New Horizons News Releases Feed

New Horizons, Hubble Team Up for a Simultaneous Look at Uranus

Mike Buckley — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 01:00:00 EST

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and New Horizons spacecraft simultaneously set their sights on Uranus recently, allowing scientists to make a direct comparison of the planet from two very different viewpoints. The results inform future plans to study like types of planets around other stars.

The PI's Perspective: Science Never Sleeps!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:00:00 EST

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is healthy and speeding across the Kuiper Belt. On Oct. 2, we’ll be crossing a distance marker of note, passing 60 times as far from the Sun as Earth is. Put in perspective, that means we’re almost twice as far out as Pluto was when we explored it!

New Horizons Team Detects Evidence of Unexpected Population of Kuiper Belt Objects

Mike Buckley — Wed, 4 Sep 2024 13:00:00 EST

A new study authored by NASA’s New Horizons team reports the detection of an unexpected population of very distant bodies in the Kuiper Belt, an outer region of our solar system populated by ancient remnants of planetary building blocks. The newly detected objects stretch out to almost 90 times as far from the Sun as Earth.

New Horizons Measurements Shed New Light on the Darkness of the Universe

Mike Buckley — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 13:00:00 EST

Just how dark is deep space? Astronomers may have finally answered this long-standing question by tapping into the capabilities and distant position of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, by making the most precise, direct measurements ever of the total amount of light the universe generates.

A New Horizon for the Kuiper Belt: Subaru Telescope's Wide-Field Observations

Mike Buckley — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 00:00:00 EST

The Subaru Telescope's wide and deep imaging observations are contributing information to the New Horizons spacecraft as it moves through the outer Solar System. By applying a unique analysis method to images of Kuiper Belt objects taken by the Subaru Telescope's ultra-wide-field camera, objects that have the potential to extend the Kuiper Belt region have been discovered.

New Horizons Scientists Make Landmark Ultraviolet Observations of the Heliosphere, Universe and the Local Interstellar Medium

Mike Buckley — Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00:00 EST

Mission scientists are pursuing new research goals and making unique astrophysical and heliospheric observations with the suite of instruments onboard New Horizons, taking advantage of the spacecraft’s unique position in the distant Kuiper Belt.

The PI's Perspective: Needles in the Cosmic Haystack

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 14:00:00 EST

The spacecraft continues to collect round-the-clock data on our Sun’s cocoon in the galaxy, called the heliosphere, and transmit that data, as well as the final data from our flyby of Kuiper Belt object (KBO) Arrokoth, back to Earth.

NASA’s New Horizons Detects Dusty Hints of an Extended Kuiper Belt

Mike Buckley — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 00:00:00 EST

New observations from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft hint that the Kuiper Belt – the vast, distant outer zone of our solar system populated by hundreds of thousands of icy, rocky planetary building blocks – might stretch much farther out than we thought.

The PI's Perspective: The Long Game

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 13:00:00 EST

Principal Investigator Alan Stern writes that NASA’s recent announcement that it’s extending New Horizons through 2028-2029 is good news, because it allows the mission team to make plans with NASA for a range of science and to expand its searches for a new flyby target.

New Horizons Mission Invites Community to Its 54th Science Team Meeting

Mike Buckley — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 EST

New Horizons to Continue Exploring Outer Solar System

NASA — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 01:00:00 EST

NASA has announced an updated plan to continue New Horizons’ mission of exploration of the outer solar system.

The PI's Perspective: In the Service of Planetary Science, Astrophysics and Heliophysics

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 06:00:00 EST

Principal Investigator Alan Stern covers the range of observations New Horizons is making through August and September - with the intrepid spacecraft serving as an observatory in the Kuiper Belt, fulfilling missions in planetary science, astrophysics and heliophysics.

All Eyes on the Ice Giants

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 01:00:00 EST

The New Horizons spacecraft will observe Uranus and Neptune this fall, and the mission team is inviting the global amateur astronomy community to come along for the ride – and make a real contribution to space science – by observing both ice giants at the same time.

The Science Perspective: Looking for Light with New Horizons

Tod R. Lauer — Tue, 8 Aug 2023 17:00:00 EST

New Horizons Science Team member Tod Lauer offers a look at mission plans to explore the cosmic background from the New Horizons spacecraft’s unique position in the distant solar system.

NASA’s New Horizons Team Discusses Discoveries from the Kuiper Belt

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 13:00:00 EST

New Horizons team members shared several discoveries with media on March 14 at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Among them: new clues to the origins of Arrokoth, new findings about ancient and evolving geology of Pluto, and a preview of Uranus and Neptune observations that could improve our knowledge of those worlds and influence how we interpret data on similar planets in other solar systems.

New Horizons Team Adds AI Smarts to Its Kuiper Belt Object Search

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 11:00:00 EST

The Society of Women Clyde Tombaugh spent months poring over telescopic photo plates in the search for a single moving object, which would turn out to be Pluto. Nearly a century later, the team that explored the planet Tombaugh discovered is expanding its own search for new targets of discovery – and doing it with technology that would have astounded Tombaugh.

The PI’s Perspective: Extended Mission 2 Begins!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 01:00:00 EST

In his latest blog entry, Principal Investigator Alan Stern covers the full range of activity happening on New Horizons – including a look at the plans for the recently greenlit Extended Mission 2.

New Horizons ‘MOM’ Lauded for STEM Leadership

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 11 Nov 2022 11:00:00 EST

The Society of Women Engineers recently honored New Horizons mission operations manager (“MOM”) Alice Bowman with the 2022 Resnik Challenger Medal. Founded in memory of Judith Resnik, who died in the Challenger disaster, the medal is one of society’s most prestigious honors, awarded only as merited for visionary contributions to space programs.

The PI's Perspective: Extending Exploration and Making Distant Discoveries

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 01:00:00 EST

In his latest blog, New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern presents some of the mission's latest scientific findings – and covers the prospects for even more planetary, heliophysics and astrophysics discoveries as New Horizons enters its second extended mission.

Assistant Project Scientist Brandt Brings New Expertise to New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 8 Aug 2022 07:00:00 EST

Pontus Brandt has followed the historic planetary science accomplishments of NASA's New Horizons over the past 16 years, but it's the potential for the mission to make discoveries across several disciplines that truly excites the new deputy project scientist.

Scientists Spot a Possible Source for Charon's Red Cap

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 5 Jul 2022 12:00:00 EST

Scientists combined New Horizons data with novel laboratory experiments and modeling to reveal the likely composition of the red cap on Pluto’s moon Charon -- and how it may have formed.

Pluto's giant ice volcanos may have formed from multiple eruption events

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 11:00:00 EST

New Horizons scientists have determined multiple episodes of cryovolcanism may have created some kinds of surface structures on Pluto, the likes of which are not seen anywhere else in the solar system.

Great Explorations Revisited: The 2007 Flyby of Jupiter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 03:00:00 EST

On discoveries alone, New Horizons’ flyby of Jupiter on February 28, 2007, was a successful mission in its own right. While the Pluto-bound spacecraft was zooming past the giant planet for a gravity boost toward its main targets in the distant reaches of the solar system, and testing out its science instruments just a year after launch, New Horizons revealed the Jovian system in ways never seen before.

On Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth, New Horizons Team Puts Names to the Places

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 03:00:00 EST

Three prominent features on the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth – the farthest planetary body ever explored, by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in January 2019 – now have official names.

The PI’s Perspective: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 01:00:00 EST

As 2021 winds down, Principal Investigator Alan Stern recounts what the New Horizons project has accomplished this year, and looks ahead to what the New Horizons team has planned for 2022.

Using "Charon-light," Researchers Capture Pluto's Dark Side

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 14:00:00 EST

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft made history by returning the first close-up images of Pluto and its moons. Now, through a series of clever methods, researchers led by Tod Lauer of the National Science Foundation's National Optical Infrared Astronomy Research Lab in Tucson, Arizona, on the New Horizons team have expanded that photo album to include the portion of Pluto's landscape that wasn't directly illuminated by sunlight — what the team calls Pluto's "dark side."

Pluto Landmarks Named for Aviation Pioneers Sally Ride and Bessie Coleman

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 14:00:00 EST

More than 60 years after Bessie Coleman broke the bonds of terra firma to become the first African American woman and Native American to earn a pilot’s license, Sally Ride blasted off aboard shuttle Challenger to become the first American woman in space. The lives and accomplishments of both women aviation pioneers have now been honored with the naming of landmarks on Pluto.

The PI's Perspective: Keeping Our Eyes on New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 10 Oct 2021 00:17:00 EST

Principal New Horizons remains healthy and continues to send valuable data from deep in the Kuiper Belt. Principal Investigator Alan Stern provides an update on the latest mission activities.

Great Exploration Revisited: New Horizons at Pluto and Charon

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 09:00:00 EST

New simulated flights over Pluto and Charon include some of the sharpest images and topographic data that New Horizons gathered during its historic flyby on July 14, 2015.

After 60 Years, Nuclear Power for Spaceflight is Still Tried and True

NASA — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 13:00:00 EST

Six decades after the launch of the first nuclear-powered space mission, NASA is embarking on a bold future of human exploration and scientific discovery. This future builds on a proud history of safely launching and operating nuclear-powered missions in space, like New Horizons.

New Horizons at 50 (AU)

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sun, 18 Apr 2021 15:00:00 EST

On April 17, 2021, NASA's New Horizons reached a rare deep-space milepost -- 50 astronomical units from the Sun, or 50 times farther from the Sun than Earth is. To celebrate reaching 50 AU, the New Horizons team compiled a list of 50 facts about this historic mission.

New Horizons Reaches a Rare Space Milestone

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 15:00:00 EST

This weekend, New Horizons will reach a rare deep-space milepost: 50 astronomical units from the Sun, or 50 times farther from the Sun than Earth is. New Horizons is just the fifth spacecraft to reach this great distance.

The PI's Perspective: Far From Home

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 00:13:00 EST

Principal Investigator Alan Stern rounds up the latest mission activities, and looks ahead to a major mile marker that New Horizons will reach next month.

Pluto crater named for female engineer who helped bring the planet into focus

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 17:00:00 EST

When New Horizons flew by Pluto in July 2015, Lisa Hardaway saw the fruits of more than a decade of her labor come into sharp focus. Hardaway passed away almost two years after that iconic moment, but the mission team has remembered her contributions by naming a Pluto crater in her honor.

The Pluto Perspective: A Launch to Remember

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 17:00:00 EST

On the 15th Anniversary of New Horizons Leaving Earth, a Thank You

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:13:00 EST

Principal Investigator Alan Stern reflects on the historic launch of the New Horizons spacecraft on Jan. 19, 2006 – an event resulting from years of hard work and perseverance from a dedicated mission team.

New Horizons Helps Answer the Question: How Dark Is Space?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 10:00:00 EST

By traveling beyond the inner solar system and its accompanying light pollution, New Horizons was able to answer the question: How dark is space?

The PI's Perspective: New Plans Afoot

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 00:04:00 EST

From new plans and new flight software to new science team members and new observations, the New Horizons mission has lots happening both in space and on Earth – and Principal Investigator Alan Stern has it covered in his latest blog.

Pluto Crater Named for New Horizons Pathfinder Tom Coughlin

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 15:00:00 EST

In the early 2000s, as proposal manager and then project manager, Tom Coughlin shepherded the fledging New Horizons mission from early design through flight confirmation. Two decades later, the mission team is honoring Coughlin with a tribute on Pluto, the world New Horizons was built to explore.

The Pluto Perspective: No Sleep Until After the Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 10:00:00 EST

For members of NASA's New Horizons team, the Pluto flyby on July 14, 2015, was the culmination of years of dreams, plans, discovery, hard work and perseverance. To mark the historic flyby's fifth anniversary, several team members share their favorite memories of this monumental and unforgettable space exploration achievement.

Five Years after New Horizons' Historic Flyby, Here Are 10 Cool Things We've Learned About Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 11:00:00 EST

Five years ago today, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft made history. After a voyage of nearly 10 years and more than 3 billion miles, the intrepid piano-sized probe flew within 7,800 miles of Pluto. Here are 10 of the coolest, weirdest and most unexpected findings about the Pluto system that scientists have learned since 2015, thanks to data from New Horizons.

The PI's Perspective: July 2015 - When the Solar System Saved the Best for Last

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 00:01:00 EST

As New Horizons cruises deeper into the Kuiper Belt, Principal Investigator Alan Stern looks back on the spacecraft's historic flight through the Pluto system – revealing worlds more interesting and amazing than anyone could have predicted.

The Pluto Perspective: An Unforgettable Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 13 Jun 2020 17:00:00 EST

The Pluto Perspective: Memories of an Amazing Encounter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 09 Jun 2020 17:00:00 EST

New Horizons Conducts the First Interstellar Parallax Experiment

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 09:00:00 EST

More than four billion miles from home and speeding toward interstellar space, the New Horizons spacecraft has traveled so far that it now has a unique view of the nearest stars.

Thoughts on Interstellar Navigation by Parallax

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 09:00:00 EST

Science team member Tod Lauer, organizer of the New Horizons parallax experiment, jotted down some thoughts on April 22 as he waited for the Sun to set (and stellar observations to begin).

Amateur Astronomers: Help New Horizons with a Historic Stellar Parallax Experiment

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 07:00:00 EST

On April 22 and 23, the New Horizons spacecraft will take images of two of the nearest stars, Proxima Centauri and Wolf 359. When combined with Earth-based images made on the same dates, the result will be a record-setting parallax measurement.

The PI's Perspective: Probing Farther in the Kuiper Belt

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 00:12:00 EST

Mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern's latest report covers updates on the spacecraft, science, outreach fronts, including good news on spacecraft operations and insight into a new search for Kuiper Belt objects to study from a distance.

Pluto at 90

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 14:00:00 EST

In discovering Pluto, young astronomer Clyde Tombaugh unknowingly opened the door to the vast "third zone" of the solar system we now know as the Kuiper Belt, containing countless planetesimals and dwarf planets—the third class of planets in our solar system.

New Horizons Team Discovers a Critical Piece of the Planetary Formation Puzzle

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 14:00:00 EST

Data from NASA's New Horizons mission are providing new insights into how planets and planetesimals – the building blocks of the planets – were formed.

Seeing Stars in 3D: The New Horizons Parallax Program

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 14:00:00 EST

Have a good-sized telescope with a digital camera? Then you can team up with NASA's New Horizons mission this spring on a really cool – and record-setting – deep-space experiment.

Looking Back: A New Horizons New Year's to Remember

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 2 Jan 2020 13:00:00 EST

Safe to say, 2020 came in more quietly for many members of the New Horizons mission team than did 2019. A year ago, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past 2014 MU69, ushering in an era of exploration of the enigmatic Kuiper Belt.

The PI's Perspective: What a Year, What a Decade!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 6 Dec 2019 00:13:00 EST

Much more is in store for New Horizons as it speeds deeper into the Kuiper Belt. But as this year and decade wind down, Principal Investigator Alan Stern looks back and takes stock of where this historic mission has been.

New Horizons Confirms Solar Wind Slows Farther from the Sun

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 2 Dec 2019 13:00:00 EST

New Horizons measurements are providing important new insights from some of the farthest reaches of space ever explored. Mission scientists have shown how the solar wind — the supersonic stream of charged particles blown out by the Sun — evolves at increasing distances.

New Horizons Team Earns Sir Arthur Clarke Space Achievement Award

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 14:00:00 EST

The team that captivated the world with its exploration of Pluto and the Kuiper Belt received the Sir Arthur Clarke Award for International Space Achievement. The New Horizons team and Principal Investigator Alan Stern were jointly selected for outstanding achievements in space over the past many years.

New Horizons Kuiper Belt Flyby Object Officially Named 'Arrokoth'

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 13:00:00 EST

In a fitting tribute to the farthest flyby ever conducted by spacecraft, the Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69 has been officially named Arrokoth, a Native American term meaning "sky."

The PI's Perspective: Looking Back and Exploring Farther

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 00:21:00 EST

Thirty years ago, a mission to Pluto was a far-reaching dream. Mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern reflects on those times before covering the upcoming activities on New Horizons – the fulfillment of that dream – exploring in the Kuiper Belt four billion miles from home.

International Astronomical Union Approves Second Set of Pluto Feature Names

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 8 Aug 2019 10:00:00 EST

Designations Were Proposed by NASA's New Horizons Mission Team

The Journey Continued

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 12:00:00 EST

Five years ago, the New Horizons team discovered 2014 MU69 – and prepared to make the distant Kuiper Belt object part of space exploration history.

The PI's Perspective: We Made the Cover of the 'Rolling Stone' (for Nerds)!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 23 May 2019 00:13:00 EST

From extended mission planning to Kuiper Belt observations to data analysis – including the first publication of science results from the New Year's 2019 flyby of the Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69 – the New Horizons team is keeping busy. Mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern covers all the activity in his latest blog.

New Horizons Team Publishes First Kuiper Belt Flyby Results

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 16 May 2019 13:00:00 EST

The mission team has published the first profile of the farthest world ever explored, a planetary building block and Kuiper Belt object called 2014 MU69.

A Prehistoric Puzzle in the Kuiper Belt

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 00:09:00 EST

The farthest object ever explored is slowly revealing its secrets, as scientists piece together the puzzles of Ultima Thule – the Kuiper Belt object NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past on New Year's Day, four billion miles from Earth.

