Other_objects_in_the_Solar_System Space_exploration

new horizons image of pluto


pluto


new horizons image of charon (2015)

the dwarf planet pluto presents significant challenges spacecraft because of great distance earth (requiring high velocity reasonable trip times) , small mass (making capture orbit difficult @ present). voyager 1 have visited pluto, controllers opted instead close flyby of saturn s moon titan, resulting in trajectory incompatible pluto flyby. voyager 2 never had plausible trajectory reaching pluto.

pluto continues of great interest, despite reclassification lead , nearest member of new , growing class of distant icy bodies of intermediate size (and first member of important subclass, defined orbit , known plutinos ). after intense political battle, mission pluto dubbed new horizons granted funding united states government in 2003. new horizons launched on 19 january 2006. in 2007 craft made use of gravity assist jupiter. closest approach pluto on 14 july 2015; scientific observations of pluto began 5 months prior closest approach , continued 16 days after encounter.

asteroids , comets


comet 103p/hartley



asteroid 4 vesta, imaged dawn spacecraft

until advent of space travel, objects in asteroid belt merely pinpricks of light in largest telescopes, shapes , terrain remaining mystery. several asteroids have been visited probes, first of galileo, flew past two: 951 gaspra in 1991, followed 243 ida in 1993. both of these lay near enough galileo s planned trajectory jupiter visited @ acceptable cost. first landing on asteroid performed near shoemaker probe in 2000, following orbital survey of object. dwarf planet ceres , asteroid 4 vesta, 2 of 3 largest asteroids, visited nasa s dawn spacecraft, launched in 2007.

although many comets have been studied earth centuries-worth of observations, few comets have been closely visited. in 1985, international cometary explorer conducted first comet fly-by (21p/giacobini-zinner) before joining halley armada studying famous comet. deep impact probe smashed 9p/tempel learn more structure , composition , stardust mission returned samples of comet s tail. philae lander landed on comet churyumov–gerasimenko in 2014 part of broader rosetta mission.

hayabusa unmanned spacecraft developed japan aerospace exploration agency return sample of material small near-earth asteroid 25143 itokawa earth further analysis. hayabusa launched on 9 may 2003 , rendezvoused itokawa in mid-september 2005. after arriving @ itokawa, hayabusa studied asteroid s shape, spin, topography, color, composition, density, , history. in november 2005, landed on asteroid collect samples. spacecraft returned earth on 13 june 2010.