New horizons probe

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Wed Jul 15, 2015 2:10 pm

So we get this probe to Pluto but we didn't put an extra bit of gas in the tank so it could park in orbit?

sheesh.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Wed Jul 15, 2015 2:12 pm

Hard to stop when you're already going 50000 km per hour haha

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Wed Jul 15, 2015 9:37 pm

What's 50000kph in the cosmic scheme of things?

Interesting thing I read today, Earth wouldn't be a planet if placed where Pluto is cause Earth isn't big enough to clear all the debris from that orbit. Don't know if that's debatable or not as I'm nowhere near well read enough on astrophysics.

Even planetary scientist Alan Stern, the principal investigator for the New Horizons spacecraft, didn't agree with IAU's decision and claimed Pluto was booted out of its planetary status simply because of its distance from the sun.

"In fact, if you put Earth where Pluto is, it would be excluded!" Stern told CNN in January. "Any definition of planethood that excludes Earth, in any circumstance, is deeply flawed. After all, if there is any object everyone agrees is a planet, it's Earth."

from http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/15/us/pluto- ... index.html

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 2:20 am

That just explains why Pluto really is a planet. It's frankly asinine to think that a spherical celestial body with evidence of an atmosphere and tectonic activity wouldn't be defined as a planet (if it's not a moon anyway). It's obviously swept it's orbit well enough to not have any impact crater evidence younger than a hundred million years or so.

ghostwhitehorse · Post by **ghostwhitehorse** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 6:50 pm

Meanwhile. . .

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Fri Jul 17, 2015 1:46 pm

Icy plains of Pluto

ghostwhitehorse · Post by **ghostwhitehorse** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 9:50 am

Warning: autoplay at max volume in the link

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 2:27 am

Been really disturbed by the lack of anything new over the past week. Am now polishing up my tin foil hat...

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 4:36 am

Puerco wrote:Been really disturbed by the lack of anything new over the past week. Am now polishing up my tin foil hat...

There's actually a bunch of new info on Charon and two of the other moons, one that's shaped like an oven mitt and the other that looks like a jelly bean.

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:44 am

Chicat wrote:
Puerco wrote:Been really disturbed by the lack of anything new over the past week. Am now polishing up my tin foil hat...
There's actually a bunch of new info on Charon and two of the other moons, one that's shaped like an oven mitt and the other that looks like a jelly bean.

Still thinking GWH's mass relay idea might've been prescient.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 9:26 am

Puerco wrote:Been really disturbed by the lack of anything new over the past week. Am now polishing up my tin foil hat...

It was well known that after a couple initial photos that it wouldn't be until September that the rest of the data would start coming.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 9:33 am

ASUHATER! wrote:
Puerco wrote:Been really disturbed by the lack of anything new over the past week. Am now polishing up my tin foil hat...
It was well known that after a couple initial photos that it wouldn't be until September that the rest of the data would start coming.

That's true. Due to limited power it can't photograph and transmit at the same time, so it is now spending all it's energy just recording.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 11:43 am

NASA finds 'Earth's bigger, older cousin'

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/23/us/feat-n ... index.html

(CNN)—NASA said Thursday that its Kepler spacecraft has spotted "Earth's bigger, older cousin": the first nearly Earth-size planet to be found in the habitable zone of a star similar to our own.

Though NASA can't say for sure whether the planet is rocky like ours or has water and air, it's the closest match yet found.

"Today, Earth is a little less lonely," Kepler researcher Jon Jenkins said.

The planet, Kepler-452b, is about 1,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. It's about 60% bigger than Earth, NASA says, and is located in its star's habitable zone -- the region where life-sustaining liquid water is possible on the surface of a planet.

A visitor there would experience gravity about twice that of Earth's, and planetary scientists say the odds of it having a rocky surface are "better than even."

While it's a bit farther from its star than Earth is from the sun, its star is brighter, so the planet gets about the same amount of energy from its star as Earth does from the sun. And that sunlight would be very similar to Earth's, Jenkins said.

The planet "almost certainly has an atmosphere," Jenkins said, although scientists can't say what it's made of. But if the assumptions of planetary geologists are correct, he said, Kepler-452b's atmosphere would probably be thicker than Earth's, and it would have active volcanoes.

It takes 385 days for the planet to orbit its star, very similar to Earth's 365-day year, NASA said. And because it's spent so long orbiting in this zone -- 6 billion years -- it's had plenty of time to brew life, Jenkins said.

"That's substantial opportunity for life to arise, should all the necessary ingredients and conditions for life exist on this planet," he said in a statement.

Before the discovery of this planet, one called Kepler-186f was considered the most Earthlike, according to NASA. That planet, no more than a 10th bigger than Earth, is about 500 light-years away from us. But it gets only about a third of the energy from its star as Earth does from the sun, and noon there would look similar to the evening sky here, NASA says.

The $600 million Kepler mission launched in 2009 with a goal to survey a portion of the Milky Way for habitable planets.

