCAC4 345-180315 by Pluto on the evening of the 19th of July, 2016 could be observed from large parts of Europe, middle east and northern Africa as well. A campaign had been organized with for many observers and observatories throughout Europe and other countries. Professional as well as amateur observatories and observers shared in a PRO-AM cooperation to achieve the highest possible degree of coverage. The scientific goal was the ongoing monitoring of Pluto's atmosphere, waiting for a possible shrinking of its pressure due to the increasing distance of Pluto from the sun.

Pluto-Charon: Infrared Reflectance from 3.6 to 8.0 Micrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruikshank, Dale P.; Emery, Joshua P.; Stansberry, John A.; VanCleve, Jeffrey E.

2004-01-01

We have measured the spectral reflectance of the Pluto-Charon pair at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 micrometers with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) (G. G. Fazzio et al. Ap.J.Supp. 154, 10-17, 2004) on the Spitzer Space Telescope (STS), at eight different longitudes that cover a full rotation of the planet. STS does not have sufficient resolution to separate the light from the planet and the satellite. The image of the Pluto-Charon pair is clearly visible at each of the four wavelengths. We will discuss the spectral reflectance in terms of models that include the known components of Pluto and Charon s surfaces, and evidence for diurnal variations.

Mass Determination of Pluto and Charon from New Horizon REX Radio Science Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paetzold, Martin; Andert, T. P.; Tyler, G.; Bird, M. K.; Hinson, D. P.; Linscott, I. R.

2013-10-01

The anticipated 14 July 2015 New Horizons fly-through of the Pluto system provides the first opportunity to determine both the total system mass and the individual masses of Pluto and Charon by direct observation. This will be accomplished by use of: i) two-way Doppler radio frequency tracking data during intervals along the fly-in and -out trajectory, and ii) one-way uplink Doppler frequency recorded by the on-board radio science instrument, REX, during the day of closest approaches to Pluto and Charon. Continuous tracking is not feasible as a result of pointing sharing with the instruments during the encounter phase. Needed radio tracking will be obtained during time slots shared with i) two-way Doppler tracking for navigation, ii) 'plasma rolls' with the spacecraft antenna pointing to Earth, and iii) during the ingress and egress phases of the occultations. Simulations of the NH encounter indicate the potential accuracies of the combined and individual mass determinations of Pluto and Charon in the order of 0.1%.

Determination of the System Mass and the Individual Masses of the Pluto System from New Horizons Radio Tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahn, Matthias; Pätzold, Martin; Andert, Tom; Bird, Michael K.; Tyler, Leonard G.; Linscott, Ivan; Hinson, Dave P.; Stern, Alan; Weaver, Hal; Olkin, Cathrin; Young, Leslie; Ennico, Kimberly

2015-11-01

One objective of the New Horizons Radio Science Experiment REX is the determination of the system mass and the individual masses of Pluto and Charon. About four weeks of two-way radio tracking centered around the closest approach of New Horizons to the Pluto system were processed. Major problems during the processing were caused by the small net forces of the spacecraft thruster activity, which produce extra Δv on the spacecraft motion superposed onto the continuously perturbed motion caused by the attracting forces of the Pluto system. The times of spacecraft thruster activity are known but the applied Δv needs to be specifically adjusted. No two-way tracking was available for the day of the flyby, but slots of REX one-way uplink tracking are used to cover the most important times near closest approach, e.g. during occultation entries and exits. This will help to separate the individual masses of Pluto and Charon from the system mass.

Mass Determination of Pluto and Charon from New Horizon REX Radio Science Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pätzold, M.; Andert, T. P.; Tyler, G. L.; Bird, M. K.; Hinson, D. H.; Linscott, I. R.

2013-09-01

The anticipated 14 July 2015 New Horizons flythrough of the Pluto system provides the first opportunity to determine both the total system mass and the individual masses of Pluto and Charon by direct observation. This will be accomplished by use of: i) two-way Doppler radio frequency tracking data during intervals along the fly-in and -out trajectory, and ii) one-way uplink Doppler frequency recorded by the on-board radio science instrument, REX, during the day of closest approaches to Pluto and Charon. Continuous tracking is not feasible as a result of pointing sharing with the instruments during the encounter phase. Needed radio tracking will be obtained during time slots shared with i) two-way Doppler tracking for navigation, ii) 'plasma rolls' with the spacecraft antenna pointing to Earth, and iii) during the ingress and egress phases of the occultations. Simulations of the NH encounter indicate the potential accuracies of the combined and individual mass determinations of Pluto and Charon in the order of 0.1%.

New Horizons Sees Pluto (Animation) Note: There is debate within the science community as to whether

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on New Horizons acquired images of the Pluto field three days apart in late September 2006, in order to see Pluto's motion against a dense background of stars. LORRI took three frames at 1-second exposures on both Sept. 21 and Sept. 24. Because it moved along its predicted path, Pluto was detected in all six images.

These images are displayed using false-color to represent different intensities: the lowest intensity level is black, different shades of red mark intermediate intensities, and the highest intensity is white.

The images appear pixilated because they were obtained in a mode that compensates for the drift in spacecraft pointing over long exposure times. LORRI also made these observations before operators uploaded new flight-control software in October; the upgraded software package includes an optical navigation capability that will make LORRI approximately three times more sensitive still than for these Pluto observations.

A Close Look At Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-02-25

Pluto has long been a mystery, a dot at our solar system’s margins. The best images, even with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, were fuzzy and pixelated. In July 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto and captured the sharpest views of the dwarf planet to date. One of the most striking areas, informally named "Sputnik Planum," is a sweeping, frozen plain the size of Texas and ringed by mountains of ice. Its smooth deposits are unmarred by impact craters, a stark contrast to the rest of Pluto’s battered surface. As a result, scientists believe the region formed recently, within the last few hundred million years. This contradicts past depictions of Pluto as an unchanging world. By analyzing images taken during the flyby, scientists hope to unravel more of the dwarf planet’s history. Watch the video for an up-close look at Pluto. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Video courtesy of NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/S. Robbins

Configuration of Pluto's Volatile Ices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grundy, William M.; Binzel, R. P.; Cook, J. C.; Cruikshank, D. P.; Dalle Ore, C. M.; Earle, A. M.; Ennico, K.; Jennings, D. E.; Howett, C. J. A.; Linscott, I. R.; Lunsford, A. W.; Olkin, C. B.; Parker, A. H.; Parker, J. Wm; Protopapa, S.; Reuter, D. C.; Singer, K. N.; Spencer, J. R.; Stern, S. A.; Tsang, C. C. C.; Verbiscer, A. J.; Weaver, H. A.; Young, L. A.; Berry, K.; Buie, M. W.; Stansberry, J. A.

2015-11-01

We report on near-infrared remote sensing by New Horizons' Ralph instrument (Reuter et al. 2008, Space Sci. Rev. 140, 129-154) of Pluto's N2, CO, and CH4 ices. These especially volatile ices are mobile even at Pluto's cryogenic surface temperatures. Sunlight reflected from these ices becomes imprinted with their characteristic spectral absorption bands. The detailed appearance of these absorption features depends on many aspects of local composition, thermodynamic state, and texture. Multiple-scattering radiative transfer models are used to retrieve quantitative information about these properties and to map how they vary across Pluto's surface. Using parameter maps derived from New Horizons observations, we investigate the striking regional differences in the abundances and scattering properties of Pluto's volatile ices. Comparing these spatial patterns with the underlying geology provides valuable constraints on processes actively modifying the planet's surface, over a variety of spatial scales ranging from global latitudinal patterns to more regional and local processes within and around the feature informally known as Sputnik Planum. This work was supported by the NASA New Horizons Project.

The Pluto Case and the Nature of Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nóbrega de Albuquerque, Vanessa; Leite, Cristina

2016-08-01

Pluto had its classification changed in 2006, from planet to “dwarf planet”. This change had great impact in the media. Pluto returned to the news due to the arrival of New Horizons probe to Pluto in July 2015. Whereas the understanding of the complexity involved in the definition of celestial bodies could help us to show science as a historic, social, collective, non-linear and non-neutral process, it is presented a historical survey of the episodes involving the various definitions for planet, since the first observations of the sky made by our ancestors until the resolutions that defined which are the attributes of a "planet " made at the 26th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, meeting at which it was decided to reclassify Pluto. In order contribute to help perform discussions about the nature of science involving Astronomy themes, it is explained which features of scientific knowledge become evident during the study of the mentioned episodes.

Revisiting the 1988 Pluto Occultation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosh, Amanda S.; Dunham, Edward W.; Young, Leslie A.; Slivan, Steve; Barba née Cordella, Linda L.; Millis, Robert L.; Wasserman, Lawrence H.; Nye, Ralph

2015-11-01

In 1988, Pluto's atmosphere was surmised to exist because of the surface ices that had been detected through spectroscopy, but it had not yet been directly detected in a definitive manner. The key to making such a detection was the stellar occultation method, used so successfully for the discovery of the Uranian rings in 1977 (Elliot et al. 1989; Millis et al. 1993) and before that for studies of the atmospheres of other planets.On 9 June 1988, Pluto occulted a star, with its shadow falling over the South Pacific Ocean region. One team of observers recorded this event from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, while other teams captured the event from various locations in Australia and New Zealand. Preceding this event, extensive astrometric observations of Pluto and the star were collected in order to refine the prediction.We will recount the investigations that led up to this important Pluto occultation, discuss the unexpected atmospheric results, and compare the 1988 event to the recent 2015 event whose shadow followed a similar track through New Zealand and Australia.

[Stellar Occultation Studies of Small Bodies in the Outer Solar System: Accomplishments, Status, and Plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elliott, James

2005-01-01

Bodies residing in the outer solar system exhibit unique physical processes, and some of the lessons learned from them can be applied to understanding what occurred in the outer solar system during its formation and early evolution. Pluto, the largest known Kuiper Belt object (KBO), and its near twin Triton--an ex-KBO that has been captured by Neptune--have nitrogen atmospheres that are in vapor-pressure equilibrium with surface ice. These atmospheres are most sensitively probed from Earth by the technique of Stellar occultations, which can provide the temperature and pressure profiles of these atmospheres at a spatial resolution of a few kilometers. Recent results from occultations show that the surface pressure of Triton's atmosphere has been increasing and that the shape of the atmosphere deviates from its expected spherical figure. With the occultation technique we can also learn the sizes of smaller bodies that have formed in the outer solar system: Charon, the Centaurs, and KBOs. Our proposed program involves identifying occultation candidates, predicting occultations, observing occultations, analysis of the data, and synthesis of the occultation results with other data. The main goals for our proposed work are to (i) further observe occultations by Triton with the objectives of understanding its pressure changes, distortion, and enigmatic thermal structure (ii) determine whether the abrupt drop in Pluto's stellar occultation light curve is caused by a sharp thermal gradient near its surface or by atmospheric haze, (iii) further observations to characterize the potential collapse of Pluto's atmosphere as it recedes from the sun (information that should be of interest to the Pluto-Kuiper Express), ( iv ) determine Charon's radius more accurately than can be done with the mutual events to derive a better estimate of Charon's density, and ( v ) directly determine the size (and albedo) of Centaurs with the goal of more accurately estimating the sizes of KBOS.

Radio Thermal Emission from Pluto and Charon during the New Horizons Encounter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bird, Michael; Linscott, Ivan; Hinson, David; Tyler, G. L.; Strobel, Darrell F.; New Horizons Science Team

2017-10-01

As part of the New Horizons Radio-Science Experiment REX, radio thermal emission from Pluto and Charon (wavelength: 4.2 cm) was observed during the encounter on 14 July 2015. The primary REX measurement, a determination of the atmospheric height profile from the surface up to about 100 km, was conducted during an uplink radio occultation at both ingress and egress (Hinson et al., Icarus 290, 96-111, 2017). During the interval between ingress and egress, when the Earth and the REX uplink signals were occulted by the Pluto disk, the spacecraft antenna continued to point toward Earth and thus scanned diametrically across the Pluto nightside. The average diameter of the HGA 3 dB beam was ≈1100 km at the surface during this opportunity, thereby providing crudely resolved measurements of the radio brightness temperature across Pluto. The best resolution for the REX radiometry observations occurred shortly after closest approach, when the HGA was scanned twice across Pluto. These observations will be reported elsewhere (Linscott et al., Icarus, submitted, 2017). In addition to the resolved observations, full disk brightness temperature measurements of both bodies were performed during the approach (dayside) and departure (nightside) phases of the encounter. We present the results of these observations and provide a preliminary interpretation of the measured brightness temperatures.

