Pluto Research Paper

Words: 1796
Pages: 8

In the outermost part of the solar system sits a dwarf planet and its three moons. This planet is called Pluto. Pluto has a rocky and icy body. It was the ninth and outermost planet until the year 2006. Earth is almost 40 times closer to the sun than Pluto. Due to the immense distance from the sun, Pluto is presumed to be a dark world. It is because of the lengthy distance between Pluto and Earth that we cannot get a clear vantage point of Pluto, even with the most advanced microscopes. Pluto was named after the god of the underworld. The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration sent a probe out in 2006 to Pluto and was expected to be there in nine years (New Views of The Solar System). Even though Pluto is no longer a planet, Scientists have not given up on trying to study it and its surroundings. In order to be called a Planet in our solar system, the object must reach certain criteria. …show more content…
AP3 will allow scientist to study the atmosphere. Things like searching for clouds and hazes in the atmosphere. Other things like ultraviolet emissions from nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and other species in the atmosphere will be studied. During both AP2 and AP3 the mission directors will have to be on the lookout for harmful debris that could mess up the trajectory of the ship. The current prediction of the odds of running into such a problem is below one-percent. Just in case, measures have been put in place to protect the spacecraft. Backup plans have not only been prepared but they have also been tested. The Near Encounter Phase is on the two days surrounding the closet encounter. The expected result will be maps and atmospheric data. As the ship recedes from Pluto, it will study the backlit atmosphere to see more sensitivity of hazes and rings. After the Pluto fly-by is finished, the hope will be to see one primitive object in the Kuiper Belt (Stern