New Horizons at Jupiter
Published on Feb 27, 2007 at 5:24 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under NASA, space exploration.
The New Horizons spacecraft, launched only a year ago, is now passing Jupiter (Just hours from this posting it will be at its closest distance to that planet). The spacecraft was sent directly to Jupiter from Earth, arriving in record time. This was done in order to let Jupiter hurl the spacecraft onward towards Pluto.
Pluto’s orbit is very far from the Sun. In order to reach that distance, a great deal of energy is needed. Unfortunately, we don’t have a rocket lying around powerful enough for a direct flight to Pluto. So, instead, we send the spacecraft to Jupiter. As New Horizons spacecraft passes behind Jupiter in its orbit, that giant planet pulls on the tiny spacecraft. This speeds up the spacecraft enough for it to be hurled outward from the Solar System. By timing it just right, with Jupiter in just the right place, and passing just close enough to the planet, then Jupiter’s gravity hurls the spacecraft towards Pluto. This is called a “gravity assist” by rocket engineers, but often as the “slingshot effect” in popular science terms. Jupiter slings the New Horizons spacecraft in the direction that we want it to go.
The New Horizons spacecraft is a mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. However, Pluto is very small, and the Sun is quite dim that far out. So, the instruments aboard New Horizons are the best that they can be. It would be a waste to be passing by such a spectacularly interesting system as Jupiter without collecting scientific data along the way. 
So, New Horizons has been looking at Jupiter, studying storm systems. It has also been looking at some of Jupiter’s moons. Her is an image of the moon Io. I have actually sandwiched two Io images together. One was taken with quite a bit longer exposure and shows the plumes from a volcanic eruption, but the features of the moon itself are washed out. The other photo shows the moon, but the volcanic plume is too dim. Here, I’ve put both together. Enjoy!
Images courtesy of NASA, JPL
Mohammad Mansouryar on February 28, 2007 at 7:41 am: 1
Hi there, (sorry for not being related to this post)
What’s up? See my newest paper please: (in External links)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_energy
I think you’d like it! And maybe you’d want to write about it?
Cheers,
MM
A Ler…-- Rastos de Luz on February 28, 2007 at 3:15 pm: 2
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