Pluto and Charon in False Color Show Compositional Diversity

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-14

This July 13, 2015, image of Pluto and Charon is presented in false colors to make differences in surface material and features easy to see. It was obtained by the Ralph instrument on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, using three filters to obtain color information, which is exaggerated in the image. These are not the actual colors of Pluto and Charon, and the apparent distance between the two bodies has been reduced for this side-by-side view. The image reveals that the bright heart-shaped region of Pluto includes areas that differ in color characteristics. The western lobe, shaped like an ice-cream cone, appears peach color in this image. A mottled area on the right (east) appears bluish. Even within Pluto's northern polar cap, in the upper part of the image, various shades of yellow-orange indicate subtle compositional differences. The surface of Charon is viewed using the same exaggerated color. The red on the dark northern polar cap of Charon is attributed to hydrocarbon materials including a class of chemical compounds called tholins. The mottled colors at lower latitudes point to the diversity of terrains on Charon. This image was taken at 3:38 a.m. EDT on July 13, one day before New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19707

New Details on Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-10

This image of Pluto was taken by New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) at 4:18 UT on July 9, 2015, from a range of 3.9 million miles (6.3 million kilometers). It reveals new details on the surface of Pluto, including complex patterns in the transition between the very dark equatorial band (nicknamed "the whale"), which occupies the lower part of the image, and the brighter northern terrain. The bright arc at the bottom of the disk shows that there is more bright terrain beyond the southern margin of the "whale." The side of Pluto that will be studied in great detail during the close encounter on July 14 is now rotating off the visible disk on the right hand side, and will not be seen again until shortly before closest approach. Three consecutive images were combined and sharpened, using a process called deconvolution, to create this view. Deconvolution enhances real detail but can also generate spurious features, including the bright edge seen on the upper and left margins of the disk (though the bright margin on the bottom of the disk is real). The wireframe globe shows the orientation of Pluto in the image: thicker lines indicate the equator and the prime meridian (the direction facing Charon). Central longitude on Pluto is 86°. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19705

The Surface Compositions of Triton, Pluto, and Charon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruikshank, Dale P.; Roush, Ted L.; Owen, Tobias C.; Quirico, Eric; DeBergh, Catherine

1995-01-01

Neptune's satellite Triton, and the planet-satellite binary Pluto and Charon, are the most distant planetary bodies on which ices have been directly detected. Triton and Pluto have very similar dimensions and mean densities, suggesting a similar or common origin. Through earth-based spectroscopic observations in the near-infrared, solid N2, CH4, and CO have been found on both bodies, with the additional molecule C02 on Triton. N2 dominates both surfaces, although the coverage is not spatially uniform. On Triton, the CH4 and CO are mostly or entirely frozen in the N2 matrix, while CO2 may be spatially segregated. On Pluto, some CH4 and the CO are frozen in the N2 matrix, but there is evidence for additional CH4 in a pure state, perhaps lying as a lag deposit on a subsurface layer of N2. Despite their compositional and dimensional similarities, Pluto and Triton are quite different from one another in detail. Additional hydrocarbons and other volatile ices have been sought spectroscopically but not yet have been detected. The only molecule identified on Pluto's satellite Charon is solid H2O, but the spectroscopic data are of low precision and admit the presence of other ices such as CH4.

Geology Before Pluto: Pre-encounter Considerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, J. M.

2014-12-01

Pluto, its large satellite Charon, and its four small known satellites represent the first trans-Neptunian Kuiper Belt objects populating the outer-most solar system beyond the gas giant planets to be studied in detail from a spacecraft (New Horizons). A complete picture of the solar nebula and solar system formation cannot be confidently formulated until representatives of this group of bodies at the edge of solar space have been examined. The Pluto system is composed of unique, lunar- and intermediate-sized objects that can tell us much about how objects with volatile icy compositions evolve. Modeling of the interior suggests that geologic activity may have been significant to some degree, and observations of frost on the surface could imply the need for a geologic reservoir for the replenishment of these phases. However, these putative indicators of Pluto's geologic history are inconclusive and unspecific. Detailed examination of Pluto's geologic record is the only plausible means of bridging the gap between theory and observation. In this talk I will examine the potential importance of these tentative indications of geologic activity and how specific spacecraft observations have been designed and used to constrain the Pluto system's geologic history. The cameras of New Horizons will provide robust data sets that should be immanently amenable to geological analysis of the Pluto system's landscapes. In this talk, we begin with a brief discussion of the planned observations by the New Horizons cameras that will bear most directly on geological interpretability. Then I will broadly review major geological processes that could potentially operate on the surfaces of Pluto and its moons. I will first survey exogenic processes (i.e., those for which energy for surface modification is supplied externally to the planetary surface): impact cratering, sedimentary processes (including volatile migration), and the work of wind. I will conclude with an assessment of the prospects for endogenic activity in the form of tectonics and cryovolcanism.

Tholins as Coloring Agents on Pluto and Other Icy Solar System Bodies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruikshank, Dale

2016-01-01

Tholins are refractory organic solids of complex structure and high molecular weight, with a wide range of color ranging from yellow and orange to dark red, and through tan to black. They are made in the laboratory by energy deposition (photons or charged particles) in gases and ices containing the simple molecules (e.g., N2, CH4, CO) found in planetary atmospheres or condensed on planetary surfaces. They are widely implicated in providing the colors and albedos, particularly in the region 0.3-1.0 microns, of several outer Solar System bodies, including Pluto, as well as aerosols in planetary atmospheres such as Titan. Recent color images of Pluto with the New Horizons spacecraft show concentrations of coloring agent(s) in some regions of the surface, and apparent near-absence in other regions. Tholins that may to some degree represent surface chemistry on Pluto have been synthesized in the laboratory by energetic processing of mixtures of the ices (N2, CH4, CO) known on Pluto's surface, or the same molecules in the gas phase. Details of the composition and yield vary with experimental conditions. Chemical analysis of Pluto ice tholins shows evidence of amides, carboxylic acids, urea, carbodiimides, and nitriles. Aromatic/olefinic, amide, and other functional groups are identified in XANES analysis. The ice tholins produced by e- irradiation have a higher concentration of N than UV ice tholins, with N/C approx. 0.9 (versus approx. 0.5 for UV tholins) and O/C approx.0.2. Raman spectra of the electron tholin show a high degree of structural disorder, while strong UV fluorescence indicates a large aromatic content. EUV photolysis of a Pluto gaseous atmosphere analog yields pale yellow solids relatively transparent in the visual, and with aliphatic CH bonds prominent in IR spectra. This or similar material may be responsible for Pluto's hazes.

Geology Before Pluto: Pre-encounter Considerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Jeffrey

2014-05-01

Jeffrey M. Moore (NASA Ames) and the New Horizons Science Team Pluto, its large satellite Charon, and its four small known satellites represent the first trans-Neptunian Kuiper Belt objects populating the outer-most solar system beyond the gas giant planets to be studied in detail from a spacecraft (New Horizons). A complete picture of the solar nebula and solar system formation cannot be confidently formulated until representatives of this group of bodies at the edge of solar space have been examined. The Pluto system is composed of unique, lunar- and intermediate-sized objects that can tell us much about how objects with volatile icy compositions evolve. Modeling of the interior suggests that geologic activity may have been significant to some degree, and observations of frost on the surface could imply the need for a geologic reservoir for the replenishment of these phases. However, these putative indicators of Pluto's geologic history are inconclusive and unspecific. Detailed examination of Pluto's geologic record is the only plausible means of bridging the gap between theory and observation. In this talk I will examine the potential importance of these tentative indications of geologic activity and how specific spacecraft observations have been designed and used to constrain the Pluto system's geologic history. The cameras of New Horizons will provide robust data sets that should be immanently amenable to geological analysis of the Pluto System's landscapes. In this talk, we begin with a brief discussion of the planned observations by the New Horizons cameras that will bear most directly on geological interpretability. Then I will broadly review major geological processes that could potentially operate on the surfaces of Pluto and its moons. I will first survey exogenic processes (i.e. those for which energy for surface modification is supplied externally to the planetary surface): impact cratering, sedimentary processes (including volatile migration), and the work of wind. I will conclude with an assessment of the prospects for endogenic activity in the form of tectonics and cryo-volcanism.

Geology Before Pluto: Pre-Encounter Considerations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Jeffrey M.

2014-01-01

Pluto, its large satellite Charon, and its four known satellites represent the first trans-Neptunian Kuiper Belt objects populating the outer-most solar system beyond the gas giant planets to be studied in detail from a spacecraft (New Horizons). A complete picture of the solar nebula, and solar system formation cannot be confidently formulated until representatives of this group of bodies at the edge of solar space have been examined. The Pluto system is composed of unique lunar- and intermediate-sized objects that can tell us much about how objects with volatile icy compositions evolve. Modeling of the interior suggests that geologic activity may have been to some degree, and observations of frost on the surface could imply the need for a geologic reservoir for the replenishment of these phases. However, the putative indicators of Pluto's geologic history are inconclusive and unspecific. Detailed examination of Pluto's geologic record is the only plausible means of bridging the gap between theory and observations. In this talk I will examine the potential importance of these tentative indications of geologic activity and how specific spacecraft observations have been designed and used to constrain the Pluto system's geologic history. The cameras of New Horizons will provide robust data sets that should be immanently amenable to geological analysis of the Pluto System's landscapes. In this talk, we begin with a brief discussion of the planned observations by New Horizons' cameras that will bear most directly on geological interpretability. Then I will broadly review major geological processes that could potentially operate of the surfaces of Pluto and its moons. I will first survey exogenic processes (i.e., those for which energy for surface modification is supplied externally to the planetary surface): impact cratering, sedimentary processes (including volatile migration) and the work of wind. I will conclude with an assessment of prospects for endogenic activity in the form of tectonics and cryo-volcanism.

New Horizons Results at Charon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buratti, B. J.; Stern, A.; Moore, J. M.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Grundy, W. M.; Hofgartner, J. D.; Spencer, J. R.; McKinnon, W. B.; Olkin, C.; Young, L. A.; Verbiscer, A.; Singer, K. N.; Robbins, S. J.; Ennico Smith, K.

2016-12-01

The New Horizons Spacecraft encountered dwarf planet Pluto and its system of moons on July 15, 2015 for the first detailed study of a Kuiper Belt Object (1). Pluto possesses a system of at least 5 moons, including Charon, which is the largest moon in relation to its primary, comprising 12% of the mass of Pluto. The results from the flyby show a world that has undergone a large resurfacing event on at least one of its hemispheres, perhaps from differentiation and subsequent freezing of a subsurface ocean. Charon has a complex system of faults, and regions of various ages based on crater counting statistics. It has no evidence for recent or ongoing geologic activity as Pluto does. Its visible geometric albedo is 0.41±0.02, with normal reflectances ranging from 0.2-0.7. A few isolated brighter areas exist. A northern polar cap of low-albedo red material may be formed from a newly discovered process in the Solar System: the capture of methane from Pluto's atmosphere and subsequent polymerization and accumulation of a complex lag deposit (2). Unlike Pluto, which has a surface covered primarily of methane and nitrogen, Charon's surface is composed of water ice, along with NH3-ice in some form (3). The substantial relief on the moon implies that ice extends below the surface. The bulk density of Pluto and Charon are similar (1). This result implies that if Charon was formed from an impact and reaccretion event involving Pluto and a second body (4), it is unlikely the two bodies were fully differentiated prior to the event. (1) Stern, S. A. et al. (2015). Science 350, 292. (2) Grundy, W. M. et al. (2016). Manuscript accepted at Nature. (3) Grundy, W. M. et al. (2016). Science 351, 1283. (4) Canup, R. M. (2011). Astron. J. 141, 35. Funded by NASA.

Observational Constraints on a Pluto Torus of Circumsolar Neutral Gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, M. E.; Kollmann, P.; McNutt, R. L., Jr.; Smith, H. T.; Bagenal, F.; Brown, L. E.; Elliott, H. A.; Haggerty, D. K.; Horanyi, M.; Krimigis, S. M.; Kusterer, M. B.; Lisse, C. M.; McComas, D. J.; Piquette, M. R.; Sidrow, E. J.; Strobel, D. F.; Szalay, J.; Vandegriff, J. D.; Zirnstein, E.; Ennico Smith, K.; Olkin, C.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Young, L. A.; Stern, S. A.

2015-12-01

We present the concept of a neutral gas torus surrounding the Sun, aligned with Pluto's orbit, and place observational constraints based primarily on comparison of New Horizons (NH) measurements with a 3-D Monte Carlo model adapted from analogous satellite tori surrounding Saturn and Jupiter. Such a torus, or perhaps partial torus, should result from neutral N2 escaping from Pluto's exosphere. Unlike other more massive planets closer to the Sun, neutrals escape Pluto readily owing, e.g., to the high thermal speed relative to the escape velocity. Importantly, escaped neutrals have a long lifetime due to the great distance from the Sun, ~100 years for photoionization of N2 and ~180 years for photoionization of N, which results from disassociated N2. Despite the lengthy 248-year orbit, these long e-folding lifetimes may allow an enhanced neutral population to form an extended gas cloud that modifies the N2 spatial profile near Pluto. These neutrals are not directly observable by NH but once ionized N2+ or N+ are picked up by the solar wind, reaching ~50 keV, making these pickup ions (PUIs) detectable by NH's Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) instrument. PEPSSI observations analyzed to date may constrain the N2 density; the remaining ~95% of the encounter data, scheduled for downlink in August along with similarly anticipated data from the Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) experiment, should help determine the Pluto outgassing rates. Measurements from SWAP include the solar wind speed, a quantity that greatly enhances PUI studies by enabling us to directly account for the PUI distribution's sensitive dependence on plasma speed. Note that anomalous cosmic ray Si observed at Voyager is overabundant by a factor of ~3000 relative to interstellar composition. This might be related to "outer source" PUIs, but the fact that N2 and Si are indistinguishable in many instruments could mean that N2 is actually driving this apparent Si discrepancy.

Vice President Visits Marshall Space Flight Center on This Week @NASA – September 29, 2017

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-29

Vice President Mike Pence visited our Marshall Space Flight Center on Sept. 25 to thank employees working on NASA’s human spaceflight programs. He also spoke to the three NASA astronauts currently serving onboard the International Space Station. During a tour, the Vice President also saw progress being made on our Space Launch System rocket, that will send astronauts in our Orion spacecraft on missions around the Moon and ultimately to Mars. Also, NASA Data and Tech Aid in Disaster Relief, Congressional Hearing on August 21 Solar Eclipse, OSIRIS-REx Views Earth During Flyby, and “Bladed Terrain” on Pluto Made of Frozen Methane!

Highly Survivable Avionics Systems for Long-Term Deep Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alkalai, L.; Chau, S.; Tai, A. T.