From a vantage point 64 million miles from Earth, it scans the light from distant stars, looking for almost imperceptible drops in a star's brightness, suggesting a planet has passed in front of it.

It has discovered more than 1,000 planets. Twelve of those, including Kepler-425b, have been less than twice the size of Earth and in the habitable zones of the stars they orbit.

Missions are being readied to move scientists closer to the goal of finding yet more planets and cataloging their atmospheres and other characteristics.

In 2017, NASA plans to launch a planet-hunting satellite called TESS that will be able to provide scientists with more detail on the size, mass and atmospheres of planets circling distant stars.

The next year, the James Webb Space Telescope will go up. That platform, NASA says, will provide astonishing insights into other worlds, including their color, seasonal differences, weather and even the potential presence of vegetation.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 11:48 am

Appears to be a Class M planet.

4 to beam down.

3 to beam up.

Daryl Zero · Post by **Daryl Zero** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 2:54 pm

Merkin wrote:Appears to be a Class M planet.

4 to beam down.

3 to beam up.

Redshirt never makes it back!

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 12:26 pm

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 2:14 pm

photo taken about a day after the flyby as new horizons is going away from pluto. can clearly see the atmosphere

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 3:22 pm

So what now Hater? I assume it just hurdles through space as it runs out of fuel but will it be able to still take pictures and transmit those back?

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 3:37 pm

azcat49 wrote:So what now Hater? I assume it just hurdles through space as it runs out of fuel but will it be able to still take pictures and transmit those back?

it hasn't even transmitted back probably 95%+ of the pictures and data it recorded. the vast majority of everything will be sent back to earth from september until probably christmas of 2016. in the meantime it is still taking measurements and getting the data ready to send back to earth. it also has some fuel left over to make a course correction to possibly put it in the direction of another kuiper belt object that it will rendezvous with in 2018 or 2019. we've really only gotten like 10 pictures so far and limited data. gotta wait for 1-16 months from now to get the rest of it.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 3:45 pm

The data stream is fucking agonizing in this day of instant information.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 3:47 pm

well it's up to 2 kb/s now!

since it was launched in january 2006 and they started building it and doing the whole project way before that...the technology in the probe is up to date to about the year 2003 or so.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 3:50 pm

That is just amazing. To think of the pictures we will get over the next several years. Great thread

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 5:03 pm

NASA estimates 1 billion ‘Earths’ in our galaxy alone

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spea ... axy-alone/

There are a billion Earths in this galaxy, roughly speaking. Not a million. A billion. We’re talking 1 billion rocky planets that are approximately the size of the Earth and are orbiting familiar-looking yellow-sunshine stars in the orbital “habitable zone” where water could be liquid at the surface.

That’s a billion planets where human beings, or their genetically modified descendants, as well as their dogs and cats and tomato plants and crepe myrtle trees and ladybugs and earthworms and whatnot, could plausibly live.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Fri Jul 24, 2015 5:17 pm

Which sadly does us diddly squat until we can go warp 5. Even going half the speed of light it would take us thousands of years to get to most of those planets.

Puerco · Post by **Puerco** » Sat Jul 25, 2015 2:43 am

Worm holes

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Mon Jul 27, 2015 9:18 pm

Pluto has a . . . . . .

.......(wait for it)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TAIL!

http://www.iflscience.com/space/plutos- ... comet-tail

catgrad97 · Post by **catgrad97** » Tue Jul 28, 2015 5:26 am

That would be the best explanation I've heard yet behind Pluto's kooky, non-elliptical orbit that dovetails Neptune.

Puerco wrote:Worm holes

Seriously, get Interstellar and watch the documentaries. Not just a great flick, but the special features provide a great overview of the Kuiper "Earth" 1,400 light-years away and how wormholes could be used to get there, as inspired by CalTech researcher Kip Thorne.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Tue Jul 28, 2015 10:16 am

Chicat wrote:Pluto has a . . . . . .

.......(wait for it)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TAIL!

http://www.iflscience.com/space/plutos- ... comet-tail

Mars and Venus say "Hi!"

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Tue Jul 28, 2015 10:21 am

ASUHATER! wrote:Which sadly does us diddly squat until we can go warp 5. Even going half the speed of light it would take us thousands of years to get to most of those planets.

Scientists Confirm 'Impossible' EM Drive Propulsion

https://hacked.com/scientists-confirm-i ... ropulsion/

The EM Drive (Electro Magnetic Drive) uses electromagnetic microwave cavities to directly convert electrical energy to thrust without the need to expel any propellant. First proposed by Satellite Propulsion Research, a research company based in the UK founded by aerospace engineer Roger Shawyer, the EM Drive concept was predictably scorned by much of the mainstream research community for allegedly violating the laws of physics, including the conservation of momentum.

However, NASA Eagleworks – an advanced propulsion research group led by Dr. Harold G. “Sonny” White at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) – investigated the EM Drive and presented encouraging test results in 2014 at the 50th Joint Propulsion Conference.

