Space Probe Launched to Pluto

[jimbeaux]

Nuclear powered and designed to visit Pluto, its moon, and the Kupier belt afterward. Nine plus year mission.
Edited to add: Scheduled to lift off....sorry! If all goes well, it will be the fastest manmade object to leave the Earth....36,000 plus MPH.

www.space.com/missionlaunches/051219_newhorizons_update.html

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=

>> Edited by jimbeaux on Tuesday 17th January 15:03

[Balmoral Green]

The lady who named Pluto was on breakfast TV this morning, what an astonishing claim to fame. "And what have you ever done dear?" "Oh, nothing much, just named the planet Pluto when I was a little girl"

[mybrainhurts]

How did she find it...?

[nervous]

why did she chose pluto? the name that is, not which planet to name

[mybrainhurts]

BECAUSE SHE DID.......RIGHT?

[up-the-dubs]

Is it being covered live on the net anywhere? Seem to remember a previous launch being done? Launch delayed until 6.45pm.

Pluto? Maybe she liked the dog!

[Balmoral Green]

mybrainhurts said:

How did she find it...?

Just behind Uranus.

[srebbe64]

Apparently, it will travel the distance from the Earth to the Moon in just nine hours - now that's going quicker than I was in the Tunnel run Saturday night!

[stew-typeR]

nervous said:

why did she chose pluto? the name that is, not which planet to name

she was into ancient history. its named after one of the roman gods.

[Eric Mc]

There were a number of reasons -

Pluto was God of the Underworld. It was thought appropriate that a planet on the fringes of the Solar System should be named after a God who looked after the dark, hidden depths of the afterlife.

A tenth planet had long been predicted by the eccentric millionaire astonomer, Percival Lowell. He built an observatory to search for the planet (as well as to observe his other passion, the planet Mars). Clyde Tombaugh, who discoverd Pluto in 1930, was actually observing from Lowell's observatory. The first two letters of the name "Pluto" i.e. "P" and "L", are also the initials of Percival Lowell. Lowell himself had died in 1916.

Pluto was also the name of a recently created popular Walt Disney cartoon character.

The launch is live on NASA TV NOW!



>> Edited by Eric Mc on Tuesday 17th January 19:09

[D_Mike]

I think pluto (the dog) was named after the planet/god.

[jimbeaux]

srebbe64 said:

Apparently, it will travel the distance from the Earth to the Moon in just nine hours - now that's going quicker than I was in the Tunnel run Saturday night!

No shite...That can get to the Moon 3 hours quicker than I can drive to Orlando!

[john75]

Can not wait to see his face when a spaceship arrives

[pesty]

is the launch televised anywhere?

[puggit]

Eric Mc said:

The launch is live on NASA TV NOW

Well that's lucky, we've all got that

[eharding]

www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.htm

Now due to launch at 19.50 UTC.

Edited: Damn....NASA TV now on the blink. I've tried
banging the top of the monitor - no effect. Maybe
it's the vertical hold.

Edited again: Better now...

>> Edited by eharding on Tuesday 17th January 20:00

[Eric Mc]

Im still getting it. Try the unitedspacealliance website.

[anonymous-user]

20:23 now. .

[Eric Mc]

Still debateable if they'll launch today. It's a bit windy for them and if they don't go at 8.23 they won't be going today at all.

[eharding]

Looking at that vapour venting from the tanks,
if anything the wind is picking up. £1 says
they scrub it for today. Anybody know what
they do with the fuel - defuel it, or just
let the LOX boil off?