Ultima Thule in 3D

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 7 Mar 2019 00:14:00 EST

Cross your eyes and break out the 3D glasses! NASA's New Horizons team has created new stereo views of the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule – the target of the New Horizons spacecraft's historic New Year's 2019 flyby, four billion miles from Earth – and the images are as cool and captivating as they are scientifically valuable.

Research indicates small objects are surprisingly rare in the Kuiper Belt

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 00:14:00 EST

Using New Horizons data from the 2015 flyby of the Pluto system, scientists have indirectly discovered a distinct and surprising lack of very small objects in the Kuiper Belt.

New Horizons Spacecraft Returns Its Sharpest Views of Ultima Thule

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 00:16:00 EST

The mission team called it a "stretch goal" – just before closest approach, precisely point the cameras on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft to snap the sharpest possible pics of the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule, its New Year's flyby target and the farthest object ever explored. Now that New Horizons has sent those stored flyby images back to Earth, the team can confirm that its ambitious goal was met.

New Horizons' Evocative Farewell Glance at Ultima Thule

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 8 Feb 2019 00:08:00 EST

A new image sequence from New Horizons offers a departing view of Ultima Thule, and contains important scientific information about the Kuiper Belt object's shape.

Women at the Helm

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 4 Feb 2019 00:10:30 EST

NASA's New Horizons and Voyager missions are not only setting records for distant exploration; both have female project managers.

New Horizons' Newest and Best-Yet View of Ultima Thule

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 00:14:00 EST

The wonders – and mysteries – of New Horizons' New Year's Day 2019 flyby target continue to multiply as the spacecraft beams home new images.

The PI's Perspective: We Did It — The Bullseye Flyby of Ultima Thule!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 00:18:00 EST

With the first flyby of an ancient Kuiper Belt object successfully behind it, the New Horizons team is digging into the first sets of data to come back to Earth – and mission PI Alan Stern says more discoveries are on the way.

New Movie Shows Ultima Thule from an Approaching New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 00:16:00 EST

A new "movie" assembled from New Horizons images shows the propeller-like rotation of Ultima Thule as the spacecraft headed toward the Kuiper Belt object in the final hours of 2018.

Best Wishes from around the World 'Beamed' toward New Horizons in the Kuiper Belt

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 00:17:00 EST

Several weeks before New Horizons flew past Ultima Thule, the mission team offered the public an opportunity to "beam" names and messages toward the spacecraft as it approached its Kuiper Belt target. More than 30,000 people from around the world signed on; the messages left Earth on New Year's Eve.

New Ultima Thule Discoveries from NASA's New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 00:14:00 EST

Data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which explored Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule earlier this week, is yielding scientific discoveries daily.

NASA's New Horizons Mission Reveals Entirely New Kind of World

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 00:02:00 EST

Images of the Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule unveil the very first stages of solar system's history

New Horizons Successfully Explores Ultima Thule:NASA Spacecraft Reaches Most Distant Target in History

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:11:30 EST

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past Ultima Thule in the early hours of New Year's Day, ushering in the era of exploration from the enigmatic Kuiper Belt, a region of primordial objects that holds keys to understanding the origins of the solar system.

From the Associate Administrator: Go New Horizons!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 00:20:00 EST

Below is a message from Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA's Science Missions Directorate, to Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

New Horizons Spacecraft Homing in on Kuiper Belt Target

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 00:18:00 EST

Only hours from completing a historic flyby of Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is on course and ready to gather scientific data on the small object's geology, composition, atmosphere and more.

Media Briefings, Online Coverage of New Horizons' Ultima Thule Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 00:18:00 EST

New Horizons spacecraft is on track to perform the farthest flyby in history, when it zips past a Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule – more than four billion miles from Earth – at 12:33 a.m. EST on Jan. 1. Here's a schedule of media activities and events set for broadcast and streaming on NASA TV and social media channels.

Hubble Paved the Way for the New Horizons Mission to Pluto and Ultima Thule

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 00:17:00 EST

Hubble Paved the Way for the New Horizons Mission to Pluto and Ultima Thule Years before a team of researchers proposed a mission called New Horizons to explore the dwarf planet Pluto, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope had already made initial observations of the world at the dim outer fringes of our celestial neighborhood. Over many years.

Anticipation on Ultima's Doorstep!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 27 Dec 2018 00:18:00 EST

With less than a week to go before the flyby of Ultima Thule, the pace of activity in New Horizons mission control is intense. Principal Investigator Alan Stern offers a final report before New Horizons' Jan. 1 flight past the distant Kuiper Belt object.

All About Ultima: New Horizons Flyby Target is Unlike Anything Explored in Space

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 00:14:00 EST

In less than a week, New Horizons is set to fly by a "worldlet" 4 billion miles from the Sun – the first-ever exploration of such a distant world. Learn more about the target, officially designated 2014 MU69, nicknamed "Ultima Thule.

New Horizons Notebook: On Ultima's Doorstep

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sat, 22 Dec 2018 00:17:00 EST

Short mission news recap covers the last course correction before reaching Ultima Thule, and a look at the some of the "deep" imaging the New Horizons team used to search for potential hazards around Ultima.

Ultima Thule's First Mystery

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 00:16:00 EST

As it bears down on Ultima Thule, New Horizons has been taking hundreds of images to measure Ultima's brightness. Those measurements have produced the mission's first mystery about Ultima.

New Horizons Takes the Inside Course to Ultima Thule

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 00:08:00 EST

With no apparent hazards in its way, the New Horizons spacecraft has been given a "go" to stay on its optimal path to Ultima Thule as it speeds closer to a Jan. 1 flyby of the Kuiper Belt object a billion miles beyond Pluto – the farthest planetary flyby in history.

Exploring Ultima–How to Get Involved!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 00:09:00 EST

The New Horizons spacecraft is healthy and is now on its final approach to explore Ultima Thule. Mission PI Alan Stern covers the many cool ways to follow and take part in the farthest spacecraft flyby in history.

On Target: Record Setting Course-Correction Puts New Horizons on Track to Kuiper Belt Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 4 Dec 2018 00:17:30 EST

New Horizons performed a short but record-setting course-correction maneuver on Dec. 2 that refined its path toward Ultima Thule, the Kuiper Belt object it will fly by on Jan. 1.

'Beam' Your Greeting to New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 4 Dec 2018 00:17:00 EST

The New Horizons spacecraft has traveled 13 years to reach the heart of the Kuiper Belt, but you can get there in a matter of hours! The team will transmit your messages to the spacecraft during its New Year's flyby of Ultima Thule.

Share the News: The Farthest Exploration of Worlds in History is Beginning!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 27 Nov 2018 00:20:00 EST

New Horizons is healthy and beginning its final approach to Ultima Thule — our first Kuiper Belt object (KBO) flyby target — about a billion miles beyond Pluto. PI Alan Stern writes about the excitement building on the team as this historic exploration draws closer.

Media Briefing: New Horizons Team Previews Ultima Thule Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 00:12:15 EST

On Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 12:15 p.m. (EDT), members of the New Horizons team previewed the mission's New Year's 2019 flyby of the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule during a media briefing at the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting in Knoxville, Tennessee.

New Horizons Sets Up for New Year's Flyby of Ultima Thule

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 00:15:30 EST

The New Horizons spacecraft carried out a short engine burn on Oct. 3 to home in on the location and timing of its New Year's flyby of the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule.

New Horizons Team Rehearses for New Year's Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 00:12:30 EST

The New Horizons science and communications teams recently passed their "final exam," a three-day rehearsal of the busiest days around the mission's Dec. 31- Jan. 1 flyby of Ultima Thule.

New Horizons Team Successfully Observes Next Target, Sets the Stage for Ultima Thule Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 00:12:30 EST

Despite clouds and rain, oppressive heat and humidity, and myriad logistical challenges, New Horizons science team members deployed to Sénégal last month saw what they came to see.

Tally Ho Ultima!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 5 Sep 2018 00:12:00 EST

New Horizons' journey from Pluto to its next flyby target, the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule, is 90 percent complete. Principal Investigator Alan Stern covers the many activities leading up to the mission's close encounter with "Ultima" on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day 2019 –less than four months from now!

Ultima in View

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 00:15:30 EST

New Horizons has made its first detection of its next flyby target, the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule, more than four months ahead of its New Year's 2019 close encounter.

New Horizons Begins Its Approach to Ultima Thule

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 00:10:30 EST

New Horizons successfully transitioned from spin mode into 3-axis mode last week, meaning the spacecraft has been positioned and configured to start approach operations toward its next flyby target in the Kuiper Belt.

New Horizons Team Reports Initial Success in Observing Ultima Thule

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sat, 4 Aug 2018 00:09:00 EST

Using telescopes to watch the distant Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule pass in front of star on Aug. 3-4, observing teams in Senegal and Colombia report that they've gathered data on New Horizons' next flyby target.

New Horizons Team Prepares for Stellar Occultation Ahead of Ultima Thule Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 00:15:00 EST

Preparations are on track for a final set of stellar occultation observations to gather as much information about the size, shape, environment and other conditions around New Horizons' next flyby target, the ancient Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule.

The True Colors of Pluto and Charon

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 00:15:00 EST

Marking the third anniversary of New Horizons' historic flight through the Pluto system, mission scientists have released the most accurate natural color images of Pluto and Charon.

First Global Maps of Pluto and Charon from New Horizons Mission Published

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 00:15:00 EST

Before 2015 it was not known whether Pluto or Charon had mountains, valleys or even impact craters. After the New Horizons flyby in July 2015, scientists were amazed at the towering peaks and deep valleys that were revealed in the returned data.

Charon Discovered 40 Years Ago

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 00:11:00 EST

U.S. Naval Observatory astronomers James Christy and Robert Harrington discovered Charon, the largest of Pluto's five moons, in June 1978. The discovery launched Pluto's gradual transformation from a telescopic dot into an intriguing and important planetary system.

New Horizons Wakes for Historic Kuiper Belt Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:11:00 EST

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is "awake" and being prepared for the farthest planetary encounter in history – a New Year's Day 2019 flyby of the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Ultima Thule.

Pluto's Largest Moon Gets Its First Official Feature Names

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 00:11:00 EST

Legendary explorers and visionaries, real and fictitious, are among those immortalized in the first set of official surface-feature names for Pluto's moon Charon.

New Horizons Chooses Nickname for 'Ultimate' Flyby Target

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 00:16:00 EST

As New Horizons continues exploring the unknown, the mission team has selected a nickname for its next flyby target in the outer reaches of the solar system. With public input, the team has chosen "Ultima Thule" for the Kuiper Belt object officially known as 2014 MU69.

Why Didn't Voyager Explore the Kuiper Belt?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 00:15:00 EST

When speaking about New Horizons, mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern is often asked why NASA's venerable Voyager spacecraft didn't explore the Kuiper Belt, since both Voyager 1 and 2 clearly transited this region after passing the giant planets. He answers that question in this latest PI Perspective.

New Horizons Captures Record-Breaking Images in the Kuiper Belt

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 00:13:00 EST

The New Horizons spacecraft recently turned its telescopic camera toward a field of stars, snapped an image – and made history.

Spend Next New Year's Eve with New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 00:13:00 EST

The New Year's celebration to usher in 2019 will include an event like no other – more than four billion miles from Earth. In just under a year, the New Horizons spacecraft will buzz by the most primitive and most distant object ever explored.

New Horizons Enters Last Hibernation Period Before Kuiper Belt Encounter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 00:15:45 EST

New Horizons spacecraft has entered its last hibernation phase before its January 2019 encounter with Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69.

AGU Fall Meeting: New Horizons Explores the Kuiper Belt

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:12:30 EST

The New Horizons team briefed the media at the 2017 AGU Fall Meeting in New Orleans, covering key elements of the Kuiper Belt extended mission.

Does New Horizons' Next Target Have a Moon?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:12:30 EST

New data on 2014 MU69 hints that the Kuiper Belt object might have company: a small moon.

New Horizons Corrects Its Course in the Kuiper Belt

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 00:13:30 EST

The New Horizons spacecraft carried out a short engine burn today that refined its course toward 2014 MU69, the ancient Kuiper Belt object it will fly by a little more than a year from now.

Wrapping up 2017 En Route to Our Next Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 00:11:00 EST

As New Horizons cruises toward its next encounter, mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern previews a year’s worth (and more) of activity leading up to the flyby of 2014 MU69 on Jan. 1, 2019.

NASA Extends Campaign to Nickname New Horizons' Next Target

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 00:13:00 EST

NASA is giving the public a few more days to help select a nickname for New Horizons’ next flyby target, the Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69.

Help Nickname New Horizons' Next Flyby Target

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 00:15:00 EST

The New Horizons mission is looking for your ideas on what to informally name its next flyby destination, a billion miles past Pluto.

Solving the Mystery of Pluto’s Giant Blades of Ice

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 00:10:00 EST

Among New Horizons’ many discoveries at Pluto were strange formations resembling giant knife blades of ice, whose origin had remained a mystery. Now, scientists have turned up a fascinating explanation for this “bladed terrain.”

Hibernation Over, New Horizons Continues Its Kuiper Belt Cruise

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 00:16:00 EST

A long summer break ended for NASA’s New Horizons on Sept. 11, as the spacecraft “woke” itself on schedule from a five-month hibernation period.

Pluto Features Given First Official Names

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 00:11:48 EST

It’s official: Pluto’s “heart” now bears the name of pioneering American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto in 1930. And a crater is now officially named after Venetia Burney, the schoolgirl who suggested the name “Pluto” for Tombaugh’s newly-discovered planet. Tombaugh Regio and Burney crater are among the first set of official Pluto feature names approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the internationally recognized authority for naming celestial bodies and their surface features.

New Horizons Files Flight Plan for 2019 Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 00:15:00 EST

New Horizons has set the distance for its New Year’s Day 2019 flyby of Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69, aiming to come three times closer to MU69 than it flew past Pluto in 2015.

New Horizons Team Receives Prestigious SPIE George W. Goddard Award

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 00:15:30 EST

The multiorganizational team that brought the world its first close-up views of Pluto and its moons has received the 2017 George W. Goddard Award from SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.

The Heroes of the DSN and the 'Summer of MU69'

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 16:00:00 EST

The New Horizons team has learned a lot this summer about the mission's next flyby target, the distant and mysterious Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69. Principal Investigator Alan Stern covers this and other mission updates in his latest PI Perspective entry.

New Horizons' Next Target Just Got a Lot More Interesting

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 00:10:00 EST

Could the next flyby target for the New Horizons spacecraft actually be two targets? Mission scientists look to answer that question as they sort through new data gathered on the distant Kuiper Belt object (KBO) 2014 MU69.

New Horizons Team Strikes Gold in Argentina

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 00:10:00 EST

Several telescopes deployed by the New Horizons team in a remote part of Argentina were in precisely the right place at the right time to catch a fleeting shadow of Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69 – the mission's next flyby target — in an event that's known as an occultation.

New Horizons Video Soars over Pluto's Majestic Mountains and Icy Plains

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 00:11:00 EST

Using actual New Horizons data and digital elevation models of Pluto and its largest moon Charon, mission scientists have created flyover movies that offer spectacular new perspectives of the many unusual features that reshaped our views of the Pluto system – from a vantage point even closer than the spacecraft itself.

New Horizons Unveils New Maps of Pluto, Charon on Flyby Anniversary

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 00:11:00 EST

On the two-year anniversary of New Horizons' historic flight through the Pluto system, the mission team is unveiling a set of detailed, high-quality global maps of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon.

SOFIA in Right Place at Right Time to Study Next New Horizons Flyby Object

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:12:35 EST

NASA's airborne observatory, SOFIA, was in the right place at the right time to study the environment around 2014 MU69, the next flyby target for New Horizons.

SOFIA to Make Advance Observations of Next New Horizons Flyby Object

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 00:01:00 EST

On July 10, researchers using NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, will attempt to study the environment around a distant Kuiper Belt object, 2014 MU69, which is the next flyby target for the New Horizons spacecraft.

New Mysteries Surround New Horizons' Next Flyby Target

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 16:00:00 EST

New Horizons doesn't zoom past its next science target until New Year's Day 2019, but the Kuiper Belt object, known as 2014 MU69, is already revealing surprises.

NASA's New Horizons Mission Honors Memory of Engineer Lisa Hardaway

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 16:00:00 EST

NASA's New Horizons mission team honored the life and contributions of aerospace engineer Lisa Hardaway on Thursday by dedicating the spectrometer she helped to develop – which brought the first color close-up images of Pluto to the world – in her memory.

New Horizons Team Digs into New Data on Next Flyby Target

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 16:00:00 EST

It was the most technically-challenging and complex stellar occultation observation campaign ever attempted: At least 54 observing teams with dozens of telescopes dispatched across two continents, positioned to catch a rare, two-second glimpse of a small, distant Kuiper Belt object passing in front of a star. And it wasn't just any KBO — it was New Horizons' next flyby target.

New Horizons Deploys Global Team for Rare Look at Next Flyby Target

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 25 May 2017 16:00:00 EST

Over the next six weeks, the New Horizons team gets a few long-distance looks at the mission's next flyby target – the Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69.

No Sleeping Back on Earth!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 13:00:00 EST

The New Horizons spacecraft might be hibernating through summer, but the mission team has plenty to do! Principal Investigator Alan Stern covers the full range of upcoming activities, including observations of 2014 MU69 – our next target in the Kuiper Belt

Nap Time for New Horizons: NASA Spacecraft Enters Hibernation

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 11:00:00 EST

New Horizons has eased into a long summer's nap, entering a hibernation phase on April 7 that will last until early September.

