Sonda New horizons, flyby a Plutão

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Cruz credo! Já imaginaram como seria trabalhar lá? Não se saberia muito bem se vai ser dia ou noite, apenas com um relógio. E fusos horários é para esquecer! ;D

Isto claro, se lá conseguisse andar. É que tirando Charon, nas outras luas a gravidade é tão pequena que mal lá se consegue andar. A massa muscular dos humanos, teoricamente, seria suficiente para te ejectar para a órbita da Lua. A única excepção seria se ficasses com os pés colados ao gelo, o que diga-se de passagem, seria o mais provável de acontecer... Mas já não os tiravas de lá .

E Charon, tem uma órbita relativamente estável, apesar de não orbitar sequer Plutão, mas sim um ponto de equilíbrio gravítico entre si e Plutão.

 

[Orion]

 

[StormRic]

E Charon, tem uma órbita relativamente estável, apesar de não orbitar sequer Plutão, mas sim um ponto de equilíbrio gravítico entre si e Plutão.

Precisamente, além de mostrarem sempre a mesma face um ao outro, como o faz a Lua em relação à Terra (mas não reciprocamente).
O mesmo se passa com a Terra e a Lua, por exemplo, e com todos os sistemas em que as massas dos satélites são importantes em relação ao planeta principal. O sistema Terra-Lua escapa à ideia de planeta duplo pelo facto de o centro de massa se situar no interior do planeta maior, neste caso cerca de 1700 Km abaixo da superfície terrestre. Mas no caso de Plutão e Charon este centro de massa é exterior ao planeta.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon_(moon)#/media/File:Pluto-Charon_System.gif

 

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Nas imagens da LORRI camera de Janeiro vê-se isso mesmo, vê-se perfeitamente Plutão a rodar como um pião á volta de um ponto invisivel, e Charon, aparentemente, a orbitar Plutão, na realidade o que acontece, é que Plutão e Charon orbitam-se um ao outro em torno desse ponto invisivel, mas como Plutão é mais massivo que Charon, a orbita deste é mais pequena.

 

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Mais uma foto, depois de quase um mês a tirarem fotos de baixa resolução (penso que estavam a tentar detectar mais Luas, embora não tenha a certeza)

Esta foto foi sacada da Wikipédia (provavelmente editada para realçar apenas Plutão), mas se seguirem alguns dos links que já aqui postei, certamente irão encontrá-la.

 

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Um artigo interessante da Nasa a confirmar a presença de metano na atmosfera de Plutão, bem como uma imagem compósita e um video com a proximação da New Horizons a Plutão:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-ho...-new-images-of-pluto-and-charon-sunrisesunset

A maior aproximação a Plutão está prevista para 14 deste mês.

Uma piadinha da Nasa

Yes, there is methane on Pluto, and, no, it doesn’t come from cows.

lol

 

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Boas a todos.

E aqui vamos nós outra vez, por cada planeta-anão que visitamos há sempre alguma coisa a bater mal. São os pontos brilhantes em Ceres e agora, também no seu computador, e possívelmente num jornal perto de si, os pontos escuros de Plutão situados no hemisfério sul.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-ho...faces-of-pluto-series-of-spots-that-fascinate

Podem começar as teorias da conspiração.

 

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A explicação para a aparência avermelhada de Plutão, e comparação directa com Marte.

 

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Más noticias, a New Horizons entrou em modo de segurança e cortou as comunicações com a terra, reagindo a uma falha. Entretanto computador secundário foi activado e as comunicações foram reestabelicidas. Ainda não se sabe ao certo o que se passou, ou como este incidente irá afectar a missão, o certo, é que aparenta que daqui a 10 dias a nave estará operacional.

Podem ler mais aqui.
https://www.nasa.gov/nh/new-horizons-responds-spacecraft-anomaly

July 5, 2015

New Horizons Team Responds to Spacecraft Anomaly
The New Horizons spacecraft experienced an anomaly the afternoon of July 4 that led to a loss of communication with Earth. Communication has since been reestablished and the spacecraft is healthy.

