The instruments were designed specifically to handle the cold conditions and low light levels at Pluto and in the Kuiper Belt beyond.
Mission Objectives.
The unmanned spacecraft was designed to explore Pluto upfront and its moons, and the distant world of the Kuiper Belt. .
Mission Objectives for the exploration of Pluto include:.
• Map surface composition of Pluto and Charon.
• Characterize the atmosphere of Pluto.
• Search for an atmosphere around Charon.
• Determine surface temperature of Pluto and Charon.
• Search for rings and additional satellites around Pluto.
NASA is hoping to further explore the disc-shaped region of icy worlds, the Kuiper belt. Exploring the Kuiper belt will help give scientists a better idea of how planets form. The space craft will not reach the Kuiper belt objects until after 2017.
The Success of New Horizons.
In less than 10 years NASA's New Horizons has taken an incredible journey through space, a journey which would take almost 6,000 years by car. After travelling for more than 5 billion kilometres, New Horizons achieved the fleeting chance fly by the dwarf planet.
Pluto Encounter.
On July 15th this year New Horizons successfully made contact with the "king of the Kuiper belt", giving us incredible images of Pluto. The photos captured were able to give NASA some small details about the world of Pluto. NASA's New Horizons spots Pluto's vaguely known moons, Charon, Hydra, Nix, Kerberos and Styx. The photos give scientists new information including the surface and a close estimate of their size. The images certainly surpassed NASA's expectations, as the New Horizons team unveiled their new findings of glacier-like moving ice on the surface of Pluto. New Horizons has captured new photos of Pluto and its moons, allowing scientists to understand Pluto's world like never done before. After studying the fascinating images, Grunsfeld said the team saw "flowing ices, exotic surface chemistry, mountain ranges," and a "diversity of planetary geology that is truly thrilling.