2001-01-01

The design of highly survivable avionics systems for long-term (> 10 years) exploration of space is an essential technology for all current and future missions in the Outer Planets roadmap. Long-term exposure to extreme environmental conditions such as high radiation and low-temperatures make survivability in space a major challenge. Moreover, current and future missions are increasingly using commercial technology such as deep sub-micron (0.25 microns) fabrication processes with specialized circuit designs, commercial interfaces, processors, memory, and other commercial off the shelf components that were not designed for long-term survivability in space. Therefore, the design of highly reliable, and available systems for the exploration of Europa, Pluto and other destinations in deep-space require a comprehensive and fresh approach to this problem. This paper summarizes work in progress in three different areas: a framework for the design of highly reliable and highly available space avionics systems, distributed reliable computing architecture, and Guarded Software Upgrading (GSU) techniques for software upgrading during long-term missions. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

2011 HM{sub 102}: DISCOVERY OF A HIGH-INCLINATION L5 NEPTUNE TROJAN IN THE SEARCH FOR A POST-PLUTO NEW HORIZONS TARGET

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parker, Alex H.; Holman, Matthew J.; McLeod, Brian A.

We present the discovery of a long-term stable L5 (trailing) Neptune Trojan in data acquired to search for candidate trans-Neptunian objects for the New Horizons spacecraft to fly by during an extended post-Pluto mission. This Neptune Trojan, 2011 HM{sub 102}, has the highest inclination (29. Degree-Sign 4) of any known member of this population. It is intrinsically brighter than any single L5 Jupiter Trojan at H{sub V} {approx} 8.18. We have determined its gri colors (a first for any L5 Neptune Trojan), which we find to be similar to the moderately red colors of the L4 Neptune Trojans, suggesting similarmore » surface properties for members of both Trojan clouds. We also present colors derived from archival data for two L4 Neptune Trojans (2006 RJ{sub 103} and 2007 VL{sub 305}), better refining the overall color distribution of the population. In this document we describe the discovery circumstances, our physical characterization of 2011 HM{sub 102}, and this object's implications for the Neptune Trojan population overall. Finally, we discuss the prospects for detecting 2011 HM{sub 102} from the New Horizons spacecraft during its close approach in mid- to late-2013.« less

Informal Names for Features on Pluto Moon Charon

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-29

This image contains the initial, informal names being used by NASA's New Horizons team for the features on Pluto's largest moon, Charon. Names were selected based on the input the team received from the Our Pluto naming campaign. Names have not yet been approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). For more information on the maps and feature naming, visit http://www.ourpluto.org/maps. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19864

Informal Names for Features on Pluto Sputnik Planum

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-29

This image contains the initial, informal names being used by NASA's New Horizons team for the features on Pluto's Sputnik Planum (plain). Names were selected based on the input the team received from the Our Pluto naming campaign. Names have not yet been approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). For more information on the maps and feature naming, visit http://www.ourpluto.org/maps. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19865

Informal Names for Features on Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-29

This image contains the initial, informal names being used by NASA's New Horizons team for the features and regions on the surface of Pluto. Names were selected based on the input the team received from the Our Pluto naming campaign. Names have not yet been approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). For more information on the maps and feature naming, visit http://www.ourpluto.org/maps. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19863

Compiler-Driven Performance Optimization and Tuning for Multicore Architectures

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-10

develop a powerful system for auto-tuning of library routines and compute-intensive kernels, driven by the Pluto system for multicores that we are...kernels, driven by the Pluto system for multicores that we are developing. The work here is motivated by recent advances in two major areas of...automatic C-to-CUDA code generator using a polyhedral compiler transformation framework. We have used and adapted PLUTO (our state-of-the-art tool

Rarefied gas dynamic simulation of transfer and escape in the Pluto-Charon system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoey, William A.; Yeoh, Seng Keat; Trafton, Laurence M.; Goldstein, David B.; Varghese, Philip L.

2017-05-01

We apply the direct simulation Monte Carlo rarefied gas dynamic technique to simulations of Pluto's rarefied upper atmosphere motivated by the need to better understand New Horizons (NH) data. We present a novel three-dimensional DSMC model of the atmosphere that spans from several hundred km below the exobase - where continuum flow transitions to the rarefied regime - to fully free-molecular flow hundreds of thousands of km from Pluto's center. We find molecular collisions in Pluto's upper atmosphere to be significant in shaping the flowfield, both by promoting flux from the plutonian exobase to Charon and by increasing the proportion of that flux generated on the exobase's anti-Charon hemisphere. Our model accounts for the gravitational fields of both Pluto and Charon, the centripetal and Coriolis forces due to the rotation of Pluto in our reference frame, and the presence of Charon as a temporary sink for impacting particles. Using this model, we analyze the escape processes of N2 and CH4 from Pluto across different solar heating conditions, and evaluate the three-dimensional structure of the upper plutonian atmosphere, including gas transfer to and deposition on Charon. We find results consistent with the NH-determined escape rate, upper atmospheric temperature, and lack of a detectable Charon atmosphere. Gas-transfer structures are noted in a binary atmospheric configuration, including preferential deposition of material from Pluto's escaping atmosphere onto Charon's leading hemisphere that peaks at 315° E on the equator. As the moon gravitationally focuses incident flow, a high density structure forms in its wake. If molecules are permitted to escape from Charon in diffuse reflections from its surface, a returning flux forms to Pluto's exobase, preferentially directed toward its trailing hemisphere. Charon is capable of supporting a thin atmosphere at column densities as high as 1.5 × 1017 m-2 in simulations with a plutonian exobase condition similar to the NH encounter. Results computed from a fit to the NH encounter exobase (Gladstone et al., 2016) predict a system escape rate of 7 × 1025 CH4 s-1 in close agreement with those reported by NH (Bagenal et al., 2016; Gladstone et al., 2016), and a net depositional flux to Charon of 2 × 1024 s-1, of which ∼98% is methane.

Resolved, Time-Series Observations of Pluto-Charon with the Magellan Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliot, J. L.; Person, M. J.; Adams, E. R.; Gulbis, A. A. S.; Kramer, E. A.

2005-08-01

In support of prediction refinements at MIT for stellar occultations by Pluto and Charon, resolved photometric observations of Pluto and Charon at optical wavelengths have been carried out with the Magellan telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory for each apparition since 2001. Both Sloan and Johnson-Kron-Cousins filters have been used. The median natural image quality for the site is about 0.7 arcsec (with some nights better than 0.3 arcsec). These data yield accurate light ratios for the two bodies as a function of: (1) wavelength, (2) Charon's orbital phase, and (3) the sub-Earth latitude for Pluto and Charon. This information is needed to interpret the location of their center of light, relative to their center of mass, for unresolved images of Pluto and Charon taken with wide-field astrometric instruments. The Raymond and Beverly Magellan Instant Camera ("MagIC") -- the instrument used for these observations -- has a focal-plane scale of 0.069 arcsec/pix and a field of 2.3 arcmin. This field is large enough so that many of our Pluto-Charon frames can be tied to the International Coordinate Reference Frame (ICRF) with stars in the UCAC2 catalog. Initial results for this program have been reported by Clancy et al. (Highlights of Astr. vol. 13, in press), who found a strong trend in the Charon to Pluto light ratio over the wavelength range spanned by the Sloan filters. Further results from this program used to predict the 2005 July 11 stellar occultation by Charon will be presented. We gratefully acknowledge support from NASA Grant NNG04GF25G from the Planetary Astronomy program.

Investigating the present and past glacial and frost activity on Pluto with a volatile transport model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertrand, Tanguy; Forget, Francois

2016-10-01

The high obliquity and eccentricity of the orbit of Pluto induce seasonal cycles of condensation and sublimation of the main volatile ices: N2, CH4, and CO. The New Horizons spacecraft, which flew by Pluto in July 2015, revealed a complex surface composition including a thousand-kilometre nitrogen glacier in the "Sputnik Planum" plain near the Anti-Charon longitude, extensive methane frosts at mid and high latitudes, and equatorial ice-free regions. We present numerical simulations designed to model the evolution of Pluto's volatiles over thousands of years on the basis of straightforward universal physical equations.Our results explain the observed distribution of ices on the surface and the quantities of volatiles in the atmosphere. In particular the model predicts the N2 ice accumulation in the deepest low-latitude basin and the 3-fold increase of pressure observed to occur since 1988. This points to atmospheric-topographic processes at the origin of the Sputnik Planum's nitrogen glacier. The same simulations also show frosts of methane, and sometimes nitrogen, that seasonally cover the mid and high latitudes, explaining the bright northern polar cap reported in the 1990s and the observed ice distribution in 2015. The model also predicts that most of these seasonal frosts should disappear in the next decade, and thus could be tested observationally in the near future.Using prior orbital parameters of Pluto and a realistic glacial flow parametrization, we also simulate past climates of Pluto. The results show that Pluto undergoes cycles of glacial activity (over timescales of few million years) that may explain the rugged eroded-mountain landscapes surrounding Sputnik Planum and the "bladed" methane terrains east of "Tombaugh Regio".

New Horizons Alice sky Lyman-α at Pluto encounter: Importance for photochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Retherford, K. D.; Gladstone, R.; Stern, S. A.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Young, L. A.; Olkin, C.; Cheng, A. F.; Greathouse, T.; Kammer, J.; Linscott, I.; Parker, A. H.; Parker, J. W.; Schindhelm, E.; Singer, K. N.; Steffl, A.; Strobel, D. F.; Summers, M. E.; Tsang, C.; Tyler, G. L.; Versteeg, M.; Woods, W. W.; Ennico Smith, K.; Hinson, D. P.; Pryor, W. R.; Cunningham, N. J.; Curdt, W.

2015-12-01

The third zone of our solar system, including the Pluto system, has a unique illumination environment at UV wavelengths. While direct solar Lyman-α emissions dominate the signal at 121.6 nm at classical solar system distances, the contribution of illumination by Interplanetary Medium (IPM) Lyman-α sky-glow is roughly on par at Pluto (Gladstone et al. 2015). The Pluto-Alice UV imaging spectrograph on New Horizons conducted several dedicated sky scans to measure the IPM Lyman-α both en route to and while at Pluto. These scans provide 6° by 360° great-circle swaths while spinning the spacecraft. Three sets of scans conducted en route are reported in Gladstone et al. (2012). During the Pluto encounter, sets of scans with six such swaths evenly spaced ~30° apart for all-sky coverage were obtained just before closest approach and again just after. These measurements agree well with brightness variations expected for IPM brightnesses peaking in the sunward direction and interspersed with detections of UV bright stars and other sky features. Previous studies estimated contributions of ~2/3rds direct solar Lyα and 1/3rd IPM Lyα. Our early results suggest that these model predictions need revision. These findings have important implications for determining the rates of photochemical reactions within Pluto's atmosphere that are driven by UV photons at 121.6 nm. Similarly, new constraints are provided to the rates of photolysis on Charon's polar winter nightside. These constraints are useful for understanding the volatile transport and long-term stability of the dark red region near Charon's pole discovered by New Horizons.

Long-term surface temperature modeling of Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Earle, Alissa M.; Binzel, Richard P.; Young, Leslie A.; Stern, S. A.; Ennico, K.; Grundy, W.; Olkin, C. B.; Weaver, H. A.; New Horizons Geology and Geophysics Imaging Team

2017-05-01

NASA's New Horizons' reconnaissance of the Pluto system has revealed at high resolution the striking albedo contrasts from polar to equatorial latitudes on Pluto, as well as the sharpness of boundaries for longitudinal variations. These contrasts suggest that Pluto must undergo dynamic evolution that drives the redistribution of volatiles. Using the New Horizons results as a template, we explore the surface temperature variations driven seasonally on Pluto considering multiple timescales. These timescales include the current orbit (248 years) as well as the timescales for obliquity precession (peak-to-peak amplitude of 23° over 3 million years) and regression of the orbital longitude of perihelion (3.7 million years). These orbital variations create epochs of ;Extreme Seasons; where one pole receives a short, relatively warm summer and long winter, while the other receives a much longer, but less intense summer and short winter. We use thermal modeling to build upon the long-term insolation history model described by Earle and Binzel (2015) and investigate how these seasons couple with Pluto's albedo contrasts to create temperature effects. From this study we find that a bright region at the equator, once established, can become a site for net deposition. We see the region informally known as Sputnik Planitia as an example of this, and find it will be able to perpetuate itself as an ;always available; cold trap, thus having the potential to survive on million year or substantially longer timescales. Meanwhile darker, low-albedo, regions near the equator will remain relative warm and generally not attract volatile deposition. We argue that the equatorial region is a ;preservation zone; for whatever albedo is seeded there. This offers insight as to why the equatorial band of Pluto displays the planet's greatest albedo contrasts.

Pluto's Haze from 2002 - 2015: Correlation with the Solar Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Eliot; Klein, Viliam; Hartig, Kara; Resnick, Aaron; Mackie, Jason; Carriazo, Carolina; Watson, Charles; Skrutskie, Michael; Verbiscer, Anne; Nelson, Matthew; Howell, Robert; Wasserman, Lawrence; Hudson, Gordon; Gault, David; Barry, Tony; Sicardy, Bruno; Cole, Andrew; Giles, Barry; Hill, Kym

2017-04-01

Occultations by Pluto were observed 2002, 2007, 2011 and 2015, with each event observed simultaneously in two or more wavelengths. Separate wavelengths allow us to discriminate between haze opacity and refractive effects due to an atmosphere's thermal profile - these two effects are notoriously hard to separate if only single-wavelength lightcurves are available. Of those four occultations, the amount of haze in Pluto's atmosphere was highest in 2002 (Elliot et al. 2003 report an optical depth of 0.11 at 0.73 µm in the zenith direction), but undetectable in the 2007 and 2011 events (we find optical depth upper limits of 0.012 and 0.010 at 0.6 µm). Cheng et al. (2016) report a zenith optical depth of 0.018 at 0.6 µm from the haze profiles seen in New Horizons images. These four data points are correlated with the solar cycle. The 2002 haze detection occurred just after the peak of solar cycle 23, the 2007 and 2011 non-detections occurred during the solar minimum between peaks 23 and 24, and the New Horizons flyby took place just after the peak of solar cycle 24. This suggests that haze production on Pluto (a) is driven by solar UV photons or charged particles, (b) that sources and sinks on Pluto have timescales shorter than a few Earth years, and (c) the haze precursors on Pluto are not produced by Lyman-alpha radiation, because Lyman-alpha output only decreased by about one third in between the cycle 23 and 24 peaks, much less than the observed change in Pluto's haze abundances. References: Elliot, J.L. et al. (2003) Nature, Volume 424, Issue 6945, pp. 165-168.

