Presentations:Topic:Astronomy:New Horizons Mission


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Title

The New Horizons Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission

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Faculty Member

Michael Summers

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Abstract

Pluto is a dwarf ice planet and one of the largest members of the Kuiper Belt – a region in the outer solar system populated by over a hundred thousand such objects. These objects are believed to be remnants of solar system formation and could hold clues to the composition and conditions under which planets first accreted. Furthermore, collisions between these Kuiper-Belt Objects (KBOs) produce short period comets that have brought most large amounts of water to the terrestrial planets. This connection between the outer solar system and the habitability of inner solar system planets is probably a robust feature of planetary systems. The New Horizons mission will be our first close-up look at Pluto and several other KBOs.

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