New Horizons Halfway from Pluto to Next Flyby Target

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 3 Apr 2017 20:00:00 EST

Continuing on its path through the outer regions of the solar system, New Horizons has now traveled half the distance from Pluto – its storied first target – to 2014 MU69, the Kuiper Belt object it will fly past on Jan. 1, 2019.

New Co-Investigators Add Depth to New Horizons Team

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 8 Mar 2017 15:00:00 EST

With New Horizons speeding toward its next target – a New Year's Day 2019 encounter with 2014 MU69 – mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern and NASA have added some new expertise to the team's roster.

New Horizons, IAU Set Pluto Naming Themes

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 10:00:00 EST

The International Astronomical Union has approved themes submitted by NASA's New Horizons team for naming surface features on Pluto and its moons.

New Horizons Exits Brief Safe Mode, Recovery Operations Continue

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 12:00:00 EST

New Horizons is operating normally after just over 24 hours in a protective "safe mode," the result of a command-loading error that occurred early Thursday. The spacecraft is healthy and continues to speed along toward its next target.

New Horizons Team Earns NASA, International Awards

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 7 Feb 2017 10:00:00 EST

The New Horizons team recently earned additional recognition for its historic work on the first mission to Pluto.

New Horizons Refines Course for Next Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 1 Feb 2017 13:00:00 EST

The NASA spacecraft completed a short propulsive maneuver Wednesday to refine its track toward a New Year's Day 2019 flyby past Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69.

A Colorful 'Landing' on Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 13:00:00 EST

What would it be like to actually land on Pluto? This movie, made from more than 100 New Horizons images, offers a "trip" down to the shoreline of Pluto's informally named Sputnik Planitia.

Facebook Live to Mark Success, Future of New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 13:00:00 EST

New Horizons team members will discuss the achievements of the Pluto encounter and look ahead to the mission's next exploration during a Facebook Live event at 4 p.m. EST on Jan. 19 -- the 11th anniversary of the spacecraft's launch.

Clouds in My Coffee: Exploring Pluto and the Wild Back Yonder!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 13:00:00 EST

As 2016 ends, the New Horizons mission is at the halfway perch between two milestones. PI Alan Stern looks back on the success of the Pluto flyby and previews the work ahead in the Kuiper Belt, leading up to the flyby of 2104 MU69 in January 2019.

Scientists Probe Mystery of Pluto's Icy Heart

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 2 Dec 2016 11:15:00 EST

Scientists are offering several new scenarios to explain the formation of Pluto's Sputnik Planitia, the frozen heart-shaped feature first spotted by New Horizons in 2015.

New Horizons Returns Last Bits of 2015 Flyby Data

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 12:15:00 EST

New Horizons reached a major milestone this week when the last bits of science data from the Pluto flyby – stored on the spacecraft's digital recorders since July 2015 – arrived safely on Earth.

New Horizons Team Receives Planetary Society Award

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 14:30:00 EST

The New Horizons Team has received The Planetary Society's Cosmos Award for Outstanding Public Presentation of Science.

New Horizons: Possible Clouds on Pluto, Next Target Is Reddish

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 18 Oct 2016 15:00:00 EST

From possible clouds on Pluto to the first color detections on New Horizons' next flyby target, mission scientists cover a range of Pluto and Kuiper Belt findings this week at the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) and European Planetary Science Congress joint meeting in Pasadena, California.

X-ray Detection Sheds New Light on Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 13:00:00 EST

New Horizons scientists using the Chandra X-ray Observatory have made the first detections of X-rays from Pluto. The observations offer new insight into the space environment surrounding the largest and best-known object in the solar system's outermost regions.

Pluto 'Paints' its Largest Moon Red

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 13:00:00 EST

After months of analysis, New Horizons scientists say they have found the likely source of the reddish material covering the poles of Pluto's moon Charon - Pluto itself. They publish their results this week in the journal Nature.

New Horizons Spies a Kuiper Belt Companion

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 13:05:00 EST

New Horizons is doing some sightseeing along the way to its 2019 date with an ancient object in the Kuiper Belt known as 2014 MU69.

Pluto's Methane Snowcaps on the Edge of Darkness

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 13:00:00 EST

The southernmost part of Pluto that New Horizons could "see" during closest approach contains a range of fascinating geological features, and offers clues into what might lurk in the regions shrouded in darkness during the flyby.

Blog: What a Journey!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 10:00:00 EST

Now that most of the science data from the Pluto encounter have been downlinked to Earth, New Horizons Project Scientist Hal Weaver says it seems only fitting to reflect on the long journey that took us to the frontier of our solar system. He shares some of his personal memories from this incredible voyage of discovery.

New Horizons Pluto Stamp Earns Guinness World Record

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 09:30:00 EST

The 1991 "Pluto Not Yet Explored" stamp on board the New Horizons spacecraft has earned a Guinness World Record for the farthest distance traveled by a postage stamp.

Video: Imagine a Landing on Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 14:30:00 EST

Imagine a future spacecraft following New Horizons' trailblazing path to Pluto, but instead of flying past its target – as New Horizons needed to do to explore Pluto and the Kuiper Belt beyond – the next visitor touches down near the tall mountains on the frozen icy, plains of Pluto's heart.

Looking Back, a Year after Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 12:00:00 EST

A year after the New Horizons mission made science and space exploration history – the exploration of Pluto completed the era of first reconnaissance of the planets begun by NASA in 1962 – the spacecraft is now nearly 300 million miles beyond Pluto, speeding toward its next target in the Kuiper Belt and not looking back.

Exploration Ahead!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 7 Jul 2016 18:00:00 EST

When Principal Investigator Alan Stern tweeted on the morning of July 1 that the mission team was exactly 2.5 years from a hoped-for Kuiper Belt object flyby, little did he know that NASA would announce its approval of the flyby later that day.

Blog: Rewriting the Playbook on Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 09:00:00 EST

Through all the mission planning and activity, New Horizons scientists were certain that they were going to rewrite textbooks based on what they found at Pluto. Science team member Richard Binzel writes about the team's plans to revise the granddaddy text book of them all.

The Jagged Shores of Pluto's Highlands

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 9 Jun 2016 15:30:00 EST

A new enhanced color image from New Horizons zooms in on the southeastern portion of Pluto's great ice plains, where the plains border rugged, dark highlands informally named Krun Macula.

Secrets Revealed from Pluto's 'Twilight Zone'

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 2 Jun 2016 15:30:00 EST

New Horizons took this stunning image only minutes after passing Pluto; looking back at Pluto with images like this gives scientists information about Pluto's hazes and surface properties that they can't get from images taken on approach.

Pluto's Heart: Like a Cosmic 'Lava Lamp'

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 1 Jun 2016 01:00:00 EST

Like a cosmic lava lamp, a large section of Pluto's icy surface is being constantly renewed by a process called convection that replaces older surface ices with fresher material.

New Pluto and Planetary Stamps Wow at World Stamp Show

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 1 Jun 2016 01:00:00 EST

Breathtaking images of New Horizons and Pluto got a stamp of approval from the U.S. Postal Service, which unveiled striking new Forever stamps on May 31.

New Horizons' Best Close-Up of Pluto's Surface

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 27 May 2016 10:30:00 EST

Check out the most detailed view of Pluto's surface you'll likely see for a long time. A new mosaic includes all of the highest-resolution images taken by New Horizons from the July 2015 Pluto flyby.

Blog: Behind the Lens at New Horizons' Pluto Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 23 May 2016 06:00:00 EST

Scientist Henry Throop, who pointed his camera at his friends and colleagues during the New Horizons Pluto encounter, shares some of his favorite images from this epic journey to the frontier of the solar system.

Pluto's 'Fretted' Terrain

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 20 May 2016 13:00:00 EST

New Horizons scientists have spotted an expanse of terrain they describe as "fretted," and unlike anything they've seen on Pluto so far.

New Horizons Collects First Science on a Post-Pluto Object

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 18 May 2016 09:00:00 EST

Warming up for a possible extended mission as it speeds through deep space, New Horizons spacecraft has now twice observed Kuiper Belt object 1994 JR1. Science team members have used these observations to reveal new facts about this distant remnant of the early solar system.

First Stellar Occultations Shed Additional Light on Pluto's Atmosphere

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 18 May 2016 09:00:00 EST

First Stellar Occultations Shed Additional Light on Pluto's Atmosphere

Kudos Continue for New Horizons Mission Accomplishments

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 10 May 2016 09:00:00 EST

New Horizons is hundreds of millions of miles and almost 10 months beyond its exploration of Pluto – but here on Earth, the honors for that historic achievement continue.

Icy Hydra

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 6 May 2016 09:45:00 EST

The first compositional data on Pluto's four small satellites show the surface of Hydra, Pluto's outermost small moon, is dominated by nearly pristine water ice.

Study: Pluto's Interaction with the Solar Wind is Unique

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 4 May 2016 11:45:00 EST

Pluto behaves less like a comet than expected and somewhat more like a planet like Mars or Venus in the way it interacts with the solar wind, a continuous stream of charged particles from the sun. This is according to the first analysis of Pluto's interaction with the solar wind, funded by NASA's New Horizons mission and published today in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics by the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

Blog: Planning for Pluto with GeoVis

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 3 May 2016 11:30:00 EST

How does the New Horizons team choose where to point the spacecraft's science instruments? Planetary scientist Henry Throop writes about his role as the developer and maintainer of GeoViz, which is the software tool the science team uses for planning observations.

New Elevation Map of Pluto's Sunken 'Heart'

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 2 May 2016 10:00:00 EST

The newest shaded relief view of the region surrounding the left side of Pluto's heart-shaped feature shows that the vast expanse of the icy surface is, on average, two miles lower than the surrounding terrain.

Pluto's 'Halo' Craters

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 14:00:00 EST

Within Pluto's informally named Vega Terra region is a field of eye-catching craters that looks like a cluster of bright halos scattered across a dark landscape.

To Boldly Go On, In the Service of Exploration

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 16:30:00 EST

With his eyes on the future, Principal Investigator Alan Stern describes the mission's proposal to NASA to continue the exploration by New Horizons. The proposed effort covers nearly two billion more miles of space and includes a KBO close flyby in 2019.

The Icy 'Spider' on Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 12:30:00 EST

Sprawling across Pluto's icy landscape is an unusual geological feature that resembles a giant spider.

New Horizons Fills Gap in Space Environment Observations

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 11:00:00 EST

Stunning images of Pluto are the most famous result from New Horizons, but the spacecraft also sent back over three years' worth of measurements of the solar wind - the constant flow of solar particles that the sun flings out into space - from a region that has been visited by only a few spacecraft.

Pluto's Bladed Terrain in 3-D

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 16:00:00 EST

The "bladed" terrain just east of Tombaugh Regio is one of the strangest landforms on Pluto – get some 3-D glasses and see for yourself!

Pluto: On Frozen Pond

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 24 Mar 2016 12:00:00 EST

New Horizons spied several features on Pluto that offer evidence of a time when liquids might have flowed across and pooled on the surface of the distant world.

New Horizons Team Presents Latest Pluto Science Results at Planetary Conference

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 12:00:00 EST

New Horizons scientists will present nearly 40 reports on the Pluto system this week at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, starting with a media briefing on Monday at noon CDT.

New Horizons Team Earns Prestigious Space Science, Engineering Honors

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 09:00:00 EST

The team behind NASA's New Horizons mission earned several honors this month for its historic accomplishments.

Research Papers in Science Reveal New Aspects of Pluto and Its Moons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 14:00:00 EST

In the March 18 issue of journal Science, New Horizons scientists publish the first comprehensive set of papers describing results from last summer's Pluto system flyby. The papers revealing the former "astronomer's planet" to be a real world with diverse and active geology, exotic surface chemistry, a complex atmosphere, puzzling interaction with the sun and an intriguing system of small moons.

What's Eating at Pluto?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 16:00:00 EST

New Horizons scientists have discovered what looks like a giant bite-mark on Pluto's surface.

Blog: The Polygons of Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 15:30:00 EST

Undergrad Katie Knight, who works with the New Horizons team to map some of Pluto's unusual terrain, provides some insight into the geological features known as polygonal blocks.

Methane Snow on Pluto's Peaks

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 10:00:00 EST

The New Horizons team has discovered that a chain of snow-capped mountains stretches across the dark expanse on Pluto informally named Cthulhu Regio.

Blog: Where's My Data? Keeping Track of New Horizons' Treasure of Information

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 09:30:00 EST

Last summer's historic Pluto flyby generated a wealth of science data, capturing this new world which had never before been explored. Science Operations Team member Emma Birath describes the science of bringing all that data "home" from the New Horizons spacecraft.

The Frozen Canyons of Pluto's North Pole

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 16:00:00 EST

Data from New Horizons tells yet another story of Pluto's diversity of geological and compositional features-this time in an enhanced color image of the north polar area.

Pluto's 'Hulk-like' Moon Charon: A Possible Ancient Ocean?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 16:00:00 EST

Pluto's largest moon may have gotten too big for its own skin. New Horizons images suggest that Charon once had a subsurface ocean that has long since frozen and expanded, pushing out on the moon's surface and causing it to stretch and fracture on a massive scale.

Happy Valentine's Day from New Horizons!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 10:30:00 EST

Show how much you care with these special valentines - featuring the solar system's most famous heart!

Putting Pluto's Geology on the Map

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 15:30:00 EST

The surface of Pluto possesses an astonishing and unexpected geological diversity. New Horizons scientists construct geological maps to help make sense of this complexity and to piece together how Pluto's surface has formed and evolved over time.

Pluto's Mysterious, Floating Hills

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 4 Feb 2016 13:00:00 EST

The nitrogen ice glaciers on Pluto appear to carry an intriguing cargo: numerous, isolated hills that may be fragments of water ice from Pluto's surrounding uplands. These hills individually measure one to several miles or kilometers across.

Blog: Pluto Flyby, through the Eyes of an Early Career Scientist

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 4 Feb 2016 13:00:00 EST

Student Dust Counter team member Marcus Piquette recalls the amazement of the New Horizons' Pluto flyby.

Winters Named New Horizons Project Manager

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 11:00:00 EST

The New Horizons mission has a new project manager; Helene Winters has assumed the role from Glen Fountain.

Pluto's Widespread Water Ice

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 11:00:00 EST

New data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft point to more prevalent water ice on Pluto's surface than previously thought.

Pluto's Blue Atmosphere in the Infrared

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 11:00:00 EST

New Horizons has provided the first look at Pluto's atmosphere in infrared wavelengths, and the first image of the atmosphere made with data from the New Horizons Ralph/LEISA instrument.

The Voyage of a Lifetime: New Horizons Marks 10 Years Since Launch

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 10:00:00 EST

Ten years ago today one of the great robotic explorers of our age rocketed into the sky above the Florida coastline.

Wright's Stuff

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 13:30:00 EST

New Horizons scientists have assembled the highest-resolution color view of Wright Mons, one of two potential cryovolcanoes spotted on Pluto's surface.

Pluto's Haze in Bands of Blue

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 13:30:00 EST

Peer into the blue layers of Pluto's atmosphere in this high-resolution color image constructed from Long Range Reconnaissance Imager and Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera data.

'X' Marks a Curious Corner on Pluto's Icy Plains

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 7 Jan 2016 16:30:00 EST

"X" marks the spot of some intriguing surface activity in the latest picture of Pluto returned from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.

Particles 'Go with the Flow' on Pluto's Surface

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 7 Jan 2016 16:30:00 EST

Scientists from NASA's New Horizons mission have combined data from two instruments to create this composite image of Pluto's informally named Viking Terra area.

Looking Back at the "Year of Pluto"

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 11:30:00 EST

The New Horizons spacecraft will mark New Year's some 125 million miles beyond Pluto, far removed from the excitement of its historic flight through the Pluto system that made 2015 the year a small world on the planetary frontier captured our hearts.

Our 'Annus Mirabilis'

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 11:30:00 EST

The year 1905 was said to be Albert Einstein's annus mirabilis - his "miracle year"- in which he published papers that set the stage for modern physics. That phrase comes to the mind of mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern when he thinks of 2015 and New Horizons; it's been our miracle year.

Blog: Where Math Meets Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 17:54:00 EST

Mission scientist Orkan Umurhan provides some insight on the work and make-up of the New Horizons Geology and Geophysics Investigation team.

New Findings from New Horizons Shape Understanding of Pluto and its Moons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 17:00:00 EST

Five months after NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto to take the first images and measurements of this icy world and its system of satellites, knowledge about this distant system continues to unfold.

Pluto's Close-up, Now in Color

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 16:10:00 EST

A new enhanced color mosaic combines some of the sharpest views of Pluto that New Horizons obtained during its July 14 flyby.

Zooming in on Pluto's Pattern of Pits

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 16:00:00 EST

On July 14, the telescopic camera on New Horizons took the highest-resolution images ever obtained of the intricate pattern of pits across a section of Pluto's prominent heart-shaped region.

A Distant Close-up: New Horizons' Camera Captures a Wandering KBO

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 4 Dec 2015 16:00:00 EST

New Horizons has taken the closest images ever of a distant Kuiper Belt object - demonstrating its ability to observe numerous such bodies over the next several years if NASA approves an extended mission.

New Horizons Returns the First of Its Very Best Images of Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 4 Dec 2015 14:30:00 EST

New Horizons has sent back the first few of its sharpest views of Pluto - and the images is image sequence forms the best close-ups of Pluto that humans may see for decades.

