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Team plots a faster path to Pluto for robotic probe JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY NEWS RELEASE Posted: February 22, 2002 New Horizons mission planners have developed a new strategy that could trim nearly a year off their original schedule to send a spacecraft to the solar system's outermost planet.
"As we continued to study the mission, and optimized our launch window, we realized that we could get the spacecraft to Pluto sooner," says New Horizons Mission Director Robert W. Farquhar, of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., which manages the mission and will build and operate the spacecraft. "In our best estimates we can cover the 3 billion miles from Earth to Pluto faster than we once thought, while keeping all the mission's goals intact." New Horizons project leaders say a faster trip benefits the mission in many ways. "This a great opportunity to improve our scientific return while reducing mission risks and costs," says New Horizons Principal Investigator S. Alan Stern, of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo. "We'll get a better look at Pluto itself, since more of the surface will be sunlit and the atmosphere will be another year away from freezing onto the planet's surface. We'll have more fuel for the journey into the Kuiper Belt after exploring Pluto-Charon, and the shorter cruise time reduces some of the costs associated with flight operations." New Horizons will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and study Pluto's complex atmosphere in detail. The spacecraft will then visit up to three Kuiper Belt objects beyond Pluto. In addition to Southwest Research Institute and the Applied Physics Lab, the
New Horizons team includes Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.; Ball
Aerospace Corp., Boulder; the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt,
Md.; and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The science team
also taps expertise from Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Ariz., NASA Ames
Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.; Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; Washington University in St. Louis; George
Mason University, Fairfax, Va.; University of Colorado, Boulder; and The
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
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On to Mars A wide variety of papers presented at the first four years of the Mars Society's annual conference are collected together in this volume.Apollo 12 tribute DVD set ![]() New! Featuring the jovial crew of Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean, the Apollo 12 mission was struck by lightning shortly after liftoff but proceeded on the second successful exploration voyage to the lunar surface. This three-disc DVD brings the mission to life with extraordinary detail. U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Fallen Heroes special patch This special 12-inch embroidered patch commemorates the U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice, honoring the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Women in Space Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier is for girls, young women, and anyone else interested in learning about exciting careers in space exploration. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars rover poster This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.U.S. Columbia Report A reproduction of the official accident investigation report into the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven. U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars Panorama DISCOUNTED! This 360 degree image was taken by the Mars Pathfinder, which landed on the Red Planet in July 1997. The Sojourner Rover is visible in the image. U.S. Apollo 11 Mission Report Apollo 11 - The NASA Mission Reports Vol. 3 is the first comprehensive study of man's first mission to another world is revealed in all of its startling complexity. Includes DVD!U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Rocket DVD If you've ever watched a launch from Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg Air Force Base or even Kodiak Island Alaska, there's no better way to describe what you witnessed than with this DVD.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Columbia Report The official accident investigation report into the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. Expedition 18 patch & pin The official embroidered patch and lapel pin for the International Space Station Expedition 18 crew is now available to from our stores.Ares patch The Ares Project will develop two new rockets to launch astronauts back to the Moon under NASA's Vision for Exploration. The Ares 1 will employ a single space shuttle solid rocket booster to loft the Orion crew capsule. The gigantic Ares 5 will haul the equipment and cargo needed for such lunar voyages. This is the Ares emblem.![]() Apollo patches The Apollo Patch Collection: Includes all 12 Apollo mission patches plus the Apollo Program Patch. Save over 20% off the Individual price. U.S. STORE Columbus mission patch The official astronaut embroidered patch of Atlantis' STS-122 mission that launched the Columbus science lab in February is available to U.S. customers from our store. |
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