NEW HORIZONS

New Horizons: A Journey to New Frontiers

New Horizons is New Frontiers 1Launch: Jan ‘06

Pluto-CharonJuly 2015

KBOs2016-2020

Jupiter SystemMarch 2007

First Time Exploration First Time Exploration of The Solar System’s “Third Zone”of The Solar System’s “Third Zone”

PKB AO-Defined Measurement Objectives

Group 1 Objectives: Characterize the global geology and morphology of Pluto and Charon Map surface composition of Pluto and Charon Characterize the neutral atmosphere of Pluto and its escape rate

Group 2 Objectives: Characterize the time variability of Pluto's surface and atmosphere Image Pluto and Charon in stereo Map the terminators of Pluto and Charon with high resolution Map the composition of selected areas of Pluto & Charon at high resolution Characterize Pluto's ionosphere and solar wind interaction Search for neutral species including H, H2, HCN, and CxHy, and other

hydrocarbons and nitriles in Pluto's upper atmosphere Search for an atmosphere around Charon Determine bolometric Bond albedos for Pluto and Charon Map the surface temperatures of Pluto and Charon

Group 3 Objectives: Characterize the energetic particle environment of Pluto and Charon Refine bulk parameters (radii, masses, densities) and orbits of Pluto & Charon Search for magnetic fields of Pluto and Charon Search for additional satellites and rings

Required

Desired

Important

Instrument Payload

LORRI

PEPSSI

SWAP

RALPH

ALICE

Student Dust Counter

CORE: REX Uplink radio science & passive radiometry RALPH VIS/IR imaging & spectroscopy ALICE UV imaging spectroscopy

Supplemental: LORRI High-resolution imager SWAP plasma spectrometer PEPSSI energetic particle spectrometer SDC EPO Student Dust Counter

New HorizonsPayload Characteristics

Type Characteristics

Ralph Imager/Imaging Spectrometer

Panchromatic & 4-color CCD imagery (20 μrad resolution); 1.25-2.50 μm IR imaging spectroscopy (62 μrad, R=300-600).

Alice UV Imaging Spectrometer

λλ=520-1870 Å, 3 Å resolution, airglow & occultation capabilities

REX Radio Science, Radiometery

Atmosphere P,T to: 0.1μbar, 1 K Surface Temp to 0.3 K

LORRI Hi-Res Imager Panchromatic CCD imagery (5 μrad resolution)

SWAP In Situ Plasma Spectrometer

Solar wind ions up to 6.5 KeV

PEPSSI In Situ Particle Spectrometer

Ions: 1-5000 KeV Electrons: 20-700 KeV

SDC In Situ Dust Counter 0.10 meters2 active area, Threshold Mass ~10-12 gm

New HorizonsScience Traceability

New Horizons meets or exceeds all of the PKB mission Group 1 (AO-required) measurement objectives, plus all

of the (AO-desired) Group 2, and 3 of the 4 Group 3 measurement objectives.

Science Objectives Are Accomplished with Great Functional Redundancy

Toward New Frontiers

New Horizons is Demonstrating That Exciting Low Cost Outer Planet Missions Are Indeed Feasible.