ScienceCasts: One Year to Pluto

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is only a year away from Pluto. Researchers are buzzing with anticipation as NASA prepares to encounter a new world for the first time in decades.

[UserMum]

I can't wait for the first public images!

[aserta]

Easily the most exciting mission IMO of this decade. Imagine all the things we will see. And the best part is that like the recent fly by of Mercury seen by Curiosity from Mars it will be a first. We are living these moments.

These guys are right, a planet/dwarf whatever it will be named after more research, that is so small yet has so many moons, especially Charon. And Hubble's images brought even more questions to than answers.

Funny thing, as a kid whenever i imagined Pluto for me it would be an icy world with thick ice storms and the like. And yet it's red. What secrets does it hold? Or it's moons?

 I cannot wait for next year to roll out. Super excited.

[orlinn]

I can't wait!! I've been following this since its launch!

[ChessNetwork]

1:35 "But no one knows..."

It's hard to not be intrigued.

[beayn]

Just imagine what we could be doing if a quarter of the military budget was turned to space.

[Obi-WanKannabis]

exciting times to come next year.
It must be so much more exhilirating for those who waited a decade for this. Amazing

[RonColeArt]

What makes me laugh is when people say that Pluto isn't a planet and they tell you "It's a DWARF planet" as if classifying it as a 'Dwarf' stops it from being a planet. So whenever I get into that argument I can usually shut that person up by asking them if Human Dwarfs are not really Humans? Pluto is indeed a planet... that's why the word 'planet' is half of the term 'dwarf planet'.  :)

[doobsnack]

Dear ScienceAtNASA,

I love you.

Sincerely,
Me

[CaptureRapture]

I have always wondered how on Earth they direct a satellite and send images back from THAT far, anybody care to enlighten me? Amazing stuff, can't wait!

[michaelmallal]

This is what USA should stick to rather than disastrous belligerent foreign policy. 

[SeedlingNL]

For those of you hung up on the dwarf planet/planet discussion : Pluto has been (re)classified as a dwarf planet, but unless you are an astronomer it doesn't matter if you want to called it a planet or dwarf planet. Either way the big lump of rock is orbiting our star and doesn't give a shit about what we call it :D

I'm more interested to see how Pluto looks like from a human perspective... would our eyes actually be able to see Pluto up close or is the amount of light reflected too dim for us to see?

[ShadowriverUB]

Year to Mass Effect becoming reality :p

[jaymthegenius]

I always thought of Pluto as a cold Mercury of sorts with methane ice and no sky and atmosphere. 

[brendenjoey]

Just a fly by? I thought it was going to orbit it. Where is new horizons going to go after that? Im guessing it will exit the solar system and not be used again?

[youtooyoutoo]

Pluto shunned
by humans punier still,
Brightening, she moons.
(by DEMBirch ca.'03)

[michaelmallal]

Styx was the river shades in Hades crossed over to reach the Elysium Fields. Pluto was the ferryman psychopomp. This may be the origin of the term 'living in the sticks'.
 

[CarolineBay]

Just "a scant 10, 000 km from Pluto."

Can't wait for photos of Pluto!!

[drtony]

I'm very excited for the for the Pluto flyby in July 2015. I've been interested in astronomy as a child back in 2006 and always wondered how Pluto would look like up close. I'm pretty sure this mission is going to reveal some mind-blowing facts about the Pluto system and a few KBOs.

[Jumbod]

Awesome … but really, as Pluto is just  a part of the Oort cloud - which is made up of predominantly icy planetesimals … I don't expect much … but, still I'm excited … can't wait … !

[Pintuuuxo]

It would be wonderful to see life on Pluto. It would change a mission to Mars into a mission to Pluto. Have a safe trip New Horizons ! We are anxiously waiting for your eyes to take a look at Pluto and its moons.