Pluto's Atmosphere from the 2015 June 29 Ground-based Stellar Occultation at the Time of the New Horizons Flyby

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sicardy, B.; Talbot, J.; Meza, E.; Camargo, J. I. B.; Desmars, J.; Gault, D.; Herald, D.; Kerr, S.; Pavlov, H.; Braga-Ribas, F.; Assafin, M.; Benedetti-Rossi, G.; Dias-Oliveira, A.; Gomes-Júnior, A. R.; Vieira-Martins, R.; Bérard, D.; Kervella, P.; Lecacheux, J.; Lellouch, E.; Beisker, W.; Dunham, D.; Jelínek, M.; Duffard, R.; Ortiz, J. L.; Castro-Tirado, A. J.; Cunniffe, R.; Querel, R.; Yock, P. C.; Cole, A. A.; Giles, A. B.; Hill, K. M.; Beaulieu, J. P.; Harnisch, M.; Jansen, R.; Pennell, A.; Todd, S.; Allen, W. H.; Graham, P. B.; Loader, B.; McKay, G.; Milner, J.; Parker, S.; Barry, M. A.; Bradshaw, J.; Broughton, J.; Davis, L.; Devillepoix, H.; Drummond, J.; Field, L.; Forbes, M.; Giles, D.; Glassey, R.; Groom, R.; Hooper, D.; Horvat, R.; Hudson, G.; Idaczyk, R.; Jenke, D.; Lade, B.; Newman, J.; Nosworthy, P.; Purcell, P.; Skilton, P. F.; Streamer, M.; Unwin, M.; Watanabe, H.; White, G. L.; Watson, D.

2016-03-01

We present results from a multi-chord Pluto stellar occultation observed on 2015 June 29 from New Zealand and Australia. This occurred only two weeks before the NASA New Horizons flyby of the Pluto system and serves as a useful comparison between ground-based and space results. We find that Pluto's atmosphere is still expanding, with a significant pressure increase of 5 ± 2% since 2013 and a factor of almost three since 1988. This trend rules out, as of today, an atmospheric collapse associated with Pluto's recession from the Sun. A central flash, a rare occurrence, was observed from several sites in New Zealand. The flash shape and amplitude are compatible with a spherical and transparent atmospheric layer of roughly 3 km in thickness whose base lies at about 4 km above Pluto's surface, and where an average thermal gradient of about 5 K km-1 prevails. We discuss the possibility that small departures between the observed and modeled flash are caused by local topographic features (mountains) along Pluto's limb that block the stellar light. Finally, using two possible temperature profiles, and extrapolating our pressure profile from our deepest accessible level down to the surface, we obtain a possible range of 11.9-13.7 μbar for the surface pressure. Partly based on observations made with the ESO WFI camera at the 2.2 m Telescope (La Silla), under program ID 079.A-9202(A) within the agreement between the ON/MCTI and the Max Planck Society, with the ESO camera NACO at the Very Large Telescope (Paranal), under program ID 089.C-0314(C), and at the Pico dos Dias Observatory/LNA, Brazil.

Re-examination of the Possibility of Haze in Pluto's Atmosphere Based on Multi-Wavelength Observations of the Pluto Occultation of P131.1.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas-Osip, J. E.; Elliot, J. L.; Clancy, K. B.

2002-12-01

Multi-wavelength observations of the occultation of P131.1 by Pluto (see Elliot et al., this conference) allow for a re-examination of the possibility of the existence of haze in Pluto's atmosphere. Models of the extinction efficiency of haze particles as a function of wavelength are being used investigate the potential for the existence of haze in the 2002 Pluto atmosphere. The existence of a haze layer in Pluto's atmosphere was postulated to explain the abrupt change in slope seen in the light curve of the 1988 stellar occultation by Pluto (Elliot and Young 1992, AJ, 103, 991). An alternative explanation (Hubbard et al. 1990, Icarus, 84, 1) includes a steep thermal gradient near the surface instead of, or in addition to, a haze layer. Modeling of the growth and sedimentation of photo-chemically produced spherical aerosols (Stansberry et al. 1989, Geophys. Res. Let., 16, 1221) suggested that an appropriate production rate is not sufficient to produce the opacity necessary to account for change in slope found in the 1988 light curve, if it were due solely to spherical particle haze extinction. Recent studies (see for example, Rannou et al. 1995, Icarus, 188, 355 and Thomas-Osip et al. 2002, Icarus, submitted) have shown that it is likely that photochemical hazes on Titan are aggregate in nature. Fractal aggregate particles can have larger extinction efficiencies than equivalent mass spheres of the same material (Rannou et al. 1999, Planet. Space Sci., 47,385). We are, therefore, also re-examining the effect of a haze with an aggregate morphology on modeling of the 1988 occultation observations. This research has been supported in part by NSF Grant AST-0073447 and NASA Grant NAG5-10444.

Modelling Cryovolcanism Due to Subsurface Ocean Freezing on Pluto and Charon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conrad, J. W.; Nimmo, F.; Singer, K. N.

2016-12-01

The New Horizons spacecraft identified various possible cryovolcanic features on the surfaces of both Pluto and Charon [1]. However, there are major differences between the cryovolcanism on Pluto and Charon. Pluto has two mound-flanked depressions which are possibly cryovolcanic [2], while Charon's putative cryovolcanism is more widespread within its smooth southern plains. If Pluto or Charon have (or had) subsurface oceans, slow refreezing of these oceans would lead to extensional surface tectonics [3,4] and pressurization of the ocean [5]. Sufficiently large pressurization can overcome the overburden pressure and cause an eruption. We applied thermal evolution models based on [3] to determine likely freezing scenarios. Eruptions on Charon are possible under most conditions, and occur after tens of kilometers of freezing of an ice shell initially 100 km thick. This would produce an areal extensional strain of 1%. The implied globally-averaged thickness of erupted material is a few hundred meters and the critical crack width for propagation through the entire ice shell [6] is about half a meter for all eruption scenarios. Eruptions on Pluto require probably unrealistic freezing scenarios, because of the larger body size and higher overburden pressure. We conclude that ocean freezing is a possible source of cryovolcanism on Charon and may explain the smooth plains in its southern hemisphere [1]. Pluto, on the other hand, requires more complex models to explain the putative cryovolcanic features on its surface. [1] Moore et al., Science 351 (2016): 1284-1293. [2] Singer et al., LPSC 47 (2016): 2276 [3] Robuchon and Nimmo, Icarus 216 (2011): 426-439. [4] Hammond et al., GRL 43 (2016). [5] Manga and Wang, GRL 34 (2007). [6] Porco et al., The Astronomical Journal 148 (2014): 45.

High Resolution HST Images of Pluto and Charon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1994-05-01

At the Edge of the Solar System Click here to jump to photo. The remote planet Pluto and its moon Charon orbit the Sun at a mean distance of almost 6,000 million kilometres, or nearly fourty times farther out than the Earth. During a recent investigation by an international group of astronomers [1], the best picture ever of Pluto and Charon [2] was secured with the European Space Agency's Faint Object Camera at the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). It shows the two objects as individual disks, and it is likely that further image enhancement will allow us to see surface features on Pluto. A Very Special Pair of Celestial Objects Almost all the known facts about these two bodies show that they are quite unusual: Pluto's orbit around the Sun is much more elongated and more inclined to the main plane of the Solar System than that of any other major planet; Charon's orbit around Pluto is nearly perpendicular to this plane; their mutual distance is amazingly small when compared to their size; Charon is half the size of Pluto and the ratio of their masses is much closer to unity than is the case for all other planets and their moons. Moreover, both are small and solid bodies, in contrast to the other, large and gaseous planets in the outer Solar System. We do not know why this is so. But there is another important aspect which makes Pluto and Charon even more interesting: at this very large distance from the Sun, any evolutionary changes happen very slowly. It is therefore likely that Pluto and Charon hold important clues to the conditions that prevailed in the early Solar System and thus to the origin and the evolution of the Solar System as a whole. Long and Difficult Analysis Ahead The present image shows that the overall quality of the new data obtained with the ESA Faint Object Camera on the refurbished Hubble Space Telescope is extremely good. However, such an image represents only the first step of a subsequent, detailed analysis with the ultimate goal of determining the physical properties of the two bodies, first of all their composition, surface structure and possible atmospheres. The analysis of data from a facility as complex as the Hubble Space Telescope is very demanding, and involves experts in many different fields: planetary astronomy, instrument technology, numerical image restoration, and spacecraft engineering. It is therefore not surprising that this investigation is expected to last a long time yet. However, while still in its preliminary stages, it already now appears to indicate the presence of areas of different reflectivity on the surface of Pluto. By a comparison of HST images obtained at two different wavelengths (i.e., in ultraviolet and visual light), the team members hope that it will become possible to construct rough maps of the planetary surface and perhaps also to answer the long-standing question of whether or not there is an atmosphere around Pluto. Notes: [1] This investigation is carried out at the Space Telescope European Coordinating Facility, which is located at the European Southern Observatory as part of a collaboration with the European Space Agency, and also involves other institutes in Europe and the U.S.A. The team of astronomers is headed by Rudolf Albrecht (ST-ECF), and includes Hans-Martin Adorf and Richard Hook (ST-ECF), Alessandra Gemmo and Olivier Hainaut (ESO), Cesare Barbieri and Gabriele Corrain (Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Italy), Chris Blades, Perry Greenfield and William Sparks (Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.) and David Tholen (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, U.S.A.). [2] The photo is available to the media from the ESO Information Service (address below) as ESO PR Photo 09/94-1 and from the Space Telescope Science Institute (Baltimore, USA) as STSci-PR94-17. Reproductions should be credited to NASA, ESA and ESO. Figure Caption Hubble Portrait of the "Double Planet" Pluto & Charon This is the clearest view yet of the distant planet Pluto and its moon, Charon, as revealed by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The image was taken by the European Space Agency's Faint Object Camera on February 21, 1994, when the planet was 4,400 million kilometres from the Earth; or nearly 30 times the separation between the Earth and the Sun. The HST corrected optics show the two objects as clearly separate and sharp disks. This now allows astronomers to measure directly (to within about 1 percent) Pluto's diameter of 2320 kilometres and Charon's diameter of 1270 kilometres. The HST observations show that Charon is bluer than Pluto. This means that the worlds have different surface composition and structure. A bright highlight on Pluto indicates that it may have a smoothly reflecting surface layer. A detailed analysis of the HST image also suggests that there is a bright area parallel to the equator of Pluto. However, subsequent observations are needed to confirm is this feature is real. Though Pluto was discovered in 1930, Charon was not detected until 1978. This is because this moon is so close to Pluto that the two world's are typically blurred together when viewed through ground-based telescopes. The new HST image was taken when Charon was near its maximum elongation from Pluto (0.9 arcseconds). The two worlds are 19,640 kilometres apart. This photo accompanies ESO PR 09/94. It is available from ESO as ESO PR Photo 09/94-1 and from the Space Telescope Science Institute (Baltimore, USA) as STSci-PR94-17. Reproductions should be credited to NASA, ESA and ESO. How to obtain ESO Press Information ESO Press Information is made available on the World-Wide Web (URL: http://www.eso.org../). ESO Press Photos may be reproduced, if credit is given to the European Southern Observatory.

Pluto: Distribution of ices and coloring agents from New Horizons LEISA observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruikshank, Dale P.; Grundy, William M.; Stern, S. Alan; Olkin, Catherine B.; Cook, Jason C.; Dalle Ore, Cristina M.; Binzel, Richard P.; Earle, Alissa M.; Ennico, Kimberly; Jennings, Donald E.; Howett, Carly J. A.; Linscott, Ivan R.; Lunsford, Allen W.; Parker, Alex H.; Parker, Joel W.; Protopapa, Silvia; Reuter, Dennis C.; Singer, Kelsi N.; Spencer, John R.; Tsang, Constantine C. C.; Verbiscer, Anne J.; Weaver, Harold A.; Young, Leslie A.

2015-11-01

Pluto was observed at high spatial resolution (maximum ~3 km/px) by the New Horizons LEISA imaging spectrometer. LEISA is a component of the Ralph instrument (Reuter, D.C., Stern, S.A., Scherrer, J., et al. 2008, Space Sci. Rev. 140, 129) and affords a spectral resolving power of 240 in the wavelength range 1.25-2.5 µm, and 560 in the range 2.1-2.25 µm. Spatially resolved spectra with LEISA are used to map the distributions of the known ices on Pluto (N2, CH4, CO) and to search for other surface components. The spatial distribution of volatile ices is compared with the distribution of the coloring agent(s) on Pluto's surface. The correlation of ice abundance and the degree of color (ranging from yellow to orange to dark red) is consistent with the presence of tholins, which are refractory organic solids of complex structure and high molecular weight, with colors consistent with those observed on Pluto. Tholins are readily synthesized in the laboratory by energetic processing of mixtures of the ices (N2, CH4, CO) known on Pluto's surface. We present results returned from the spacecraft to date obtained from the analysis of the high spatial resolution dataset obtained near the time of closest approach to the planet. Supported by NASA’s New Horizons project.

