As humans discover and seek out the last regions unexplored in our solar system, Pluto became the last world to be unvisited. Space crafts have explored every other planet. Now Pluto is the object left, and NASA has already sent a craft there. That craft is New Horizons, which will pass by Pluto in 2015. It is the size of a grand piano, and is certainly on its way.
Launched on January 16, 2006, its mission is to land and explore Pluto and then to go on out to the edge of the solar system and explore the Kuiper Belt. The Kuiper Belt is much bigger than our asteroid belt. It is home to many dwarf planets including Pluto, Makemake, Haumea, and many more.
Glen Fountain, the project manger, says that "You've got to remember that it takes nine-and-half years to even get to where we want to take the mission. So we need a highly reliable system. So, we have built into the electronics nearly two of everything. We are redundant. We have two guidance control processors, computers. We have two command and data handling processors. We have two solid-state recorders. Even if there is a failure, you can switch from one to the other."
So, as said in the quote, since New Horizons is going to take so long to reach Pluto, it is using the highest technology to get there. Well, until 2015, lets wish New Horizons a sucessful jouney.
http://http//www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/glen_fountain_transcript.html
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_993.html
Launched on January 16, 2006, its mission is to land and explore Pluto and then to go on out to the edge of the solar system and explore the Kuiper Belt. The Kuiper Belt is much bigger than our asteroid belt. It is home to many dwarf planets including Pluto, Makemake, Haumea, and many more.
Glen Fountain, the project manger, says that "You've got to remember that it takes nine-and-half years to even get to where we want to take the mission. So we need a highly reliable system. So, we have built into the electronics nearly two of everything. We are redundant. We have two guidance control processors, computers. We have two command and data handling processors. We have two solid-state recorders. Even if there is a failure, you can switch from one to the other."
So, as said in the quote, since New Horizons is going to take so long to reach Pluto, it is using the highest technology to get there. Well, until 2015, lets wish New Horizons a sucessful jouney.
http://http//www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/glen_fountain_transcript.html
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_993.html
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