|
|
Jupiter Ahoy!
| title |
Jupiter Ahoy! |
| date |
09.04.2006 |
| description |
The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft took this photo of Jupiter on Sept. 4, 2006, from a distance of 291 million kilometers (nearly 181 million miles) away. Visible in the image are belts, zones and large storms in Jupiter's atmosphere, as well as the Jovian moons Europa (at left) and Io and the shadows they cast on Jupiter. LORRI snapped this image during a test sequence to help prepare for the Jupiter encounter observations. It was taken close to solar opposition, meaning that the Sun was almost directly behind the camera when it spied Jupiter. This makes Jupiter appear about 40 times brighter than Pluto will be for LORRI's primary observations when New Horizons encounters the Pluto system in 2015. To avoid saturation, the camera's exposure time was kept to 6 milliseconds. This image was, in part, a test to see how well LORRI would operate with such a short exposure time. Image Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute |
|
Capturing Callisto
| title |
Capturing Callisto |
| date |
02.27.2007 |
| description |
The New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) captured these two images of Jupiter's outermost large moon, Callisto, as the spacecraft flew past Jupiter in late February. New Horizons' closest approach distance to Jupiter was 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles), not far outside Callisto's orbit, which has a radius of 1.9 million kilometers (1.2 million miles). However, Callisto happened to be on the opposite side of Jupiter during the spacecraft's pass through the Jupiter system, so these images, taken from 4.7 million kilometers (3.0 million miles) and 4.2 million kilometers (2.6 million miles) away, are the closest of Callisto that New Horizons obtained. Callisto's ancient, crater-scarred surface makes it very different from its three more active sibling satellites, Io, Europa and Ganymede. Callisto, 4,800 kilometers (3000 miles) in diameter, displays no large-scale geological features other than impact craters, and every bright spot in these images is a crater. The largest impact feature on Callisto, the huge basin Valhalla, is visible as a bright patch at the 10 o'clock position. The craters are bright because they have excavated material relatively rich in water ice from beneath the dark, dusty material that coats most of the surface. The two images show essentially the same side of Callisto - the side that faces Jupiter - under different illumination conditions. The images accompanied scans of Callisto's infrared spectrum with New Horizons' Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA). The New Horizons science team designed these scans to study how the infrared spectrum of Callisto's water ice changes as lighting and viewing conditions change, and as the ice cools through Callisto's late afternoon. The infrared spectrum of water ice depends slightly on its temperature, and a goal of New Horizons when it reaches the Pluto system (in 2015) is to use the water ice features in the spectrum of Pluto's moon Charon, and perhaps on Pluto itself, to measure surface temperature. Callisto provided an ideal opportunity to test this technique on a much better-known body. The left image, taken at 05:03 Universal Time on February 27, 2007, is centered at 5 degrees south, 5 degrees west, and has a solar phase angle of 46 degrees. The right image was taken at 03:25 Universal Time on February 28, 2007. It is centered at 4 degrees south, 356 degrees west, and has a solar phase angle of 76 degrees. Released: April 5, 2007 Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute |
|
New Horizons Spacecraft Pass
…
| Title |
New Horizons Spacecraft Passes Jupiter |
| Explanation |
A new spacecraft is headed for the outer Solar System. Named New Horizons [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/mission/mission_timeline.html ], this robotic explorer passed Jupiter last week after being launched [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060124.html ] only in early 2006. New Horizons [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons ] is being pulled [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_slingshot ] by Jupiter's gravity to a greater speed toward its next target: Pluto [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060903.html ] in 2015. During its encounter with Jupiter [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/soc/ ], New Horizons was able to capture new images of many Jovian moons [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070211.html ], Jupiter's complex and ever-changing atmosphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001123.html ], and Jupiter's Little Red Spot [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060505.html ], pictured above [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/gallery/missionPhotos/pages/022807_3.html ]. Formed over the past few years from several smaller storms, Jupiter's Little Red Spot survived [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060725.html ] a near miss with Jupiter's better-known Great Red Spot [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990806.html ] last year. The above image [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/gallery/missionPhotos/pages/022807_3.html ] of Jupiter covers over twice the diameter of the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050102.html ]. |
