Pluto

[ExitPursuedByABear]

I am really looking forward to seeing the images that the New Horizon's spacecraft will hopefully be sending back to earth very soon. And I was deeply moved to discover that some of the ashes of Clyde Tombaugh, the chap who 'discovered' Pluto, are being carried on the craft. Although apparently he was considering calling his discovery Kathleen

[Isitmebut]

I hear this spacecraft is going over 30,000 miles an hour, so if it tries to scatter the ashes, they might end up on Saturn. lol

Seriously it is a great moment as so much will be learned re the origins of our universe and as these projects take about 30-years from idea to getting there - and nothing else has been going on - unless we develop Warp Drive in the meantime, this is all we are going to get for the next 30-years.

P.S. Obvious I know, but the name could have been worse e.g. Olive Oil.

[Koalafications]

I'm still bitter about Pluto being demoted from planetary status

[grumpy]

[Isitmebut]

Errr .. as soon as I pressed transmit I KNEW I should have checked, as it wasn't so obvious, as apart from being Olive Oyl, the Popeye character I remeber as a child, was Bluto. Duh.

[Isitmebut]

Koalafications ... I thought one of the first things they realised was that Pluto is LARGER than they thought, so is 'planet' back on the agenda?

[ExitPursuedByABear]

I so agree koala

We should have a Reinstate Pluto campaign.

Are they scattering his ashes, or are they just carrying on into space.

Way to go I say.

[Koalafications]

Oh I really hope that it is reinstated.

It was a great story - moon 'escapes' and is classed as a planet, I bet all of the other moons were really jealous. Now they are laughing at Pluto for being caught and downgraded.

[Koalafications]

Let's hope so Isitmebut

[tribpot]

It's a very exciting moment. Shame the probe can't be put in orbit around Pluto but obviously it would then be impossible to get it back out to continue its journey into the Kuiper Belt.

[Isitmebut]

Earth to Pluto 3 billion miles, years to get there, and the thing still works without a regular look under the bonnet and M.O.T. check. Marvellous.

I understand that there was no way after going that far, that the current design would have allowed the New Horizon spacecraft to slow down/manoeuvre very much.