On 14 July 2015, New Horizons made an epic journey through Pluto’s system and returned spectacular images showing an icy world with towering water-ice mountains and vast plains of frozen nitrogen. From concept to launch day – and multiple nearly cancelled attempts along the way – took a difficult 17 years. How does it work?…
Scientists have recently discovered an exoplanet which lies closer to Earth than ever before – within just four light-years and within its star’s habitable zone, where liquid water could potentially exist on its surface. Planet 95% the size of our own Earth would likely be composed of rocks and soil; it likely orbits a red…
Stern and his team struggled for years to launch their mission, facing an intense race against time: only four years were available for designing, launching and reaching Jupiter for gravity assistance. New Horizons would likely make its first encounter with Pluto and Charon during its trek through the Kuiper Belt – an outer region of…
The Planetary Society battled hard for New Horizons mission’s successful launch to Pluto. When its flyby of this classic solar system planet and its four tiny moons Styx, Nix, Hydra and Kerberos took place in July 2015 it revolutionized our understanding of this classic world. Scientists are still processing the wealth of data New Horizons…
New Horizons spacecraft became the first to visit one of the Kuiper belt objects, an area in the outer Solar System where frozen objects reside, and thus revolutionized our understanding of Pluto and its satellites, among many others. The spacecraft comprises a central thrust tube and triangular structures on either side. It contains seven instruments…
NASA’s Pioneer 10, 11 and Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft have captured amazing flyby footage of Jupiter. Previous encounters showed its intense magnetism, volatile weather patterns and impressive collection of moons. Juno will come closer than any of those missions to Jupiter than any previous spacecraft; its orbit will allow it to observe both its…
Both Voyager spacecraft are outfitted with 10 science instruments, including two cameras capable of taking detailed images of planets and their rings, magnetic fields and the interaction between light as a wave and particles. Voyager 1 returned a haunting portrait of Earth in 1990 that Carl Sagan called “Pale Blue Dot.” Since then, its data…
Mars is home to an exciting new breed of spacecraft designed to facilitate scientific study and discovery, and one day send humans there. These spacecraft offer unprecedented access for scientific analysis. The Lander is designed in the shape of a tetrahedron with sides that open like petals, housing cameras, weather stations and a six-wheeled rover…
Layers play an essential part in shaping planet’s history and future development, including their melting effects on mantle material and volcanic eruptions that alter climate, foster life or destroy it. Scientists are now using the InSight lander to record marsquakes to examine these layers that lie below Mars, hoping that by doing so they will…
