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Laurel Kornfeld
September 30, 2018
The New Horizons spacecraft is moving towards its second target: the Ultima Thule object of the Kuiper Belt. NASA / JPL / JHUAPL image credit
NASA New Horizons the team has successfully completed a simulation the next flyby of the Ultimate Thule Kuiper Belt (KBO) object that included "data" based on actual observations and projections about the target object.
Conducted over three days from September 6 to 8, the trial was the last of more than 20 simulations of this type. Known as ORT, they are used to test the most critical parts of the flyby, such as navigation, spacecraft operation, and verification. New Horizons seven scientific instruments. The last of these checks is essential for finding rings, moons and other potential hazards for the probe.
Image credit: NASA
More than 50 scientists participated in the simulation in anticipation of the December 31st and January 1st flyby of Ultima Thule, also known as the 2014 MU69. Similar rehearsals took place before New Horizons"July 2015 fly over Pluto.
During these simulations, mission scientists work in the office they will use during the flyby and will use the same software tools as those planned for the real one. They "downloaded" models of images and composition "data", which were then analyzed and "announced" to the public through press releases and press releases.
In the weeks leading up to this last rehearsal, scientists used real-life data on Ultima Thule to create a fictional dataset in which the KBO actually consists of several objects surrounded by a reflection ring. Data from several stellar occultations in 2017 and 2018 indicate that Ultima Thule can be a binary system in which two objects are in orbit around each other and can actually touch each other.
The occultation data also suggest that the KBO might have a moon.
"It was the final exam of our science team and they did it brilliantly – which means we are ready for Ultima's flyby in almost 100 days," said principal investigator Alan Stern.
"New Horizons is already conducting the first human flyover of a small object in the Kuiper Belt, an incredible feat in itself, "said project scientist Hal Weaver. Laboratory of Applied Physics, Johns Hopkins University (JHUAPL). "But if the real Ultima is half as cool as the one we simulated in this test, we're ready for an even more amazing start in 2019!"
Located about a billion kilometers beyond Pluto, Ultima Thule should be the farthest object ever explored by a spaceship. Much smaller than Pluto and not large enough to be spherical, the KBO is composed of primitive materials dating back to the formation of our solar system.
Tagged: Kuiper Belt Object Horizons New Horizon The Thule Thule Scientific Team
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Laurel Kornfeld
Laurel Kornfeld is an amateur astronomer and freelance writer from Highland Park, New Jersey, who loves writing about astronomy and planetary science. She studied journalism at Douglass College, Rutgers University, and earned a scientific certificate from Astronomy Online at Swinburne University. His writings have been published online in The Atlantic, the Astronomy magazine's blog section, the British Space Conference, the 2009 IAU General Assembly Journal, The Space Reporter, and bulletins from various astronomy clubs. She is a member of Amateur Astronomers, Inc. based in Cranford, New Jersey. Particularly interested in the outdoor solar system, Laurel made a short presentation at Great Planet Debate 2008 at the Applied Physics Laboratory
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