|
Watch Jupiter Rotate
| Title |
Watch Jupiter Rotate |
| Explanation |
What would it be like to coast by Jupiter and watch it rotate? This was just the experience of the New Horizons [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/mission/mission_timeline.html ] spacecraft as it approached and flew by Jupiter earlier this year. Clicking [ http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Engineering_Graphics/_EG2001/mouse/history.html ] on the image will bring up a movie of what the robotic spacecraft saw. Visible above [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/gallery/missionPhotos/pages/021307_1.html ] in the extensive atmosphere [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/jupiter/atmosphere.html ] of the Solar System's largest planet are bands and belts [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000429.html ] of light and dark clouds, as well as giant rotating storm systems [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990718.html ] seen as ovals [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990105.html ]. Other movies compiled by New Horizons [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/gallery/missionPhotos/pages/020707_1.html ] and other passing spacecraft [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000926.html ] have captured the clouds swirling [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001123.html ] and moving relative to themselves. Jupiter [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter ] has a diameter of about eleven times that of our Earth, and rotates once in about 10 hours. The robotic New Horizons [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons ] spacecraft continues to speed toward the outer Solar System [ http://www.nineplanets.org/overview.html ] where it is expected to approach Pluto [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060828.html ] in 2015. |
|
New Horizons at Io
| Title |
New Horizons at Io |
| Explanation |
Spewed from a volcano [ http://volcano.und.edu/volcanoes.html ], a complex plume rises over 300 kilometers above the horizon of Jupiter's moon Io in this image from cameras onboard the New Horizons [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/index.php ] spacecraft. The volcano, Tvashtar [ http://www.planetaryexploration.net/jupiter/io/ lava_fountains.html ], is marked by the bright glow [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000606.html ] (about 1 o'clock) at the moon's edge, beyond the terminator or night/day shadow line. The shadow of Io cuts across the plume itself. Also capturing stunning details on the dayside surface, the high resolution image [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/gallery/missionPhotos/pages/ 031307.html ] was recorded when the spacecraft was 2.3 million kilometers from Io. Later it was combined with lower resolution color data [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/gallery/missionPhotos/pages/ 032807.html ] by astro-imager Sean Walker to produce this sharp portrait of the solar system's most active moon [ http://www.nineplanets.org/io.html ]. Outward bound at almost 23 kilometers "per second", the New Horizons spacecraft should cross the orbit of Saturn in June next year, and is ultimately destined [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/mission/passingplanets/ passingPlanets_current.php ] to encounter Pluto [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060624.html ] in 2015. |
|
Jupiter's Clouds from New Ho
…
| Title |
Jupiter's Clouds from New Horizons |
| Explanation |
The New Horizons spacecraft took some stunning images of Jupiter earlier this year while on the way out to Pluto. Famous for its Great Red Spot [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/public/aug5/jupgrstable.html ], Jupiter is also known for its regular, equatorial cloud bands, visible through [ http://www.observers.org/reports/97.08.18.html ] even modest sized telescopes. The above image [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/gallery/sciencePhotos/pages/100907_7.html ] was taken near Jupiter's terminator [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030424.html ], and shows that the Jovian giant possibly has the widest diversity of cloud patterns [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050911.html ] in our Solar System. On the far left are clouds closest to Jupiter's south pole. Here turbulent whirlpools [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lA5az6ucG8 ] and swirls are seen in a dark region, dubbed a belt, that rings the planet. Even light colored regions, called zones, show tremendous structure, complete with complex wave patterns [ http://planetary.org/blog/article/00001187/ ]. The energy that drives these waves likely comes from below. New Horizons [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons ] is the fastest space probe [ http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/F/ fastest_spacecraft.html ] ever launched, and is zipping through the Solar System [ http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm ] on track to reach Pluto in 2015. |
