Slide 1
New Horizons revealed Pluto up close on 14 July 2015
New Horizons flew past Pluto on 14 July 2015, returning the first close views of the dwarf planet and its moons.
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Before the encounter, telescopes could measure some broad properties but not resolve the same surface detail. Close observations added a new spatial scale to questions that had existed for decades.
Slide 2
The brief flyby required a prepared observing sequence
The spacecraft carried out a tightly planned observing sequence during its flyby. The most valuable close-range opportunities passed too quickly for real-time direction from Earth.
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Pointing at a target and pointing an antenna toward Earth can be competing activities. Storing observations onboard allowed the spacecraft to prioritize measurements during the encounter.
Slide 3
Spectra and particle measurements added to the images
Cameras revealed landscapes, while other instruments measured spectra and particles. Different observations addressed composition, atmosphere and the surrounding environment.
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Two regions can look similar in visible light yet differ at other wavelengths. Combining instruments reduces the risk of interpreting surface color as a complete account of composition.
Slide 4
Sending the encounter data home took roughly sixteen months
The Pluto encounter produced more data than could be sent home immediately. The planned downlink extended over roughly sixteen months.
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Radio bandwidth at great distance and shared ground-network time limited the rate. A brief encounter can therefore generate a long communications campaign even after the spacecraft has moved far beyond its target.
Slide 5
The mission later reached Arrokoth on 1 January 2019
New Horizons later flew past Arrokoth in the Kuiper Belt on 1 January 2019. This extended the mission to a smaller, more distant body.
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A follow-on target must lie within the spacecraft’s reachable trajectory and remaining resources. Finding an interesting object is only the first step; navigation and fuel limits determine whether an encounter is possible.
Sources
- New Horizons
NASA
- New Horizons Successfully Completes the Historic First Flyby of Pluto and Its Moons
NASA Technical Reports Server