The New Horizons spacecraft flew by Pluto 10 years ago, and scientists are still learning from its historic encounter with the distant dwarf planet. Launched in 2006, the probe took nearly a decade to reach Pluto, getting within 12,500 kilometers of its surface. Images and data gathered during the flyby have transformed researchers’ understanding of Pluto, revealing a lively world with traveling glaciers, ice volcanoes, an odd atmosphere, and more.
According to planetary scientist Kelsi Singer, the discovery of Pluto’s geologically active state has rewritten the textbooks. The spacecraft revealed signs of a heart-shaped region, Sputnik Planitia, which is believed to be a nitrogen glacier atop an ancient impact basin. This finding suggests that Pluto may have a liquid ocean beneath its surface, which could provide insights into habitable environments in the solar system.
Other researchers are studying Pluto’s curious surface features, including volcanoes of mostly water ice and etched travel paths created by pooling downhill. The presence of these features implies internal heat needed to mobilize material, which is difficult to explain given Pluto’s frigid temperatures.
The atmosphere on Pluto is also a subject of interest, with a hazy, layered composition that is unlike anything seen before. Scientists are investigating how this haze forms and its chemical pathways leading to formation. The haze contributes to Pluto’s chilly climate, and researchers are working to understand how planetary atmospheres work and the chemical pathways that could lead to life on exoplanets.
New Horizons continues to collect data as it travels towards interstellar space, including measuring solar wind and counting space dust. However, the spacecraft faces a future threat from NASA’s proposed budget cuts, which include drastic reductions in funding for scientific missions like New Horizons. With nearly 20 active missions under threat of shutting down, scientists are concerned about the impact on research and training opportunities for the next generation of scientists.
Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/new-horizons-pluto-flyby-anniversary