Blog: Pluto, Closer to Home

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 09:30:00 EST

Planetary scientist Veronica Bray says comparing Pluto with other planetary bodies helps her to understand what processes could be operating on Pluto's surface and beneath its icy crust. In particular, a pair of features on Pluto remind her of landforms on Earth and Mars.

A Day on Pluto, a Day on Charon

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 14:30:00 EST

On approach to the Pluto system in July 2015, the cameras on New Horizons captured Pluto and its moon Charon rotating over the course of a full day.

Blog: Radio Signals from Earth Probe Pluto's Atmosphere

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 15:30:00 EST

How does New Horizons use radio science to learn about Pluto's atmosphere? Science team member Will Woods writes about his role in this key process.

At Pluto, New Horizons Finds Geology of All Ages, Possible Ice Volcanoes, Insight into Planetary Origins

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 12:15:00 EST

From possible ice volcanoes to geologically diverse surfaces to oddly behaving moons that could have formed through mergers of smaller moons, Pluto system discoveries continue to surprise scientists on NASA's New Horizons mission team.

New Horizons Completes Record-Setting Kuiper Belt Targeting Maneuvers

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 09:00:00 EST

New Horizons performed the last in a series of four targeting maneuvers that set it on course for a potential January 2019 encounter with Kuiper Belt Object 2014 MU69.

Blog: In the Shadows of Pluto and Charon

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 2 Nov 2015 09:00:00 EST

Researcher Josh Kammer – who primarily studies atmospheres – writes that the most exciting observations made by New Horizons this past summer were the solar occultations by Pluto and Charon. Achieving the required alignment of spacecraft, planet and the sun during an occultation was a difficult challenge – especially when there was a significant amount of uncertainty in the exact position of Pluto at the moment of New Horizons' flyby.

The Youngest Crater on Charon?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 17:00:00 EST

New Horizons scientists have discovered a striking contrast between one of the fresh craters on Pluto's largest moon Charon and a neighboring crater dotting the moon's Pluto-facing hemisphere.

On Track: New Horizons Carries Out Third KBO Targeting Maneuver

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 10:30:00 EST

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has successfully completed the third in a series of four maneuvers propelling it toward an encounter with the ancient Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69, a billion miles farther from the sun than Pluto.

New Horizons Continues Toward Potential Kuiper Belt Target

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 11:30:00 EST

New Horizons has carried out the second of four planned maneuvers propelling it toward the ancient Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69.

New Horizons Team Bids Farewell to Bob Farquhar

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 11:00:00 EST

NASA's New Horizons team was saddened by the recent passing of one of its own, Bob Farquhar.

Blog: A Planet for All Seasons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:30:00 EST

New Horizons science team member Alissa Earle writes about the long-term seasonal variations that may be affecting what we see on Pluto's surface.

Maneuver Moves New Horizons toward Next Potential Target

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 07:15:00 EST

New Horizons has carried out the first in a series of four initial targeting maneuvers to send it toward a small Kuiper Belt object named 2014 MU69.

Last of Pluto's Moons - Mysterious Kerberos - Revealed by New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 22 Oct 2015 18:00:00 EST

Just-received images of tiny Kerberos complete the family portrait of Pluto's moons.

Pluto in 3-D

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 22 Oct 2015 17:00:00 EST

Global stereo mapping of Pluto's surface is now possible, as images taken from multiple directions are downlinked from New Horizons.

NASA's 'Pluto Time' Connects People with Science

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 17:00:00 EST

NASA has unveiled mosaics of Pluto and its largest moon Charon, representing the global response to its popular “#PlutoTime” social media campaign. The Pluto Time concept and widget was developed by the New Horizons science team so that people could experience the approximate sunlight level on Pluto at noon—generally around dawn or dusk on Earth.

Science Paper Describes Pluto System Findings

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 17:00:00 EST

From Pluto's unusual heart-shaped region to its extended atmosphere and intriguing moons, the New Horizons mission has revealed a degree of diversity and complexity in the Pluto system that few expected.

Blog: The Impact of Craters

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:00:00 EST

Researcher Kelsi Singer writes that impact craters may just look like holes in the ground, but amazingly, they can offer all sorts of clues to a planet's history.

New Horizons Finds Blue Skies and Water Ice on Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 8 Oct 2015 12:00:00 EST

The first color images of Pluto's atmospheric hazes, returned by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft last week, reveal that the hazes are blue.

Blog: Pluto's Small Moons Nix and Hydra

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 5 Oct 2015 15:00:00 EST

New Horizons postdoctoral researcher Simon Porter writes that new images of Pluto's moons remind us Pluto is not just one body, but an entire system of worlds.

Charon Reveals a Colorful and Violent History

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 1 Oct 2015 13:00:00 EST

New Horizons has returned the best color and the highest resolution images yet of Pluto's largest moon, Charon - and these pictures show a surprisingly complex and violent history.

Blog: Pluto at Twilight

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 10:00:00 EST

Science team member Alex Parker writes how scientists are working to understand what New Horizons images tell them about the hazes in and dynamics of Pluto's atmosphere.

Perplexing Pluto: New 'Snakeskin' Image and More from New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 20:00:00 EST

The newest high-resolution images of Pluto from New Horizons are both dazzling and mystifying, revealing a multitude of previously unseen topographic and compositional details.

Blog: Art Meets Science in New Pluto Aerial Tour

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 10:45:00 EST

Science team member Stuart Robbins tells how he created his coolest Pluto flyover video yet.

Pluto 'Wows' in Spectacular New Backlit Panorama

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:30:00 EST

The latest images from New Horizons - with their breathtaking views of Pluto's majestic icy mountains, streams of frozen nitrogen and haunting low-lying hazes - have strangely familiar, arctic look.

New Pluto Images from New Horizons: It's Complicated

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 16:30:00 EST

New close-up images of Pluto reveal a bewildering variety of surface features that have scientists reeling because of their range and complexity.

Blog: Probing the Mystery of Charon's Red Pole

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 9 Sep 2015 13:45:00 EST

Researcher Carly Howett is digging into the many different features across the surface of Pluto's largest moon, Charon.

New Horizons Begins Intensive Data Downlink Phase

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 4 Sep 2015 13:45:00 EST

If you liked the first historic images of Pluto from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, you'll love what's to come. The process of downlinking data all the data from the Pluto flyby moves into high gear on Sept. 5.

New Horizons Team Identifies Potential Kuiper Belt Flyby Target

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 16:30:00 EST

NASA has selected the potential next destination for the New Horizons mission to visit after its historic July 14 flyby of the Pluto system. The destination is a small Kuiper Belt object (KBO) known as 2014 MU69 that orbits nearly a billion miles beyond Pluto.

Blog: Making the Pluto Flyby Movie

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 16:00:00 EST

What was it like to fly past Pluto? New Horizons scientist Stuart Robbins explains how he created a true spacecraft's eye view.

Scientists Study Nitrogen Provision for Pluto's Atmosphere

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 12:00:00 EST

New Horizons data reveals diverse features on Pluto's surface and an atmosphere dominated by nitrogen gas. However, Pluto's small mass allows hundreds of tons of atmospheric nitrogen to escape into space each hour.

Atmospheric Escape and Flowing N₂ Ice Glaciers - What Resupplies Pluto's Nitrogen?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 11:00:00 EST

Blog post from researcher Kelsi Singer examines the sources of Pluto's nitrogen.

Thank You!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 10:00:00 EST

Mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern says "thank you" to the thousands of who congratulated the New Horizons team through the White House website.

New Horizons Team Finds Haze, Flowing Ice on Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 14:00:00 EST

Flowing ice and a surprising extended haze are among the newest discoveries from NASA's New Horizons mission, which reveal distant Pluto to be an icy world of wonders.

Have a Minute? Get the Video Scoop on New Horizons and Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 18:00:00 EST

If you have a minute, the New Horizons team has the answers to your questions about the first mission to Pluto – thanks to "Pluto in a Minute."

New Horizons Finds Second Mountain Range in Pluto's 'Heart'

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 16:00:00 EST

A newly discovered mountain range lies near the southwestern margin of Pluto's Tombaugh Regio, situated between bright, icy plains and dark, heavily-cratered terrain.

New Horizons 'Captures' Two of Pluto's Smaller Moons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:54:00 EST

While Pluto's largest moon, Charon, has grabbed most of the lunar spotlight, two of Pluto's smaller and lesser-known satellites are starting to come into focus via new images from New Horizons.

NASA's New Horizons Discovers Frozen Plains in the Heart of Pluto's 'Heart'

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 13:54:00 EST

In the latest data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, a new close-up image of Pluto reveals a vast, craterless plain that appears to be no more than 100 million years old, and is possibly still being shaped by geologic processes. This frozen region is north of Pluto's icy mountains, in the center-left of the heart feature, informally named “Tombaugh Regio” (Tombaugh Region) after Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto in 1930.

Pluto Wags its Tail

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 13:50:00 EST

New Horizons has discovered a region of cold, dense ionized gas tens of thousands of miles beyond Pluto -- the planet's atmosphere being stripped away by the solar wind and lost to space.

New Horizons Reveals Pluto's Extended Atmosphere

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 14:10:00 EST

Scientists working with NASA's New Horizons spacecraft have observed Pluto's atmosphere as far as 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) above the surface of the planet, demonstrating that Pluto's nitrogen-rich atmosphere is quite extended. This is the first observation of Pluto's atmosphere at altitudes higher than 170 miles above the planet's surface (270 kilometers).

NASA to Release New Pluto Images, Science Findings at July 17 NASA TV Briefing

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 14:00:00 EST

NASA will hold a media briefing at 1 p.m. EDT Friday, July 17, to reveal new images of Pluto and discuss new science findings from Tuesday's historic flyby.

From Mountains to Moons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 15:00:00 EST

Icy mountains on Pluto and a new, crisp view of its largest moon, Charon, are among the several discoveries announced Wednesday by the NASA's New Horizons team, just one day after the spacecraft's first ever Pluto flyby.

NASA's New Horizons 'Phones Home' Safe after Pluto Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 21:00:00 EST

The call everyone was waiting for is in. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft phoned home just before 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday to tell the mission team and the world it had accomplished the historic first-ever flyby of Pluto.

Pluto and Charon Shine in False Color

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 14:55:00 EST

New Horizons has obtained impressive new images of Pluto and its large moon Charon that highlight their compositional diversity. These are not actual color images of Pluto and Charon—they are shown here in exaggerated colors that make it easy to note the differences in surface material and features on each planetary body.

NASA's Three-Billion-Mile Journey to Pluto Reaches Historic Encounter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 10:40:00 EST

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is at Pluto. After a decade-long journey through our solar system, New Horizons made its closest approach to Pluto Tuesday, about 7,750 miles above the surface -- roughly the same distance from New York to Mumbai, India – making it the first-ever space mission to explore a world so far from Earth.

New Horizons Spacecraft Displays Pluto's Big Heart

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 10:39:00 EST

Three billion miles away, Pluto has sent a “love note” back to Earth, via NASA's New Horizons spacecraft. At about 4 p.m. EDT on July 13 - some 16 hours before closest approach - New Horizons captured this stunning image of one of Pluto's most dazzling and dominant features.

How Big Is Pluto? New Horizons Settles Decades-Long Debate

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 16:20:00 EST

NASA's New Horizons mission has answered one of the most basic questions about Pluto—its size.Mission scientists have found Pluto to be 1,473 miles (2,370 kilometers) in diameter, somewhat larger than many prior estimates.

One Million Miles to Go; Pluto is More Intriguing than Ever

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 17:30:00 EST

As NASA's unmanned New Horizons spacecraft speeds closer to a historic July 14 Pluto flyby, it's continuing to multi-task, producing images of an icy world that's growing more fascinating and complex every day.

Charon's Chasms and Craters

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 17:00:00 EST

New Horizons' newest images reveal Pluto's largest moon Charon to be a world of chasms and craters.

The Women who Power NASA's New Horizons Mission to Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 17:00:00 EST

When Fran Bagenal began her career working on NASA's Voyager mission to the outer planets, she was among just a handful of women on the team.

New Horizons' Last Portrait of Pluto's Puzzling Spots

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 17:39:00 EST

Three billion miles from Earth and just two and a half million miles from Pluto, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has taken its best image of four dark spots that continue to captivate.

Pluto by Moonlight

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 12:39:00 EST

It's Antarctic winter on Pluto. The sun has not been visible for twenty years in this frigid south polar region; it will not shine again for another 80 years. The only source of natural light is starlight and moonlight from Pluto's largest moon, Charon.

Houston, We Have Geology

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 21:00:00 EST

It began as a point of light. Then, it evolved into a fuzzy orb. Now - in its latest portrait from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft - Pluto is being revealed as an intriguing new world with distinct surface features, including an immense dark band known as the "whale."

The Children of Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 21:20:00 EST

Sometimes it was to gaze upon a planet, and sometimes it was to see a brilliant cluster of stars. If Annette and Alden Tombaugh weren't asleep by the time their father came home from work, chances are he'd have them peer through one of the telescopes in the backyard of their Las Cruces, New Mexico home. "You've got to look at this!" he'd exclaim.

Pluto and Charon: New Horizons' Dynamic Duo

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 9 Jul 2015 17:20:00 EST

They're a fascinating pair: Two icy worlds, spinning around their common center of gravity like a pair of figure skaters clasping hands. Scientists believe they were shaped by a cosmic collision billions of years ago, and yet, in many ways, they seem more like strangers than siblings.

A 'Heart' from Pluto as Flyby Begins

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 8 Jul 2015 21:20:00 EST

After a more than nine-year, three-billion-mile journey to Pluto, it's showtime for NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, as the flyby sequence of science observations is officially underway.

A Space Physicist's View of Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 21:00:00 EST

Why would a space physicist study Pluto? PEPSSI instrument scientist Matt Hill can't wait to get a look at the energetic particle environment New Horizons expects to encounter.

The Whale and the Donut

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 7 Jul 2015 20:45:00 EST

A new map gives New Horizons mission scientists an important tool to decipher the complex and intriguing pattern of bright and dark markings on Pluto's surface

New Horizons on Track for Pluto Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 6 Jul 2015 22:45:00 EST

The recovery from an anomaly that sent the New Horizons spacecraft into safe mode is proceeding according to plan, with the mission team preparing to return to normal science operations July 7.

Latest Views of Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 6 Jul 2015 21:15:00 EST

These are the most recent high-resolution views of Pluto sent by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, including one showing the four mysterious dark spots on Pluto that have captured the imagination of the world.

New Horizons Plans July 7 Return to Normal Science Operations

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sun, 5 Jul 2015 22:00:00 EST

The New Horizons mission is returning to normal science operations after a July 4 anomaly, and remains on track for its July 14 flyby of Pluto.

New Horizons Team Responds to Spacecraft Anomaly

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sat, 4 Jul 2015 22:00:00 EST

The New Horizons spacecraft experienced an anomaly this afternoon that led to a loss of communication with Earth. Communication has since been reestablished and the spacecraft is healthy.

Pluto and Charon Surfaces in Living Color

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 3 Jul 2015 11:00:00 EST

Now playing: The first movie created by New Horizons to reveal color surface features of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon.

The 'Other' Red Planet

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 3 Jul 2015 12:00:00 EST

What color is Pluto? The answer, revealed in the first maps made from New Horizons data, turns out to be shades of reddish brown.

Color Images Reveal Two Distinct Faces of Pluto, Series of Spots that Fascinate

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 1 Jul 2015 19:40:00 EST

New color images from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft show two very different faces of the mysterious dwarf planet, one with a series of intriguing spots along the equator that are evenly spaced.

NASA's New Horizons Spacecraft Stays the Course to Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 1 Jul 2015 19:10:00 EST

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is getting a final "all clear" as it speeds closer to its historic July 14 flyby of Pluto and the dwarf planet's five moons.

New Horizons 'Speeds Up' on Final Approach to Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 16:00:00 EST

With just two weeks to go before its historic July 14 flight past Pluto, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft tapped the accelerator late last night and tweaked its path toward the Pluto system.

Build the Buzz!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 10:00:00 EST

New Horizons is now deep in the encounter, and already seeing just how interesting Pluto and Charon promise to be. Mission PI Alan Stern writes that there's only one Pluto flyby planned in all of history, and it's happening next month!

Increasing Variety on Pluto's Close Approach Hemisphere, and a 'Dark Pole' on Charon

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 13:30:00 EST

New Horizons doesn't pass Pluto until July 14 - but the mission team is making discoveries as the piano-sized probe bears down on the Pluto system.

Exactly 37 Years after Its Discovery, Pluto's Moon Charon Is Being Revealed

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 13:30:00 EST

Discovered in 1978, Pluto's moon Charon is about to be revealed in detail by New Horizons. As the spacecraft draws closer by nearly a million miles a day, every observation brings new knowledge about this mysterious moon.

Pluto and Charon, Now in Color

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 13:00:00 EST

The first color movies from New Horizons show Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, and the complex orbital dance of the two bodies.

One Month from Pluto: New Horizons on Track, All Clear, and Ready for Action

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 17:00:00 EST

Now within one month of the Pluto flyby, the New Horizons team has executed a course correction, completed updated analyses of hazards near Pluto, and is picking up the pace of science-data collection.

Different Faces of Pluto Emerging in New Images from New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 17:00:00 EST

The surface of Pluto is becoming better resolved as New Horizons spacecraft speeds closer to its July flight through the Pluto system.