The mission operations center at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, lost contact with the unmanned spacecraft -- now 10 days from arrival at Pluto -- at 1:54 p.m. EDT, and regained communications with New Horizons at 3:15 p.m. EDT, through NASA’s Deep Space Network.

During that time the autonomous autopilot on board the spacecraft recognized a problem and – as it’s programmed to do in such a situation - switched from the main to the backup computer. The autopilot placed the spacecraft in “safe mode,” and commanded the backup computer to reinitiate communication with Earth. New Horizons then began to transmit telemetry to help engineers diagnose the problem.

A New Horizons Anomaly Review Board (ARB) was convened at 4 p.m. EDT to gather information on the problem and initiate a recovery plan. The team is now working to return New Horizons to its original flight plan. Due to the 9-hour, round trip communication delay that results from operating a spacecraft almost 3 billion miles (4.9 billion kilometers) from Earth, full recovery is expected to take from one to several days; New Horizons will be temporarily unable to collect science data during that time.

Status updates will be issued as new information is available.

Last Updated: July 5, 2015
Editor: Lillian Gipson

EDIT:
animação feita com as fotos postadas acima.
http://www.nasa.gov/nh/pluto-charon-surfaces-in-color

This is the first movie created by New Horizons to reveal color surface features of Pluto and its largest moon Charon. “It’s a bit unusual to see so much surface detail at this distance,” said New Horizons co-investigator William McKinnon of the Geology and Geophysics Investigation Team, Washington University in Saint Louis. “What’s especially noteworthy is the level of detail in both bodies. It’s certainly whetting our appetite for what’s to come.”

The images were taken between June 23 and June 29, 2015, as New Horizons’ distance to Pluto decreased from a distance of 15 million to 11 million miles (24 million to 18 million kilometers). Six high-resolution black-and-white images from New Horizons’ LORRI instrument were combined with color data from the Ralph instrument to produce the movie.

 

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Boas notícias.

Aparentemente a falha foi causada por uma falha na sequenciação do programa, espera-se que a partir de amanhã, dia 7 de Junho as missões científicas possam ser retomadas, este incidente custou á missão quase 3 dias .

http://www.nasa.gov/nh/new-horizons-plans-july-7-return-to-normal-science-operations

NASA’s New Horizons Plans July 7 Return to Normal Science Operations
NASA’s New Horizons mission is returning to normal science operations after a July 4 anomaly and remains on track for its July 14 flyby of Pluto.

The investigation into the anomaly that caused New Horizons to enter “safe mode” on July 4 has concluded that no hardware or software fault occurred on the spacecraft. The underlying cause of the incident was a hard-to-detect timing flaw in the spacecraft command sequence that occurred during an operation to prepare for the close flyby. No similar operations are planned for the remainder of the Pluto encounter.

“I’m pleased that our mission team quickly identified the problem and assured the health of the spacecraft,” said Jim Green, NASA’s Director of Planetary Science. “Now – with Pluto in our sights – we’re on the verge of returning to normal operations and going for the gold.”

Preparations are ongoing to resume the originally planned science operations on July 7 and to conduct the entire close flyby sequence as planned. The mission science team and principal investigator have concluded that the science observations lost during the anomaly recovery do not affect any primary objectives of the mission, with a minimal effect on lesser objectives. “In terms of science, it won’t change an A-plus even into an A,” said New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute, Boulder.

Adding to the challenge of recovery is the spacecraft’s extreme distance from Earth. New Horizons is almost 3 billion miles away, where radio signals, even traveling at light speed, need 4.5 hours to reach home. Two-way communication between the spacecraft and its operators requires a nine-hour round trip.

Status updates will be issued as new information is available.

Last Updated: July 6, 2015
Editor: Lillian Gipson

 

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A New horizons voltará às missões científicas sensivelmente por volta do meio-dia (hora da Califórnia, EUA)

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-new-horizons-on-track-for-pluto-flyby

NASA’s New Horizons on Track for Pluto Flyby
Science Operations to Resume for On Time Encounter

The recovery from a July 4 anomaly that sent the New Horizons spacecraft into safe mode is proceeding according to plan, with the mission team preparing to return to normal science operations on time, tomorrow, July 7.