White proposes that the EM Drive’s thrust is due to virtual particles in the quantum vacuum that behave like propellant ions in magneto-hydrodynamical propulsion systems, extracting "fuel" from the very fabric of space-time and eliminating the need to carry propellant. While a number of scientists criticize White's theoretical model, others feel that he is at least pointing to the right direction. The NASASpaceFlight website and forums have emerged as unofficial news source and discussion space for all things related to the EM Drive and related breakthrough space propulsion proposals such as the Cannae Drive.

Exciting stuff just around the corner.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Tue Jul 28, 2015 10:30 am

azgreg wrote:
ASUHATER! wrote:Which sadly does us diddly squat until we can go warp 5. Even going half the speed of light it would take us thousands of years to get to most of those planets.

Scientists Confirm 'Impossible' EM Drive Propulsion

https://hacked.com/scientists-confirm-i ... ropulsion/

The EM Drive (Electro Magnetic Drive) uses electromagnetic microwave cavities to directly convert electrical energy to thrust without the need to expel any propellant. First proposed by Satellite Propulsion Research, a research company based in the UK founded by aerospace engineer Roger Shawyer, the EM Drive concept was predictably scorned by much of the mainstream research community for allegedly violating the laws of physics, including the conservation of momentum.

However, NASA Eagleworks – an advanced propulsion research group led by Dr. Harold G. “Sonny” White at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) – investigated the EM Drive and presented encouraging test results in 2014 at the 50th Joint Propulsion Conference.

White proposes that the EM Drive’s thrust is due to virtual particles in the quantum vacuum that behave like propellant ions in magneto-hydrodynamical propulsion systems, extracting "fuel" from the very fabric of space-time and eliminating the need to carry propellant. While a number of scientists criticize White's theoretical model, others feel that he is at least pointing to the right direction. The NASASpaceFlight website and forums have emerged as unofficial news source and discussion space for all things related to the EM Drive and related breakthrough space propulsion proposals such as the Cannae Drive.
Exciting stuff just around the corner.

Interesting stuff, wish they'd updated the article post-presentation.

Still, seems unlikely to get us to another solar system, as the article mentions it doesn't get us to faster-than-light travel.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Tue Jul 28, 2015 10:40 am

PieceOfMeat wrote:Interesting stuff, wish they'd updated the article post-presentation.

Still, seems unlikely to get us to another solar system, as the article mentions it doesn't get us to faster-than-light travel.

Baby steps brother, baby steps. Just think, less then 300 years ago we were riding horses as our main form of transportation. Imagine where we will be in the next 300 years.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Tue Jul 28, 2015 10:46 am

azgreg wrote:
PieceOfMeat wrote:Interesting stuff, wish they'd updated the article post-presentation.

Still, seems unlikely to get us to another solar system, as the article mentions it doesn't get us to faster-than-light travel.
Baby steps brother, baby steps. Just think, less then 300 years ago we were riding horses as our main form of transportation. Imagine where we will be in the next 300 years.

Hopefully some of us will still be around at that time
http://www.sciencealert.com/immortality ... mitstart=1

catgrad97 · Post by **catgrad97** » Tue Jul 28, 2015 10:50 am

PieceOfMeat wrote:
azgreg wrote:
PieceOfMeat wrote:Interesting stuff, wish they'd updated the article post-presentation.

Still, seems unlikely to get us to another solar system, as the article mentions it doesn't get us to faster-than-light travel.
Baby steps brother, baby steps. Just think, less then 300 years ago we were riding horses as our main form of transportation. Imagine where we will be in the next 300 years.
Hopefully some of us will still be around at that time
http://www.sciencealert.com/immortality ... mitstart=1

Talk about hold your horses. We still can't get an entire block of states in this country to stop living in the 1850s.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Wed Sep 02, 2015 10:30 pm

Newer gif released made from images from the probe

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Fri Sep 04, 2015 3:18 pm

Intensive data download starting for new horizons now. Bunch of new images starting next Friday

http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-new- ... link-phase

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 6:36 pm

New horizons image download has started! 18 months of downloading to come. Here are some from today

Charon

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 9:04 pm

Haze of the atmosphere and the ice mountains of Pluto

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Thu Sep 24, 2015 9:21 pm

Highest resolution (near) color image of Pluto yet

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Fri Sep 25, 2015 9:03 pm

Love seeing this thread updated, always cool stuff

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Thu Oct 01, 2015 9:48 pm

New angle on Charon

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Thu Oct 08, 2015 5:36 pm

Plutos blue haze atmosphere

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 8:45 pm

So much of what scientists thought about Pluto was pretty much completely wrong.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015 ... s-science/" target="_blank

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Fri Mar 04, 2016 6:40 pm

New picture released. They're still getting data from it. This picture shows clouds in the atmosphere of Pluto.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Sun Mar 06, 2016 1:27 pm

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 7:34 pm

Frozen nitrogen lake on Pluto. Shows that there was once a denser atmosphere that allowed for flowing nitrogen and lakes of it.

Longhorned · Post by **Longhorned** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 7:58 pm

Dude, I'd have sucked up that whole lake and had a high time on Pluto.

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