NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has taken an amazing photo of Pluto and its five moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Styx and Kerberos.
This family portrait, a composite of the Pluto system, includes the dwarf planet and its five known moons: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx. Image credit: NASA / Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / Southwest Research Institute.
Following a January 2006 launch, New Horizons is now 2.955 billion miles from our planet and about 8.4 million miles (13.5 million km) from Pluto. It’s healthy and all systems are operating normally.
The probe will make its closest approach to the Pluto system on July 14, zipping by about 7,800 miles (12,500 km) above the dwarf planet’s surface.
After seven weeks of detailed searches for dust clouds, rings, and other potential hazards, scientists with the New Horizons mission has decided the probe will remain on its original path through the Pluto system instead of making a late course correction to detour around any hazards. Because the probe is traveling at 30,800 mph (49,600 kph), a particle as small as a grain of rice could be lethal.
The team has been using New Horizons’ LORRI camera to look for potential hazards, such as small moons, rings, or dust, since mid-May.
The decision on whether to keep the spacecraft on its original course or adopt a Safe Haven by Other Trajectory had to be made this week since the last opportunity to maneuver the spacecraft onto an alternate trajectory is July 4.
“Not finding new moons or rings present is a bit of a scientific surprise to most of us. But as a result, no engine burn is needed to steer clear of potential hazards. We presented these data to NASA for review and received approval to proceed on course and plan. We are ‘go’ for the best of our planned Pluto encounter trajectories,” explained Dr Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute, who is the principal investigator for New Horizons.
The images used in the searches that cleared the mission to stay on its current course were taken June 22, 23 and 26.
Pluto and all five of its known moons are visible in the images, but scientists saw no rings, new moons, or hazards of any kind.
“The suspense – at least most of it – is behind us. As a scientist I’m a bit disappointed that we didn’t spot additional moons to study, but as a New Horizons team member I am much more relieved that we didn’t find something that could harm the spacecraft,” said Dr John Spencer, also of the Southwest Research Institute, who leads the New Horizons hazard analysis team.
