Support NeoGAF

[GK86]

Link.

Following its historic first-ever flyby of Pluto, NASA’s New Horizons mission has received the green light to fly onward to an object deeper in the Kuiper Belt, known as 2014 MU69.The spacecraft’s planned rendezvous with the ancient object – considered one of the early building blocks of the solar system -- is Jan. 1, 2019.

“The New Horizons mission to Pluto exceeded our expectations and even today the data from the spacecraft continue to surprise,” said NASA’s Director of Planetary Science Jim Green. “We’re excited to continue onward into the dark depths of the outer solar system to a science target that wasn’t even discovered when the spacecraft launched.”

Link.

But that’s not the only object New Horizons will study during the mission extension. As it travels to 2014 MU69, the spacecraft will be observing about two dozen other objects located in the Kuiper Belt. That includes Eris, the second largest dwarf planet in the region after Pluto. "We can take pictures of Eris, even though we’re further from it than we would be if we had stayed on Earth," John Spencer, a New Horizons team member and scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, told The Verge. "But we’re looking at it from a unique angle you could never see from Earth, because the Earth is so close to the Sun."

 

[Deleted member 80556]

Excellent, there was no reason not to extend the mission. Hope we get some nice stuff out of this!

Also, GK, thanks for posting all these space news.

 

[DrEvil]

Far out.

 

[Orbis]

I'm sure we can think of a nice name for 2014 MU69 by the time it gets there.

 

[GK86]

Excellent, there was no reason not to extend the mission. Hope we get some nice stuff out of this!

Also, GK, thanks for posting all these space news.

No problem. Space fascinates me. I know there are a small group of posters here that love it as well.

I'm sure we can think of a nice name for 2014 MU69 by the time it gets there.

2019 MU69, the object formerly known as 2014 MU69.

 

[Arkos]

Far out.

:|

 

[Disxo]

3 years? What's new horizons current speed?

 

[GK86]

3 years? What's new horizons current speed?

Thanks to Pluto, 51,000 mph. It was at around 30,000 before it reached Pluto.

 

[sphagnum]

"We can take pictures of Eris, even though we’re further from it than we would be if we had stayed on Earth"

That's a crazy thought.

 

[Hickbilly Deluxe]

Sweetness. I loved the entire pluto mission, and followed it pretty closely. And as long as Horizons still has power, we may as well keep using it for whatever we can.

I mean christ, we still get messages from at least on of the voyager spacecraft, and thats from the 70s.

 

[Disxo]

Thanks to Pluto, 51,000 mph. It was at around 30,000 before it reached Pluto.

That is impressive, but an expected increase because of how close the fly by was.
Faster than the voyager o.o

 

[Smokey]

That's a crazy thought.

Head hurts.

 

[Asbel]

"We can take pictures of Eris, even though we’re further from it than we would be if we had stayed on Earth," "But we’re looking at it from a unique angle you could never see from Earth, because the Earth is so close to the Sun."

This part is a cool reminder how big the solar system is.

Edit: beaten. Should have refreshed b4 posting..

 

[The Sum of Zero]

Can't believe I missed this. Was so focused on Juno this week. Good that they extended the mission.