|
A Jupiter-Io Montage from Ne
…
| Title |
A Jupiter-Io Montage from New Horizons |
| Explanation |
As the New Horizons spacecraft sweeps through the Solar System, it is taking breathtaking images of the planets. In February of last year, New Horizons [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/ ] passed Jupiter and the ever-active Jovian moon Io [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070404.html ]. In this montage [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA10102 ], Jupiter was captured in three bands of infrared light [ http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/ems/ infrared.html ] making the Great Red Spot [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Great_red_spot ] look white. Complex hurricane-like ovals [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060505.html ], swirls, and planet-ringing bands are visible in Jupiter's complex atmosphere [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/jupiter/ atmosphere.html ]. Io is digitally [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA10102 ] superposed in natural color. Fortuitously, a plume was emanating from Io [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Io_(moon) ]'s volcano Tvashtar [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011016.html ]. Frost and sulfuric lava cover the volcanic moon, while red-glowing lava [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051002.html ] is visible beneath the blue sunlight-scattering [ http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/BlueSky/blue_sky.html ] plume. The robotic New Horizons spacecraft [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons ] is on track to arrive at Pluto [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060828.html ] in 2015. |
|
New Horizons at Jupiter
| Title |
New Horizons at Jupiter |
| Explanation |
Headed for the first close-up exploration of the Pluto-Charon system [ http://www.plutoportal.net/ ] and the icy denizens of the Kuiper belt [ http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/faculty/jewitt/kb.html ], NASA's New Horizons [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/mission.htm ] spacecraft is pictured here in an artist's vision of the robot probe outward bound. The dramatic scene [ http://www.swri.org/press/jest.htm ] depicts the 465 kilogram spacecraft about one year after a planned 2006 launch, following a flyby of gas giant Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031114.html ]. While the Jupiter flyby [ http://www.swri.edu/9what/releases/ JEST.htm ] will be used as a gravity assist [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/grav/primer.html ] maneuver to save fuel and cut travel time to the outer reaches of the Solar System [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/ nineplanets.html ], it will also provide an opportunity to test instruments and study the giant planet, its moons, and magnetic fields. The Sun is seen from eight hundred million kilometers away, with inner planets Earth, Venus, and Mercury aligned [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001014.html ] on the left. A dim crescent of outermost Galilean moon Callisto [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010731.html ], orbiting Jupiter just inside of the spacecraft's trajectory, appears to the upper right of the fading Sun. Left of Jupiter itself is Europa [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030919.html ] and in the distant background are the faint, unresolved stars and dust clouds of the Milky Way [ http://home.arcor-online.de/axel.mellinger/ ]. New Horizons' planned arrival at Pluto-Charon [ http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/plutocharon.htm ] is in the summer of 2015. |
|
Capturing Callisto
PIA09258
Jupiter
LORRI
| Title |
Capturing Callisto |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) captured these two images of Jupiter's outermost large moon, Callisto, as the spacecraft flew past Jupiter in late February. New Horizons' closest approach distance to Jupiter was 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles), not far outside Callisto's orbit, which has a radius of 1.9 million kilometers (1.2 million miles). However, Callisto happened to be on the opposite side of Jupiter during the spacecraft's pass through the Jupiter system, so these images, taken from 4.7 million kilometers (3.0 million miles) and 4.2 million kilometers (2.6 million miles) away, are the closest of Callisto that New Horizons obtained. Callisto's ancient, crater-scarred surface makes it very different from its three more active sibling satellites, Io, Europa and Ganymede. Callisto, 4,800 kilometers (3000 miles) in diameter, displays no large-scale geological features other than impact craters, and every bright spot in these images is a crater. The largest impact feature on Callisto, the huge basin Valhalla, is visible as a bright patch at the 10 o'clock position. The