NASA Mission Update: New Horizon

[AccessDenied55]

NASA should start doing missons such as Voyager or Pioneer, things that are gonna last like 20 years and collect data from pretty much all the planets.

[sebpines]

For more News and pics on NASA New Horizons follow @NASANewHorizons

[BuckeyeExpat]

Really exciting mission. One of the most interesting missions NASA is undertaking. I can't wait to finally see some up close visuals of Pluto and even more interesting question is whats lurking out there in the Kuiper Belt

[braddyboy82]

Pluto forever!! NEVER FORGET!!!!!!!!!!

[akierrs2]

in orbit time goes a little bit slower then on earth

[faithoffaith]

new horizons has now passed it's half way mark and if goes all to plan will pass uranus in about 4 months time.

[LadyScorpio39]

can someone PLEASE answer this question for me???

If the shuttle new horizons' shuttle doesnt reach pluto until 2015, thats 5 years from now? does that mean that the astronauts feel the same time frame in space, or does the time out there seem shorter to them?

Can someone PLEAse answer this, but ONLY if you know for sure? This question has been driving me crazy! Is time the same out there for them as for us? I've search the web trying to find an answer to this with no luck. someone must know.

[smokinondank420]

@LadyScorpio39 time is constant, it doesn't change. even someone 20 light years away would still feel time like you do. it just seems like they're kinda in the future because nothing we know of can travel faster than light, so we would have to wait 20 years for that information to get back to us.

[Woopeehole1337]

@LadyScorpio39 Time, which is part of the fabric of the universe, is also distorted with gravity. If you were on Pluto you would feel the same. But, relative to the Earth you'd be moving faster. This difference is probably miniscule and we would probably take no notice of it. Just like if you were near a black hole, where the gravity is extremely strong, relative to Earth you'd be moving extremely slow.

[AndyMan4]

is this due for a new update? I'd like to know how far this as gone so far ;)

[crazysoccerman14]

Also, once it passes the Kuiper Belt what will be it's mission? Aren't space probes like the Voyagers exploring the edges of our galaxy now? How long will New Horizon's power station last?

[TheShurik65]

@crazysoccerman14 Funny story - not quite. This one's traveling MUCH faster then the voyagers, hence only a 9 year flight time.

Horizon will probably last about 15 years, just enough to send us a glimpse of the Kepler belt.

And our galaxy my friend is enormous, much greater then you could possibly imagine. The old satalites are not even close.

[crazysoccerman14]

I don't get the meaning of the resolution at 2:00

A resolution of 50 meters?

Does it mean it is viewing an area less than the size of a football field from 3 billion miles away??

[greenpogo]

@crazysoccerman14 little late, but resolution of 50 meters means it will appear the surface of pluto to only 50 meters away (half a football field ish) :)

[Impalamark64]

@greenpogo No, it means the smallest features visible on the surface will be about 50 meters across.

[archucky]

2015 dam thats long way to go

[lendmeurears]

The vastness of space scares the heck out of me. I mean the nearest star to our system is 45, 000 light years away and you could fit dozens of earths in the distance just to the moon. If we did ever began colonizing space it would be like traveling back in time where trips would be long, dangerous and communication would be slow.

[kevnmar]

the nearest star is Proxima Centauri, 4.2 light years from Earth...

[lendmeurears]

Lol woops, BIG overestimate there

[tinotrivino]

45 000 lights years? no way dude, its 4.5 lights year.. not thousand lol

[hornetpalooza]

Proxima Centauri is only 4.2 ly away.

[maidenslayer]

Yes Ive been awaiting 2015 for years now since they sent this craft from Earth! It will be great to actually see good photographs of the Plutonian system.

[clayzee001]

ive only been waiting since i found out about the mission in 2007 by the time it flew past jupiter

[sushanalone]

@maidenslayer but the world's gona end in 2012 ;P kidding

[maidenslayer]

@sushanalone - You know even if it does I'll still believe it to be a coincidence (If I am still alive to be able to believe).

[SUNNYRAINWIND]

@maidenslayer same here. Its always on my mind.

[arashjan]

How is the spacecraft secured from hitiing the asteroids on it's trajectory passing from the asteroid belt.

[chevezez]

@arashjan it can only cope with microdebris, the astroid belt isnt as dense as the movies make it out to be

[enoughzenough]

Why do we always see NASA get the the budget cuts and not the big bankers, the big difference is that NASA is working for our (humans) future and the other ones for their own and their club buddies'?!

[rickcain2320]

@enoughzenough Because Americans have been brainwashed into believing everybody can be rich. Its just as crazy a theory as communists believing everybody can be equal.

Economic theory becomes religion, complete with blind obedience. This is why the poor rush to the defense of the wealthy.

[enoughzenough]

@rickcain2320

I guess that you are talking about plutocracy and the politicians serving it. Yep, the politicians you and I vote for. It's not only the americans who think that everybody can become rich, otherwise nobody in the world would be investing in funds, bonds, stock options, shares, futures and securities. The whole idea is making profit, whereas the only person who really makes profit is the fund manager himself. If there's a minimum salary, there should also be a maximum salary.

[arvyne8]

thank you very much tobokke..

[arvyne8]

i mean 40,000km/hour

[T0B0KKE]

It doesn't need fuel to move, only to change course. Earth doesn't need fuel to rotate the sun either :-)

The only fuel that is needed is the one to make it escape the Earth's gravitational field (escape velocity of 11 km/s or so).

[arvyne8]

is there anybody there that can explain to me how come 9 1/2 years travel still has the fuel to continue that journey within 400,000km/hour please.....thanks

[Woopeehole1337]

@arvyne8 A space shuttle doesn't need fuel to keep moving through space. It won't stop until a force strong enough acts on it.

[viomartyr]

i wonder what may be found on pluto, and its neighbourhood. with every single mission sent to examine other worlds, we found surprises.

[NAVC130VET]

2015 a very exciting time coming up

[joshig1983]

yeah, the Thirty Meter Telescope should be working that year or the following year also. That should let us see much more detail on Ceres, planets orbiting other stars, and anywhere else that it aims.

[coolhandlewi]

yes cant wait to see the images it beams back to earth :)

[suzienorton]

That's gonna be quite a few years away

[collegefootballrules]

actually the first sighting of pluto was back in september of 2006 when it was a faint dot.....now the picture must be quite bigger

[AnarchyAlleyCat]

thank you for posting !!

[owenbigpinekey]

Very interesting. Thank you