Pluto Haze in Bands of Blue

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-01-14

This processed image is the highest-resolution color look yet at the haze layers in Pluto's atmosphere. Shown in approximate true color, the picture was constructed from a mosaic of four panchromatic images from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) splashed with Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) four-color filter data, all acquired by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft on July 14, 2015. The resolution is 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) per pixel; the sun illuminates the scene from the right. Scientists believe the haze is a photochemical smog resulting from the action of sunlight on methane and other molecules in Pluto's atmosphere, producing a complex mixture of hydrocarbons such as acetylene and ethylene. These hydrocarbons accumulate into small particles, a fraction of a micrometer in size, and scatter sunlight to make the bright blue haze seen in this image. As they settle down through the atmosphere, the haze particles form numerous intricate, horizontal layers, some extending for hundreds of miles around Pluto. The haze layers extend to altitudes of over 200 kilometers (120 miles). Adding to the stark beauty of this image are mountains on Pluto's limb (on the right, near the 4 o'clock position), surface features just within the limb to the right, and crepuscular rays (dark finger-like shadows to the left) extending from Pluto's topographic features. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20362

A Pluto-like radius and a high albedo for the dwarf planet Eris from an occultation.

PubMed

Sicardy, B; Ortiz, J L; Assafin, M; Jehin, E; Maury, A; Lellouch, E; Hutton, R Gil; Braga-Ribas, F; Colas, F; Hestroffer, D; Lecacheux, J; Roques, F; Santos-Sanz, P; Widemann, T; Morales, N; Duffard, R; Thirouin, A; Castro-Tirado, A J; Jelínek, M; Kubánek, P; Sota, A; Sánchez-Ramírez, R; Andrei, A H; Camargo, J I B; da Silva Neto, D N; Gomes, A Ramos; Martins, R Vieira; Gillon, M; Manfroid, J; Tozzi, G P; Harlingten, C; Saravia, S; Behrend, R; Mottola, S; Melendo, E García; Peris, V; Fabregat, J; Madiedo, J M; Cuesta, L; Eibe, M T; Ullán, A; Organero, F; Pastor, S; de Los Reyes, J A; Pedraz, S; Castro, A; de la Cueva, I; Muler, G; Steele, I A; Cebrián, M; Montañés-Rodríguez, P; Oscoz, A; Weaver, D; Jacques, C; Corradi, W J B; Santos, F P; Reis, W; Milone, A; Emilio, M; Gutiérrez, L; Vázquez, R; Hernández-Toledo, H

2011-10-26

The dwarf planet Eris is a trans-Neptunian object with an orbital eccentricity of 0.44, an inclination of 44 degrees and a surface composition very similar to that of Pluto. It resides at present at 95.7 astronomical units (1 AU is the Earth-Sun distance) from Earth, near its aphelion and more than three times farther than Pluto. Owing to this great distance, measuring its size or detecting a putative atmosphere is difficult. Here we report the observation of a multi-chord stellar occultation by Eris on 6 November 2010 UT. The event is consistent with a spherical shape for Eris, with radius 1,163 ± 6 kilometres, density 2.52 ± 0.05 grams per cm(3) and a high visible geometric albedo, Pv = 0.96(+0.09)(-0.04). No nitrogen, argon or methane atmospheres are detected with surface pressure larger than ∼1 nanobar, about 10,000 times more tenuous than Pluto's present atmosphere. As Pluto's radius is estimated to be between 1,150 and 1,200 kilometres, Eris appears as a Pluto twin, with a bright surface possibly caused by a collapsed atmosphere, owing to its cold environment. We anticipate that this atmosphere may periodically sublimate as Eris approaches its perihelion, at 37.8 astronomical units from the Sun.

Haze Production in Pluto's Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Summers, M. E.; Gladstone, R.; Stern, A.; Ennico Smith, K.; Greathouse, T.; Hinson, D. P.; Kammer, J.; Linscott, I.; Olkin, C.; Parker, A. H.; Parker, J. W.; Retherford, K. D.; Schindhelm, E.; Singer, K. N.; Steffl, A.; Strobel, D. F.; Tsang, C.; Tyler, G. L.; Versteeg, M. H.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Wong, M. L.; Woods, W. W.; Yung, Y. L.; Young, L. A.; Lisse, C. M.; Lavvas, P.; Renaud, J.; Ewell, M.; Jacobs, A. D.

2015-12-01

One of the most visible manifestations of Pluto's atmosphere observed from the New Horizons spacecraft during the flyby in July 2015 was a global haze layer extending to an altitude ~150 km above Pluto's surface. The haze layer exhibits a significant hemispheric asymmetry and what appears to be layered and/or wave like features. Stellar observations since 1989 have suggested the existence of a haze layer in Pluto's lower atmosphere to explain features in occultation light curves. A haze layer is also expected from photochemical models of Pluto's methane atmosphere wherein hydrocarbons and are produced at altitudes above 100 km altitude, mix downwards, and condense at the low atmospheric temperatures near the surface. However, the observed haze layer(s) extends much higher where the atmospheric temperature is too high for condensation. In this paper we will discuss the production and condensation of photochemical products, and evaluate the possibility that nucleation begins in the ionosphere by a mechanism similar to that proposed for the atmosphere of Titan, where electron attachments initiates a sequence of ion-molecular reactions that ultimately produce aerosol "tholins" that settle downward and coat the surface.

Topographic Mapping of Pluto and Charon Using New Horizons Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schenk, P. M.; Beyer, R. A.; Moore, J. M.; Spencer, J. R.; McKinnon, W. B.; Howard, A. D.; White, O. M.; Umurhan, O. M.; Singer, K.; Stern, S. A.; Weaver, H. A.; Young, L. A.; Ennico Smith, K.; Olkin, C.; Horizons Geology, New; Geophysics Imaging Team

2016-06-01

New Horizons 2015 flyby of the Pluto system has resulted in high-resolution topographic maps of Pluto and Charon, the most distant objects so mapped. DEM's over ~30% of each object were produced at 100-300 m vertical and 300-800 m spatial resolutions, in hemispheric maps and high-resolution linear mosaics. Both objects reveal more relief than was observed at Triton. The dominant 800-km wide informally named Sputnik Planum bright ice deposit on Pluto lies in a broad depression 3 km deep, flanked by dispersed mountains 3-5 km high. Impact craters reveal a wide variety of preservation states from pristine to eroded, and long fractures are several km deep with throw of 0-2 km. Topography of this magnitude suggests the icy shell of Pluto is relatively cold and rigid. Charon has global relief of at least 10 km, including ridges of 2-3 km and troughs of 3-5 km of relief. Impact craters are up to 6 km deep. Vulcan Planum consists of rolling plains and forms a topographic moat along its edge, suggesting viscous flow.

The geology of Pluto and Charon through the eyes of New Horizons.

PubMed

Moore, Jeffrey M; McKinnon, William B; Spencer, John R; Howard, Alan D; Schenk, Paul M; Beyer, Ross A; Nimmo, Francis; Singer, Kelsi N; Umurhan, Orkan M; White, Oliver L; Stern, S Alan; Ennico, Kimberly; Olkin, Cathy B; Weaver, Harold A; Young, Leslie A; Binzel, Richard P; Buie, Marc W; Buratti, Bonnie J; Cheng, Andrew F; Cruikshank, Dale P; Grundy, Will M; Linscott, Ivan R; Reitsema, Harold J; Reuter, Dennis C; Showalter, Mark R; Bray, Veronica J; Chavez, Carrie L; Howett, Carly J A; Lauer, Tod R; Lisse, Carey M; Parker, Alex Harrison; Porter, S B; Robbins, Stuart J; Runyon, Kirby; Stryk, Ted; Throop, Henry B; Tsang, Constantine C C; Verbiscer, Anne J; Zangari, Amanda M; Chaikin, Andrew L; Wilhelms, Don E

2016-03-18

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has revealed the complex geology of Pluto and Charon. Pluto's encounter hemisphere shows ongoing surface geological activity centered on a vast basin containing a thick layer of volatile ices that appears to be involved in convection and advection, with a crater retention age no greater than ~10 million years. Surrounding terrains show active glacial flow, apparent transport and rotation of large buoyant water-ice crustal blocks, and pitting, the latter likely caused by sublimation erosion and/or collapse. More enigmatic features include tall mounds with central depressions that are conceivably cryovolcanic and ridges with complex bladed textures. Pluto also has ancient cratered terrains up to ~4 billion years old that are extensionally faulted and extensively mantled and perhaps eroded by glacial or other processes. Charon does not appear to be currently active, but experienced major extensional tectonism and resurfacing (probably cryovolcanic) nearly 4 billion years ago. Impact crater populations on Pluto and Charon are not consistent with the steepest impactor size-frequency distributions proposed for the Kuiper belt. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The Geology of Pluto and Charon Through the Eyes of New Horizons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Jeffrey M.; McKinnon, William B.; Spencer, John R.; Howard, Alan D.; Schenk, Paul M.; Beyer, Ross A.; Nimmo, Francis; Singer, Kelsi N.; Umurhan, Orkan M.; White, Oliver L.;

Understanding Pluto's Surface: Correlations between Geology and Composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, J. R.; Stern, A.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Young, L. A.; Olkin, C.; Ennico Smith, K.; Moore, J. M.; Grundy, W. M.

2015-12-01

New Horizons has revealed that Pluto's surface is composed of a remarkable variety of terrains that differ strikingly in their landforms, color, and near-infrared spectral characteristics. Strong correlations are seen between the morphology revealed by high-resolution imaging from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), and the surface composition inferred from the spacecraft's color camera and near-infrared spectrometer, which are both included in the Ralph instrument. These correlations provide the potential for a much deeper understanding of the processes that have shaped Pluto's complex surface that was possible for Pluto's sibling Triton, for which Voyager did not provide compositional maps. We will discuss how the full suite of New Horizons remote sensing instruments reveal a surface modified by the interplay of insolation variations, meteorology, and endogenic processes.

New Horizons arrives at Pluto on This Week @NASA – July 17, 2015

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-17

After a nearly decade-long journey, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft arrived at Pluto on July 14 – passing by at a mere 7,750 miles above the surface … resulting in an absolutely breathtaking image – the closest ever of Pluto. Initial congratulations included a Twitter post from the White House … and from iconic figures in the scientific community. The so-called “data waterfall” released by New Horizons contains so many astounding images and detailed information about Pluto that investigators anticipate it will take about 16 months to send it all back to Earth. Also, Mariner 4 Mars flyby anniversary, Newman sworn-in, New wildfire detection tool, Expedition 44/45 prepares for launch and 40th anniversary of Apollo-Soyuz!

Family Portrait of Pluto Moons

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-10-23

This composite image shows a sliver of Pluto large moon, Charon, and all four of Pluto small moons, as resolved by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on the New Horizons spacecraft. All the moons are displayed with a common intensity stretch and spatial scale (see scale bar). Charon is by far the largest of Pluto's moons, with a diameter of 751 miles (1,212 kilometers). Nix and Hydra have comparable sizes, approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) across in their longest dimension above. Kerberos and Styx are much smaller and have comparable sizes, roughly 6-7 miles (10-12 kilometers) across in their longest dimension. All four small moons have highly elongated shapes, a characteristic thought to be typical of small bodies in the Kuiper Belt. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20033

Pluto and the platypus: An odd ball and an odd duck - On classificatory norms.

PubMed

Slater, Matthew H

2017-02-01

Many astronomers seem to believe that we have discovered that Pluto is not a planet. I contest this assessment. Recent discoveries of trans-Neptunian Pluto-sized objects do not militate for Pluto's expulsion from the planets unless we have prior reason for not simply counting these newly-discovered objects among the planets. I argue that this classificatory controversy - which I compare to the controversy about the classification of the platypus - illustrates how our classificatory practices are laden with normative commitments of a distinctive kind. I conclude with a discussion of the relevance of such "norm-ladenness" to other controversies in the metaphysics of classification, such as the monism/pluralism debate. Copyright © 2017 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The Color of Pluto from New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olkin, Catherine; Spencer, John R.; Grundy, William M.; Parker, Alex; Beyer, Ross A.; Reuter, Dennis; Schenk, Paul M.; Stern, S. Alan; Weaver, Harold A.; Young, Leslie; Ennico, Kimberly; Binzel, Richard P.; Buie, Marc W.; Cook, Jason C.; Cruikshank, Dale P.; Dalle Ore, Cristina M.; Earle, Alissa; Howett, Carly; Jennings, Donald E.; Singer, Kelsi N.; Linscott, Ivan; Lunsford, Allen; Protopapa, Silvia; Schmitt, Bernard; Weigle, Eddie; and the New Horizons Science Team

2017-10-01

The New Horizons flyby provided the first high-resolution color maps of Pluto. These maps show the color variegation across the surface from the very red terrain in the equatorial region, to the more neutral colors of the volatile ices in Sputnik Planitia, the blue terrain of east Tombaugh Regio and the yellow hue on Pluto's north pole. There are two distinct color mixing lines in the color-color diagrams derived from images of Pluto. Both mixing lines have an apparent starting point in common: the relatively neutral color volatile-ice covered terrain. One line extends to the dark red terrain exemplified by Cthulu Regio and the other extends to the yellow hue in the northern latitudes. The red color is consistent with a non-ice component on the surface and is consistent with tholins.

