1 00:00:04,934 --> 00:00:10,868 [dramatic percussion music] 2 00:00:18,834 --> 00:00:21,200 - HEY, THERE. WELCOME TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD." 3 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:23,300 I'M YOUR HOST, AMBER WHALEN. 4 00:00:23,300 --> 00:00:26,267 WHAT'S THE FASTEST SPACECRAFT TO LEAVE EARTH'S ORBIT? 5 00:00:26,267 --> 00:00:27,934 NOPE, NOT THE SPACE SHUTTLE. 6 00:00:27,934 --> 00:00:29,467 THAT'S FAST, MOVING ALONG 7 00:00:29,467 --> 00:00:31,434 AT ABOUT 28,000 KILOMETERS AN HOUR, 8 00:00:31,434 --> 00:00:33,234 BUT IT STAYS IN EARTH'S ORBIT. 9 00:00:33,234 --> 00:00:35,534 AND IT'S NOT THE APOLLO MISSIONS EITHER. 10 00:00:35,534 --> 00:00:36,801 HERE'S A HINT: 11 00:00:36,801 --> 00:00:39,868 THE SPACECRAFT LAUNCHED ON JANUARY 19, 2006. 12 00:00:39,868 --> 00:00:40,968 GIVE UP? 13 00:00:40,968 --> 00:00:42,767 IT'S THE NEW HORIZONS SPACECRAFT, 14 00:00:42,767 --> 00:00:44,434 HEADING FOR PLUTO AND THE KUIPER BELT. 15 00:00:44,434 --> 00:00:46,033 WHEN IT LEFT EARTH'S ORBIT, 16 00:00:46,033 --> 00:00:50,434 IT WAS TRAVELING AT AN AMAZING 57,600 KILOMETERS PER HOUR, 17 00:00:50,434 --> 00:00:52,434 MORE THAN TWICE THE SPEED OF THE SHUTTLE. 18 00:00:52,434 --> 00:00:54,167 HOW FAST IS THAT? 19 00:00:54,167 --> 00:00:55,734 WELL, TO PUT IT INTO PERSPECTIVE, 20 00:00:55,734 --> 00:00:58,167 THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS TRAVELED FROM EARTH TO THE MOON 21 00:00:58,167 --> 00:00:59,534 IN ABOUT THREE DAYS. 22 00:00:59,534 --> 00:01:02,734 IT ONLY TOOK NEW HORIZONS ABOUT NINE HOURS FROM LAUNCH 23 00:01:02,734 --> 00:01:04,000 TO PASS OUR MOON. 24 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:05,667 BUT WHAT IS NEW HORIZONS? 25 00:01:05,667 --> 00:01:06,834 WHERE IS IT GOING? 26 00:01:06,834 --> 00:01:08,100 WHAT'S ITS MISSION? 27 00:01:08,100 --> 00:01:09,567 WELL, HERE'S ALLEN LUNSFORD, 28 00:01:09,567 --> 00:01:12,033 NASA TECHNOLOGIST ON THE NEW HORIZON MISSION, 29 00:01:12,033 --> 00:01:13,434 TO GIVE US THE SCOOP. 30 00:01:13,434 --> 00:01:17,200 - NEW HORIZONS IS OUR MISSION TO PLUTO. 31 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:19,234 FOR YEARS, NASA AND OTHER GROUPS 32 00:01:19,234 --> 00:01:21,968 HAVE TRIED TO GET A MISSION FUNDED TO GO TO PLUTO, 33 00:01:21,968 --> 00:01:23,467 BECAUSE AT THE TIME, 34 00:01:23,467 --> 00:01:26,634 IT WAS THE FURTHEST BODY THAT WAS KNOWN. 35 00:01:26,634 --> 00:01:28,734 WELL, WE'VE DISCOVERED SOME FURTHER OUT NOW. 36 00:01:28,734 --> 00:01:30,400 BUT WE KNOW A LOT ABOUT PLUTO 37 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:32,834 BECAUSE WE'VE OBSERVED IT FOR MANY YEARS, 38 00:01:32,834 --> 00:01:35,734 BUT WE'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO REALLY OBSERVE IT UP CLOSE, 39 00:01:35,734 --> 00:01:38,234 SO THERE'S A LOT OF GAPS IN OUR KNOWLEDGE. 40 00:01:38,234 --> 00:01:40,634 SO WE PUT THE NEW HORIZONS MISSION TOGETHER. 41 00:01:40,634 --> 00:01:42,334 - COOL, RIGHT? 