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NASA plans to explore the first bodies detected by humans early on New Year's Day, with scientists acknowledging that they have no "idea" of what they're going to find.
Altima Thule, a mysterious dwarf planet located about 5 billion kilometers from the Earth, is located on the periphery of the solar system, in an area called the Kuiper Belt.
A robotic probe called "New Horizon" will take pictures of the distant body in order to understand the small worlds, which control the outer limits of our solar system. The vehicle will fly about 3200 km from the Altima, without the scientists knowing the secrets that the mysterious space rock can hide.
"What will Altima unveil?" Said Dr. Alan Stern, principal investigator at the mission. Nobody knows. For me, it's the most exciting thing. "
"In 72 hours, the mysterious planet will be transformed from a bright spot into a fully discovered world," Stern said.
Experts believe that the Altima Thule, officially known as "2014 MU69", is a red color and may actually be a pair of space rocks.
The data collected by New Horizon will reveal the shape and temperature of the Altima and determine if it has moons.
The probe, close to the size of the grand piano, was launched in 2006 to explore the surface of Pluto. After the successful flight of the planet in 2015, mission planners were able to extend the route of the probe.
Mr. Stern explained that "New Horizon" data reached the Earth in two days.
Source: Russia today
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