NASA decided on those where the fly after the New Horizons Pluto (+ animation closer to the planetoid)

July 14, 2015 New Horizons space probe reached Pluto, the dwarf planet by flying at the minimum distance. After that, the probe began to gradually move away from the planetoid and NASA experts at the time were deciding where to direct the station to continue the science mission. Previously it was assumed that the second destination will be one of the objects in the Kuiper belt. Recently, scientists have identified with what the object will be the next target of the mission.

This object has a порядковый Room 2014 MU69 , its size is much smaller than Pluto. From 2014 Sun MU69 is still at 1, 6 billion kilometers farther away than Pluto. According to experts, who determined the new destination for New Horizons, 2014 MU69 - very convenient object, because the flight to it will need much less fuel than a flight to the other objects of the Kuiper Belt. 2014 MU69 has a diameter of about 45 km and an orbital period of 294 years. This object is drawn on the plane of the ecliptic close to the nearly circular orbit at a distance of about 44 a. e. from the sun.

Since spent fuel will be small, the more energy will be to ensure the operation of scientific instruments station. Images and scientific information gathered by New horizons, help scientists better understand what is on the edge of the solar system. The space probe New Horizons does not have the достаточной onboard power source of energy to be able to produce through the stabilization flywheels. Therefore, the task of orientation and stabilization of fully vested in the corrective propulsion system. The fuel used for her methylhydrazine. As a monopropellant, methylhydrazine has slightly worse performance and power demands certain performance culture system to prevent premature decomposition, as compared to conventional two-component fuels.



Select object 2014 MU69 is not final - so it will be after the official commission NASA approves it. New Horizons team must submit a project proposal to the relevant committee NASA, for the continuation of the mission. Consideration of the application and a decision on it will not happen in 2016 wound.

Nevertheless, the team now has to start to get closer to 2014 MU69, otherwise the machine simply do not get to the object. In October and November of this year will be carried out maneuvers to change the trajectory of the system so that the probe was able to get through 2014 MU69. To achieve the 2014 MU69 in late September and early October 2015 will be made four trajectory correction space probe. The only way you can be sure that New Horizons will fly until 2014 MU69 if approved this decision. If all goes well, the January 1, 2019, we learn that the same is 2014 MU69.

The discovery of this object was "salvation" for the expanded mission of the machine New Horizons. At launch, the device has not yet been known objects that the unit would visit after a flyby of Pluto, the search for such objects was spent during the flight. At the beginning of 2015 was only 2014 MU69 detected object that New Horizons could achieve guaranteed (including possible errors). Chance of attainability for a little more than a large candidate in 2014 PN70 (PT3, G12000JZ) was estimated at 97%, and for 2014 OS393 (PT2, E31007AI) estimate was only 7%, and it is no longer seen as a possible target. Moreover, visiting any of these two sites would require twice the spacecraft velocity change (and thus more fuel consumption) than 2014 MU69. Earlier, in late 2014, from the list of potential targets in 2014 was expelled object MT69 (PT7). In June 2015 only 2014 PN70 (PT3), regarded as a potential target, but in August 2015 an additional range of objectives has been made in favor of the 2014 MU69.

And here's a video of flight interplanetary station near Pluto.



Animation is made from real photos taken probe. After the passage of a minimum distance of Pluto from the probe was able to obtain images of the dwarf planet and the back side, which allowed us to see the atmosphere of Pluto.

Time video замедляется and accelerated . Thus, at the beginning and end of the roller is equal to 1 second approximately 30 hours real time. In a place where the unit flies by Pluto 1 second to 30 minutes of real time.

Source: geektimes.ru/post/261098/