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New Horizons. Pluto coming into view


Cath

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I recently read Mike Brown's "How I killed Pluto and Why it Had it Coming" and Alan Boyle's "A Case for Pluto" back to back. Both highly interesting and entertaining reads from both sides of the planet debate. Taught me a lot about planetary science as well. Recommended reading for the upcoming encounter!

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Yes, it's just going to keep going. It'll still be going in billions of years to come pretty much intact, unless it comes into contact with something else, or the others out there accidently spot it and decide they'd like to capture it - just as we would if we spotted something passing by that that they had made.

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Really excited for this, its a shame that they cant kill off enough velocity to get into orbit though. What is happening to the spacecraft once its completed its flyby does anyone know?

Matt.

Supposedly this

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It is a very ambitious project! 

Considering the time it took to reach Pluto (did it leave in 2006?), it might take a few other years to get closer to another KBO. 

Cool stuff though! 

I've been always fascinated by Pluto (as many others here I guess!)

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I intend to get some good Brandy and drink a toast to Pluto and satellites when the first really clear images start rolling in. The last time I was this excited to finally see a clear up & close image of an object within our solar-system was in 1978 during the Mariner 10 fly-by. Astronomy magazine here in the US went all-out to show a whole spread of the images, and I was in heaven! No comet ever thrilled me as much, though many have tried! :kiss::p

tick,,,tick,,,tick,,,tick,,,

Dave

post-38438-0-34660700-1429184710.jpg

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Pluto and Charon nicely demonstrating motion around a common centre

of gravity, rather than classic (light) moon "orbiting" (heavy) planet... :cool:

Yes I thought that was nice to see too.

I guess if New Horizons had the fuel to brake, it could locate itself at that central point and just sit there with just the occasional thruster push to correct its position every now and then ?

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