Mission managers reported during a July 6 media teleconference that NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft resumed operations on its main computer overnight. The sequence of commands for the Pluto flyby have now been uplinked to the spacecraft, and full, as planned science observations of Pluto, its moons and the solar winds will resume at 12:34 p.m. EDT July 7.

The quick response to the weekend computer glitch assures that the mission remains on track to conduct the entire close flyby sequence as planned, including the July 14 flyby observations of Pluto.

“We’re delighted with the New Horizons response to the anomaly,” said Jim Green, NASA’s director of planetary science. “Now we’re eager to get back to the science and prepare for the payoff that’s yet to come.”

The investigation into the anomaly that caused New Horizons to enter safe mode on July 4 has confirmed that the main computer was overloaded due to a timing conflict in the spacecraft command sequence. The computer was tasked with receiving a large command load at the same time it was engaged in compressing previous science data. The main computer responded precisely as it was programmed to do, by entering safe mode and switching to the backup computer.

Thirty observations were lost during the three-day recovery period, representing less than one percent of the total science that the New Horizons team hoped to collect between July 4 and July 16. None of the mission’s most critical observations were affected. There’s no risk that this kind of anomaly could happen again before flyby, as no similar operations are planned for the remainder of the Pluto encounter.

“This is a speed bump in terms of the total return we expect to receive from this historic mission,” said Dr. Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator with the Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado. “When we get a clear look at the surface of Pluto for the very first time, I promise, it will knock your socks off.”

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, designed, built, and operates the New Horizons spacecraft, and manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The Southwest Research Institute, based in San Antonio, leads the science team, payload operations and encounter science planning. New Horizons is part of the New Frontiers Program managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Last Updated: July 7, 2015
Editor: Tricia Talbert

Parece que o computador crashou porque recebeu uma carga de processamento demasiado elevada, o que não é de estranhar porque os computadores da NH funcionam apenas a 12Mhz .

Entretanto já recebemos as imagens tiradas mesmo antes do crash, que são estas, tiradas entre o dia 1 e o dia 3 de Junho.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/latest-images-of-pluto-from-new-horizons

E a imagem recolorida com ainformação do sensor Ralph.

 

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Boas, a NH já voltou ás missões científicas, e enquanto não há mais informação científica, os tipos da nasa parece que ficaram aborrecidos e fizeram o primeiro planisfério de Plutão. É uma imagem compósita, foi feita com base nas imagens mais recentes, bem como nas de menor resolução. As imagens são do telecópio LORRI, a bordo da NH, e a cor é do sensor Ralph (adicionada posteriormente).

O artigo da Nasa onde este planisfério foi divulgado foi, convenientemente, chamado de a Baleia e o Donut, visto que a imagem dá a sensação de uma baleia.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-horizons-map-of-pluto-the-whale-and-the-donut

E este era o planisfério feito pelo Hubble, retirado da Wikipédia.

 

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E ai está ela, a primeira foto de Plutão depois do crash do computador...

http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-new-horizons-a-heart-from-pluto-as-flyby-begins

A Foto foi tirada ontem, e foi recebida hoje dia 8. Esta é a melhor foto já obtida de Plutão até á data. E ainda melhora.

 

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Bons dias.

Hoje a Nasa lançou mais um excelente artigo à cerca de como diferentes são Plutão e Charon. Plutão tem atmosfera, tem uma superfície avermelhada e a sua superfície é essencialmente gelo de Nitrogénio (Azoto) com algum gelo de Metano, no entanto, Charon é completamente o oposto de Plutão, é essencialmente uma bola de gelo congelada, o que desafia o modelo de formação teorizado para a formação destes dois corpos celestes, que foi, diga-se de passagem, muito similar ao da Terra e da Lua.

http://www.nasa.gov/feature/pluto-and-charon-new-horizons-dynamic-duo

They’re a fascinating pair: Two icy worlds, spinning around their common center of gravity like a pair of figure skaters clasping hands. Scientists believe they were shaped by a cosmic collision billions of years ago, and yet, in many ways, they seem more like strangers than siblings.

