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The article says there is "a high-resolution telescopic camera" on board. Does this mean we will get high-resolution pictures of Pluto's surface, like those we

by valevk 12y ago

The article says there is "a high-resolution telescopic camera" on board. Does this mean we will get high-resolution pictures of Pluto's surface, like those we have of Mars?

FireRabbit 12y ago
I'd assume so. It has already taken high-resolution photos of some of Jupiter's moons, when it flew past in 2006-2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons#Jovian_moons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons#Jovian_moons
- p4bl0 12y ago
  It really amazes me that we are able to transmit high-res pictures from such distances.
  - TkTech 12y ago
    Within our solar system (which is itty-bitty), there is really no theoretical limit to what we can send or receive. Bandwith is pretty high on modern satellites and probes and our only really limiting factor is latency, which doesn't matter so much when the probes can store data locally and slowly send it to you over time. NASA is currently experimenting with the LCRD[1] project for laser-based communications which have a downlink of 622mbps. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Communications_Relay_Demonstration http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Communications_Relay_Demo...
waterlesscloud 12y ago
Yes. I read the camera should be able to resolve details "about the size of the pond in Central Park".
terravion 12y ago
If by "like we have of Mars" a complete map of the surface that we can all download in Google Earth, then no. New Horizons is a flyby mission like the Mariner and Pioneer probes.
dredmorbius 12y ago
Yes and no. New Horizons is a flyby mission. That is, in order to reach Pluto in a reasonable amount of time (it was launched in 2006, time-to-Pluto will have been nine years), it launched with a high speed which was further boosted by gravitational assist from Jupiter. It's not carrying fuel to brake this speed, nor is Pluto massive enough to be used for gravitational assist to slow it (which is how other Gas Giant orbital missions have slowed sufficiently to be captured in orbit). From Wikipedia: "New Horizons is intended to fly within 10,000 km (6,200 mi) of Pluto. New Horizons will have a relative velocity of 13.78 km/s (49,600 km/h; 30,800 mph) at closest approach, and will come as close as 27,000 km (17,000 mi) to Charon" (Pluto's moon). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons#Pluto_approach http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons#Pluto_approach The nearest approaches can still be adjusted depending on mission parameters as the probe approaches Pluto. Some consideration is given to the post-Pluto mission, with other Kuiper belt objects being targeted for study. In the roughly four hours it takes for radio signals from the flyby to reach Earth, New Horizons will have travelled half the distance between the Earth and Moon. Which is to say, it won't be hanging around Pluto very long. By contrast in the case of Mars we have multiple probes in orbit around Mars, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which through a combination of thruster fire and aerobraking (dipping into Mars's atmosphere to slow its velocity) has been orbiting Mars at an altitude of 300 km, allowing for both photography and other sensor observations, since 2006. The result is a vast wealth of close-in imagery with a resolution of up to 18 meters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Reconnaissance_Orbiter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Reconnaissance_Orbiter So: yes, if all goes well we should get some high-quality imagery of Pluto, from as close as 10,000 km -- 33 times the distance of the MRO from Mars. But it's going to be a once-through pass, at high speed, and with no options for retargeting sensors from Earth to reexamine interesting objects.
- m_mueller 12y ago
  I wonder whether Neptune or Uranus could be used to 'aerobreak' in order to get a probe into an orbit around Pluto. I'm guessing with Pluto's eccentric path there should be points in time where it is close to one of these planets, but it is probably a window that only opens up on a timescale of hundreds of years?

by valevk 12y ago

The article says there is "a high-resolution telescopic camera" on board. Does this mean we will get high-resolution pictures of Pluto's surface, like those we have of Mars?

FireRabbit 12y ago

I'd assume so. It has already taken high-resolution photos of some of Jupiter's moons, when it flew past in 2006-2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons#Jovian_moons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons#Jovian_moons

p4bl0 12y ago
It really amazes me that we are able to transmit high-res pictures from such distances.
- TkTech 12y ago
  Within our solar system (which is itty-bitty), there is really no theoretical limit to what we can send or receive. Bandwith is pretty high on modern satellites and probes and our only really limiting factor is latency, which doesn't matter so much when the probes can store data locally and slowly send it to you over time. NASA is currently experimenting with the LCRD[1] project for laser-based communications which have a downlink of 622mbps. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Communications_Relay_Demonstration http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Communications_Relay_Demo...

waterlesscloud 12y ago

Yes. I read the camera should be able to resolve details "about the size of the pond in Central Park".

terravion 12y ago

If by "like we have of Mars" a complete map of the surface that we can all download in Google Earth, then no. New Horizons is a flyby mission like the Mariner and Pioneer probes.

dredmorbius 12y ago

Yes and no. New Horizons is a flyby mission. That is, in order to reach Pluto in a reasonable amount of time (it was launched in 2006, time-to-Pluto will have been nine years), it launched with a high speed which was further boosted by gravitational assist from Jupiter. It's not carrying fuel to brake this speed, nor is Pluto massive enough to be used for gravitational assist to slow it (which is how other Gas Giant orbital missions have slowed sufficiently to be captured in orbit). From Wikipedia: "New Horizons is intended to fly within 10,000 km (6,200 mi) of Pluto. New Horizons will have a relative velocity of 13.78 km/s (49,600 km/h; 30,800 mph) at closest approach, and will come as close as 27,000 km (17,000 mi) to Charon" (Pluto's moon). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons#Pluto_approach http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons#Pluto_approach The nearest approaches can still be adjusted depending on mission parameters as the probe approaches Pluto. Some consideration is given to the post-Pluto mission, with other Kuiper belt objects being targeted for study. In the roughly four hours it takes for radio signals from the flyby to reach Earth, New Horizons will have travelled half the distance between the Earth and Moon. Which is to say, it won't be hanging around Pluto very long. By contrast in the case of Mars we have multiple probes in orbit around Mars, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which through a combination of thruster fire and aerobraking (dipping into Mars's atmosphere to slow its velocity) has been orbiting Mars at an altitude of 300 km, allowing for both photography and other sensor observations, since 2006. The result is a vast wealth of close-in imagery with a resolution of up to 18 meters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Reconnaissance_Orbiter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Reconnaissance_Orbiter So: yes, if all goes well we should get some high-quality imagery of Pluto, from as close as 10,000 km -- 33 times the distance of the MRO from Mars. But it's going to be a once-through pass, at high speed, and with no options for retargeting sensors from Earth to reexamine interesting objects.

m_mueller 12y ago
I wonder whether Neptune or Uranus could be used to 'aerobreak' in order to get a probe into an orbit around Pluto. I'm guessing with Pluto's eccentric path there should be points in time where it is close to one of these planets, but it is probably a window that only opens up on a timescale of hundreds of years?