New Horizons, Only 100 days from Pluto.

[DaveGarland]

Ooer! [emoji15]

[Physopto]

Good to see the spacecraft is 100% and we have all those lovely images to look forward to  OK NASA blow my socks off    

Here Yer Go Then:

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

Providing of course the camera hasnt gone goofy.

Boom Boom! Oh sorry-that was a Fox!

[Laurie61]

Here Yer Go Then:

Not exactly what I was expecting 

[Laurie61]

After Pluto, Where Will NASA's New Horizons Go?  

Scientists are mulling over which of two icy bodies NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft should visit following its Pluto encounter — provided the U.S. space agency comes up with funding for an extended mission.

The New Horizons team ended up having to turn to the Hubble Space Telescope to find Kuiper belt objects that would be suitably positioned for New Horizons to reach.

Two contenders remain out of five original candidates found by Hubble, which spent 45 days last summer scouting for targets. Follow-up observations in October narrowed the list to two objects within range of the spacecraft, which has limited fuel for a manoeuvring burn .

The newly named objects are 2014 MT69, a 37-mile (60-km) wide body circling some 44.3 times farther away from the sun than Earth. The advantage of MT69 is that New Horizons can reach it using less fuel. The encounter also would occur three months sooner than a flyby of the other candidate, known as 2014 MT70

An encounter with MT69 would occur around New Year’s Day 2019.

MT70 is brighter than MT60, and possibly larger, with a diameter of about 47 miles (76 km), so more desirable from a scientific perspective.

To make a close pass by another Kuiper belt object, New Horizons will have to make a steering maneuver this year, most likely in October.

One of the targets, MT 69/PT1

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Latest news: hi-res pictures of Pluto & Charon have been successfully downlinked and processed, they will be released at 8:00 BST tonight.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Latest news: hi-res pictures of Pluto & Charon have been successfully downlinked and processed, they will be released at 8:00 BST tonight.

Good news. Will be watching

[barkis]

Ooer! [emoji15]

FB_IMG_1436964372707.jpg

Blimey, Pluto has an Embedded loud speaker??

Could it be stereo?  there could be another on t'other side.

[RLWP]

Blimey, Pluto has an Embedded loud speaker??

Could it be stereo?  there could be another on t'other side.

It would sound better if the other speaker was on Charon, linked by Bluetooth

Richard

[Laurie61]

Blimey, Pluto has an Embedded loud speaker??

Could it be stereo?  there could be another on t'other side.

If it is a sound/stage system it can only belong to one band, DISASTER AREA. Pluto may not be far enough away   

http://www.hhgproject.org/entries/disasterarea.html

Link for tonight.  http://www.ustream.tv/NASAHDTV

[RLWP]

I thought they were spending a year dead, for tax purposes

Forty five minutes to go

Richard

[Alien 13]

That 100 days flew by fast Im so exited that my favorite Planet ever since I was a nipper is finally getting the attention it deserves.

Alan

[Laurie61]

Nice reminder, showing all the other planets, that Pluto is finally in the bag   

[Ju Piter]

live nasa feed http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

[Colinlp]

Some stunning close ups being shown!

[Ju Piter]

fantastic just WOW

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Amazed by some of these images, especially the mountainous terrain in this image:

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_feature/public/thumbnails/image/nh-plutosurface.png?itok=sqfvH2GP

[Ju Piter]

Amazed by some of these images, especially the mountainous terrain in this image:

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_feature/public/thumbnails/image/nh-plutosurface.png?itok=sqfvH2GP

Yes mate i feel so honoured to be alive to witness this i am just gobsmacked

[Laurie61]

Socks have been well and truly blown off.       

[AllanJ]

Astonishing first image of section of Pluto. Also the Charon image is amazing.

[AstroJon]

I thought the image of Charon was impressive enough but the close up showing the mountains is something else. There is so much to discover just from these few images, absolutely amazing mission!

[DaveS]

First area named, Tombaugh Regio.

Excuse me while i go to recover my socks 

[nightfisher]

Have to congratulate Nasa on a superb success .......so what happens to New horizons now? 

[Laurie61]

Have to congratulate Nasa on a superb success .......so what happens to New horizons now? 

I put up some info earlier   http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/240861-new-horizons-only-100-days-from-pluto/?p=2702633

[laudropb]

Mind blowing stuff. Impossible to guess what will come next