SWRI – Page 8 – Spaceflight Now

NASA probe finally on Pluto’s doorstep

July 12, 2015 William Harwood

Three billion miles and nine-and-a-half years from Earth, NASA’s New Horizons probe is racing toward a historic July 14 flyby of Pluto, providing the first close-up views of the most famous denizen of the Kuiper Belt, a vast hinterland where uncounted remnants of the solar system’s birth orbit in frozen solitude.

Question time with Alan Stern, the Pluto evangelist

July 11, 2015 Stephen Clark

July is a month of rich rewards for Alan Stern, the scientist who shepherded the New Horizons spacecraft from the drawing board to Pluto, and the payoff will be sweet.

New Horizons gets last look at Pluto’s mystery spots

July 11, 2015 Stephen Clark

The New Horizons spacecraft has captured its last view of mysterious dark blotches strung across Pluto’s equator, and the spots will likely keep scientists guessing about their origin for decades to come.

Pluto probe provides appetizer for next week’s flyby

July 9, 2015 Stephen Clark

Living up to promises that the view from New Horizons will only get better, the Pluto-bound spacecraft has again bested itself with a dazzling color view of Pluto and Charon released Thursday.

Back in action, New Horizons returns fresh view of Pluto

July 8, 2015 Stephen Clark

The New Horizons spacecraft speeding toward Pluto has returned a new image of the icy world lurking at the solar system’s outer frontier — the first photo beamed back to Earth since the probe suspended science operations Saturday.

New Horizons back in business after weekend scare

July 6, 2015 Stephen Clark

Fully recovered from a computer hiccup that disrupted science observations this weekend, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft will resume imaging of Pluto on Tuesday, a week before the plutonium-powered probe zooms less than 7,800 miles from the unexplored dwarf planet at the frontier of the solar system.

Pluto-bound probe tweaks its trajectory

March 10, 2015 Stephen Clark

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft fine-tuned its path toward Pluto on Tuesday, firing its rocket thrusters for 93 seconds to aim for a fleeting flyby of the distant dwarf planet July 14.

New Horizons lined up for final approach to Pluto

January 15, 2015 Stephen Clark

Pluto is in the sights of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, which started collecting around-the-clock science data Thursday as it speeds toward the first close encounter with the distant world in July.