Closer Look: Majestic Mountains and Frozen Plains

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-17

Just 15 minutes after its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft looked back toward the sun and captured a near-sunset view of the rugged, icy mountains and flat ice plains extending to Pluto's horizon. The smooth expanse of the informally named Sputnik Planum (right) is flanked to the west (left) by rugged mountains up to 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) high, including the informally named Norgay Montes in the foreground and Hillary Montes on the skyline. The backlighting highlights more than a dozen layers of haze in Pluto's tenuous but distended atmosphere. The image was taken from a distance of 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) to Pluto; the scene is 230 miles (380 kilometers) across. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19947

Formation of the Sputnik Planum basin and the thickness of Pluto's subsurface ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Brandon C.; Bowling, Timothy J.; Trowbridge, Alexander J.; Freed, Andrew M.

2016-10-01

We simulate the formation of the large elliptical impact basin associated with Pluto's Sputnik Planum (SP; informal name). The location of SP suggests that it represents a large positive mass anomaly. To find the conditions necessary for SP to have a positive mass anomaly, we consider impacts into targets with a range of thermal states and ocean thicknesses. Assuming the basin evolves to its current-day configuration, we calculate the mass and gravity anomalies associated with SP. We find that SP can only achieve a large positive mass anomaly if Pluto has a more than 100 km thick salty ocean. This conclusion may help us better understand the composition and thermal evolution of Pluto. Furthermore, our work supports the hypothesis that SP basin has an impact origin.

The Color of Pluto from New Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olkin, C.; Spencer, J. R.; Grundy, W. M.; Parker, A. H.; Beyer, R. A.; Reuter, D.; Schenk, P.; Stern, A.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Young, L. A.; Ennico Smith, K.

2017-12-01

The New Horizons flyby provided the first high-resolution color maps of Pluto. These maps show the color variegation across the surface from the very red terrain in the equatorial region, to the more neutral colors of the volatile ices in Sputnik Planitia, the blue terrain of east Tombaugh Regio and the yellow hue on Pluto's north pole. There are two distinct color mixing lines in the color-color diagrams derived from images of Pluto. Both mixing lines have an apparent starting point in common: the relatively neutral color volatile-ice covered terrain. One line extends to the dark red terrain exemplified by Cthulu Regio and the other extends to the yellow hue in the northern latitudes. The red color is consistent with a non-ice component on the surface and is consistent with tholins.

Pluto.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Binzel, Richard P.

1990-01-01

Discussed are details of what is known about the composition, physical characteristics, and formation of the planet Pluto and its satellite, Charon. Alignments of these bodies and details of their rotations and revolutions are described. (CW)

Blades Across Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-03-31

The red outline in this global view of Pluto from NASA New Horizons marks the large area of mysterious, bladed terrain extending from the eastern section of the large feature informally named Tombaugh Regio.

OPUS - Outer Planets Unified Search with Enhanced Surface Geometry Parameters - Not Just for Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, Mitchell; Showalter, Mark Robert; Ballard, Lisa; Tiscareno, Matthew S.; Heather, Neil

2016-10-01

In recent years, with the massive influx of data into the PDS from a wide array of missions and instruments, finding the precise data you need has been an ongoing challenge. For remote sensing data obtained from Jupiter to Pluto, that challenge is being addressed by the Outer Planets Unified Search, more commonly known as OPUS.OPUS is a powerful search tool available at the PDS Ring-Moon Systems Node (RMS) - formerly the PDS Rings Node. While OPUS was originally designed with ring data in mind, its capabilities have been extended to include all of the targets within an instrument's field of view. OPUS provides preview images of search results, and produces a zip file for easy download of selected products, including a table of user specified metadata. For Cassini ISS and Voyager ISS we have generated and include calibrated versions of every image.Currently OPUS supports data returned by Cassini ISS, UVIS, VIMS, and CIRS (Saturn data through June 2010), New Horizons Jupiter LORRI, Galileo SSI, Voyager ISS and IRIS, and Hubble (ACS, WFC3 and WFPC2).At the RMS Node, we have developed and incorporated into OPUS detailed geometric metadata, based on the most recent SPICE kernels, for all of the bodies in the Cassini Saturn observations. This extensive set of geometric metadata is unique to the RMS Node and enables search constraints such as latitudes and longitudes (Saturn, Titan, and icy satellites), viewing and illumination geometry (phase, incidence and emission angles), and distances and resolution.Our near term plans include adding the full set of Cassini CIRS Saturn data (with enhanced geometry), New Horizons MVIC Jupiter encounter images, New Horizons LORRI and MVIC Pluto data, HST STIS observations, and Cassini and Voyager ring occultations. We also plan to develop enhanced geometric metadata for the New Horizons LORRI and MVIC instruments for both the Jupiter and the Pluto encounters.OPUS: http://pds-rings.seti.org/search/

Map of the Pluto System - Children's Edition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hargitai, H. I.

2016-12-01

Cartography is a powerful tool in the scientific visualization and communication of spatial data. Cartographic visualization for children requires special methods. Although almost all known solid surface bodies in the Solar System have been mapped in detail during the last more than 5 decades, books and publications that target children, tweens and teens never include any of the cartographic results of these missions. We have developed a series of large size planetary maps with the collaboration of planetary scientists, cartographers and graphic artists. The maps are based on photomosaics and DTMs that were redrawn as artwork. This process necessarily involved generalization, interpretation and transformation into the visual language that can be understood by children. In the first project we selected six planetary bodies (Venus, the Moon, Mars, Io, Europa and Titan) and invited six illustrators of childrens'books. Although the overall structure of the maps look similar, the visual approach was significantly different. An important addition was that the maps contained a narrative: different characters - astronauts or "alien-like lifeforms" - interacted with the surface. The map contents were translated into 11 languages and published online at https://childrensmaps.wordpress.com.We report here on the new map of the series. Following the New Horizons' Pluto flyby we have started working on a map that, unlike the others, depicts a planetary system, not only one body. Since only one hemisphere was imaged in high resolution, this map is showing the encounter hemispheres of Pluto and Charon. Projected high resolution image mosaics with informal nomenclature were provided by the New Horizons Team. The graphic artist is Adrienn Gyöngyösi. Our future plan is to produce a book format Children's Atlas of Solar System bodies that makes planetary cartographic and astrogeologic results more accessible for children, and the next generation of planetary scientists among them.

Pluto in True Color

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-25

Four images from NASA's New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with color data from the Ralph instrument to create this global view of Pluto. (The lower right edge of Pluto in this view currently lacks high-resolution color coverage.) The images, taken when the spacecraft was 280,000 miles (450,000 kilometers) away, show features as small as 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometers), twice the resolution of the single-image view taken on July 13. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19857

Effects of UAVS on Interstate Relationships: A Case Study of U.S. Relations with Pakistan and Yemen

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

ed. Usama Butt and Julian Schofield (New York: Pluto Press, 2012), 46–47. 87. Christophe Jaffrelot, A History of Pakistan and its Origins (London...Grand Strategies, ed. Usama Butt and Julian Schofield (New York: Pluto Press, 2012), 111–112. 100. Rubin, “Realities Collide,” 56; Rajeev Sharma...Schofield. New York: Pluto Press, 2012. 110–129. Al Ahmad, Safa. “The Fight for Yemen.” Frontline, PBS, April 7, 2015. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh

High-resolution imaging of the Pluto-Charon system with the Faint Object Camera of the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albrecht, R.; Barbieri, C.; Adorf, H.-M.; Corrain, G.; Gemmo, A.; Greenfield, P.; Hainaut, O.; Hook, R. N.; Tholen, D. J.; Blades, J. C.

1994-01-01

Images of the Pluto-Charon system were obtained with the Faint Object Camera (FOC) of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) after the refurbishment of the telescope. The images are of superb quality, allowing the determination of radii, fluxes, and albedos. Attempts were made to improve the resolution of the already diffraction limited images by image restoration. These yielded indications of surface albedo distributions qualitatively consistent with models derived from observations of Pluto-Charon mutual eclipses.

Color Image of Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-12-31

Pluto nearly fills the frame in this image from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) aboard New Horizons, taken on July 13, 2015, when the spacecraft was 476,000 miles (768,000 kilometers) from the surface. This is the last and most detailed image sent to Earth before the spacecraft's closest approach to Pluto on July 14. The color image has been combined with lower-resolution color information from the Ralph instrument that was acquired earlier on July 13. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20291

Solid methane on Triton and Pluto - 3- to 4-micron spectrophotometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spencer, John R.; Buie, Marc W.; Bjoraker, Gordon L.

1990-01-01

Methane has been identified in the Pluto/Charon system on the basis of absorption features in the reflectance spectrum at 1.5 and 2.3 microns; attention is presently given to observations of a 3.25 micron-centered deep absorption feature in Triton and Pluto/Charon system reflectance spectra. This absorption may indicate the presence of solid methane, constituting either the dominant surface species or a mixture with a highly transparent substance, such as N2 frost.

Attività fotometrica di Plutone nel 2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianciardi, Giorgio

2006-06-01

This report describes unfiltered CCD differential photometry of Pluto performed between 1 August and 10 September 2005. Results show that in the present year Pluto is maintaining a high photometric activity, higher than expected (maximum brightness variations of 0.29±0.02 magnitudes) in relation to the rotational period. Pluto's appearance is now drastically changing owing to viewing geometry and the next collapse of its atmosphere onto the surface. Amateurs too should dedicate particular attention to the photometric evolution of the planet.

Pluto Fretted Terrain

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-05-20

NASA New Horizons scientists have spotted an expanse of terrain they describe as fretted bright plains divided into polygon-shaped blocks by a network of dark, connected valleys in Pluto informally named Venera Terra region.

Spectroscopy of Pluto, 380-930 Nm at Six Longitudes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruikshank, D. P.; Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Lorenzi, V.; Grundy, William; Licandro, J.; Binzel, R. P.

2014-01-01

We have obtained spectra of the Pluto-Charon pair (unresolved) in the wavelength range 380-930 nm with resolution approx..450 at six roughly equally spaced longitudes. The data were taken in May and June, 2014, with the 4.2-m Isaac Newton Telescope at Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory in the Canary Islands, using the ACAM (auxiliary-port camera) in spectrometer mode, and using two solar analog stars. The new spectra clearly show absorption bands of solid CH4 at 620, 728, and 850-910 nm, which were known from earlier work. The 620-nm CH4 band is intrinsically very weak, and its appearance indicates a long optical path-length through the ice. This is especially true if it arises from CH4 dissolved in N2 ice. Earlier work (Owen et al. Science 261, 745, 1993) on the near-infrared spectrum of Pluto (1-2.5 microns) has shown that the CH4 bands are shifted to shorter wavelengths because the CH4 occurs as a solute in beta-phase crystalline N2. The optical path-length through the N2 crystals must be on the order of several cm to produce the N2 band observed at 2.15 microns. The new spectra exhibit a pronounced red slope across the entire wavelength range; the slope is variable with longitude, and differs in a small but significant way from that measured at comparable longitudes by Grundy & Fink (Icarus 124, 329, 1996) in their 15-year study of Pluto's spectrum (500-1000 nm). The new spectra will provide an independent means for calibrating the color filter bands on the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) (Reuter et al. Space Sci. Rev. 140, 129, 2008) on the New Horizons spacecraft, which will encounter the Pluto-Charon system in mid-2015. They will also form the basis of modeling the spectrum of Pluto at different longitudes to help establish the nature of the non-ice component(s) of Pluto's surface. It is presumed that the non-ice component is the source of the yellow-red coloration of Pluto, which is known to be variable across the surface.

Pluto's Atmosphers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliot, J. L.

2002-09-01

Pluto's tenuous atmosphere -- detected with a widely observed stellar occultation in 1988 (Millis et al., 1993, Icarus 105, 282) -- consists primarily of N2, with trace amounts of CO and CH4. The N2 gas is in vapor-pressure equilibrium with surface ice, which should maintain a uniform temperature for the N2 ice on the surface of the body. Data from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) for the 1988 occultation showed Pluto's middle atmosphere to be isothermal at about 105 K for at least a scale height above a radius of about 1215 km (Pluto's surface radius is 1175 +/- 25 km; Tholen & Buie 1997, in Pluto and Charon, 193). This temperature can be explained with radiative-conductive models (e.g. Yelle & Lunine 1989, Nature 339, 288; Strobel et al. 1996, Icarus 120 266), using the spectroscopically measured amount of CH4 (Young et al. 1997, Icarus, 127 258). Below the isothermal region there is an abrupt drop in the KAO occultation light curve, which has been interpreted as being caused either by (i) an absorption layer, or (ii) a sharp thermal gradient. As Pluto recedes from the sun, the diminishing solar flux provides less energy for sublimation, which may lead to a substantial drop in surface pressure. On the other hand, the emissivity change that accompanies the α - β phase transition for N2 ice may leave the surface pressure relatively unchanged from its present value (Stansberry & Yelle 1999, Icarus 141, 299). Stellar occultation observations were successfully carried out in 2002 July and August (Sicardy et al., Buie et al., and Elliot et al., this conference) from a large number of telescopes: the IRTF, UH 2.2 m, UH 0.6 m, UKIRT, CFHT, Lick 3 m, Lowell 1.8 m, Palomar 5 m, as well as 0.35 m and smaller portable telescopes. The wavelengths of these observations ranged from the visible to near IR. These new data give us a snapshot of Pluto's atmospheric structure 14 years after the initial observations and reveal changes in the structure of Pluto's atmosphere. Occultation research at MIT is supported, in part, by NASA (NAG5-10444) and NSF (AST-0073447).

The Frozen Canyons of Pluto North Pole

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-02-27

This ethereal scene captured by NASA New Horizons spacecraft tells yet another story of Pluto diversity of geological and compositional features-this time in an enhanced color image of the north polar area.

The Moons of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Robert Hamilton; Cruikshank, Dale P.