craters are bright because they have excavated material relatively rich in water ice from beneath the dark, dusty material that coats most of the surface. The two images show essentially the same side of Callisto -- the side that faces Jupiter -- under different illumination conditions. The images accompanied scans of Callisto's infrared spectrum with New Horizons' Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA). The New Horizons science team designed these scans to study how the infrared spectrum of Callisto's water ice changes as lighting and viewing conditions change, and as the ice cools through Callisto's late afternoon. The infrared spectrum of water ice depends slightly on its temperature, and a goal of New Horizons when it reaches the Pluto system (in 2015) is to use the water ice features in the spectrum of Pluto's moon Charon, and perhaps on Pluto itself, to measure surface temperature. Callisto provided an ideal opportunity to test this technique on a much better-known body. The left image, taken at 05:03 Universal Time on February 27, 2007, is centered at 5 degrees south, 5 degrees west, and has a solar phase angle of 46 degrees. The right image was taken at 03:25 Universal Time on February 28, 2007. It is centered at 4 degrees south, 356 degrees west, and has a solar phase angle of 76 degrees. |
|
New Horizons at Pluto
PIA10075
| Title |
New Horizons at Pluto |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Artist's concept of the New Horizons spacecraft as it approaches Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, in July 2015. The craft's miniature cameras, radio science experiment, ultraviolet and infrared spectrometers and space plasma experiments will characterize the global geology and geomorphology of Pluto and Charon, map their surface compositions and temperatures, and examine Pluto's atmosphere in detail. The spacecraft's most prominent design feature is a nearly 7-foot (2.1-meter) dish antenna, through which it will communicate with Earth from as far as 4.7 billion miles (7.5 billion kilometers) away. |
|
Jupiter Ahoy!
PIA09231
Sol (our sun)
LORRI
| Title |
Jupiter Ahoy! |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft took this photo of Jupiter on Sept. 4, 2006, from a distance of 291 million kilometers (nearly 181 million miles) away. Visible in the image are belts, zones and large storms in Jupiter's atmosphere, as well as the Jovian moons Europa (at left) and Io and the shadows they cast on Jupiter. LORRI snapped this image during a test sequence to help prepare for the Jupiter encounter observations. It was taken close to solar opposition, meaning that the Sun was almost directly behind the camera when it spied Jupiter. This makes Jupiter appear about 40 times brighter than Pluto will be for LORRI's primary observations when New Horizons encounters the Pluto system in 2015. To avoid saturation, the camera's exposure time was kept to 6 milliseconds. This image was, in part, a test to see how well LORRI would operate with such a short exposure time. |
|
Jupiter Ahoy!
PIA09231
Sol (our sun)
LORRI
| Title |
Jupiter Ahoy! |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Annotated Version The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft took this photo of Jupiter on Sept. 4, 2006, from a distance of 291 million kilometers (nearly 181 million miles) away. Visible in the image are belts, zones and large storms in Jupiter's atmosphere, as well as the Jovian moons Europa (at left) and Io and the shadows they cast on Jupiter. LORRI snapped this image during a test sequence to help prepare for the Jupiter encounter observations. It was taken close to solar opposition, meaning that the Sun was almost directly behind the camera when it spied Jupiter. This makes Jupiter appear about 40 times brighter than Pluto will be for LORRI's primary observations when New Horizons encounters the Pluto system in 2015. To avoid saturation, the camera's exposure time was kept to 6 milliseconds. This image was, in part, a test to see how well LORRI would operate with such a short exposure time. |
|
Jupiter's Moons: Family Port
…
PIA09352
Sol (our sun)
LORRI
| Title |
Jupiter's Moons: Family Portrait |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This montage shows the best views of Jupiter's four large and diverse "Galilean" satellites as seen by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on the New Horizons spacecraft during its flyby of Jupiter in late February 2007. The four moons are, from left to right: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. The images have been scaled to represent the true relative sizes of the four moons and are arranged in their order from Jupiter. Io, 3,640 kilometers (2,260 miles) in diameter, was imaged at 03:50 Universal Time on February 28 from a range of 2.7 million kilometers (1.7 million miles). The original image scale was 13 kilometers per pixel, and the image is centered at Io coordinates 6 degrees south, 22 degrees west. Io is notable for its active volcanism, which New Horizons has studied extensively. Europa, 3,120 kilometers (1,938 miles) in diameter, was imaged at 01:28 Universal Time on February 28 from a range of 3 million kilometers (1.8 million miles). The original image scale was 15 kilometers per pixel, and the image is centered at Europa coordinates 6 degrees south, 347 degrees west. Europa's smooth, icy surface likely conceals an ocean of liquid water. New Horizons obtained data on Europa's surface composition and imaged subtle surface features, and analysis of these data may provide new information about the ocean and the icy shell that covers it. New Horizons spied Ganymede, 5,262 kilometers (3,268 miles) in diameter, at 10:01 Universal Time on February 27 from 3.5 million kilometers (2.2 million miles) away. The original scale was 17 kilometers per pixel, and the image is centered at Ganymede coordinates 6 degrees south, 38 degrees west. Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, has a dirty ice surface cut by fractures and peppered by impact craters. New Horizons' infrared observations may provide insight into the composition of the moon's surface and interior. Callisto, 4,820 kilometers (2,995 miles) in diameter, was imaged at 03:50 Universal Time on February 28 from a range of 4.2 million kilometers (2.6 million miles). The original image scale was 21 kilometers per pixel, and the image is centered at Callisto coordinates 4 degrees south, 356 degrees west. Scientists are using the infrared spectra New Horizons gathered of Callisto's ancient, cratered surface to calibrate spectral analysis techniques that will help them to understand the surfaces of Pluto and its moon Charon when New Horizons passes them in 2015. |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ?
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ? At the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip, workers begin to offload the first stage of an Atlas V rocket from a Russian air cargo plane. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 41 at CCAFS in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/08/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ?
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ? At the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip, the first stage of an Atlas V rocket is offloaded from an Atlas V rocket from a Russian air cargo plane. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 41 at CCAFS in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/08/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ?
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ? At the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip, the first stage of an Atlas V rocket arrives aboard a Russian air cargo plane. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 41 at CCAFS in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/08/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ?
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ? At the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip, the first stage of an Atlas V rocket is moved onto a transporter trailer. The rocket is being transferred to the Atlas Space Operations Center. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 41 at CCAFS in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/08/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ?
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ? A convoy of vehicles follows behind a truck carrying an Atlas V rocket. The rocket is being transferred to the Atlas Space Operations Center. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 41 at CCAFS in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/08/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ?
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ? At the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip, workers begin to offload the first stage of an Atlas V rocket from a Russian air cargo plane. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 41 at CCAFS in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/08/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ?
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ? At the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip, a transporter trailer carrying an Atlas V rocket is ready to move. The rocket is being transferred to the Atlas Space Operations Center. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 41 at CCAFS in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/08/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ?
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ? A truck carrying an Atlas V rocket heads away from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip. The rocket is being transferred to the Atlas Space Operations Center. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 41 at CCAFS in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/08/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ?
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ? At the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip, the first stage of an Atlas V rocket is offloaded from an Atlas V rocket from a Russian air cargo plane. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 41 at CCAFS in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/08/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ?
