Waspie_Dwarf Posted June 19, 2013 #1 Share Posted June 19, 2013 New Horizons Team Sticking to Original Flight Plan at Pluto Unless significant new hazards are found, expect NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft to stay on its original course past Pluto and its moons, after mission managers concluded that the danger posed by dust and debris in the Pluto system is less than they once feared.The New Horizons team recently completed an 18-month study of potential impact hazards – mostly dust created by objects hitting Pluto’s small satellites – the spacecraft would face as it speeds some 30,000 miles per hour (more than 48,000 kilometers per hour) past Pluto in July 2015. The team estimated that the probability of a mission-ending dust impact was less than 0.3 percent if the spacecraft followed the current baseline plan, far below some early, more conservative estimates. So, with the concurrence of an independent review panel and NASA, the project team expects to keep New Horizons on this baseline course, which includes a close approach of about 12,500 kilometers (nearly 7,800 miles) from the surface of Pluto. Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazzard Posted June 20, 2013 #2 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Love this mission, and like many I have been waiting a long time to get a good look at Pluto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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