Hubble Finds Pluto's Moons Tumbling in Absolute Chaos

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 4 Jun 2015 14:00:00 EST

Comprehensive analysis of data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope shows that two of Pluto's moons, Nix and Hydra, wobble unpredictably.

So Far, All Clear: New Horizons Team Completes First Search for Pluto System Hazards

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 28 May 2015 14:00:00 EST

The New Horizons team has analyzed the first set of hazard-search images of the Pluto system taken by the approaching spacecraft – and so far, all looks clear for the spacecraft's safe passage.

New Horizons Sees More Detail as It Draws Closer to Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 27 May 2015 14:00:00 EST

What a difference 20 million miles makes! Images of Pluto from the New Horizons spacecraft are growing in scale as the spacecraft approaches its mysterious target.

New Horizons Spots Pluto's Faintest Known Moons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 12 May 2015 20:00:00 EST

It's a complete Pluto family photo – or at least a photo of the family members we've already met. Having photographed small, faint moons Kerberos and Styx, New Horizons is now within sight of all the known members of the Pluto system.

A Schoolgirl Names Pluto, 85 Years Ago Today

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 1 May 2015 10:00:00 EST

In 1930, 11-year-old Venetia Burney learned of the newly discovered ninth planet from her grandfather and wondered, "Why not call it Pluto?" The suggestion caught on, and became solar system history.

New Horizons Detects Surface Features, Possible Polar Cap on Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 15:30:00 EST

For the first time, images from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft are revealing bright and dark regions on the surface of faraway Pluto - the primary target of the New Horizons close flyby in mid-July.

LIVE: Listen to the New Horizons Media Conference

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 15:30:00 EST

Listen to the New Horizons Media Conference

New Horizons' Student Instrument Turning Deep Space Dust to Data about Pluto's Environment

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 14:00:00 EST

Know how college students barely sleep? The science instrument on New Horizons built by University of Colorado students - the aptly named Student Dust Counter (or SDC) - shares that habit.

NASA's New Horizons Nears Historic Encounter with Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 01:00:00 EST

New Horizons' flight through the Pluto system in July will complete the initial reconnaissance of the classical solar system, while opening the door to a new zone of mysterious small planets and planetary building blocks in the Kuiper Belt.

Capstone: 2015

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 17:00:00 EST

On July 14, New Horizons will make its closest approach to Pluto and its system of moons. In a cosmic coincidence, that will occur 50 years to the day after the historic first flyby of Mars, on July 14, 1965!

NASA Hosts Briefings on Historic Mission to Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 10:40:00 EST

NASA TV will air media briefings at 1 p.m. EDT and 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, to discuss plans and related upcoming activities about the agency's historic New Horizons spacecraft flyby of Pluto.

Inside 100 Days to the Historic First Exploration of Pluto, New Horizons Set to Deliver

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 6 Apr 2015 15:40:00 EST

Speeding toward a historic flyby on July 14, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has moved into the second phase of its approach to Pluto and its moons.

NASA Extends Campaign for Public to Name Features on Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 6 Apr 2015 15:40:00 EST

The public has until Friday, April 24, to help name new features on Pluto and its orbiting satellites as they are discovered by NASA's New Horizons mission.

Google+ Hangout on Pluto Studies

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 2 Apr 2015 11:00:00 EST

The New Horizons team talks the history and future of Pluto science in Google Hangout at 1 p.m. (EDT) on April 3.

New Horizons Sampling 'Space Weather' on Approach to Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 12:00:00 EST

As New Horizons approaches the Pluto system, space plasma instruments have already been taking measurements and assessing the space weather environment in the Kuiper Belt near Pluto.

A Record Day for New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 12:00:00 EST

After more than nine years in space, on a voyage taking it farther to its primary destination than any mission before it, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is closer to Pluto than the Earth is to the Sun.

With Trajectory Correction, NASA's New Horizons Homes in on Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 12:00:00 EST

A 93-second thruster burst today slightly adjusted the New Horizons spacecraft's trajectory toward Pluto.

Why Pluto?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 10:00:00 EST

New Horizons Co-Investigator William McKinnon writes that the revelation of the Kuiper Belt is one of the most significant advances in planetary science in the last 30 years. We're going to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt to unlock the secrets of the solar system's third zone.

Pluto Science, on the Surface

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 14:00:00 EST

How will New Horizons study Pluto's geology and surface composition? Principal Investigator Alan Stern lays out the plans to shed light on this deep space mystery.

How Big Is Pluto's Atmosphere?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 13:00:00 EST

Just how big is Pluto's atmosphere? Science Team Co-Investigator Michael Summers says New Horizons will answer that question (and many others) during the Pluto system encounter in July.

85 Years after Pluto's Discovery, New Horizons Spots Small Moons Orbiting Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 12:00:00 EST

Exactly 85 years after Clyde Tombaugh's historic discovery of Pluto, the NASA spacecraft set to encounter the icy planet this summer is providing its first views of the small moons orbiting Pluto.

The View from New Horizons: A Full Day on Pluto-Charon

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 14:00:00 EST

In new movies crafted from New Horizons images, watch Charon circle Pluto over a full day.

Happy Birthday Clyde Tombaugh: New Horizons Returns New Images of Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 4 Feb 2015 09:00:00 EST

Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh could only dream of a spacecraft flying past the small planet he spotted on the edges of the solar system in 1930. Yet the newest views from New Horizons – released today, on the late American astronomer's birthday – hint at just how close that dream is to coming true.

Google+ Hangout on Solar System Science Education, Jan. 28

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 16:00:00 EST

Educators: Join PBS LearningMedia and the New Horizons mission for a Google+ Hangout at 7 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 28, for a look at what lies ahead for solar system science, with a focus on helping your curriculum stay up-to-date in this exciting time for space exploration. Presenters include Jeff Moore, New Horizons Science Team co-investigator from NASA Ames Research Center.

Something Special in the Air

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 11:00:00 EST

The earliest stages of our Pluto encounter have begun, and New Horizons remains healthy and on course. Looking ahead, Principal Investigator Alan Stern previews the atmospheric science New Horizons will conduct during its flight through the Pluto system.

New Horizons Begins First Stages of Pluto Encounter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 16:00:00 EST

The New Horizons spacecraft has begun its long-awaited, historic encounter with Pluto, entering the first of several approach phases that will culminate with the first close-up flyby of the Pluto system six months from now.

It's Pluto Eve!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 16:00:00 EST

New Horizons has been awake from hibernation since early December and is now in the earliest stages of Pluto approach. As 2014 ends and 2015 begins, PI Alan Stern is reminded of something science team member Rick Binzel said a while back: "It's Pluto Eve!"

Great Expectations

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 15:00:00 EST

For scientist Dennis Reuter, the likelihood of finding something new in data from New Horizons' Ralph imaging instrument – which will allow us to "see" things as if we ourselves were at Pluto – is beyond exciting.

On the Eve of Encounter: New Horizons at AGU

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 16:00:00 EST

After nine years and three billion miles in flight, it's "mission on" for New Horizons. In a webcast workshop, team members previewed the upcoming Pluto encounter at the American Geophysical Union Fall meeting on Dec. 18.

Catch New Horizons Team on Google+

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 10:00:00 EST

Principal Investigator Alan Stern joins six science team post-docs to talk New Horizons in Google+ Hangout today at 4 pm EST.

On Pluto's Doorstep, NASA's New Horizons Spacecraft Awakens for Encounter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sat, 6 Dec 2014 23:00:00 EST

After a voyage of nearly nine years and three billion miles - the farthest any space mission has ever traveled to reach its primary target - NASA's New Horizons spacecraft came out of hibernation today for its long-awaited 2015 encounter with the Pluto system.

Planetary Society Webcast of New Horizons Wake-Up

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sat, 6 Dec 2014 18:00:00 EST

New Horizons team members scheduled to join Planetary Society host Mat Kaplan on a YouTube webcast covering the spacecraft's final exit from hibernation on Dec. 6, from 9-10 p.m. EST.

Waking Up on Pluto's Doorstep

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 1 Dec 2014 11:00:00 EST

After almost nine years of flight, New Horizons is literally on Pluto's doorstep. PI Alan Stern anticipates the spacecraft's wake-up this week from its final hibernation period - and offers a chance to vote for the official New Horizons wake-up graphic!

Staring at the Sun

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 15:00:00 EST

We've all been told not to stare at the Sun. But scientist Joel Parker writes that we not only allow New Horizons' Alice instrument to stare directly at the Sun - we encourage it!

Pluto's Exotic Chemistry

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 11:00:00 EST

Pluto is a Kuiper Belt chemistry lab - a world with a surface dominated by solid nitrogen, carbon compounds, and radiation-chemical products unlike any planet yet visited - and scientist Reggie Hudson can't wait to study it.

New Horizons Set to Wake Up for Pluto Encounter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 10:00:00 EST

The New Horizons spacecraft comes out of hibernation for the last time on Dec. 6. Between now and then, while the Pluto-bound probe enjoys three more weeks of electronic slumber, work on Earth is well under way to prepare the spacecraft for a six-month encounter with the dwarf planet that begins in January.

Peering into Planetary Atmospheres

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 10:00:00 EST

New Horizons will use its radio equipment to reveal previously unknown properties of Pluto's atmosphere, writes Co-Investigator David Hinson, enriching our understanding of planetary atmospheres across the solar system.

KBO Hunting: How Hubble Rescued New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 11:00:00 EST

In his latest PI Perspective blog entry, Alan Stern recounts the hunt for a potential, post-Pluto Kuiper Belt flyby target for New Horizons - and tells how the Hubble Space Telescope came through for a dedicated search team.

Eyes on Pluto's Ices

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 10:00:00 EST

Deputy Project Scientist Cathy Olkin has an interest in Pluto's surface ices - and says that by looking at the different infrared wavelengths of reflected sunlight from Pluto, you can learn about the amounts and distribution of those ices.

It's Just a Phase: Changes on Pluto's Surface

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 9 Oct 2014 10:00:00 EST

Like water freezing into ice or heating into steam, the materials on Pluto's surface -; nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide - undergo phase changes. New Horizons Co-Investigator Will Grundy explains the processes behind this activity and its effects on the small planet.

Today: Ask New Horizons Anything

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 6 Oct 2014 11:00:00 EST

Join New Horizons PI Alan Stern and other science team members for a reddit "Ask Me Anything" session on Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. EDT.

How Big Is Pluto?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 3 Oct 2014 16:00:00 EST

We know the general range of Pluto's diameter, but one of the easiest measurements New Horizons will make is to tell us, finally, Pluto's real size. Mission Co-I Marc Buie explains how scientists have gauged Pluto's size so far and why they care about how big the small planet really is.

Rings and Other Solar System Surprises

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 13:00:00 EST

Mark Showalter is an expert in planetary rings and small moons, but the discovery of rings around a large asteroid last year reminded him that the solar system still holds plenty of surprises.

One Last Slumber

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 16:00:00 EST

New Horizons has entered hibernation for the last time, and the final, short leg of its cruise to Pluto is actually upon us. PI Alan Stern writes about the busy summer leading up to the spacecraft's latest slumber, and the excitement of preparing to explore the Pluto system.

Hello Hydra!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 15:00:00 EST

New Horizons made its first detection of Pluto's small, faint, outermost known moon, Hydra. The images were taken to practice the methods the mission team will use to search for additional moons and potentially hazardous debris near Pluto next year.

Awaiting New Results on Pluto's Atmosphere

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 13:00:00 EST

What is Pluto's atmosphere really like? Co-Investigator Randy Gladstone has been wondering about that for decades - and is excited to know that we'll learn a whole lot more after New Horizons visits Pluto in summer 2015.

Pluto's Complex Chemistry

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 4 Sep 2014 13:00:00 EST

What is Pluto made of? With telescopes we have discovered that Pluto's surface is covered by several kinds of ice, and science team co-investigator Dale Cruikshank writes that New Horizons will shed even more light on Pluto's complex chemistry.

New Horizons Commanded into Last Pre-Pluto Slumber

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST

Following a successful summer systems checkout, New Horizons has entered hibernation – its final hibernation period on the flight to Pluto.

What Will It Mean to See Pluto?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST

We're less than a year from seeing Pluto up close for the first time. New Horizons Science Team Co-Investigator Don Jennings asks: Will our feelings toward Pluto change when we finally see what it really looks like?

New Horizons Crosses Neptune Orbit En Route to Historic Pluto Encounter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 13:00:00 EST

The New Horizons spacecraft has traversed the orbit of Neptune - its last major crossing en route to becoming the first probe to make a close encounter with distant Pluto on July 14, 2015. The milestone matches precisely the 25th anniversary of the historic encounter of NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft with Neptune on Aug. 25, 1989.

New Horizons Event on Aug. 25 Marks Neptune Orbit Crossing, Connections to Voyager

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 16:00:00 EST

New Horizons passes the orbit of Neptune on Aug. 25 - on the exact 25th anniversary of the Voyager 2 spacecraft's encounter with Neptune in 1989. NASA will hold a two-part science event for the public to learn about the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the spacecraft's connection to Voyager's historic visit to Neptune.

My Family Planet

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 15:00:00 EST

Some people have a favorite planet, but how many have a "family" planet? New Horizons Deputy Project Scientist Leslie Young writes about the special place Pluto holds in her family.

A Pluto Preview? Scientists Create New Triton Map

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 16:00:00 EST

"Restored" Voyager footage has been used to construct the best global color map of Neptune's moon Triton. Production of the map was inspired by anticipation of New Horizons' Pluto encounter; Pluto is unlikely to be a copy of Triton, but some of the same types of features may be present.

From Pinpoint of Light to a Geologic World

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 14:00:00 EST

New Horizons Science Team Co-investigator Bonnie Buratti has been studying Pluto as a pinpoint of light for more than 25 years. And while you can learn a lot by looking at Pluto through a telescope, she writes, it will be so exciting to see this little white dot turn into a geologic world.

Where Is Pluto?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 8 Aug 2014 11:00:00 EST

New Horizons has traveled (nearly) nine long years to get across the solar system to check out Pluto - and Science Team member Marc Buie writes that it's actually harder than you might think to make sure that Pluto will be there to greet us at the end of our journey.

New Horizons Spies Charon Orbiting Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 7 Aug 2014 11:00:00 EST

Like explorers of old peering through a shipboard telescope for a faint glimpse of their destination, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is taking a distant look at the Pluto system - in preparation for its historic encounter with the planet and its moons next summer.

Discoveries and Mysteries

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 14:00:00 EST

Galileo turned his telescope to the heavens to spot craters on the moon, the moons of Jupiter, and the rings of Saturn. Science Team member Richard Binzel writes that those findings transformed our view of the solar system - and New Horizons could be similarly transformational.

Putting It All Together

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 14:00:00 EST

Project Scientist Hal Weaver says he's looking forward to the remarkable discoveries New Horizons will provide on the properties of Pluto and its moons - but the scientific implications of these results will go well beyond what we'll learn specifically about the Pluto system.

New Horizons Marks a 'Year Out' with a Successful Course Correction

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 09:00:00 EST

New Horizons performed a slight course correction on July 14, a short maneuver designed to correct the spacecraft's arrival time at Pluto a year from now.

Annual Checkout Makes for Great Pluto Preparation

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 11:00:00 EST

In the first of a new series of blogs from the New Horizons science team, Deputy Project Scientist Kim Ennico writes how the annual checkout may not be the Pluto flyby, but this summer's data will play a big role in next year's science returns.

Hubble Proceeds with Full Search for Kuiper Belt Targets

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 1 Jul 2014 11:00:00 EST

The Hubble Space Telescope has been given the go-ahead to conduct an intensive search for a suitable Kuiper Belt object that New Horizons could visit after the probe streaks though the Pluto system in July 2015.

What If Voyager Had Explored Pluto?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 13:00:00 EST

If Voyager 1 had been sent to Pluto, it would have arrived in the spring of 1986. With New Horizons headed toward a 2015 rendezvous with Pluto, mission PI Alan Stern wonders what we might have found almost 30 years ago had Voyager 1 - rather than New Horizons - been first to the distant world.

Final 'Pre-Pluto' Annual Checkout Begins

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 13:00:00 EST

New Horizons' annual checkout - its eighth since launch and last before next year's rendezvous with Pluto - kicks off with some onboard subsystem housekeeping and navigation-tracking tasks. But the pace picks up soon enough with a slate of operations that carries through summer.

NASA Hubble to Search Beyond Pluto for a New Horizons Mission Target

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 11:00:00 EST

The Hubble Space Telescope Time Allocation Committee has recommended using Hubble to search for an object New Horizons could visit after its flyby of Pluto in 2015.

Childhood's End

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 11:00:00 EST

New Horizons is about to emerge from its next-to-last hibernation period, and the mission team is increasingly turning its attention to the encounter that begins early next year. New Horizons PI Alan Stern writes about the full slate of activities planned over the next few months.

Assessing Pluto from Afar

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 6 Jun 2014 10:00:00 EST

The New Horizons team has kicked off its Earth-based Observation Campaign, an opportunity for astronomers around the globe to observe Pluto while New Horizons approaches and passes it.

Educator Workshop Set for April 26

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 2 Apr 2014 08:00:00 EST

NASA's Discovery workshops delve into the stories behind some amazing missions - offering educators a chance to learn how scientists, engineers and mission operators collaborate to meet mission goals. New Horizons is among the missions featured in the next workshop, "The Scale of Discovery," on April 26.

Thanks America, New Horizons Ahead

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 09:00:00 EST

New Horizons sailed past another deep-space milepost today when the spacecraft moved to within four astronomical units of its prime target, Pluto.