42 00:01:42,334 --> 00:01:44,467 WELL, ACTUALLY, THE TEMPERATURE ON NEW HORIZONS 43 00:01:44,467 --> 00:01:46,000 DOES HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED. 44 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:47,400 THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPUTERS 45 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:49,100 AND SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS ON BOARD, 46 00:01:49,100 --> 00:01:51,601 AND THOSE FUNCTION BEST AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. 47 00:01:51,601 --> 00:01:53,434 THAT COULD BE A PRETTY TOUGH TASK 48 00:01:53,434 --> 00:01:54,934 AS THE SPACECRAFT IS HURLING 49 00:01:54,934 --> 00:01:57,100 THROUGH THE FRIGID EXPANSES OF SPACE. 50 00:01:57,100 --> 00:01:58,434 BUT NEVER FEAR. 51 00:01:58,434 --> 00:02:01,033 NASA SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS THOUGHT OF EVERYTHING, 52 00:02:01,033 --> 00:02:03,934 AND THE INSTRUMENTS ARE KEPT AT THE TEMPERATURE THEY NEED. 53 00:02:03,934 --> 00:02:06,534 IN ALL, THERE ARE SEVEN SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 54 00:02:06,534 --> 00:02:08,100 ABOARD NEW HORIZONS. 55 00:02:08,100 --> 00:02:09,601 THERE'S THE RALPH INSTRUMENT, 56 00:02:09,601 --> 00:02:11,534 WHICH IS A VISIBLE AND INFRARED IMAGER 57 00:02:11,534 --> 00:02:13,167 AS WELL AS A SPECTROMETER. 58 00:02:13,167 --> 00:02:14,434 THEN THERE'S ALICE, 59 00:02:14,434 --> 00:02:16,801 WHICH IS THE ULTRAVIOLET IMAGING SPECTROMETER; 60 00:02:16,801 --> 00:02:18,868 REX, THE RADIO SCIENCE EXPERIMENT, 61 00:02:18,868 --> 00:02:21,767 WHICH MEASURES ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND TEMPERATURE; 62 00:02:21,767 --> 00:02:24,300 LORRI, THE LONG RANGE RECONNAISSANCE IMAGER, 63 00:02:24,300 --> 00:02:25,968 WHICH IS A TELESCOPIC CAMERA 64 00:02:25,968 --> 00:02:29,100 THAT OBTAINS ENCOUNTER DATA AT LONG DISTANCES, 65 00:02:29,100 --> 00:02:30,767 MAPS PLUTO'S FAR SIDE, 66 00:02:30,767 --> 00:02:33,601 AND PROVIDES HIGH-RESOLUTION GEOLOGIC DATA. 67 00:02:33,601 --> 00:02:35,968 SWAP, THE SOLAR WIND AROUND PLUTO, 68 00:02:35,968 --> 00:02:37,901 IS A SOLAR WIND SPECTROMETER 69 00:02:37,901 --> 00:02:40,734 THAT MEASURES THE ESCAPE RATE OF THE ATMOSPHERE. 70 00:02:40,734 --> 00:02:42,133 PEPSSI IS THE PLUTO 71 00:02:42,133 --> 00:02:45,367 ENERGETIC PARTICLE SPECTROMETER SCIENCE INVESTIGATION, 72 00:02:45,367 --> 00:02:47,534 AND IT'S THE ENERGETIC PARTICLE SPECTROMETER 73 00:02:47,534 --> 00:02:50,701 THAT MEASURES THE COMPOSITION AND DENSITY OF PLASMA IONS 74 00:02:50,701 --> 00:02:52,467 ESCAPING FROM PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE. 75 00:02:52,467 --> 00:02:55,834 AND THEN THERE'S THE SDC, OR STUDENT DUST COUNTER, 76 00:02:55,834 --> 00:02:58,767 WHICH MEASURES THE SPACE DUST ENCOUNTERED BY NEW HORIZONS. 