NASA Spacecraft Begins 1st Ever Approach To Pluto

Excerpt from 
sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com


SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Man is about to reach closer to Pluto than

ever before as the NASA New Horizons spacecraft begins the first of

several approach phases toward the dwarf planet at the edge of our solar

system.

When the mission was in the planning phases, Pluto was still

considered a planet, but in 2006 it was reclassified as a dwarf planet.

That same year, the New Horizons spacecraft blasted off as the fastest

ever, shooting out off on a 4.6 billion mile journey to the distant

sphere.

The piano-size New Horizons craft was in a hibernation phase as it

traveled the first 3 billion miles toward Pluto. It woke up last month

and is now getting ready for the first photo shoot.

“NASA first mission to distant Pluto will also be humankind’s first

close up view of this cold, unexplored world in our solar system,” said

Jim Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division at the agency’s

Headquarters in Washington.

Beginning January 25th, the probe will begin snapping photos of

Pluto, which is the 10th largest celestial body orbiting our sun.

The later stages of approach will require steering the craft closer

to Pluto by using photo information to steer around five known moons and

other potential perils.

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NASA Spacecraft Begins 1st Ever Approach To Pluto