We are pleased to host this very special talk about the New Horizons mission, presented by astronomer Dr. Henry Throop! (And don't miss Dr. Throop's other talk at 6:30pm!)
After a nine-year journey though the solar system, astronomers visited Pluto for the first time in July 2015, using a robotic NASA spacecraft called New Horizons. Despite being a tiny, icy body far from the sun's warmth, New Horizons found Pluto's surface to be astonishingly young and active, showing a diverse variety of geology never before seen in the solar system. New Horizons Science Team member Dr. Henry Throop will tell the story of this NASA spacecraft mission, from its development and construction, through launch in 2006, to its successful encounter with Pluto, and plans for a flyby in the Kuiper Belt on 1 January 2019.
The target audience for this talk is older children and adults.