Overview of the New Horizons Science Payload

Weaver, H. A.; Gibson, William C.; Tapley, Mark B.; Young, L. A.; Stern, S. A.

doi:10.1007/s11214-008-9376-6

Cited by 58 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) is one of seven scientific instruments/experiments (Weaver et al 2008) on board the New Horizons spacecraft (Fountain et al 2008), now on its way to Pluto (Stern 2008). While it is doubtful that Pluto has an intrinsic magnetic field and magnetosphere that accelerates charged particles to high energies, Pluto does have (or has had in the very recent past) a substantial atmosphere (Elliot et al 1989(Elliot et al , 2003(Elliot et al , 2007Brosch 1995;Sicardy et al 2003;Fink et al 1980) that is escaping into the solar wind in a comet-like interaction (Bagenal and McNutt 1989;Kecskemety and Cravens 1993;Bagenal et al 1997;Trafton et al 1997;Krasnopolsky 1999;Delamere and Bagenal 2004;Tian and Toon 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) on the New Horizons Mission

et al. 2008

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The Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) comprises the hardware and accompanying science investigation on the New Horizons spacecraft to measure pick-up ions from Pluto's outgassing atmosphere. To the extent that Pluto retains its characteristics similar to those of a "heavy comet" as detected in stellar occultations since the early 1980s, these measurements will characterize the neutral atmosphere of Pluto while providing a consistency check on the atmospheric escape rate at the encounter epoch with that deduced from the atmospheric structure at lower altitudes by the ALICE, REX, and SWAP experiments on New Horizons. In addition, PEPSSI will characterize any extended ionosphere and solar wind interaction while also characterizing the energetic particle environment of Pluto, Charon, and their associated system. First proposed for development for the Pluto Express mission in September 1993, what became the PEPSSI instrument went through a number of development stages to meet the requirements of such an instrument for a mission to Pluto while minimizing the required spacecraft resources. The PEPSSI instrument provides for measurements of ions (with compositional information) and electrons from 10 s of keV to ∼1 MeV in a 160°× 12°fan-shaped beam in six sectors for 1.5 kg and ∼2.5 W.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) on the New Horizons Mission

et al. 2008

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“…We also simulated data that will reproduce the schedule of New Horizons' observations, coming from Young et al (2008) and Young et al (2010). The schedule and uncertainties used are given in Table 4.…”

Section: Evolution Of the Uncertainty On Mass Determinationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamical parameter determinations in Pluto’s system

Lainey

Arlot

Binzel

2012

A&A

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Pluto is the multiple system that has been observed the longest. Yet, the masses of its smallest satellites, Nix and Hydra, which were discovered in 2005, are still imprecisely known, because of the short time span and number of available observations. We present a numerical model that takes into account the second order gravity fields and Pluto's orbital motion in the solar system. We investigated the dynamical parameters that may be reliably determined today. We also assessed the possible improvements on the parameter uncertainties with the future increase of observations, including the New Horizons mission. Fitting our model to simulated data, we show that the precision of observations prevents the quantification of the polar oblateness J 2 and equatorial bulge c 22 of Pluto and Charon. Similarly, we show that the masses are on the detection limit. In particular, unless 25 observations are made every year, the mass of Nix may be constrained with confidence only with New Horizons data. Hydra's mass will only be constrained by the probe. The recent discovery of P4 might change this situation, but our knowledge of this object is still too vague to draw any conclusion.

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“…To address these goals, New Horizons carries four remote sensing and three in situ instruments, reviewed in Weaver et al (2008). Alice , an ultraviolet spectrometer covering 465-1880Å with a spatial resolution of 5 mrad/pixel, will 306 L. A.…”

Section: Mission Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Horizons: Encountering Pluto and KBOs

Young¹,

Stern²

2009

Proc. IAU

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Abstract. New Horizons is a NASA mission to explore the Pluto system and the Kuiper Belt. The spacecraft was launched on 19 January 2006 and will begin its encounter studies of Pluto in early 2015, culminating on 14 July 2015 with a close approach just 12,500 km from Pluto. The spacecraft carries panchromatic and color images, IR and UV mapping spectrometers, a radio science package, two in situ plasma instruments, and a dust counter. We describe the capabilities of this instrument suite and the spacecraft, the observations planned for Pluto and its system of satellites, and our plans for KBO flybys to take place late in the 2010s.

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Overview of the New Horizons Science Payload

Cited by 58 publications

References 18 publications

The Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) on the New Horizons Mission

The Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) on the New Horizons Mission

Dynamical parameter determinations in Pluto’s system

New Horizons: Encountering Pluto and KBOs

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