New Horizons to flyby Pluto this year

[Brian G Turner]

New Scientist provides an update on the anniversary of the flyby - as many other news outlets are - by updating us on discoveries that were made:
Five incredible things we know about Pluto since 2015’s fly-by

 

[Brian G Turner]

A little more on the research of Pluto's atmosphere - and a curious observation about the solar wind: New Horizons discovery raises solar wind riddle around Pluto

 

[Serendipity]

And here is something else 'to boggle about' regarding what's going on with the atmosphere in the Plutovian system... http://gizmodo.com/we-finally-know-what-this-big-red-splotch-on-plutos-moo-1786631582 !

 

[Serendipity]

Here's a little more info on that x-ray business... plus an intriguing thought about wider inter-galactic considerations... ahem... this kind of makes New Horizons not only live up to its name, but very cost effective...

http://gizmodo.com/pluto-is-emitting-x-rays-and-thats-really-weird-1786709072

 

[Serendipity]

Pluto has got a heartbeat - albeit a slow one, but a heartbeat nevertheless... see http://gizmodo.com/we-finally-know-what-made-the-huge-heart-on-pluto-1786802522

 

[Serendipity]

Some more commentary on Pluto's atmosphere here (in fact it's a nice summary).... http://gizmodo.com/plutos-skies-might-be-more-earth-like-than-we-imagined-1787977292

 

[Parson]

Who would have thought so much of interest would be developed by fly by satellite? Pretty amazing stuff.

 

[Ursa major]

And the list of interesting things continues to grow:

Pluto may harbour a slushy water ocean beneath its most prominent surface feature, known as the "heart". This could explain why part of the heart-shaped region - called Sputnik Planitia - is locked in alignment with Pluto's largest moon Charon. A viscous ocean beneath the icy crust could have acted as a heavy, irregular mass that rolled Pluto over, so that Sputnik Planitia was facing the moon. The findings are based on data from Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft.

 

[Serendipity]

Here's the latest summary of the science of Pluto...
http://gizmodo.com/the-biggest-heart-in-the-solar-system-has-an-incredible-1792349863

 

[Brian G Turner]

Apparently, Pluto has an atmosphere that's colder than it should be - but this could be down to soot, rather than specific gases: A layer of haze keeps Pluto’s atmosphere extremely cold

 

[Brian G Turner]

Seems a little late, but Charon has finally had some of its features officially named: Charon's First Official Feature Names | Solar System Exploration: NASA Science

 

[Brian G Turner]

Also, apparently maps are now available, with more detailed commentary by astronomer Phil Plait: We now have official high-resolution maps of Pluto and Charon

 

[BAYLOR]

Also, apparently maps are now available, with more detailed commentary by astronomer Phil Plait: We now have official high-resolution maps of Pluto and Charon

That heat shaped area , a large section of it seems to have complete absence of craters, Interesting .

 

[thaddeus6th]

Just watching a History Channel DVD series which is mostly on the solar system. About a decade old so some bits out of space, but it's still quite interesting.

Maybe this is crackers, but I wonder if Stirling engines would work in space? They were a rival to the early steam engine, and work where there's a temperature difference. Given space stuff tends to be very cold and any human habitation would have to be heated, it could be a means of reclaiming some of that energy.

 

[Parson]

Maybe this is crackers, but I wonder if Stirling engines would work in space?

Clever thinking. Wikipedia says: it has a low power-to-weight ratio,[4] rendering it more suitable for use in static installations where space and weight are not at a premium.

A space ship would seem to have both space and weight problems, at lease if you are going to blast them out of the earth's gravity well. And then I wonder what mass you would able to expel and thereby lose to produce thrust.

 

[thaddeus6th]

I was thinking of using them on the Moon or Mars, on a permanent base. The material could be mostly/entirely blasted there, and then shaped correctly by using 3D printers.