The Pluto system was recently explored by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, making closest approach on 14 July 2015. Pluto's surface displays diverse landforms, terrain ages, albedos, colors, and composition gradients. Evidence is found for a water-ice crust, geologically young surface units, surface ice convection, wind streaks, volatile transport, and glacial flow. Pluto's atmosphere is highly extended, with trace hydrocarbons, a global haze layer, and a surface pressure near 10 microbars. Pluto's diverse surface geology and long-term activity raise fundamental questions about how small planets remain active many billions of years after formation. Pluto's large moon Charon displays tectonics and evidence for a heterogeneous crustal composition; its north pole displays puzzling dark terrain. Small satellites Hydra and Nix have higher albedos than expected.
The Cold Classical Kuiper Belt, a class of small bodies in undisturbed orbits beyond Neptune, is composed of primitive objects preserving information about Solar System formation. In January 2019, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past one of these objects, the 36-kilometer-long contact binary (486958) Arrokoth (provisional designation 2014 MU69). Images from the flyby show that Arrokoth has no detectable rings, and no satellites (larger than 180 meters in diameter) within a radius of 8000 kilometers. Arrokoth has a lightly cratered, smooth surface with complex geological features, unlike those on previously visited Solar System bodies. The density of impact craters indicates the surface dates from the formation of the Solar System. The two lobes of the contact binary have closely aligned poles and equators, constraining their accretion mechanism.
Author Contributions D.J.M. is ISʘIS PI and led the data analysis and writing of study. E.R.C is ISʘIS Deputy PI, helped develop EPI-Hi, and participated in the data analysis. C.M.S.C helped develop EPI-Hi and participated in the data analysis. A.C.C. helped develop EPI-Hi and participated in the data analysis. A.J.D. helped develop EPI-Hi and participated in the data analysis. M.I.D. participated in the data analysis. J.G. participated in the data analysis. M.E.H helped develop EPI-Lo and participated in the data analysis. C.J.J. produced Figures 3 and 4 and participated in the data analysis. S.M.K. participated in the data analysis. A.W.L. helped develop EPI-Hi and participated in the data analysis. R.A.L. helped develop EPI-Hi and participated in the data analysis. O.M. participated in the data analysis. W.H.M participated in the data analysis. R.L.M. led the development of EPI-Lo and participated in the data analysis. R.A.M helped develop EPI-Hi and participated in the data analysis. D.G.M. helped develop EPI-Lo and participated in the data analysis. A.P. participated in the data analysis. J.S.R. helped develop EPI-Hi and participated in the data analysis. E.C.R. participated in the data analysis. N.A.S. led the development of the ISʘIS SOC and participated in the data analysis. E.C.S. helped develop EPI-Hi and participated in the data analysis. J.R.S. led the development of the analysis tool, produced Figures 1 and 2, and participated in the data analysis. M.E.W. led the development of EPI-Hi and participated in the data analysis. S.D.B. is FIELDS PI and participated in the data analysis. J.C.K. is SWEAP PI and participated in the data analysis. A.W.C. helped develop SWEAP and participated in the data analysis. K.E.K. helped develop SWEAP and participated in the data analysis. R.J.M. helped develop FIELDS and participated in the data analysis. M.P. helped develop FIELDS and participated in the data analysis. M.L.S. helped develop SWEAP and participated in the data analysis. A.P.R. led the CME simulation work and participated in the data analysis.
An extensive analysis of Cassini Ion and Neutral Camera (INCA) and Charge Energy Mass Spectrometer (CHEMS) measurements of ~6–231 keV ion anisotropies acquired during selected spin and stare periods for nearly all mission orbits has been completed. Based on this analysis, we find that the computed azimuthal speed of Saturn's magnetodisk plasma increases within the inner and middle magnetosphere. Beyond the orbit of Titan, in the magnetotail, the calculated rotation speed remains roughly constant with increasing distance from Saturn. The component of convection parallel to Saturn's spin axis is smaller and on average nearly zero. The radial speed of plasma shows distinct local time dependence and increases outward with increasing distance down the magnetotail. The magnetodisk flow remains primarily azimuthal to large distances, indicating the plasma is still under the influence of Saturn as it transits across the nightside. Tailward flows have been observed in the region near the dawn and dusk magnetotail flanks. The plasma flow in the predawn quadrant is much more disorganized than that in the premidnight quadrant. The hydrogen and oxygen hot ion temperatures increase with decreasing distance to Saturn. Some plasma evidently escapes into a dusk boundary layer at the dusk magnetotail flank, while the remaining plasma primarily moves across the magnetotail and is entrained into the flow of a boundary layer at the dawn flank of the magnetotail. When scaled to the magnetopause standoff distance and corotation fraction, the convection speed of plasma in the magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn is similarly organized.
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