New Horizions launch

Brendan · Post #1by **Brendan** » 18.01.2006, 00:59

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/ My name is on the cd in there.

I wonder how long the cd could last in interstellar space. The two new moons of Pluto will be studied too.

GlobeMaker · Post #2by **GlobeMaker** » 18.01.2006, 01:07

Congratulations on your new CD! If I am in the neighborhood of Pluto
in 9 years, I will try to read the CD to find our your last name. Godspeed.

Brendan · Post #3by **Brendan** » 18.01.2006, 01:33

If Voyager 1 had gone to Pluto instead of doing that close Titan flyby and leaving the plane of the solar system, could it have had found the two new moons of Pluto? I imagine that it would have because those moons are bigger than lots of the other little ones the Voyagers discovered.

MKruer · Post #4by **MKruer** » 18.01.2006, 01:46

I wonder if the CD is copy protected. If so the aliens that find it will be in violation of some RIAA or MMPA copyright law or something.

Planet X · Post #5by **Planet X** » 18.01.2006, 12:52

Brendan wrote::lol:

If Voyager 1 had gone to Pluto instead of doing that close Titan flyby and leaving the plane of the solar system, could it have had found the two new moons of Pluto? I imagine that it would have because those moons are bigger than lots of the other little ones the Voyagers discovered.

Yes, Voyager 1 definately would have detected those two new moons of Pluto, possibly even a third one. FYI, Voyager 1 would have encountered Pluto sometime in late 1986 or early 1987, over 28 years before New Horizons! Later!

J P

Fightspit · Post #6by **Fightspit** » 19.01.2006, 16:42

View this moment in live:

http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/rrg ... evideo2.rm

from : http://countdown.ksc.nasa.gov/elv/public/

The Singing Badger · Post #7by **The Singing Badger** » 19.01.2006, 21:52

A perfect launch! Good luck, NH!

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newho ... index.html

jgrillo2002 · Post #8by **jgrillo2002** » 20.01.2006, 02:05

Me and my dad are on the CD too

OFF TO PLUTO!!

Malenfant · Post #9by **Malenfant** » 20.01.2006, 06:24

I'm on there too

.

I think I'm on Cassini and the Mars Rovers as well, and I'm also probably smashed into itty bits near Mars' South Pole on what was the Mars Polar Lander...

Jeam Tag · Post #10by **Jeam Tag** » 20.01.2006, 08:20

Hrm, we are some Celestians on the CD, i see... :-)

Funny. And, yes, it was a beautiful launch, congratulations to the team. Jeam Tag

PlutonianEmpire · Post #11by **PlutonianEmpire** » 28.01.2006, 19:32

I think I'm also on the CD.

julesstoop · Post #12by **julesstoop** » 28.01.2006, 21:26

I am on the CD as well, together with my late bunny rabbit.

Fightspit · Post #13by **Fightspit** » 28.01.2006, 21:40

Me too

BrainDead · Post #14by **BrainDead** » 28.01.2006, 23:15

Rather intreresting that so many of us wish to project ourselves out to
Pluto's reaches at least in a symbolic form....

You'll find Brain-Dead Bob on the CD too. :wink:

Do you suppose that NASA could upgrade this kind of service in order
to promote more interest in space exploration? This little trick certainly
seems to have gained more attention for this particular mission.

Malenfant · Post #15by **Malenfant** » 28.01.2006, 23:25

BrainDead wrote:Do you suppose that NASA could upgrade this kind of service in order to promote more interest in space exploration? This little trick certainly seems to have gained more attention for this particular mission.

Actually, they've done it for most missions since CDs got cheap enough to burn and put on spacecraft. They take up negligible weight too.

BrainDead · Post #16by **BrainDead** » 29.01.2006, 15:08

Malenfant wrote:Actually, they've done it for most missions since CDs got cheap enough to burn and put on spacecraft. They take up negligible weight too.

Maybe so, but I didn't know about any other promotions. At any rate, this is a
very nice way to get the general public involved and interested in space
exploration. Kudos to the NASA genius who thought this one up.

GlobeMaker · Post #17by **GlobeMaker** » 29.01.2006, 17:30

For future launches, NASA should put a DVD "re-writeable" disc on board.
Then, people can sponsor the continuing support for the one spacecraft by
paying to get their names and quotes put on the DVD as it travels to its
ultimate destination. At a price of a $100 NASA Bond per two words,
mission control could fund its resources according to public interest.

As a Future Horizons mission approaches a well-publicized planet or object,
people could send money to mission control and they would radio the upload
to the DVD burner to etch in gold the name and witicism. Also, a real time
read out could be purchased to confirm the continuing accessibility of the
names and phrases which the sponsors care about. Who else will ever read
that stuff, if not humans?

Post #18by **selden** » 29.01.2006, 18:01

It depends on how long you want the CD or DVD to be readable by our remote decendants.

Writable CDs and DVDs use a dye coating which degrades with time. Some fail in as little as 6 months.

Pressed CDs and DVDs don't, or at least the bumps and pits in the plastic continue to be present, although the reflective aluminum coating tends to oxidize and become transparent if it's exposed to a chemically active atmosphere. (In other words, don't scratch the labelled side.)

Malenfant · Post #19by **Malenfant** » 29.01.2006, 18:07

GlobeMaker wrote:Then, people can sponsor the continuing support for the one spacecraft by paying to get their names and quotes put on the DVD as it travels to its ultimate destination. At a price of a $100 NASA Bond per two words, mission control could fund its resources according to public interest.

That would be a great way to reduce interest in it. :roll:

It doesn't cost thousands of dollars to press a DVD, and the ordinary joe who just wants to do something cool and send his name up into deep space is certainly not going to want to fork out $100 for the privilege.

The whole point of this is that it's something fun and free and cool that enables people to have a more permanent record of their existence somewhere, and it gets more interest in the mission. Charging $100 for the honour will just discourage people from doing it.

Hunter Parasite · Post #20by **Hunter Parasite** » 29.01.2006, 21:31

Im on of there course.