New Horizons Reaches the Final 4 (au)

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 09:00:00 EST

New Horizons sailed past another deep-space milepost today when the spacecraft moved to within four astronomical units of its prime target, Pluto.

A Busy Year Begins for New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 6 Jan 2014 09:00:00 EST

With Pluto encounter operations now just a year away, the New Horizons team has brought the spacecraft out of hibernation for the first of several activities planned for 2014.

On Video: How Do We Get to Pluto? Practice, Practice, Practice

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 12:00:00 EST

The Pluto flyby will be like the Super Bowl of space science - and you don't walk into the big game without practice. We close out the year with a video look at the biggest New Horizons activity of 2013: the full-up dress rehearsal for the Pluto encounter.

A Model Spacecraft

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 12:00:00 EST

With the real spacecraft closing in on Pluto, a drive is under way to make a smaller version of New Horizons available closer to home.

On the Path to Pluto, 5 AU and Closing

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 12:00:00 EST

Pluto isn't quite the next exit on New Horizons' voyage through the outer solar system, but the destination is definitely getting closer. Today the NASA spacecraft speeds to within five astronomical units (au) of Pluto - which is less than five times the distance between the Earth and the sun.

The Sounds of New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 12:00:00 EST

If New Horizons could talk, our Pluto-bound spacecraft would sound something like this "tune" members of the mission communications team created from actual ranging signals that New Horizons traded with NASA Deep Space Network receiving stations.

Late in Cruise, and a Binary Ahoy

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 12:00:00 EST

New Horizons has just completed a summer of intensive activities and entered hibernation on Aug. 20. The routine parts of the activities included thorough checkouts of all our backup systems (result: they work fine!) and of all our scientific instruments (they work fine too!). We also updated our onboard fault protection (a.k.a. "autonomy") software, collected interplanetary cruise science data, and tracked the spacecraft for hundreds of hours to improve our trajectory knowledge. Added to this mix of routine summer wake-up activities for New Horizons were two major activities that had never been performed before.

Pluto Science Conference Exceeds Expectations

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 1 Aug 2013 09:00:00 EST

Compressing eight decades of discoveries into five days, scientists met July 22-26 to talk everything Pluto - what we already know, what we'd like to know, and what data we expect New Horizons spacecraft to deliver in 2015.

Follow the Pluto Science Conference Online

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 12:00:00 EST

Just two years before New Horizons' historic flight through the Pluto system, scientists are gathering this week to discuss the mission and its science plans - as well as make predictions about the science New Horizons will return from the planetary frontier.

Charon Revealed!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 11:00:00 EST

New Horizons' highest-resolution telescopic camera has spotted Pluto's moon Charon for the first time - beginning, in a sense, the mission's long-range study of the Pluto system.

Celebrating 35 Years of Charon

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 5 Jul 2013 12:00:00 EST

New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern looks back on the summer 1978 discovery of Charon - and looks ahead to the mission's flight past Pluto's largest and "first" moon.

Kerberos and Styx: Welcome to the Pluto System!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 2 Jul 2013 12:00:00 EST

Pluto's two smallest and "newest" moons now have their official names. Kerberos and Styx join previously known moons Charon, Nix and Hydra.

New Horizons Team Sticking to Original Flight Plan at Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:00:00 EST

Unless significant new hazards are found, expect NASA's New Horizons spacecraft to stay on its original course past Pluto and its moons, after mission managers concluded that the danger posed by dust and debris in the Pluto system is less than they once feared.

Encounter Planning Accelerates

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:00 EST

The New Horizons team has spent much of past year looking hard at the potential impact hazards its spacecraft could face during the 2015 flight through the Pluto system; mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern offers an update on plans to protect New Horizons, as well as a preview of this summer's encounter rehearsal activities.

Pluto Moons: The Votes Are In

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST

The public has spoken, choosing candidate names for Pluto's newest and smallest moons. "Vulcan" and "Cerberus" topped the list after more than 450,000 total votes were cast.

Help Name Pluto's New Moons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST

The discoverers of "P4" and "P5" are inviting the public to help select permanent names for Pluto's newest and smallest moons. Like Pluto's three other moons - Charon, Nix and Hydra - they need to be assigned names derived from Greek or Roman mythology. Voting ends Feb. 25.

The Seven-Year Itch

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST

After seven years in flight -- longer than many science missions operate - the New Horizons team can feel that the Pluto encounter is almost around the corner. Mission Principal Investigator Alan Stern writes that there's an increased pace of activity, a sense of anticipation, and a palpable thirst for the images and other data the team will soon have.

New Horizons Gets a New Year's Workout

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST

Like many of us, New Horizons is starting the new year with a workout regimen. After six months of cruising quietly through the outer solar system, NASA's Pluto-bound spacecraft has entered three weeks of activity that include system checks, a new flight software upload and science data downloads.

Halfway Between Uranus and Neptune, New Horizons Cruises On

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EST

Today the New Horizons spacecraft passed the halfway point between the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, zooming past another milepost on its historic trek to the planetary frontier.

New Horizons on Planetary Radio

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EST

His mission to Pluto and beyond is just the start. New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern is the PI for other missions and instruments in space. The former Associate Administrator of NASA's Science Directorate is a Vice President at the Southwest Research Institute. He tells us that all's well, but New Horizons is preparing for a possibly bumpy visit to Pluto. Alan also extends a special invitation to Planetary Radio listeners as he explains Uwingu, his new company that will raise funds for space science by allowing anyone to propose and vote for new planet names. Bill Nye wonders with the rest of us what Curiosity scientists have found on Mars, while Emily shares a beautiful new landscape captured by the big rover. Bruce Betts extends a couple of invites of his own on What's Up: A new round of Shoemaker Near Earth Object grants, and your chance to entertain Bruce and Mat with your guess of what Curiosity has found.

At Pluto, Moons and Debris May Be Hazardous to New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST

As New Horizons has traveled through space, its science team has become increasingly aware of the possibility that dangerous debris may be orbiting in the Pluto system, putting the spacecraft and its exploration objectives into harm's way.

The Kuiper Belt at 20

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:20:00 EST

Twenty years after astronomers spied the first Kuiper Belt Object (outside of the Pluto system), New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern examines how additional discoveries in the belt have dramatically changed our view of the solar system.

Online: New Horizons PI Talks Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:20:00 EST

New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern is scheduled to appear on the "Virtually Speaking Science" program tonight with NBCNews.com Science Editor Alan Boyle at 9 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. PDT).

All Aboard: Fly New Horizons through the Kuiper Belt!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 1 Aug 2012 16:20:00 EST

A new computer simulation from NASA's New Horizons mission offers a look at the latest objects discovered in the distant Kuiper Belt - from the vantage point of the Pluto-bound spacecraft itself.

Gimme Five!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:20:00 EST

A team of astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is reporting the discovery of another moon orbiting the icy dwarf planet Pluto. The moon is estimated to be irregular in shape and 6 to 15 miles across. It is in a 58,000-mile-diameter circular orbit around Pluto that is assumed to be co-planar with the other satellites in the system.

New Horizons Doing Science in Its Sleep

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 9 Jul 2012 11:40:00 EST

New Horizons will start collecting data on interplanetary space during its long hibernation periods on the way to Pluto, gathering new information in a region of space that's rarely visited by spacecraft.

It's a Sim: Out in Deep Space, New Horizons Successfully Practices the 2015 Pluto Encounter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 1 Jun 2012 11:40:00 EST

The Pluto system was still about three years and 850 million miles away. But on May 29-30, the New Horizons spacecraft "thought" it was July 14, 2015, and carried out the most intense segment of its Pluto flyby as part of the mission's first onboard encounter simulation.

Extending Our Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 9 May 2012 11:40:00 EST

New Horizons is healthy and on course for an encounter with Pluto in July 2015. But what's in store for the mission after the historic flight through the Pluto system? Principal Investigator Alan Stern offers a look at how the mission team plans to explore other objects in the ancient Kuiper Belt.

New Horizons Stamp Drive Completes a 10K - and Keeps Going!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 7 Mar 2012 11:40:00 EST

As fast as New Horizons is heading toward Pluto, the drive to honor this historic exploration of the ninth planet is speeding toward its finish. Less than a week remains to put your name on the petition supporting an effort for the U.S. Postal Service to commemorate Pluto and New Horizons on a postage stamp.

'A Vision of Discovery' Educator Workshop: March 10

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:40:00 EST

Learn more about the New Horizons mission as well as others in NASA's Discovery and New Frontiers programs. The "Vision of Discovery" workshop, set for March 10, is being held at four locations across the country and via webinar. Deadline to register March 5th.

New Horizons on Approach: 22 AU Down, Just 10 to Go

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:40:00 EST

Few spacecraft travel 10 astronomical units during their entire mission. But with New Horizons already logging more than twice that distance on its way to Pluto, coming to within 10 AU of its main target is akin to entering the home stretch.

New Horizons Aims to Put Its Stamp on History

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 1 Feb 2012 11:40:00 EST

New Horizons' flight to explore the Pluto system in July 2015 will be a historic accomplishment for the U.S. space program, for planetary science, and indeed for all humankind.

New Horizons Works through Winter Wakeup

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:40:00 EST

New Horizons might be more than two billion miles from home, but the spacecraft has spent most of the new year at the fingertips of its operators.

Late Cruise!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:40:00 EST

New Horizons remains healthy and on course, now more than 23 times as far from the Sun as the Earth is. We will be 32.9 times as far from the Sun as the Earth is when we reach Pluto in three years, in the summer of 2015, so we're now about 70 percent of the way there.

New Horizons Team Remembers Patsy Tombaugh

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:40:00 EST

The New Horizons team mourns Patsy Tombaugh - widow of Pluto's discoverer, Clyde Tombaugh - who died Jan. 12 in Las Cruces, N.M.

Evidence of Complex Molecules Found on Pluto

mmartinez@swri.org (M. Martinez) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:40:00 EST

Even from afar, Pluto gets more and more interesting. Using the Hubble Space Telescope, researchers have discovered a strong ultraviolet-wavelength absorber on Pluto's surface - providing new evidence of complex hydrocarbon and /or nitrile molecules lying on the surface.

New Horizons Becomes Closest Spacecraft to Approach Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 2 Dec 2011 11:40:00 EST

After nearly six years of high-speed flight, New Horizons reached a special milestone today on its way to reconnoiter the Pluto system: coming closer to Pluto than any other spacecraft.

Is the Pluto System Dangerous?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 7 Nov 2011 11:40:00 EST

With the discovery of yet another moon around Pluto, mission PI Alan Stern takes on a question the team is hearing more often: "Is the Pluto system dangerous to New Horizons?"

On the Path to Pluto: New Horizons App Now Available

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST

The team behind NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt has launched a free app that takes iPhone and iPad users along on this historic voyage to the planetary frontier.

Visiting Four Moons, in Just Four Years, for All Mankind

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 03:51:00 EST

New Horizons remains healthy and on course, now approximately 21 times as far from the Sun as the Earth is - well on its way, between the orbits of Uranus and Neptune.

Remembering New Horizons Co-Investigator Dr. David Charles Slater, August 12, 1957 - May 30, 2011

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 03:51:00 EST

I have written here more than once that on long space missions like New Horizons, mission teams form family-like bonds. Well, on May 30, the New Horizons family lost one of our own, co-investigator and friend, Dr. Dave Slater, of the Southwest Research Institute.

View from the Summit: Hunting for KBOs at the Top of the World

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 03:51:00 EST

I would like to tell you a bit about our recent Kuiper Belt object search observing run on the Subaru telescope on Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii, one of a dozen or so KBO search runs we're doing this year. But first, I want to thank everyone who's helping out with the crucial task of sorting through our terabytes of data for those elusive KBOs, using the Ice Hunters site! It's amazing the effort people are putting into this, and I hope we can all reap the rewards sometime in the coming decade, when we get mankind's first look at one of the typical members of the Kuiper Belt.

Fourth Moon Adds to Pluto's Appeal

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:51:00 EST

On the anniversary of the first landing of men on our moon, New Horizons mission team scientists have announced the discovery of a fourth moon around Pluto - adding to the scientific treasure trove that awaits NASA's Pluto-bound New Horizons when it arrives in 2015.

New Horizons Scientists Tracking Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:51:00 EST

New Horizons scientists Leslie Young and Cathy Olkin are among astronomers making "occultation" measurements of the Pluto system this week. By watching Pluto and its moons cross between Earth and a star, the team can measure the atmosphere on Pluto, and the sizes and positions of its airless moons. Follow their expedition on this National Geographic blog.

New Horizons Educator Fellows Trained to Bring the Solar System to Your Community

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:51:00 EST

The New Horizons Educator Fellows took part in a training workshop from June 21-23, 2011, at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Maryland.

Citizen Scientists: Discover a New Horizons Flyby Target!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 03:51:00 EST

The world is invited to help discover a potential new, icy follow-on Kuiper Belt destination for NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, using the IceHunters.org website.

Wanted: Kuiper Belt Targets

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:51:00 EST

The New Horizons team, working with astronomers using some of the largest telescopes on Earth, will begin searching this month for distant Kuiper Belt objects that the New Horizons spacecraft hopes to reconnoiter after completing its observations of the Pluto system in mid-2015.

Pinch Me!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 03:51:00 EST

As we continue that journey through 2011, there's much more going on than just mileage markers and planet crossings. Our next big milestone is a nearly two-month-long annual wakeup of our spacecraft from hibernation that begins May 9 and concludes July 1.

Forensic Sleuthing Ties Ring Ripples to Impacts

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 1 Apr 2011 03:51:00 EST

Like forensic scientists examining fingerprints at a cosmic crime scene, scientists working with data from NASA's New Horizons, Cassini and Galileo missions have traced telltale ripples in the rings of Saturn and Jupiter back to collisions with cometary fragments dating back more than 10 years ago.

Later, Uranus: New Horizons Passes Another Planetary Milestone

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:51:00 EST

New Horizons is ready to put another planet - or at least the planet's orbit - in its rearview mirror. The Pluto-bound spacecraft crosses the path of Uranus around 6 p.m. EDT on March 18, more than 1.8 billion miles from Earth.

Launch Plus Five Years: A Ways Traveled, a Ways to Go

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:51:00 EST

https://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20110120.php

Ten Years On

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:51:00 EST

Well, 10 years ago, on Dec. 19, 2000, NASA announced that it would conduct a competition for a PI-led mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. At the time, I'd been involved in leading NASA's science working group for just such a mission, and I had led a successful proposal to build a complete suite of science instruments for the mission. So, almost immediately upon NASA's announcement, colleagues asked me to lead a Pluto-Kuiper Belt mission proposal.

A Toast to New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 10:51:00 EST

New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern celebrates the mission's latest milestones with the family of Pluto's discoverer, Clyde Tombaugh.

Where Is the New Horizons Centaur Stage?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:51:00 EST

When New Horizons launched nearly five years ago, its first Atlas V stage and solid rocket boosters fell back to Earth within minutes of launch. The third stage solid-rocket motor followed the spacecraft out of Earth orbit. But what became of the Centaur second stage New Horizons left behind?

Reaching the Mid-Mission Milestone on the Way to Pluto!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:51:00 EST

On October 17, New Horizons passed the halfway mark in the number of days from launch to Pluto encounter - the last of the mission's halfway points on the way to Pluto. In his latest Web posting, Principal Investigator Alan Stern takes a look at this milestone and a few other significant mission events.

Student Dust Counter instrument breaks distance record

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 10:51:00 EST

The Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter on New Horizons now holds the record for the most distant- functioning space dust detector.

Picture-Perfect Pluto Practice

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:51:00 EST

Neptune's giant moon Triton is often called Pluto's "twin" - so what better practice target, then, for New Horizons' telescopic camera? The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) took aim at Neptune during the latest annual systems checkout.

LORRI Looks Back at "Old Friend" Jupiter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST

In early 2007 New Horizons flew through the Jupiter system, getting a speed-boost from the giant planet's gravity while snapping stunning, close-up images of Jupiter and its largest moons. Three years later, New Horizons has given us another glimpse of Jupiter, this time from a vantage point more than 16 times the distance between Earth and the Sun, and nearly 1,000 times as far away as when the probe reconnoitered Jupiter.

Five Years and Counting Down

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EDT

Five years ago, the New Horizons spacecraft was in a thermal-vacuum chamber at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland, being tested for our historic voyage to the planetary frontier. Today our intrepid probe is a billion kilometers past Saturn - and exactly five years away from closest Pluto approach on Jul 14, 2015.

Course Correction Keeps New Horizons on Path to Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EDT

A short but important course-correction maneuver keeps New Horizons on track to reach the "aim point"for its 2015 encounter with Pluto.

Check it Out: System Tests, Science Observations and a Course Correction

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EDT

New Horizons' fourth annual checkout is nearing its mid-point, and continues with a workout for the spacecraft systems, cameras and other instruments that will deliver the first data from Pluto and its moons. Preparations for a small but necessary course-correction maneuver are also on track.

Ever Farther Across the Ocean of Space to a Distant and Unknown Shore

Alan.Stern@swri.org (A. Stern) — Fri, 21 May 2010 08:00:00 EDT

Principal Investigator Alan.Stern@swri.org (A. Stern) writes that all systems are "go" on New Horizons as it speeds along the vast ocean of space, and the mission team prepares for the annual spacecraft checkout.

