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Missions Encyclopedia Entry 1783333326

** The **Missions Encyclopedia Entry 1783333326** refers to the **New Horizons** spacecraft mission, a historic interplanetary probe that successfully flew by Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, providing groundbreaking insights into the outer reaches of our solar system. **CONTENT:** ### Overview The **New Horizons** mission is a space exploration endeavor launched by NASA in 2006, with the primary objective of exploring the Pluto system and the Kuiper Belt, a region of icy bodies and small celestial objects beyond Neptune. The mission was designed to study the Pluto system in unprecedented detail, including its geology, atmosphere, and moons. The spacecraft was equipped with a suite of advanced instruments, including cameras, spectrometers, and a radio science experiment, to gather data on the Pluto system and its surroundings. New Horizons was launched on January 19, 2006, aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft followed a complex trajectory, using a combination of gravity assists from Jupiter and a flyby of Pluto to reach its destination. After a journey of over 9 years and 3 billion miles, New Horizons flew by Pluto on July 14, 2015, at a distance of just 7,800 miles, providing the first close-up images and data on the dwarf planet. ### History/Background The concept of a Pluto mission dates back to the 1990s, when astronomers began to realize that Pluto was not a typical planet, but rather a member of a new class of objects known as dwarf planets. In 2003, NASA selected the **New Horizons** mission as one of its top priorities for the next decade, with a budget of $650 million. The mission was led by Dr. Alan Stern, a renowned planetary scientist and advocate for the exploration of the outer solar system. ### Key Information - **Launch Date:** January 19, 2006 - **Spacecraft Design:** New Horizons is a 1,000-pound (450 kg) spacecraft with a diameter of 7.7 feet (2.3 meters) - **Propulsion:** The spacecraft is powered by a combination of solar panels and a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) - **Instruments:** New Horizons is equipped with a suite of advanced instruments, including: - **Ralph:** A visible and infrared imaging spectrometer - **LORRI:** A high-resolution camera - **Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter:** A dust counter designed by students - **SWAP:** A solar wind and aurora particle instrument - **Flyby Date:** July 14, 2015 - **Distance:** 7,800 miles (12,500 km) from Pluto's surface ### Significance The **New Horizons** mission has significantly expanded our understanding of the outer solar system, providing the first close-up images and data on Pluto and its moons. The mission has also revealed the diversity of small celestial bodies in the Kuiper Belt, including dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets. The data collected by New Horizons has helped scientists to better understand the formation and evolution of our solar system, as well as the potential for life beyond Earth. **INFOBOX:** - **Name:** New Horizons - **Type:** Interplanetary spacecraft - **Date:** January 19, 2006 (launch) - **Location:** Pluto system and Kuiper Belt - **Known For:** First close-up images and data on Pluto and its moons **TAGS:** New Horizons, Pluto, Kuiper Belt, Space Exploration, Interplanetary Spacecraft, Dwarf Planet, Solar System, NASA, Alan Stern.