New Horizons has made some amazing discoveries that will help with future space missions. Here are some highlights:
Pluto's Atmosphere: New Horizons found that Pluto has a thin atmosphere. It’s mostly made of nitrogen. The pressure there is only about 1.2 microbars. For comparison, Earth's atmosphere is much thicker, at 1013.25 millibars.
Surface Composition: The mission showed us that Pluto has a lot of different surface features. There are ice mountains that are more than 3,500 meters high! Scientists also found signs that Pluto may have had oceans in the past.
Kuiper Belt Objects: When New Horizons flew by Arrokoth, a space object that is 34 km long, it helped us learn about the basic parts that make up our solar system.
These discoveries help us understand icy space objects better. They also guide us as we look for new places to explore in the Kuiper Belt and beyond.
New Horizons has made some amazing discoveries that will help with future space missions. Here are some highlights:
Pluto's Atmosphere: New Horizons found that Pluto has a thin atmosphere. It’s mostly made of nitrogen. The pressure there is only about 1.2 microbars. For comparison, Earth's atmosphere is much thicker, at 1013.25 millibars.
Surface Composition: The mission showed us that Pluto has a lot of different surface features. There are ice mountains that are more than 3,500 meters high! Scientists also found signs that Pluto may have had oceans in the past.
Kuiper Belt Objects: When New Horizons flew by Arrokoth, a space object that is 34 km long, it helped us learn about the basic parts that make up our solar system.
These discoveries help us understand icy space objects better. They also guide us as we look for new places to explore in the Kuiper Belt and beyond.