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ? A truck delivers the Atlas V rocket to the Atlas Space Operations Center. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 41 at CCAFS in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/08/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane at NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility, workers move the large shipping container with the New Horizons spacecraft inside. After it is unloaded, the spacecraft will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/24/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers remove the protective cover around the New Horizons spacecraft. The spacecraft will be moved to a work stand for a checkout. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/25/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, human power is employed to moved the shipping container inside. The container holds the New Horizons spacecraft. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/24/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility, the shipping container with the New Horizons spacecraft inside is moved away from the U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane. The spacecraft will be placed on a transporter and moved to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/24/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers finish removing the protective cover around the New Horizons spacecraft. The spacecraft will be moved to a work stand for a checkout. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/25/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
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| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility, workers move a nitrogen tank to a nearby transporter. The equipment is part of the cargo delivered aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane (in the background), primarily the Pluto New Horizons spacecraft. After it is unloaded, the spacecraft will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The nitrogen provides a purge to keep components cool and dry during processing.New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/24/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the shipping container with the New Horizons spacecraft inside is offloaded from the transporter. The spacecraft will be moved into the facility and uncrated. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/24/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the New Horizons spacecraft is ready to be moved to a work stand for a checkout. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/25/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility, the shipping container with the New Horizons spacecraft inside is placed on a transporter. It will be moved to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/24/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the New Horizons spacecraft rests on a work stand. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/25/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
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| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane arrives at NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility. It is carrying the New Horizons spacecraft, as well as other equipment. After it is unloaded, the spacecraft will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/24/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
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| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas V rocket is lifted off the transporter. The rocket will be raised to vertical and then moved into the Vertical Integration Facility to begin preparations for launch. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/29/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
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| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Russian cargo plane sits on the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center with the Atlas V fairing for the New Horizons spacecraft inside. The two fairing halves will be removed, loaded onto trucks and transported to Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville. The fairing later will be placed around the New Horizons spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Service Facility. A fairing protects a spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once in space, it is jettisoned. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/29/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, the New Horizons spacecraft is moved toward a work stand (behind it) for a checkout. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/25/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center, transporters carrying the New Horizons spacecraft and other equipment arrive at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/24/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of an Atlas V rocket is nearly vertical. The rocket will be moved into the Vertical Integration Facility to begin preparations for launch. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/29/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers begin checking out the New Horizons spacecraft, which rests on a work stand. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/25/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, the Atlas V fairing halves for the New Horizons spacecraft have been offloaded from the Russian cargo plane (background). The fairing halves will be transported to Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville. The fairing later will be placed around the New Horizons spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Service Facility. A fairing protects a spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once in space, it is jettisoned. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/29/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Shuttle Landing Facility, workers offload a stand from a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane. The plane delivered the New Horizons spacecraft and other equipment. After it is unloaded, the spacecraft will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The test stand will hold the spacecraft during checkout. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/24/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, technicians from the Applied Physics Laboratory work on the New Horizons spacecraft. They have been installing side panels on the spacecraft. A series of interconnecting panels will enclose the spacecraft beneath the antenna to maintain safe operating temperatures in space. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and its moon, Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. As it approaches Pluto, the spacecraft will look for ultraviolet emission from Pluto's atmosphere and make the best global maps of Pluto and Charon in green, blue, red and a special wavelength that is sensitive to methane frost on the surface. It will also take spectral maps in the near infrared, telling the science team about Pluto's and Charon's surface compositions and locations and temperatures of these materials. When the spacecraft is closest to Pluto or its moon, it will take close-up pictures in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and Charon in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/26/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After being raised to a vertical position, the first stage of an Atlas V rocket has been moved into the Vertical Integration Facility to begin preparations for launch on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/29/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Center?s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers finish securing the New Horizons spacecraft onto a work stand where it will be checked out. New Horizons will make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/25/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a worker stands by as the first stage of an Atlas V rocket is raised to vertical. The rocket will then be moved into the Vertical Integration Facility to begin preparations for launch. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/29/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, the Atlas V fairing halves for the New Horizons spacecraft are being covered by a protective container before their transport to Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville. The fairing later will be placed around the New Horizons spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Service Facility. The fairing later will be placed around the New Horizons spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Service Facility. A fairing protects a spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once in space, it is jettisoned. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/29/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center, one of the Atlas V fairing halves for the New Horizons spacecraft is moved away from the Russian cargo plane that delivered it. Behind the truck is the mate/demate device at the landing facility. The fairing halves will be transported to Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville. The fairing later will be placed around the New Horizons spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Service Facility. A fairing protects a spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once in space, it is jettisoned. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/29/2005 |
|
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Inside the Payload Hazardous Service Facility airlock, one of the fairing halves for the Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket is suspended vertically. The Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft. The fairing will encapsulate the spacecraft to protect it during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once out of the atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned. New Horizons is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/30/2005 |
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -
…
| Description |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After being raised to a vertical position, the first stage of an Atlas V rocket has been moved into the Vertical Integration Facility to begin preparations for launch on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Lockheed Martin Atlas V is the launch vehicle for the New Horizons spacecraft, which is designed to make the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015. |
| Release Date |
09/29/2005 |
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