Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of
our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief
explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2006 January
24 Explanation: Destination: Pluto. The New Horizons spacecraft
roared off its launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA last
week toward adventures in the distant Solar System. The craft is
one of the fastest spaceships ever launched by humans, having
passed the Moon only nine hours after launch and is on track to
buzz Jupiter in early 2007. Even traveling over 75,000
kilometers per hour, the New Horizons craft will not arrive at
Pluto until 2015. Pluto is the only remaining planet that has
never been visited by a spacecraft or photographed up close.
After Pluto, the robot spaceship will visit one or more Kuiper
Belt Objects orbiting the Sun even further out than Pluto.
Pictured, the New Horizons craft launches into space atop a
powerful Atlas V rocket. Authors & editors: NASA Web Site
Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers