
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane arrives at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility. It is carrying the New Horizons spacecraft, as well as other equipment. After it is unloaded, the spacecraft will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a 'double planet' and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. The mission will then visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. New Horizons is scheduled to launch in January 2006, swing past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February or March 2007, and reach Pluto and its moon, Charon, in July 2015.
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NASA ID
05pd2225
Date Created
September 24, 2005
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Media Type
image
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NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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