• + NASA Homepage
• + Sciences and Exploration Directorate
• + SSED

Two Columns

New Horizon

On January 19, 2006, the New Horizons spacecraft lifted off from Kennedy Space Center aboard an Altas V launch vehicle. It quickly became the fastest spacecraft to reach the moon and head out into the solar system on its journey to Pluto and then beyond to the Kuiper Belt. On Feb. 28, 2007, New Horizons had a close flyby of Jupiter, using the giant planet for a gravity assist. Lab personnel were involved in the planning and analysis of science observations of Jupiter using the New Horizons cameras and also the Hubble Space Telescope and NASA's IRTF in support of the flyby. More recently, New Horizons passed the orbit of Saturn on June 8, 2008 (too distant for a gravity assist or observations) and is en route to a Pluto encounter in July 2015.

LEISA images of Jupiter showed ammonia clouds evolving over 50 hours (5 Jupiter rotations).

An MVIC image, taken in the strong methane-absorption band at 893-nm, showing the Great Red Spot (lower right) and small "mesoscale" waves near the equator.

• + Freedom of Information Act
• + The President's Management Agenda
• + NASA Privacy Statement, Disclaimer, and Accessibility Certification

• NASA Official: Dr. Amy Simon-Miller
• Website Curator: Tiajuana Perry
  and Lishan Amde
• Website Manager: Jennifer Ash-Poole