Nix and Hydra: Five Years After Discovery

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 11 May 2010 08:00:00 EDT

Five years after the discovery of Nix and Hydra, scientists are meeting in Baltimore to discuss Pluto's "new" moons as part of the planning for New Horizons' 2015 reconnaissance of the Pluto system. Participants in the Nix-Hydra workshop, May 11-12 at the Space Telescope Science Institute, will focus on the moons in context of Pluto formation, Kuiper Belt Object analog bodies, and the general topic of KBO satellites. Check out the workshop Web site (http://www.stsci.edu/institute/conference/nix-hydra).Watch the live conference stream (https://webcast.stsci.edu/webcast/).(Note: To watch you will need Flash or Windows Media Player.)

New Horizons Team Sees 'Opportunity' for Public Engagement

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EDT

Unmanned Spaceflight.com gives its first "Opportunity Award" for public engagement to John Spencer and the New Horizons Jupiter Flyby Planning Team, for seeking and using public suggestions for Kodak-moment imaging opportunities during the New Horizons flyby of Jupiter.

New Horizons, Pluto Featured on NOVA

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EDT

The New Horizons mission has a role in a special NOVA program on the mission's target planet. 'The Pluto Files' airs on PBS tonight, Tuesday, March 2, at 8 p.m. EST.

The Approach Begins

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EDT

Another milestone passed! New Horizons is halfway between Earth and Pluto. "From here on out, we're on approach to an encounter with the Pluto system," says New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan.Stern@swri.org (A. Stern).

80 Years of Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EDT

On February 18, 1930, while examining photographic plates of the sky, American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh saw a tiny spot of light moving slowly against the fixed pattern of stars in the constellation Gemini: it was Pluto. Read more about man who found the ninth planet and the events that led to his discovery of a whole new class of planetary object.

New Hubble Maps of Pluto Show Surface Changes

public-inquiries@hq.nasa.gov (NASA) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EDT

NASA today released the most detailed set of images ever taken of Pluto. The images taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope show an icy and dark molasses-colored, mottled world that is undergoing seasonal changes in its surface color and brightness. The images are invaluable to planning the details of the New Horizons flyby in 2015.

Coming Soon: New Views of Pluto

public-inquiries@hq.nasa.gov (NASA) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EDT

NASA will hold a news telecon at 1 p.m. (EST) on Thuday, Feb. 4, to discuss the latest Hubble images of Pluto. These detailed images will help astronomers better interpret more than three decades of Pluto observations from other telescopes.

Four Years and Counting

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EDT

NASA's New Horizons mission team marks four years of flight today and their Pluto-bound spacecraft is sleeping right through the celebration.

New Horizons Crosses a Threshold: Closer to Pluto than Earth

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EDT

The new year approaches with New Horizons zooming past another milestone: the NASA spacecraft is now closer to target planet Pluto than its home planet, Earth.

Farewell 2009

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 2 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EDT

New Horizons is now more than 1,400 days into its 9.5-year journey and well past 15 AU (astronomical units) from the Sun. We still have about 2,050 days ahead of us before we reach the Pluto system, but on Dec. 29, we'll reach the first of several midway milestones. As the graph below shows, New Horizons will be closer to Pluto (the red line) than to Earth (the blue curve). This marker puts a nice capstone on 2009, during which we moved another 500 million kilometers closer to our favorite planet, so far against the deep.

New Horizons Roused for Long-Distance Checkup

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EDT

Call it a burst of activity between naps: the New Horizons team woke its Pluto-bound spacecraft from hibernation this week for some onboard housekeeping.

New Horizons Hits Halfway Mark Between Saturn, Uranus Orbits

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EDT

New Horizons sails silently today through another milestone on the way to its historic reconnaissance of the Pluto system, reaching the halfway point between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus.

Science Never Sleeps

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EDT

Mission Principal Investigator Alan.Stern@swri.org (A. Stern) reviews the last spacecraft checkout, and offers a brief look at what's in store for the New Horizons team (and spacecraft) this fall.

New Horizons Checks Out, Enters Hibernation

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EDT

The New Horizons mission team has closed out a successful summer workout, putting its Pluto-bound spacecraft back into hibernation Aug. 27 after seven weeks of functional tests and system checks.

A Summer's Work, Far From Home

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EDT

The work is fun, no doubt there; but it never ends on this mission of exploration particularly in the summer, when we conduct our annual spacecraft checkouts.

Rise and Shine: New Horizons Wakes for Annual Checkout

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EDT

New Horizons is up from the longest nap of its cruise to Pluto, as operators "woke" the spacecraft from hibernation yesterday for its annual series of checkouts and tests.

Ever Plan Ahead? How About Six Years Ahead?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 20 May 2009 09:00:00 EDT

The way the New Horizons team sees it, it's never too early to plan ahead. Principal Investigator Alan.Stern@swri.org (A. Stern) describes the team's intense work to design every step of the Pluto encounter - even though the spacecraft is more than six years and just over 18 astronomical units from the Pluto system.

New Horizons Team Remembers Venetia Phair, the 'Girl Who Named Pluto'

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:00:00 EDT

The New Horizons team is fondly remembering Venetia Burney Phair, the "little girl" who named Pluto in 1930. Mrs. Phair died April 30 at her home in Epsom, England, at age 90. "Venetia's interest and success in naming Pluto as a schoolgirl caught the attention of the world and earned her a place in the history of planetary astronomy that lives on," says New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan.Stern@swri.org (A. Stern).

NASA Mission Madness: Send New Horizons to the Title Game!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EDT

New Horizons has mounted some impressive wins en route to the Final Four of NASA's "Mission Madness" tournament, but its next battle will be its toughest: a face-off against the Super-Pressure Balloon, the top vote-getter in each in the previous four rounds. Help send New Horizons to the NASA championship! Visit the tournament site on April 2-3 and cast your votes for the first mission to Pluto!

One-Third Down

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EDT

On the mission flight-time calendar, New Horizons is exactly one-third of the way through its journey to Pluto. New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan.Stern@swri.org (A. Stern) provides a mission update and ponders something for the next big milestone: just where (or when) is the halfway point in this historic voyage?

New Horizons Detects Neptune's Moon Triton

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EDT

Add another moon to the New Horizons photo gallery: the spacecraft's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager detected Triton, the largest of Neptune's 13 known moons, during last fall's annual spacecraft checkout.

Launch Plus Three Years: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EDT

On the third anniversary of New Horizons' launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., mission team members reflect on liftoff, a busy first three years of flight and the ongoing voyage to Pluto and beyond.

Welcome to Mid-Cruise!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EDT

With the third launch anniversary approaching, New Horizons enters the second of three cruise phases on its voyage to Pluto. In his first posting of the new year, mission Principal Investigator Alan.Stern@swri.org (A. Stern) takes a look at where the New Horizons spacecraft and team have been, what they're up to now, and where they're headed.

New Horizons Earns a Holiday

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:00:00 EDT

After an intense annual checkout "more like a deep-space workout" New Horizons is getting some well-deserved rest. Mission operators at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory eased the spacecraft into electronic hibernation this week, wrapping up nearly four months of tests, data collection and software upgrades.

Building New Horizons - Again

Neal.Bachtell@jhuapl.edu (N. Bachtell) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:00:00 EDT

Bringing a Life-Size Pluto Probe Model to Life

SETI Radio Telescopes Track New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:00:00 EDT

The New Horizons spacecraft has a new "audience" for the electronic signals it beams back to Earth.

Nine Mementos Headed to the Ninth Planet

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:00:00 EDT

You might have heard that New Horizons was carrying several commemorative items from Earth on its voyage, but do you know what they are? For the first time, mission Principal Investigator Alan.Stern@swri.org (A. Stern) covers the complete list of mementos placed around the spacecraft.

1,000 Days on the Road to Pluto - Time Flies and So Does New Horizons!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 01:00:00 EDT

Oct. 15 will be the 1,000th day of flight for New Horizons. Mission Principal Investigator Alan.Stern@swri.org (A. Stern) looks back on the flurry of activity since the spacecraft's incredible launch in January 2006, and checks in on the progress of Annual Checkout 2, happening now on New Horizons through mid-December.

NASA Salutes New Horizons Team

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:00:00 EDT

NASA has honored the New Horizons team with a Group Achievement Award for creating and launching the first mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. Project Manager Glen Fountain also earned a NASA Public Service Medal.

'Brain Transplant' Successful as Checkout Continues

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 01:00:00 EDT

The first major order of business in New Horizons' second annual checkout was accomplished as planned, as operators uploaded an upgraded version of the software that runs the spacecraft's Command and Data Handling system.

Journeying Beyond Saturn

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:00:00 EDT

As avid followers of New Horizons know, our spacecraft has been mostly hibernating since February, and will continue to so do until Sept. 2, when we will wake it to begin its second annual checkout. Many of you will also recall that New Horizons passed the orbit of Saturn in early Jun.

New Horizons Team Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Charon's Discovery

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:00:00 EDT

This week the New Horizons mission team celebrates the 30th anniversary of the discovery of Pluto's largest and first moon, Charon, by U.S. Naval Observatory astronomers James Christy and Robert Harrington.

New Horizons Ventures Beyond Saturn's Orbit

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons crossed the orbit of Saturn on Jun 8, passing yet another interplanetary milepost on its voyage to Pluto and the icy environs of the Kuiper Belt.

Milestones Ahead: New Horizons Set to Cross Saturn's Orbit: Spacecraft Will Be First to Journey beyond Ringed Planet Since 1981

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 29 May 2008 01:00:00 EDT

Last week, New Horizons woke up from its longest electronic hibernation period to date - 89 days. And over the next 10 days, the New Horizons team will celebrate a trio of milestones on the spacecraft's long journey to explore Pluto in 2015.

Storm Winds Blow in Jupiter's Little Red Spot

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:00:00 EDT

Using data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft and two telescopes at Earth, an international team of scientists has found that one of the solar system's largest and newest storms "Jupiter's Little Red Spot" has some of the highest wind speeds ever detected on any planet.

Tombaugh's Accomplishments: A True Work of Art

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:00:00 EDT

Green Beacons for a Golden Bird

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 01 May 2008 01:00:00 EDT

As you read these words, the New Horizons spacecraft remains in a long period of almost continuous hibernation, which began on Feb. 21 and stretches until Sept. 2. During this time the spacecraft will fly from nine to almost 11 times as far from the Sun as the Earth is, covering more than 300 million more kilometers!

Memories of Jupiter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 01:00:00 EDT

A year ago, New Horizons was flying through the heart of the Jupiter system, gradually picking up speed and systematically gathering spectacular data on the solar system's largest planet and its closest moons. The results of that spectacular flyby have since been featured on thousands of electronic and printed pages, including a special issue of the journal Science in October 2007.

New Horizons Crosses 9 au

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons passed a planetary milepost today at 5 a.m. EST when it reached a distance of 9 astronomical units (au) from the Sun, about 836.6 million miles, or nine times the distance from the Earth to the Sun. "The spacecraft destined for the ninth planet is now just beyond 9 AU and continuing outbound for the solar system's frontier at more than 60,000 kilometers per hour!" says New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan.Stern@swri.org (A. Stern), of NASA Headquarters.

A Hi-Def Peek at Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons made its first detection of Pluto using the high-resolution mode of its Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) during three separate sets of observations in October 2007.

Happy Birthday New Horizons! Two Years on the Road to the Ninth Planet

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:00:00 EDT

Just like the parent of a kid growing up from an infant to a toddler, my experience with New Horizons in flight, since our launch two years ago this week, is that the first two years have passed amazingly quickly and yet amazingly slowly, all at the same time. I guess that given some of the spacecraft hiccups of the past several months, one could also analogize that New Horizons has reached the "Terrible Two" stage and is into saying "no" a little more these days than in its first year.

'Ice' Congratulates 'Fire' on a Successful Mercury Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:00:00 EDT

The New Horizons Pluto-Kuiper Belt exploration team sends hearty congratulations to its colleagues on the MESSENGER mission, who orchestrated an historic flyby of the planet Mercury on Jan. 14.

Podcast: The Hibernation Express

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:00:00 EDT

Podcast #5: The Hibernation Express

New Horizons Team Talks Jupiter at AGU Meeting

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 01:00:00 EDT

The New Horizons spacecraft's spectacular flight past Jupiter earlier this year - which gave it a gravitational boost on the way to a 2015 encounter with Pluto - also provided an opportunity to test the instruments on the NASA probe while gathering new scientific data. Members of the New Horizons team will present findings from that encounter during the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting this week in San Francisco.

Autumn 2007 - Onward to the Kuiper Belt

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons has now covered 85% of the distance from the Sun to Saturn's orbit, which it will pass in mid-2008. Of course, Saturn will be nowhere near New Horizons when we pass that milestone, as it is by chance located far around the Sun from the path New Horizons is following to Pluto. But as you can tell, we are really getting to be well into the outer solar system now.

The Guest Perspective - Data for the Next Generations

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 7 Nov 2007 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons is about to enter hibernation for its long trip to Pluto. It will be deep in slumber, but not forgotten, and we've taken a crucial step to ensure that its precious data will never be forgotten either. All planetary missions undergo a process called "data archiving," which protects the information against the ravages of time.

New Horizons Sees Changes in Jupiter System

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 9 Oct 2007 01:00:00 EDT

The voyage of NASA's Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft through the Jupiter system earlier this year provided a bird's-eye view of a dynamic planet that has changed since the last close-up looks by NASA spacecraft.

Checking Out New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 1 Oct 2007 01:00:00 EDT

Since I last wrote here, at the start of August, New Horizons has already traveled another 100 million kilometers from the Sun, putting us more than 7.5 Astronomical Units out, roughly halfway between Jupiter and Saturn. By the middle of next year, we'll be beyond Saturn's orbit, where Cassini is. That will make New Horizons the farthest spacecraft on its way to or at its target.

Maneuver Puts New Horizons on a Straight Path to Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 01:00:00 EDT

Starting at 4:04 p.m. EDT on Sept. 25, New Horizons fired its thrusters for 15 minutes and 37 seconds, using less than a kilogram of fuel to change its velocity by 2.37 meters per second, or just more than 5 miles per hour. Monitored from the New Horizons Mission Operations Center at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., the maneuver was only the fourth trajectory correction for the spacecraft since launch in January 2006, and the first since it sped through the Jupiter system last February. The spacecraft was nearly 727 million miles (1.16 billion kilometers) from Earth during the maneuver - just about halfway between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn.

New Horizons to Voyager: Happy 30th Anniversary!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 5 Sep 2007 01:00:00 EDT

On the 30th anniversary of Voyager 1's launch, the New Horizons mission salutes its predecessor on the path toward the solar system's planetary frontier - and beyond.Destined for Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, New Horizons is the first mission to an unexplored planet since the Voyagers roared into space in 1977. Voyager 1 launched on Sept. 5, 1977; Voyager 2 launched 16 days earlier. Together the Voyagers continue toward the edge of the solar system, returning information from distances more than three times farther away than Pluto.

Meet the New Horizons Pluto Pals!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons wasn't the only voyage launched on January 19, 2006 - this week we welcome the "Pluto Pals" to the New Horizons team, five kids who were born on the same day our spacecraft embarked on its historic journey the outer solar system.

Outbound at 7 au

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 1 Aug 2007 01:00:00 EDT

Since I last wrote here, in mid-June, New Horizons has continued its speedy journey from Jupiter's orbit (at 5.2 astronomical units) toward Saturn's at 9.5 au. On average, we travel about a third of an astronomical unit each month, or roughly a million miles per day. So, as August begins, we're nearing the halfway point in the Jupiter-to-Saturn leg of our journey, set to reach 7 AU on Aug. 6. We'll pass Saturn's orbit (but not Saturn, which will be far away from our path) next June.

Good Morning, New Horizons!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 01:00:00 EDT

Early this morning, New Horizons operators gently awakened the spacecraft from the two-week "nap" that marked the mission's first operational step into hibernation mode.

New Horizons Slips into Electronic Slumber

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons' first operational hibernation phase is off to a successful start! On commands transmitted from the Mission Operations Center at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland, through NASA's Deep Space Network, the spacecraft eased into hibernation mode in the early hours of June 27. Since then, New Horizons has twice broadcast "green" beacon tones back to Earth, indicating all systems are healthy and operating as programmed.

Nap Before You Sleep

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 01:00:00 EDT

Since I last wrote in mid-May, New Horizons has continued its traverse down the magnetotail of Jupiter. That final phase of our Jupiter flyby science will conclude tomorrow, on June 21. At that point, we will be 1.25 Astronomical Units, or about 120 million miles from Jupiter. (For Jupiter aficionados, that's about 2,300 Jupiter radii from the planet). In the past month, our plasma instruments - SWAP and PEPSSI - revealed that the spacecraft had passed in and out of Jupiter's flagging magnetotail a number of times as we exited this enormous, time-variable space plasma structure.

Full Set of Jupiter Close-Approach Data Reaches Home

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 1 Jun 2007 01:00:00 EDT

Like countless others before it, the data packet rode a radio signal more than 500 million miles from the New Horizons spacecraft to Earth, filtering through NASA's largest antennas late last week to mission and science operations center computers in Maryland and Colorado.

