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Although detailed and high-resolution images are expected to take a few weeks to arrive, NASA has released a new series of information on Ultima Thule, collected by the New Horizons spacecraft that pbaded there on the first day of the day. 39; year. Until then, what we already knew was the confirmation of the reddish color of the surface of the object, in addition to its shape compared to that of a snowman, and Ultima Thule is actually the junction of two objects that have collided
The US Space Agency says there is no evidence that the object officially named 2014 MU69 has its own rings or satellites in its orbit, and the badysis of them Data also found no evidence that the object has an atmosphere. NASA also confirms that the two Ultima Thule lobes (called without great creativity Ultima and Thule) have an almost identical surface color.
In the coming days, the New Horizons spacecraft will be secret, requiring a pause as long as the ship is not in a position to favor communications. The data transmission will resume on January 10 and the data collected will continue to arrive throughout the next 20 months.
The future of new horizons
Now, as mission scientists prepare to download New Horizons' vast data collection, the ship's manipulators are already looking for the next target, as the ship has the fuel to stay up and running. in the 2030s and many interesting objects are waiting to be studied closely in the Kuiper belt.
However, the future of the mission remains a mystery, because defining another object to explore is a task that can take months or even years to complete. In addition, NASA must have enough money to extend the mission by a few years, as was possible with the observation of Ultima Thule. And given that we still have 20 months before the data on the object arrives at its destination, it is still too early to speculate on the extension of the "lifetime" of New Horizons, on the next object to visit and when it will occur.
Source: NASA, Space News
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