New Horizons – Page 6 – Spaceflight Now

Scientists thrilled with mountains on Pluto, chasms on Charon

July 15, 2015 William Harwood

Images from NASA’s New Horizons probe show Pluto is a surprisingly active world in the deep freeze of the outer solar system, with jagged 11,000-foot-high mountains of frozen water dusted with a veneer of nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide ice amid smooth plains and jumbled terrain.

Pluto and Charon as never seen before

July 15, 2015 Stephen Clark

A spectacular sampling of imagery from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft reveals mountains and water ice bedrock on Pluto, an active crust on its largest moon Charon and the first resolved views of the icy world’s tiny mini-moons.

NASA to release new Pluto images

July 15, 2015 Stephen Clark

Scientists are crunching data for a press conference Wednesday, and there is high anticipation for the release of the first close-up images from Tuesday’s historic flyby of Pluto.

New Horizons calls home

July 14, 2015 Stephen Clark

A long-awaited radio signal from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft landed on planet Earth late Tuesday, confirming the faraway space probe performed as expected during a one-shot flyby of Pluto at the solar system’s outer frontier.

Scientists wowed by new views of ‘psychedelic’ Pluto

July 14, 2015 Stephen Clark

Pluto and its Texas-sized moon Charon share an alien environment on the Solar System’s outer frontier, with patches of organic ices and diverse rock types illustrated in color imagery released Tuesday.

Humanity’s first ambassador to Pluto makes historic flyby

July 14, 2015 Stephen Clark

A speedy space probe barreled past Pluto for a one-shot flyby Tuesday, becoming the first spacecraft to ever visit the frozen, reddish world at the solar system’s distant frontier.

Take a sneak peek at Pluto

July 14, 2015 Stephen Clark

Pluto’s salmon-colored surface shines in an incredible view taken Monday as New Horizons barreled toward the icy outpost for Tuesday’s historic close-up flyby.

Pluto stakes claim as ‘King of the Kuiper Belt’

July 13, 2015 Stephen Clark

Using high-fidelity modeling and image analysis to resolve Pluto’s exact shape, scientists examining pictures from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft said Monday they have confirmed Pluto is the largest known object in a frozen outer zone of the solar system called the Kuiper Belt.

Pluto probe project manager gives advice to team

July 13, 2015 Stephen Clark

New Horizons project manager Glen Fountain, a veteran of nearly 50 years at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, told the Pluto probe’s team to live in the moment for Tuesday’s historic flyby, but look out for last-minute snags.

Clear sailing expected for Pluto flyby

July 13, 2015 Stephen Clark

There is no sign of an undiscovered moon lurking around Pluto in data streaming back to Earth from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, and that is surprising to Alan Stern, the scientist in charge of the probe.