Pluto-bound spacecraft provides close-up look at Jupiter system
Posted: Wed, May 2, 2007, 8:45 AM ET (1245 GMT)
A Pluto-bound spacecraft that flew past Jupiter in late February has provided scientists with their first close-up look at an emerging storm in the giant planet's atmosphere, as well as other features of the planet and its rings and moons, project officials said Tuesday. New Horizons passed about 2.2 million kilometers from Jupiter on February 28, a flyby designed to give the spacecraft a gravity assist and put it on course for Pluto, as well as provide a "stress test" for the spacecraft's instruments and other systems. About 70 percent of the data collected during the lfyby has been transmitted back to Earth, including high-resolution images of the Little Red Spot, the planet's second-largest storm, which formed in the last decade with the merger of three smaller storms. Other data returned by New Horizons includes images of the Galileo moons Europa and Io. The spacecraft, launched in January 2006, will fly past Pluto in July 2015.
A Pluto-bound spacecraft that flew past Jupiter in late February has provided scientists with their first close-up look at an emerging storm in the giant planet's atmosphere, as well as other features of the planet and its rings and moons, project officials said Tuesday. New Horizons passed about 2.2 million kilometers from Jupiter on February 28, a flyby designed to give the spacecraft a gravity assist and put it on course for Pluto, as well as provide a "stress test" for the spacecraft's instruments and other systems. About 70 percent of the data collected during the lfyby has been transmitted back to Earth, including high-resolution images of the Little Red Spot, the planet's second-largest storm, which formed in the last decade with the merger of three smaller storms. Other data returned by New Horizons includes images of the Galileo moons Europa and Io. The spacecraft, launched in January 2006, will fly past Pluto in July 2015.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
New Virgin Galactic spaceplane arrives at Spaceport America
Posted: Sat, Oct 31 10:38 AM ET (1438 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Monday, November 2
Forum: Springs’ space future is bright without Space Command
Colorado Springs Gazette — 5:37 am ET (1037 GMT) S. Korea's Air Force to participate in U.S.-led space war game for 1st time
Yonhap News — 5:35 am ET (1035 GMT) The growing threats that make the Space Force essential
Washington Examiner — 5:33 am ET (1033 GMT) Lawfare against Elon Musk could affect the Artemis program
The Hill — 5:26 am ET (1026 GMT) Southland's global space company won't write down military policy
The Southland App (NZ) — 5:25 am ET (1025 GMT) |