77 00:02:58,767 --> 00:02:59,934 AND GUESS WHAT. 78 00:02:59,934 --> 00:03:02,634 THE SDC ACTUALLY WAS BUILT BY STUDENTS 79 00:03:02,634 --> 00:03:04,667 AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO. 80 00:03:04,667 --> 00:03:07,734 OKAY, SO ALL OF THAT IS ON NEW HORIZONS, 81 00:03:07,734 --> 00:03:09,334 AND IT'S HEADING TOWARDS PLUTO. 82 00:03:09,334 --> 00:03:11,334 WELL, THAT'S A REALLY LONG DISTANCE, 83 00:03:11,334 --> 00:03:12,567 AND ALONG THE WAY, 84 00:03:12,567 --> 00:03:14,367 THERE ARE SOME PRETTY EXCITING THINGS TO SEE. 85 00:03:14,367 --> 00:03:17,634 FOR EXAMPLE, AS NEW HORIZONS COMPLETED ITS SLINGSHOT 86 00:03:17,634 --> 00:03:19,634 PAST JUPITER IN EARLY 2007, 87 00:03:19,634 --> 00:03:21,567 IT WAS ABLE TO UTILIZE ITS INSTRUMENTS 88 00:03:21,567 --> 00:03:24,334 TO GATHER NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLANET AND ITS MOONS. 89 00:03:24,334 --> 00:03:27,601 FOR ONE THING, NEW HORIZONS SCOPED OUT THE MOON IO 90 00:03:27,601 --> 00:03:30,100 AND SAW 11 DIFFERENT VOLCANIC PLUMES, 91 00:03:30,100 --> 00:03:32,200 THREE OF WHICH HAD NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE, 92 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,300 AND ONE WAS A 320-KILOMETER-HIGH ERUPTION 93 00:03:35,300 --> 00:03:37,601 THAT ALLOWED THE UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY 94 00:03:37,601 --> 00:03:40,033 TO TRACK THE MOTION AND STRUCTURE OF THE PLUME 95 00:03:40,033 --> 00:03:42,000 AS IT CONDENSED AT A HIGH ALTITUDE 96 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:43,934 AND FELL BACK TO THE MOON'S SURFACE. 97 00:03:43,934 --> 00:03:46,734 NEW HORIZONS' FLIGHT DOWN JUPITER'S MAGNETOTAIL 98 00:03:46,734 --> 00:03:49,501 GAVE IT A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN LOOK AT THE HUGE REGION 99 00:03:49,501 --> 00:03:52,367 AFFECTED BY THE PLANET'S STRONG MAGNETIC FIELD. 100 00:03:52,367 --> 00:03:54,367 THE NEW HORIZONS PARTICLE DETECTORS 101 00:03:54,367 --> 00:03:56,234 SAW EVIDENCE THAT TONS OF THE MATERIAL 102 00:03:56,234 --> 00:03:57,801 FROM IO'S VOLCANOES 103 00:03:57,801 --> 00:04:01,000 MOVE DOWN THE TAIL IN LARGE, DENSE, SLOW-MOVING BLOBS. 104 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,167 BY ANALYZING THIS INFORMATION, NEW HORIZONS SCIENTISTS 105 00:04:04,167 --> 00:04:06,734 ARE EXPLORING HOW THE VOLCANIC GASES FROM IO 106 00:04:06,734 --> 00:04:08,834 ARE IONIZED, TRAPPED, AND ENERGIZED 107 00:04:08,834 --> 00:04:10,601 BY JUPITER'S MAGNETIC FIELD, 108 00:04:10,601 --> 00:04:13,067 THEN ULTIMATELY EJECTED FROM THE SYSTEM. 109 00:04:13,067 --> 00:04:15,000 AND THERE'S A LOT MORE NEW INFORMATION 110 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,067 THAT NEW HORIZONS GATHERED ABOUT JUPITER, 111 00:04:17,067 --> 00:04:18,601 EVEN AFTER OTHER MISSIONS 112 00:04:18,601 --> 00:04:20,634 HAVE ALREADY VISITED THE PLANET AND ITS MOONS. 113 00:04:20,634 --> 00:04:22,434 BUT REMEMBER, THAT'S NOT EVEN 114 00:04:22,434 --> 00:04:24,534 THE PRIMARY FOCUS FOR NEW HORIZONS. 115 00:04:24,534 --> 00:04:26,434 IT'S GOT ITS EYES SET ON PLUTO. 