The big day draws closer:
** The Official Space Flight Thread - The Space Station and Beyond **
- Thread starter Cosimo
- Start date
Two days to go:
Time to start getting excited.
Getting closer:
The big day for New Horizons has arrived.
Misson homepage :
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html
Live coverage starts here at 12:00 BST:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/ustream.html#.VaSixihwbMI
The closest we get to Pluto is 12:49 BST (07:49 EDT).
Misson homepage :
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html
Live coverage starts here at 12:00 BST:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/ustream.html#.VaSixihwbMI
The closest we get to Pluto is 12:49 BST (07:49 EDT).
Just looking at the BBC site on this, and the probe is over 3 billion miles away and will be sending pictures back. Just amazing!!
By way of comparison I am in a fibre broadband enabled area, and have no 3G signal
Caporegime
This is stunning - https://instagram.com/p/5HTXKMoaFL/
Caporegime
And Sky News are playing adverts for insurance and PPI while this happens! 
Caporegime
Rumour is they own Pluto now.
Yep, it's sad how big scientific discoveries don't get more coverage. Nothing in my Facebook, other than from the space groups I follow. But nothing from any friends. Even other science things I'm following it haven't mentioned it. You would think LHC and other projects would congratulate them on social media. I suppose there's still time.
Soldato
Not the cold dead blue ball we was told it was during school. Looks like it might have snow there, well Pluto version of it.
Man of Honour
Charon and Pluto are the same age but their surfaces are very different. Charon is crater battered whereas Pluto is resurfaced by weathering. Looks like sand dunes and snow can be made out in the latest image.
Much much higher resolution images are due after midnight as the signals travel the ~4.5 light hours back to us!
The NASA Eyes app gives a cool overview of live simulations of where it is vs the path taken relative to us and the rest of the solar system:
Much much higher resolution images are due after midnight as the signals travel the ~4.5 light hours back to us!
The NASA Eyes app gives a cool overview of live simulations of where it is vs the path taken relative to us and the rest of the solar system:
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After over nine years and three billion miles we flyby Pluto:
Man of Honour
Double post!
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Man of Honour
Not pitch black nope, Charon will appear several times larger from Pluto than the full Moon from Earth. Charon reflects sunlight onto Pluto, you'd be able to see your own shadow as you can on Earth from a full moon, but your shadow would have a little less definition. You'd certainly be able to walk around without bumping into stuff!