New horizons program
The New Horizons program is a NASA mission that was launched in 2006 with the goal of exploring the outer Solar System and beyond. The mission is named after the phrase "new horizons," which refers to the idea of exploring new and uncharted territories.
The New Horizons spacecraft was designed to fly by Pluto, which was previously considered to be the ninth planet in our Solar System. However, in 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefined the term "planet" and reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet.
New Horizons flew by Pluto on July 14, 2015, and provided the first close-up images and data about the dwarf planet. The mission was a major success, and it revealed many new and unexpected features about Pluto, including its surface composition, geology, and atmosphere.
After its flyby of Pluto, New Horizons continued on its journey into the Kuiper Belt, a region of icy bodies and other small celestial objects beyond Neptune. In January 2019, the spacecraft flew by a small Kuiper Belt object called Ultima Thule (also known as 2014 MU69), which is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) in diameter.
The New Horizons mission has provided a wealth of new information about the outer Solar System and has helped scientists to better understand the formation and evolution of our Solar System. The mission has also paved the way for future exploration of the outer Solar System and beyond.
Some of the key discoveries made by New Horizons include:
- Pluto's surface composition: New Horizons revealed that Pluto's surface is composed of a mixture of nitrogen ice, methane ice, and darker organic material.
- Pluto's geology: The mission showed that Pluto has a diverse geology, with features such as mountains, valleys, and craters.
- Pluto's atmosphere: New Horizons detected a thin atmosphere around Pluto, which is composed of nitrogen gas.
- Ultima Thule's shape: The mission revealed that Ultima Thule is shaped like a contact binary, with two connected lobes.
- The Kuiper Belt: New Horizons provided the first close-up images and data about the Kuiper Belt, which is a region of icy bodies and other small celestial objects beyond Neptune.
The New Horizons mission has also inspired a new generation of scientists and engineers to pursue careers in space exploration and has helped to advance our understanding of the outer Solar System.