116 00:04:26,434 --> 00:04:29,367 IMAGINE HOW MUCH NEW INFORMATION WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT. 117 00:04:29,367 --> 00:04:32,100 YOU KNOW, I REALLY THINK ALLEN SAID IT BEST. 118 00:04:32,100 --> 00:04:35,300 - THERE'S SO MUCH THAT EVERY TIME IN HISTORY 119 00:04:35,300 --> 00:04:36,968 THAT WE THINK WE KNOW, YOU KNOW, 120 00:04:36,968 --> 00:04:40,667 SOME BIG PART OF EVERYTHING, 121 00:04:40,667 --> 00:04:43,834 WE LEARN THAT WE REALLY DON'T KNOW AS MUCH AS WE THOUGHT. 122 00:04:43,834 --> 00:04:46,067 I MEAN, WHEN WE DISCOVERED PLUTO, 123 00:04:46,067 --> 00:04:47,601 THAT WAS AN AMAZING DISCOVERY. 124 00:04:47,601 --> 00:04:49,567 AND FOR YEARS, 50, 60 YEARS, 125 00:04:49,567 --> 00:04:51,434 THAT WAS THE EDGE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM 126 00:04:51,434 --> 00:04:54,601 UNTIL WE STARTED LOOKING-- BEING ABLE TO LOOK CLOSER 127 00:04:54,601 --> 00:04:56,467 AT WHAT'S OUT THERE BEYOND PLUTO, 128 00:04:56,467 --> 00:04:57,467 AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN, 129 00:04:57,467 --> 00:04:59,033 WE DISCOVER NEW THINGS OUT THERE. 130 00:04:59,033 --> 00:05:00,567 THERE'S ALWAYS THINGS TO DISCOVER. 131 00:05:00,567 --> 00:05:03,000 EVEN JUPITER, WHICH IS REALLY BIG 132 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:04,634 AND REALLY WELL-STUDIED, 133 00:05:04,634 --> 00:05:06,234 WE CONTINUE TO SEND MISSIONS THERE 134 00:05:06,234 --> 00:05:08,234 AND CONTINUE TO SURPRISE OURSELVES 135 00:05:08,234 --> 00:05:11,133 ABOUT WHAT PROCESSES ARE AT WORK THERE. 136 00:05:11,133 --> 00:05:12,634 WE JUST DISCOVERED SOMETHING NEW. 137 00:05:12,634 --> 00:05:14,567 THERE'S ALWAYS NEW STUFF TO DISCOVER 138 00:05:14,567 --> 00:05:18,000 ACROSS THE WHOLE RANGE OF SCIENCES. 139 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:19,501 - IT'S GOING TO TAKE A WHILE 140 00:05:19,501 --> 00:05:21,400 FOR NEW HORIZONS TO GET TO PLUTO. 141 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,200 IT'S NOT SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE UNTIL 2015. 142 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:25,400 AND IN THE MEANTIME, 143 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:27,133 IT GOES INTO ELECTRONIC HIBERNATION 144 00:05:27,133 --> 00:05:28,467 TO REDUCE WEAR AND TEAR 145 00:05:28,467 --> 00:05:30,534 FOR ABOUT TEN MONTHS OUT OF EVERY YEAR, 146 00:05:30,534 --> 00:05:32,434 JUST WAKING UP FOR SYSTEM CHECKOUTS 147 00:05:32,434 --> 00:05:34,033 AND INSTRUMENT CALIBRATIONS. 148 00:05:34,033 --> 00:05:35,968 THAT WAY, BY THE TIME IT GETS TO PLUTO, 149 00:05:35,968 --> 00:05:38,667 IT'LL BE WELL-RESTED AND READY TO GATHER INFORMATION. 150 00:05:38,667 --> 00:05:39,868 AND WHO KNOWS? 151 00:05:39,868 --> 00:05:41,734 BY THAT TIME, YOU MIGHT EVEN BE ABLE TO HELP 152 00:05:41,734 --> 00:05:43,133 ANALYZE ALL THE DATA. 153 00:05:43,133 --> 00:05:44,801 WELL, THAT'S IT FOR NOW. 154 00:05:44,801 --> 00:05:46,868 FOR "NASA LAUNCHPAD," I'M AMBER WHALEN. 155 00:05:46,868 --> 00:05:48,133 WE'LL CATCH YOU NEXT TIME.