A high-contrast array of bright and dark features covers Pluto’s surface, while on Charon, only a dark polar region interrupts a generally more uniform light gray terrain. The reddish materials that color Pluto are absent on Charon. Pluto has a significant atmosphere; Charon does not. On Pluto, exotic ices like frozen nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide have been found, while Charon’s surface is made of frozen water and ammonia compounds. The interior of Pluto is mostly rock, while Charon contains equal measures of rock and water ice.

“These two objects have been together for billions of years, in the same orbit, but they are totally different,” said Principal Investigator Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), Boulder, Colorado.

Charon is about 750 miles (1200 kilometers) across, about half the diameter of Pluto—making it the solar system’s largest moon relative to its planet. Its smaller size and lower surface contrast have made it harder for New Horizons to capture its surface features from afar, but the latest, closer images of Charon’s surface show intriguing fine details.

Newly revealed are brighter areas on Charon that members of the mission’s Geology, Geophysics and Imaging team (GGI) suspect might be impact craters. If so, the scientists would put them to good use. “If we see impact craters on Charon, it will help us see what’s hidden beneath the surface,” said GGI leader Jeff Moore of NASA’s Ames Research Center. “Large craters can excavate material from several miles down and reveal the composition of the interior.”

In short, said GGI deputy team leader John Spencer of SwRI, “Charon is now emerging as its own world. Its personality is beginning to really reveal itself.”

NASA’s unmanned New Horizons spacecraft is closing in on the Pluto system after a more than nine-year, three-billion-mile journey. On July 14 it will zip past Pluto at 30,800 miles per hour (49,600 kilometers per hour), with a suite of seven science instruments busily gathering data. The mission will complete the initial reconnaissance of the solar system with the first-ever look at the icy dwarf planet.

Mais umas fotos, não as vou postar todas, podem clicar no link acima para as ver todas.

E Charon sózinha:

Uma possível calota de gelo, com grande albedo (reflectividade) no polo Sul de Plutão, mesmo por baixo da Baleia:

 

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Actividade geológica confirmada em Plutão

Em dois artigos, publicados no seu site, a Nasa acabou de confirmar actividade geológica activa em Plutão.
http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/tantalizing-signs-of-geology-on-pluto

Esta foto foi determinante

It began as a point of light. Then, it evolved into a fuzzy orb. Now – in its latest portrait from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft – Pluto is being revealed as an intriguing new world with distinct surface features, including an immense dark band known as the “whale.”

O segundo artigo, é a confirmação da actividade geológica.
http://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-image-of-pluto-houston-we-have-geology

New Image of Pluto: 'Houston, We Have Geology'

It began as a point of light. Then, it evolved into a fuzzy orb. Now – in its latest portrait from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft – Pluto is being revealed as an intriguing new world with distinct surface features, including an immense dark band known as the “whale.”


As the newest black and white image from New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) appeared on the morning of July 10, members of the science team reacted with joy and delight, seeing Pluto as never before. There will no doubt be many similar moments to come. New images and data are being gathered each day as New Horizons speeds closer to a July 14 flyby of Pluto, following a journey of three billion miles.


“We’re close enough now that we’re just starting to see Pluto’s geology,” said New Horizons program scientist Curt Niebur, NASA Headquarters in Washington, who’s keenly interested in the gray area just above the whale’s “tail” feature. “It’s a unique transition region with a lot of dynamic processes interacting, which makes it of particular scientific interest.”


New Horizons’ latest image of Pluto was taken on July 9, 2015 from 3.3 million miles (5.4 million kilometers) away, with a resolution of 17 miles (27 kilometers) per pixel. At this range, Pluto is beginning to reveal the first signs of discrete geologic features. This image views the side of Pluto that always faces its largest moon, Charon, and includes the so-called “tail” of the dark whale-shaped feature along its equator. (The immense, bright feature shaped like a heart had rotated from view when this image was captured.)


“Among the structures tentatively identified in this new image are what appear to be polygonal features; a complex band of terrain stretching east-northeast across the planet, approximately 1,000 miles long; and a complex region where bright terrains meet the dark terrains of the whale,” said New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern. “After nine and a half years in flight, Pluto is well worth the wait.”

Fotos

Cá para mim, é só Plutão a por-se todo catita para a fotografia .