1985-01-01

In preparation for the Voyager flybys in 1989, the pace of ground-based investigations of the moons of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto has quickened considerably. Information derived from these investigations is presented. (JN)

Alice Solar Occultation

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-17

This figure shows how the Alice instrument count rate changed over time during the sunset and sunrise observations. The count rate is largest when the line of sight to the sun is outside of the atmosphere at the start and end times. Molecular nitrogen (N2) starts absorbing sunlight in the upper reaches of Pluto's atmosphere, decreasing as the spacecraft approaches the planet's shadow. As the occultation progresses, atmospheric methane and hydrocarbons can also absorb the sunlight and further decrease the count rate. When the spacecraft is totally in Pluto's shadow the count rate goes to zero. As the spacecraft emerges from Pluto's shadow into sunrise, the process is reversed. By plotting the observed count rate in the reverse time direction, it is seen that the atmospheres on opposite sides of Pluto are nearly identical. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19716

Mapping Pluto Broken Heart

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-10-29

In addition to transmitting new high-resolution images and other data on the familiar close-approach hemispheres of Pluto and Charon, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is also returning images -- such as this one -- to improve maps of other regions. This image was taken by the New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on the morning of July 13, 2015, from a range of 1.03 million miles (1.7 million kilometers) and has a resolution of 5.1 miles (8.3 kilometers) per pixel. It provides fascinating new details to help the science team map the informally named Krun Macula (the prominent dark spot at the bottom of the image) and the complex terrain east and northeast of Pluto's "heart" (Tombaugh Regio). Pluto's north pole is on the planet's disk at the 12 o'clock position of this image. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20037

Heterogeneous and Evolving Distributions of Pluto's Volatile Surface Ices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grundy, William M.; Olkin, C. B.; Young, L. A.; Buie, M. W.; Young, E. F.

2013-10-01

We report observations of Pluto's 0.8 to 2.4 µm reflectance spectrum with IRTF/SpeX on 70 nights over the 13 years from 2001 to 2013. The spectra show numerous vibrational absorption features of simple molecules CH4, CO, and N2 condensed as ices on Pluto's surface. These absorptions are modulated by the planet's 6.39 day rotation period, enabling us to constrain the longitudinal distributions of the three ices. Absorptions of CO and N2 are concentrated on Pluto's anti-Charon hemisphere, unlike absorptions of less volatile CH4 ice that are offset by roughly 90° from the longitude of maximum CO and N2 absorption. In addition to the diurnal/longitudinal variations, the spectra show longer term trends. On decadal timescales, Pluto's stronger CH4 absorption bands have deepened, while the amplitude of their diurnal variation has diminished, consistent with additional CH4 absorption by high northern latitude regions rotating into view as the sub-Earth latitude moves north (as defined by the system's angular momentum vector). Unlike the CH4 absorptions, Pluto's CO and N2 absorptions are declining over time, suggesting more equatorial or southerly distributions of those species. The authors gratefully thank the staff of IRTF for their tremendous assistance over the dozen+ years of this project. The work was funded in part by NSF grants AST-0407214 and AST-0085614 and NASA grants NAG5-4210 and NAG5-12516.

ON A GIANT IMPACT ORIGIN OF CHARON, NIX, AND HYDRA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Canup, Robin M., E-mail: robin@boulder.swri.edu

It is generally believed that Charon was formed as a result of a large, grazing collision with Pluto that supplied the Pluto-Charon system with its high angular momentum. It has also been proposed that Pluto's small outer moons, Nix and Hydra, formed from debris from the Charon-forming impact, although the viability of this scenario remains unclear. Here I use smooth particle hydrodynamics impact simulations to show that it is possible to simultaneously form an intact Charon and an accompanying debris disk from a single impact. The successful cases involve colliding objects that are partially differentiated prior to impact, having thinmore » outer ice mantles overlying a uniform composition rock-ice core. The composition of the resulting debris disks varies from a mixture of rock and ice (similar to the bulk composition of Pluto and Charon) to a pure ice disk. If Nix and Hydra were formed from such an impact-generated disk, their densities should be less than or similar to that of Charon and Pluto, and the small moons could be composed entirely of ice. If they were instead formed from captured material, a mixed rock-ice composition and densities similar to that of Charon and Pluto would be expected. Improved constraints on the properties of Nix and Hydra through occultations and/or the New Horizons encounter may thus help to distinguish between these two modes of origin, particularly if the small moons are found to have ice-like densities.« less

Infrared spectoscopy of Triton and Pluto ice analogs: The case for saturated hydrocarbons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bohn, Robert B.; Sandford, Scott A.; Allamandola, Louis J.; Cruikshank, Dale P.

1994-01-01

The infrared transmission spectra and photochemical behavior of various organic compounds isolated in solid N2 ices, appropriate for applications to Triton ad Pluto, are presented. It is shown that excess absorption in the surface spectra of Triton and Pluto, i.e., absorption not explained by present models incorporating molecules already identified on these bodies (N2, CH4, CO, and CO2), that starts near 4450/cm (2.25 microns) and extends to lower frequencies, may be due to alkanes (C(n)H(2n+2)) and related molecules frozen in the nitrogen. Branched and linear alkanes may be responsible. Experiments in which the photochemstry of N2: CH4 and N2: CH4: CO ices was explored demonsrtrate that the surface ices of Triton and Pluto may contain a wide variety of additional species containing H, C, O, and N. Of these, the reactive molecule diazomethane, CH2N2, is particularly important since it may be largely responsible for the synthesis of larger alkanes from CH4 and other small alkanes. Diazomethane would also be expected to drive chemical reactions involving organics in the surface ices of Triton and Pluto toward saturation, i.e., to reduce multiple CC bonds. The positions and intrinsic strengths (A values) of many of the infrared absorption bands of N2 matrix-isolated molecules of relevance to Triton and Pluto have also been determined. These can be used to aid in their search and to place constraints on their abundances.

Reorientation and faulting of Pluto due to volatile loading within Sputnik Planitia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keane, James T.; Matsuyama, Isamu; Kamata, Shunichi; Steckloff, Jordan K.

2016-12-01

Pluto is an astoundingly diverse, geologically dynamic world. The dominant feature is Sputnik Planitia—a tear-drop-shaped topographic depression approximately 1,000 kilometres in diameter possibly representing an ancient impact basin. The interior of Sputnik Planitia is characterized by a smooth, craterless plain three to four kilometres beneath the surrounding rugged uplands, and represents the surface of a massive unit of actively convecting volatile ices (N2, CH4 and CO) several kilometres thick. This large feature is very near the Pluto-Charon tidal axis. Here we report that the location of Sputnik Planitia is the natural consequence of the sequestration of volatile ices within the basin and the resulting reorientation (true polar wander) of Pluto. Loading of volatile ices within a basin the size of Sputnik Planitia can substantially alter Pluto’s inertia tensor, resulting in a reorientation of the dwarf planet of around 60 degrees with respect to the rotational and tidal axes. The combination of this reorientation, loading and global expansion due to the freezing of a possible subsurface ocean generates stresses within the planet’s lithosphere, resulting in a global network of extensional faults that closely replicate the observed fault networks on Pluto. Sputnik Planitia probably formed northwest of its present location, and was loaded with volatiles over million-year timescales as a result of volatile transport cycles on Pluto. Pluto’s past, present and future orientation is controlled by feedbacks between volatile sublimation and condensation, changing insolation conditions and Pluto’s interior structure.

Pluto's Surface in Detail

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-07-14

On July 14, 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft made its historic flight through the Pluto system. This detailed, high-quality global mosaic of Pluto was assembled from nearly all of the highest-resolution images obtained by the Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) and the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) on New Horizons. The mosaic is the most detailed and comprehensive global view yet of Pluto's surface using New Horizons data. It includes topography data of the hemisphere visible to New Horizons during the spacecraft's closest approach. The topography is derived from digital stereo-image mapping tools that measure the parallax -- or the difference in the apparent relative positions -- of features on the surface obtained at different viewing angles during the encounter. Scientists use these parallax displacements of high and low terrain to estimate landform heights. The global mosaic has been overlain with transparent, colorized topography data wherever on the surface stereo data is available. Terrain south of about 30°S was in darkness leading up to and during the flyby, so is shown in black. Examples of large-scale topographic features on Pluto include the vast expanse of very flat, low-elevation nitrogen ice plains of Sputnik Planitia ("P") -- note that all feature names in the Pluto system are informal -- and, on the eastern edge of the encounter hemisphere, the aligned, high-elevation ridges of Tartarus Dorsa ("T") that host the enigmatic bladed terrain, mountains, possible cryovolcanos, canyons, craters and more. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21861

Pluto occultation on 2015 June 29 UTC with central flash and atmospheric spikes just before the New Horizons flyby

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasachoff, Jay M.; Babcock, Bryce A.; Durst, Rebecca F.; Seeger, Christina H.; Levine, Stephen E.; Bosh, Amanda S.; Person, Michael J.; Sickafoose, Amanda A.; Zuluaga, Carlos A.; Kosiarek, Molly R.; Abe, Fumio; Nagakane, Masayuki; Suzuki, Daisuke; Tristram, Paul J.; Arredondo, Anicia

2017-11-01

We observed the occultation by Pluto of a 12th magnitude star, one of the two brightest occultation stars ever in our dozen years of continual monitoring of Pluto's atmosphere through such studies, on 2015 June 29 UTC. At the Univ. of Canterbury Mt. John Observatory (New Zealand), under clear skies throughout, we used a POETS frame-transfer CCD at 10 Hz with GPS timing on the 1-m McLellan telescope as well as an infrared camera on an 0.6-m telescope and three-color photometry at a slower cadence on a second 0.6-m telescope. At the Auckland Observatory, we used a POETS and a PICO on 0.5-m and 0.4-m telescopes, with 0.4 s and 2 s cadences, respectively, obtaining ingress observations before clouds moved in. The Mt. John light curves show a central flash, indicating that we were close to the center of the occultation path. Analysis of our light curves show that Pluto's atmosphere remains robust. The presence of spikes at both sites in the egress and ingress shows atmospheric layering. We coordinated our observations with aircraft observations (Bosh et al., 2017) with the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Our chords helped constrain the path across Pluto that SOFIA saw. Our ground-based and airborne stellar-occultation effort came only just over two weeks of Earth days and two Pluto days before the flyby of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.

The Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS) - Design, Trades, and Analyses Performed in a Two Year NASA Investigation of Electric Sail Propulsion Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiegmann, Bruce M.; Scheider, Todd; Heaton, Andrew; Vaughn, Jason; Stone, Nobie; Wright, Ken

2017-01-01

Personnel from NASA's MSFC have been investigating the feasibility of an advanced propulsion system known as the Electric Sail (E-Sail) for future scientific exploration missions. This team initially won a NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Phase I NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) award and then a two-year follow-on Phase II NIAC award in October 2015. This paper documents the findings from this three-year investigation. An Electric sail, a propellant-less propulsion system, uses solar wind ions to rapidly travel either to deep space or the inner solar system. Scientific spacecraft could reach Pluto in 5 years, or the boundary of the solar system in ten to twelve years compared to the thirty-five plus years the Voyager spacecraft took. The team's recent focuses have been: 1) Developing a Particle in Cell (PIC) numeric engineering model from MSFC's experimental data on the interaction between simulated solar wind and a charged bare wire that can be applied to a variety of missions, 2) Determining what missions could benefit from this revolutionary propulsion system, 3) Conceptualizing spacecraft designs for various tasks: to reach the solar system's edge, to orbit the sun as Heliophysics sentinels, or to examine a multitude of asteroids.

Effects of clopidogrel and aspirin in combination versus aspirin alone on platelet activation and major receptor expression in diabetic patients: the PLavix Use for Treatment Of Diabetes (PLUTO-Diabetes) trial.

PubMed

Serebruany, Victor L; Malinin, Alex I; Pokov, Alex; Barsness, Gregory; Hanley, Dan F

2008-01-01

Clopidogrel is widely used in diabetic patients after vascular events; however, the ability of this thienopyridine to yield additional antiplatelet protection on top of aspirin has never been explored in a controlled study with comprehensive assessment of platelet activity. The objective of this study was to compare the antiplatelet profiles of clopidogrel + aspirin in combination (C + ASA) versus aspirin alone (ASA) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Seventy patients with documented diabetes already treated with antecedent aspirin were randomly assigned to receive C + ASA or ASA in the PLUTO-Diabetes trial. Platelet studies included adenosine diphosphate-, collagen-, and arachidonic acid-induced aggregometry; PFA-100 (Dade-Behring, Miami, FL) and Ultegra (Accumetrics, San Diego, CA) analyzers; and expression of 6 major receptors by flow cytometry at baseline and at day 30 after randomization. There were no differences in the baseline clinical and platelet characteristics between the C + ASA and ASA groups, or subsequent significant changes in platelet biomarkers in the ASA group, except for diminished collagen-induced aggregation (P = .02). In contrast, when compared with the ASA group, therapy with C + ASA resulted in significant inhibition of platelet activity assessed by adenosine diphosphate aggregation (P = .0001); closure time prolongation (P = .0003) and reduction of platelet activation units with Ultegra (P = .0001); and expression of platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (P = .002), glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antigen (P = .0002), and activity (P = .0001). Treatment with C + ASA for 1 month provides significantly greater inhibition of platelet activity than ASA alone in diabetic patients in this small randomized trial. However, despite dual antiplatelet regimen, diabetic patients exhibit high residual activity of some platelet biomarkers, including unaffected protease-activated receptor 1 receptor expression.

Influence of Bulk Carbonaceous Matter on Pluto's Structure and Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKinnon, W. B.; Stern, S. A.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Spencer, J. R.; Moore, J. M.; Young, L. A.; Olkin, C.

