New Horizons spacecraft nears hazardous environs of Pluto
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028853
Nature : Launched in 2006, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is scheduled to have its closest flyby of Pluto on 14 July. Currently it is on the lookout for any objects, from small moons to particles of dust, in its path. Because of the speed at which New Horizons is traveling—more than 48 000 km/hr—hitting anything, even an object the size of a rice grain, could be serious. If a potential hazard is detected, mission planners will either rotate the craft so that its antenna can serve as a shield or divert the craft onto one of two alternative routes—either a little closer to or a little farther from Pluto. As a precaution, New Horizons will also send back data to Earth just before its final approach.