Podcast: Jupiter Closest Approach

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 17 May 2007 01:00:00 EDT

Featured Image: Tvashtar in Motion

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 14 May 2007 01:00:00 EDT

Using its Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), the New Horizons spacecraft captured the two frames in this "movie" of the 330-kilometer (200-mile) high Tvashtar volcanic eruption plume on Jupiter's moon Io on February 28, 2007, from a range of 2.7 million kilometers (1.7 million miles). The two images were taken 50 minutes apart, at 03:50 and 04:40 Universal Time, and because particles in the plume take an estimated 30 minutes to fall back to the surface after being ejected by the central volcano, each image likely shows an entirely different set of particles. The details of the plume structure look quite different in each frame, though the overall brightness and size of the plume remain constant.

Continuing Our Jovian Journey

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 10 May 2007 01:00:00 EDT

This will be a short update, but I didn't want you to think we've folded our tent at Jupiter yet. The image illustration at right is amazing, isn't it? If you haven't been to Jupiter yourself, I think now you can say you almost have been!

New Horizons Provides New Views of Jupiter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 1 May 2007 01:00:00 EDT

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has provided new data on the Jupiter system -- stunning scientists with never-before-seen perspectives of the giant planet's atmosphere, rings, moons and magnetosphere.

NASA Science Update to Discuss Data from Jupiter Flyby

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 01:00:00 EDT

A NASA Science Update at 2 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 1, will discuss new views of the Jupiter system. The Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft is returning these images as it flies past the solar system's largest planet during the initial stages of a planned six-month encounter. The update, taking place in the NASA Headquarters auditorium in Washington, will air live on NASA Television and be streamed on the Web at www.nasa.gov.

The Colors of Night

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 01:00:00 EDT

The New Horizons Multicolor Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) took this image of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io at 04:30 Universal Time on February 28, 2007, about one hour before New Horizons' closest approach to Jupiter, from a range of 2.7 million kilometers (1.7 million miles). Part of the Ralph imaging instrument, MVIC is designed for the very faint solar illumination at Pluto, and is too sensitive to image the brightly lit daysides of Jupiter's moons. Io's dayside is therefore completely overexposed in this image, and appears white and featureless. However, the Jupiter-lit nightside of Io and the giant plume from the Tvashtar volcano are well exposed, and the versions of the image shown here have been processed to bring out each of these features.

Capturing Callisto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 5 Apr 2007 01:00:00 EDT

The New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) captured these two images of Jupiter's outermost large moon, Callisto, as the spacecraft flew past Jupiter in late February. New Horizons' closest approach distance to Jupiter was 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles), not far outside Callisto's orbit, which has a radius of 1.9 million kilometers (1.2 million miles). However, Callisto happened to be on the opposite side of Jupiter during the spacecraft's pass through the Jupiter system, so these images, taken from 4.7 million kilometers (3.0 million miles) and 4.2 million kilometers (2.6 million miles) away, are the closest of Callisto that New Horizons obtained.

Two Moons Meet over Jupiter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 2 Apr 2007 01:00:00 EDT

This beautiful image of the crescents of volcanic Io and more sedate Europa was snapped by New Horizons' color Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC) at 10:34 UT on March 2, 2007, about two days after New Horizons made its closest approach to Jupiter.

Storm Spectra

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EDT

These images, taken with the LEISA infrared camera on the New Horizons Ralph instrument, show fine details in Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere using light that can only be seen using infrared sensors. These are "false color" pictures made by assigning infrared wavelengths to the colors red, green and blue. LEISA (Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array) takes images across 250 IR wavelengths in the range from 1.25 to 2.5 microns, allowing scientists to obtain an infrared spectrum at every location on Jupiter. A micron is one millionth of a meter.

A Burst of Color

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons captured this unique view of Jupiter's moon Io with its color camera - the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) - at 00:25 UT on March 1, 2007, from a range of 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles). The image is centered at Io coordinates 4 degrees south, 162 degrees west, and was taken shortly before the complementary Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) photo of Io released on March 13, which had higher resolution but was not in color.

Trip Report

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons tripped up but recovered itself without a nasty spill last week. This event occurred on the afternoon of March 19, precisely 14 months to the day since we launched.

An Even Closer Look at the Little Red Spot

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EDT

The New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) has returned stunning new images of Jupiter's Little Red Spot, obtained as a 2-by-2 mosaic at 0312 UTC on February 27, 2007, from a distance of 3 million kilometers (1.8 million miles). The image scale is 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) per pixel.

Alice Views Jupiter and Io

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EDT

This graphic illustrates the pointing and shows the data from one of many observations made by the New Horizons Alice ultraviolet spectrometer (UVS) instrument during the Pluto-bound spacecraft's recent encounter with Jupiter. The red lines in the graphic show the scale, orientation, and position of the combined "box and slot" field of view of the Alice UVS during this observation.

A Look from LEISA

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EDT

On February 24, 2007, the LEISA (pronounced "Leesa") infrared spectral imager in the New Horizons Ralph instrument observed giant Jupiter in 250 narrow spectral channels. At the time the spacecraft was 6 million kilometers (nearly 4 million miles) from Jupiter; at that range, the LEISA imager can resolve structures about 400 kilometers (250 miles) across.

A Midnight Plume

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EDT

The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on New Horizons captured another dramatic picture of Jupiter's moon Io and its volcanic plumes, 19 hours after the spacecraft's closest approach to Jupiter on Feb. 28, 2007. LORRI took this 75 millisecond exposure at 0035 Universal Time on March 1, 2007, when Io was 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from the spacecraft.

Downlink Initiated

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons is about 0.15 astronomical units from Jupiter now, and already 5.5 AU from the Sun! Our final imaging and spectroscopy observations of Jupiter system targets wrapped up last week. Henceforth, the only Jupiter system observations New Horizons will make are magnetotail environment measurements using our PEPSSI and SWAP charged-particle spectrometers and, beginning in April, interplanetary dust measurements by Venetia, our Student Dust Counter.

Jupiter's Rings

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 9 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EDT

The New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) snapped this photo of Jupiter's ring system on February 24, 2007, from a distance of 7.1 million kilometers (4.4 million miles).

The Tip of the Iceberg

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 5 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EDT

The intensive phase of Jupiter encounter operations is winding down, but it's not yet over. In the first days of this week, we still have Radio Science Experiment (REX) and Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) calibrations using Jupiter system targets, and some imaging to better determine the shapes and photometric phase curves of Jupiter's satellites Elara and Himalia.

Tvashtar's Plume

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 1 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EDT

This dramatic image of Io was taken by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on New Horizons at 11:04 Universal Time on February 28, 2007, just about 5 hours after the spacecraft's closest approach to Jupiter. The distance to Io was 2.5 million kilometers (1.5 million miles) and the image is centered at 85 degrees west longitude. At this distance, one LORRI pixel subtends 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) on Io.

Launch Complete

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 1 Mar 2007 01:00:00 EDT

The eighth mission to the fifth planet has reached its crescendo - Jupiter, my friends, is in the rear view mirror! Just yesterday we passed closest approach, sealing the deal on our gravity assist and setting us up for our mid-July 2015 encounter with the Pluto system.

Pluto-Bound New Horizons Spacecraft Gets a Boost from Jupiter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 01:00:00 EDT

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft successfully completed a flyby of Jupiter early this morning, using the massive planet's gravity to pick up speed on its 3-billion mile voyage to Pluto and the unexplored Kuiper Belt region beyond.

Two Moons and a Storm: Europa

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 01:00:00 EDT

This image of Jupiter's icy moon Europa, the first Europa image returned by New Horizons, was taken with the spacecraft's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) camera at 07:19 Universal Time on February 27, from a range of 3.1 million kilometers (1.9 million miles).

Two Moons and a Storm: Ganymede

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 01:00:00 EDT

This is New Horizons' best image of Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon, taken with the spacecraft's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) camera at 10:01 Universal Time on February 27 from a range of 3.5 million kilometers (2.2 million miles).

Two Moons and a Storm: Little Red Spot

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 01:00:00 EDT

This is a mosaic of three New Horizons images of Jupiter's Little Red Spot, taken with the spacecraft's Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) camera at 17:41 Universal Time on February 26 from a range of 3.5 million kilometers (2.1 million miles).

An Eruption on Io

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 01:00:00 EDT

The first images returned to Earth by New Horizons during its close encounter with Jupiter feature the Galilean moon Io, snapped with the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) at 0840 UTC on February 26, while the moon was 2.5 million miles (4 million kilometers) from the spacecraft.

Picking up the Pace

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 01:00:00 EDT

We're in the thick of it at Jupiter now! Since early on Saturday, February 24, New Horizons has been executing its Jupiter close approach sequence, which contains 15 to 20 observations per day. Recall this is almost 10 times more than what we were doing just a week earlier!

Campaigning for Jupiter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 01:00:00 EDT

We're now inside of a week to Jupiter closest approach! One aspect of our flyby that I have not yet noted is the broad campaign of coordinated Jupiter observations taking place on Earth and in space. As New Horizons approaches Jupiter, telescopes on terra firma, in Earth orbit and even far across the solar system are turning to observe the "big picture" while New Horizons provides the fine details.

Speeding to Zeus

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 01:00:00 EDT

We're a week from Jupiter closest approach. And if you're monitoring the "Where Is New Horizons?" page, you've likely noticed that we're already accelerating because of Jupiter's gravity. Although the effect is relatively small now, it will build dramatically in the coming days, giving us a boost of approximately 9,000 miles per hour (nearly 14,500 kilometers per hours) by the middle of next week. That's half the speed of a space shuttle in Earth orbit - essentially for free!

Calm Before Close Approach

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 01:00:00 EDT

If you look at our "Where Is New Horizons?" page, which displays the spacecraft's trajectory status, you'll see we're right on Jupiter's doorstep. And it's true. Jupiter already appears one-third of a degree across - just a little smaller than the full Moon as seen from Earth - and growing every day.

SWAP Observes Solar Wind Interactions at Jupiter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 9 Feb 2007 01:00:00 EDT

A little over a year since launch, with its sights firmly on Jupiter, the New Horizons spacecraft is testing its science payload and making observations as it rounds the planet for a gravity-assist that will speed its journey to the edge of the solar system.

One Year Down, Eight to Go, on the Road to Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 01:00:00 EDT

A year ago this past Friday, on January 19, 2006, New Horizons lifted off on a pillar of smoke and fire and began its journey to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. How quickly that year has passed. New Horizons and our ground team accomplished a great deal in that first year of flight.

New Horizons Closes in on Jupiter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 01:00:00 EDT

Just a year after it was dispatched on the first mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is on the doorstep of the solar system's largest planet - about to swing past Jupiter and pick up even more speed on its voyage toward the unexplored regions of the planetary frontier.

Jupiter Encounter Begins

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:00:00 EDT

The New Horizons Jupiter encounter is under way! The spacecraft began collecting data on the Jovian system this week, starting with black-and-white images of the giant planet and an infrared look at the icy moon Callisto on Jan. 8.

New Horizons in 2007

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 5 Jan 2007 01:00:00 EDT

What a memorable year for New Horizons! After the final few ground preparations and flight approvals, we launched at 1900 GMT (2 p.m. EST) on January 19. I will never forget the sight of the giant, 210-foot-tall "A Train" leaving Florida for the Kuiper Belt, and how filled with pride I was for everyone who worked to see this milestone come to pass.

New Horizons Makes First Pluto Sighting

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 01:00:00 EDT

A Season for Thanksgiving

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Making Old Horizons New

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 1 Nov 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Jupiter Ahoy!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Changing Seasons on the Road Trip to Planet 9

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Unabashedly Onward to the Ninth Planet

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 6 Sep 2006 01:00:00 EDT

LORRI Sees 'First Light'

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 1 Sep 2006 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Salutes Voyager

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Pluto-Charon: A True Double Planet

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Nine Years to the Ninth Planet, and Counting

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Student Dust Counter Renamed "Venetia," Honoring Girl Who Named Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Pluto's Two Small Moons Christened Nix and Hydra

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Tracks an Asteroid

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 01:00:00 EDT

A Summer's Crossing Through the Asteroid Belt

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 1 Jun 2006 01:00:00 EDT

'Exploration at Its Greatest'

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 1 May 2006 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons in Space: The First 100 Days

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Crosses the Orbit of Mars

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 7 Apr 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Payload Gets High Marks on Early Tests

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Zero G and I Feel Fine

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 01:00:00 EDT

A Colorful Discovery about Pluto's Moons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Adjusts Course Toward Jupiter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 9 Mar 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Boulder and Baltimore

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Researchers Describe Discovery of Pluto's New Moons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Tom's Cruise

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 9 Feb 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Happy 100th Birthday, Clyde Tombaugh!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 3 Feb 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Clyde Tombaugh: A Daughter's Perspective

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 3 Feb 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Our Aim Is True

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Successfully Performs First Post-Launch Maneuvers

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Setting Course for Jupiter

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

On the Road at Last

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

It Worked!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

NASA's Pluto Mission Launched Toward New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Launch Reset for Jan. 19

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

First Things First

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

We're in Flight Configuration

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Status Report from Kennedy Space Center

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

It Takes A Team

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Free Bird

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 9 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Status Report: Inspection Completed

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 6 Jan 2006 01:00:00 EDT

Getting Closer

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 01:00:00 EDT

NASA Sets Sights on First Pluto Mission

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Meets Its Launch Vehicle

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 01:00:00 EDT

NASA Expendable Launch Vehicle Status Report

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 01:00:00 EDT

Next Month, We Aim to Fly!

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 01:00:00 EDT

A Century After Kuiper's Birth, U.S. Prepares to Launch First Probe to the Kuiper Belt

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 7 Dec 2005 01:00:00 EDT

Mission Update: Successful Tests

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 7 Dec 2005 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Launch Preparations Move Ahead

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 01:00:00 EDT

Two More Moons, Two More Months, and Ten More Watts

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 7 Nov 2005 01:00:00 EDT

Hubble Reveals Possible New Moons Around Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 01:00:00 EDT

My Life with Clyde

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Payload Ready for Flight, Exciting Science Campaign

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 01:00:00 EDT

Changes in Latitude

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sat, 1 Oct 2005 01:00:00 EDT

APL-Built Pluto Spacecraft Begins Launch Preparations

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 01:00:00 EDT

September Comes, Complete With Sister Worlds

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 5 Sep 2005 01:00:00 EDT

A Road Trip, from Earth to Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 1 Aug 2005 01:00:00 EDT

Journey Begins for NASA's New Horizons Probe

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 01:00:00 EDT

Pluto-Charon- Two for the Price of One

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 01:00:00 EDT

'Motivated' Team Eyes Mission's Next Stage

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 24 May 2005 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Indeed

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 6 May 2005 01:00:00 EDT

The PI's Perspective

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 5 Apr 2005 01:00:00 EDT

NASA Hosts Community Meetings on New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 01:00:00 EDT

An Inside Look at New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 2 Mar 2005 01:00:00 EDT

An Inside Look at New Horizons from Principal Investigator Alan Stern

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 2 Feb 2005 01:00:00 EDT

SWAP to Determine Where the Sun and Ice Worlds Meet

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 8 Jun 2004 01:00:00 EDT

Analyzing Pluto's Atmosphere with Alice

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 01:00:00 EDT

Ralph Aims to Put Pluto in Focus

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 22 Jan 2004 01:00:00 EDT

Atlas V Chosen to Launch New Horizons

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 23 Jul 2003 01:00:00 EDT

25th Anniversary of Charon's Discovery (from the U.S. Naval Observatory)

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Sun, 22 Jun 2003 01:00:00 EDT

Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission Moves Ahead (APL News Release)

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 9 Apr 2003 01:00:00 EDT

NASA Moves New Horizons into Full Development (SRI News Release)

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 9 Apr 2003 01:00:00 EDT

More Moons Over Pluto?

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 24 Feb 2003 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Adds Student Science Instrument

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 16 Dec 2002 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Passes Another Development Milestone

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 4 Nov 2002 01:00:00 EDT

Science Operations Center Dedicated to Charon's Discoverer

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 9 Oct 2002 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Team Tuning Its Instruments

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 25 Sep 2002 01:00:00 EDT

Student-Led Team Hopes to Fly Equipment Aboard NASA's Pluto Mission

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 23 Sep 2002 01:00:00 EDT

SwRI Research Reveals New Kuiper Belt Mystery

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 10 Sep 2002 01:00:00 EDT

Status Report: New Horizons Shines in First Major Review

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Tue, 28 May 2002 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Mission Making Progress

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 15 Apr 2002 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons Team Plots a Faster Path to Pluto

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 21 Feb 2002 01:00:00 EDT

New Horizons names Science Ops Center after Pluto Discoverer Clyde Tombaugh

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Wed, 6 Feb 2002 01:00:00 EDT

NASA Goddard to Provide Key New Horizons Instrument

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 7 Dec 2001 01:00:00 EDT

NASA Taps APL Team for First Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission (APL News Release)

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 30 Nov 2001 01:00:00 EDT

SwRI-APL Team to Develop First Pluto Mission (SRI News Release)

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 30 Nov 2001 01:00:00 EDT

NASA Selects Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission for Phase B Study

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 29 Nov 2001 01:00:00 EDT

Scientists and Engineers Complete NASA-Funded 'Phase A' Study of Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Thu, 27 Sep 2001 01:00:00 EDT

Aviation Week and Space Technology (PDF)

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Mon, 23 Jul 2001 01:00:00 EDT

NASA Selects APL's Pluto Mission Proposal for Further Study

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 8 Jun 2001 01:00:00 EDT

NASA Selects Two Investigations for Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission Feasibility Studies

Mike.Buckley@jhuapl.edu (M. Buckley) — Fri, 6 Jul 2001 01:00:00 EDT