2017-12-01

The rock/ice mass ratio of the Pluto system is about 2/1 (McKinnon et al., Icarus 287, 2017) [1], though this neglects the potential role of bulk carbonaceous matter ("CHON"), an important cometary component and one likely important in the ancestral Kuiper belt. The wealth of measurements at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (a Jupiter-family comet and thus one formed in the same region of the outer Solar System as Pluto) by Rosetta are particularly instructive. E.g., Davidsson et al. (A&A 592, 2016) [2] propose in their "composition A" that 67P/Ch-G is 25% metal/sulfides, 42% rock/organics, and 32% ice by mass. For their assumed component densities, the overall grain density is 1820 kg/m3. Fulle et al. (MNRAS 462, 2016) [3] posit 5 ± 2 volume % Fe-sulfides of density 4600 kg/m3, 28 ± 5% Mg,Fe-olivines and -pyroxenes of density 3200 kg/m3, 52 ± 12% hydrocarbons of density 1200 kg/m3, and 15 ± 6% ices of 917 kg/m3. This composition yields a primordial grain density (dust + ice) of 1885 ± 240 kg/m3. Both of these cometary density estimates [2,3] are consistent with Pluto-Charon, especially as Pluto's uncompressed (STP) density is close to 1820 kg/m3 and that of the system as a whole is close to 1800 kg/m3 [1]. We consider the potential compositional and structural implications of these proposed 67P/Ch-G compositions when applied to Pluto and Charon. The amount of ice in model A of [2] is a good match to Pluto structural models. Their rock/organics component, however, is taken to be half graphite (2000 kg/m3) by volume. The composition in [3] is more divergent: very ice poor, and on the order of 50% light hydrocarbons by volume. Regardless of the differences between [2] and [3], the possibility of massive internal graphite or carbonaceous layers within Pluto is real. We discuss the possible consequences for Pluto's structure, rock/ice ratio, thermal and chemical evolution, and even interpretation of its gravity field from tectonics. For example, radiogenic heat flows could be lessened in comparison with pure ice+rock±ocean interior models. And could the inferred gravity high at Sputnik Planitia (Nimmo et al., Nature 540, 2016) actually be due to an uplifted graphite-rich layer? A bulk carbonaceous contribution to icy satellites is also possible, and may behind the rich organic chemistry in Enceladus' plume vapor (Waite et al., Nature 460, 2009).

The New Horizons and Hubble Space Telescope search for rings, dust, and debris in the Pluto-Charon system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauer, Tod R.; Throop, Henry B.; Showalter, Mark R.; Weaver, Harold A.; Stern, S. Alan; Spencer, John R.; Buie, Marc W.; Hamilton, Douglas P.; Porter, Simon B.; Verbiscer, Anne J.; Young, Leslie A.; Olkin, Cathy B.; Ennico, Kimberly; New Horizons Science Team

2018-02-01

We conducted an extensive search for dust or debris rings in the Pluto-Charon system before, during, and after the New Horizons encounter in July 2015. Methodologies included attempting to detect features by back-scattered light during the approach to Pluto (phase angle α ∼ 15°), in situ detection of impacting particles, a search for stellar occultations near the time of closest approach, and by forward-scattered light imaging during departure (α ∼ 165°). An extensive search using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) prior to the encounter also contributed to the final ring limits. No rings, debris, or dust features were observed, but our new detection limits provide a substantially improved picture of the environment throughout the Pluto-Charon system. Searches for rings in back-scattered light covered the range 35,000-250,000 km from the system barycenter, a zone that starts interior to the orbit of Styx, the innermost minor satellite, and extends out to four times the orbital radius of Hydra, the outermost known satellite. We obtained our firmest limits using data from the New Horizons LORRI camera in the inner half of this region. Our limits on the normal I/F of an unseen ring depends on the radial scale of the rings: 2 ×10-8 (3σ) for 1500 km wide rings, 1 ×10-8 for 6000 km rings, and 7 ×10-9 for 12,000 km rings. Beyond ∼ 100, 000 km from Pluto, HST observations limit normal I/F to ∼ 8 ×10-8 . Searches for dust features from forward-scattered light extended from the surface of Pluto to the Pluto-Charon Hill sphere (rHill = 6.4 ×106 km). No evidence for rings or dust clouds was detected to normal I/F limits of ∼ 8.9 ×10-7 on ∼ 104 km scales. Four stellar occulation observations also probed the space interior to Hydra, but again no dust or debris was detected. The Student Dust Counter detected one particle impact 3.6 × 106 km from Pluto, but this is consistent with the interplanetary space environment established during the cruise of New Horizons. Elsewhere in the solar system, small moons commonly share their orbits with faint dust rings. Our results support recent dynamical studies suggesting that small grains are quickly lost from the Pluto-Charon system due to solar radiation pressure, whereas larger particles are orbitally unstable due to ongoing perturbations by the known moons.

Optical subnet concepts for the deep space network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaik, K.; Wonica, D.; Wilhelm, M.

1993-01-01

This article describes potential enhancements to the Deep Space Network, based on a subnet of receiving stations that will utilize optical communications technology in the post-2010 era. Two optical subnet concepts are presented that provide full line-of-sight coverage of the ecliptic, 24 hours a day, with high weather availability. The technical characteristics of the optical station and the user terminal are presented, as well as the effects of cloud cover, transmittance through the atmosphere, and background noise during daytime or nighttime operation on the communications link. In addition, this article identifies candidate geographic sites for the two network concepts and includes a link design for a hypothetical Pluto mission in 2015.

Biology on the outer planets. [life possibility in atmospheres and moons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, R. S.; Macelroy, R. D.

1976-01-01

A brief review is given of information on the structure and composition of the outer planets and the organic reactions that may be occurring on them. The possibility of life arising or surviving in the atmospheres of these planets is considered, and the problem of contamination during future unmanned missions is assessed. Atmospheric models or available atmospheric data are reviewed for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, the Galilean satellites, and Titan. The presence of biologically interesting gases on Jupiter and Saturn is discussed, requirements for life on Jupiter are summarized, and possible sources of biological energy are examined. Proposals are made for protecting these planets and satellites from biological contamination by spacecraftborne terrestrial organisms.

Volatile Transport Implications from the New Horizons Flyby of Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Leslie; Grundy, William M.; Binzel, RIchard P.; Earle, Alissa M.; Linscott, Ivan R.; Hinson, David P.; Zangari, Amanda M.; McKinnon, William B.; Stern, S. Alan; Weaver, Harold A.; Olkin, Catherine B.; Ennico, Kimberly; Gladstone, G. Randall; Summers, Michael E.; Moore, Jeffrey M.; Spencer, John R.

2015-11-01

The New Horizons flyby of Pluto has revealed a striking range of terrains, from the very bright region informally named Sputnik Planum, to very dark regions such as the informally named Cthulhu Regio. Such a variety was beyond the scope of recent models of Pluto's seasonal volatile cycle (Young 2013, ApJL 766, L22; Hansen, Paige and Young 2015, Icarus 246, 183), which assumed globally uniform substrate albedos. The "Exchange with Pressure Plateau (EPP)" class of models in Young (2013) and the favored runs from Hansen et al (2015) had long periods of exchange of volatiles between northern and southern hemispheres. In these models, the equators were largely devoid of volatiles; even though the equatorial latitudes received less insolation than the poles over a Pluto year, they were never the coldest place on the icy world. New models that include a variety of substrate albedos can investigate questions such as whether Sputnik Planum has an albedo that is high enough to act as a local cold trap for much of Pluto's year. We will present the implications of this and other assumption-busting revelations from the New Horizons flyby. This work was supported by NASA’s New Horizons project.

Albedo matters: Understanding runaway albedo variations on Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Earle, Alissa M.; Binzel, Richard P.; Young, Leslie A.; Stern, S. A.; Ennico, K.; Grundy, W.; Olkin, C. B.; Weaver, H. A.; New Horizons Surface Composition Theme

2018-03-01

The data returned from NASA's New Horizons reconnaissance of the Pluto system show striking albedo variations from polar to equatorial latitudes as well as sharp longitudinal boundaries. Pluto has a high obliquity (currently 119°) that varies by 23° over a period of less than 3 million years. This variation, combined with its regressing longitude of perihelion (360° over 3.7 million years), creates epochs of "Super Seasons" where one pole is pointed at the Sun at perihelion, thereby experiencing a short, relatively warm summer followed by its longest possible period of winter darkness. In contrast, the other pole experiences a much longer, less intense summer and a short winter season. We use a simple volatile sublimation and deposition model to explore the relationship between albedo variations, latitude, and volatile sublimation and deposition for the current epoch as well as historical epochs during which Pluto experienced these "Super Seasons." Our investigation quantitatively shows that Pluto's geometry creates the potential for runaway albedo and volatile variations, particularly in the equatorial region, which can sustain stark longitudinal contrasts like the ones we see between Tombaugh Regio and the informally named Cthulhu Regio.

In search of a signature of binary Kuiper Belt Objects in the Pluto-Charon crater population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zangari, Amanda Marie; Parker, Alex; Singer, Kelsi N.; Stern, S. Alan; Young, Leslie; Olkin, Catherine B.; Ennico, Kimberly; Weaver, Harold A.; New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and Imaging Science Theme Team

2016-10-01

In July 2015, New Horizons flew by Pluto and Charon, allowing mapping of the encounter hemisphere at high enough resolution to produce crater counts from the surfaces of the pair. We investigate the distribution of craters in search of a signature of binary impactors. The Kuiper Belt -- especially the cold classical region -- has a large fraction of binary objects, many of which are close-in, equal-mass binaries. We will present results on how the distribution of craters seen on Pluto and Charon compares to a random distribution of single body impactors on the surfaces of each. Examining the surfaces of Pluto and Charon proves challenging due to resurfacing, and the presence of tectonic and other geographic features. For example, the informally-named Cthulhu region is among the oldest on Pluto, yet it abuts a craterless region millions of years young. On Charon, chastmata divide the surface into regions informally named Vulcan Planum and Oz terra. In our statistics, we pay careful attention to the boundaries of where craters may appear, and the dependence of our results on crater size. This work was supported by NASA's New Horizons project.

New Horizons Best Close-Up of Pluto Surface

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-05-27

This mosaic strip, extending across the hemisphere that faced the New Horizons spacecraft as it flew past Pluto on July 14, 2015, now includes all of the highest-resolution images taken by the NASA probe.

Geological Mapping of the Encounter Hemisphere on Pluto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, O. L.; Moore, J. M.; Stern, S. A.; Weaver, H. A.; Olkin, C. B.; Ennico, K.; Young, L. A.; Cheng, A. F.; New Horizons GGI Theme Team

2016-06-01

We present mapping of Pluto's encounter hemisphere performed to date (focusing on Sputnik Planum and the immediately surrounding area) and offer preliminary descriptions of terrains further afield that will be the subject of future mapping.

NASA's Discovery Program: Moving Toward the Edge (of the Solar System)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Les; Gilbert, Paul

2007-01-01

NASA's Planetary Science , Division sponsors a competitive program of small spacecraft missions with the goal of performing focused science investigations that complement NASA's larger planetary science explorations at relatively low cost. The goal of the Discovery program is to launch many smaller missions with fast development times to increase our understanding of the solar system by exploring the planets, dwarf planets, their moons, and small bodies such as comets and asteroids. Discovery missions are solicited from the broad planetary science community approximately every 2 years. Active missions within the Discovery program include several with direct scientific or engineering connections to potential future missions to the edge of the solar system and beyond. In addition to those in the Discovery program are the missions of the New Frontiers program. The first New Frontiers mission. is the New Horizons mission to Pluto, which will explore this 38-AU distant dwarf planet and potentially some Kuiper Belt objects beyond. The Discovery program's Dawn mission, when launched in mid-2007, will use ion drive as its primary propulsion system. Ion propulsion is one of only two technologies that appear feasible for early interstellar precursor missions with practical flight times. The Kepler mission will explore the structure and diversity of extrasolar planetary systems, with an emphasis on the detection of Earth-size planets around other stars. Kepler will survey nearby solar systems searching for planets that may fall within the habitable zone,' a region surrounding a star within which liquid water may exist on a planet's surface - an essential ingredient for life as we know it. With its open and competitive approach to mission selections, the Discovery program affords scientists the opportunity to propose missions to virtually any solar system destination. With its emphasis on science and proven openness to the use of new technologies such as ion propulsion, missions flown as part of the program will test out technologies needed for future very deep-space exploration and potentially take us to these difficult and distant destinations.

Observational constraint on Pluto's atmospheric CO with ASTE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iino, Takahiro; Hirahara, Yasuhiro; Hidemori, Takehiro; Tsukagoshi, Takashi; Nakajima, Taku; Nakamoto, Satoru; Kato, Chihaya

2016-02-01

To confirm the previous observational results of Pluto's atmospheric CO in the J = 2-1 rotational transition, we conducted a new observation of CO (J = 3-2) in Pluto's atmosphere in 2014 August with the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment 10 m single-dish telescope. In contrast to the previous observational result obtained with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in 2009 and 2010 by using the J = 2-1 transition, no emission structure was observed near the rest frequency in our attempt. Possible explanations for the nondetection result of the J = 3-2 transition are discussed.

The First U.S. Naval Observatory Robotic Astrometric Telescope Catalog

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

in the “info” folder. URAT1 covers almost the entire northern sky and most of the area δ �−15°, plus the far south area around Pluto . 2.3. Robotic...meeting acceptable quality standards. A total of 14 and 12 exposures of the Pluto field area taken on 2013 September 19 and 2014 September 06...for our project. 2MASS was used for near-IR photometry and as the first epoch of URAT1 proper motions. Bill Gray (Project Pluto ) is thanked for making