– ‘Hallmark in human history’ –
Never before has a spacecraft ventured into the Kuiper Belt.
The spacecraft launched in 2006, the same year that Pluto was downgraded to “dwarf planet” status due to the celestial body’s small size.
New Horizons is the first spacecraft to fly past Pluto and its seven scientific instruments aim to reveal up-close details of the surface, geology and atmosphere of Pluto and its five moons.
Already, scientists have learned from New Horizons that Pluto is 12-18 miles larger than previously thought, with a radius of 736 miles.
Scientists have also confirmed the existence of a polar ice cap on Pluto and found nitrogen escaping from Pluto’s atmosphere.
“This is truly a hallmark in human history,” said the head of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, John Grunsfeld.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the story of Pluto and New Horizons would be told for years to come.
“I know today we have inspired a whole new generation of explorers,” said the former astronaut.
The spacecraft has enough fuel to carry on its exploration, and Stern said he plans to ask NASA for funding to continue using New Horizons beyond its Pluto mission, in order to study more objects in the Kuiper Belt.
In the meantime, the most detailed pictures yet of Pluto’s surface are to be released by the US space agency on Wednesday, once they are downlinked from New Horizons.
“We haven’t seen anything yet. This is really just the beginning,” said Grunsfeld.
About The Author
