If planets had feelings (and who’s to say they don’t?), I imagine Pluto would be pretty pleased with all the attention it’s getting these days. The last time anyone cared this much about Pluto was back when it got demoted from planet to dwarf planet; this week, though, Pluto is making headlines for a much more exciting reason.
As you likely know by now, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab built and controls the New Horizon space probe, which just completed its decade long, three billion mile trip to Pluto. Well, not to Pluto exactly–to 7,750 miles above the dwarf planet.
There were a few moments of tension when New Horizons went dark, but a programmed “phone call” from the spacecraft this morning gave the folks at NASA the good news that New Horizons survived its flyby and is moving on deeper into the Solar System.
“I know today we’ve inspired a whole new generation of explorers with this great success, and we look forward to the discoveries yet to come,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
See more photos here!
