14 DAY TRIAL // If you've been keeping an eye on the news, chances are you've heard that, earlier today, the New Horizons space probe, launched by NASA in January 2006, made it all the way to the Pluto system and came stunningly close to the dwarf planet.
Well then, here's a fun fact about today's Pluto flyby: while making its closest approach to the orb NASA scientists entrusted it to study and image in unprecedented detail, the New Horizons spacecraft didn't communicate with base. Not one “hey, how's it going,” no nothing.
No, the probe wasn't being obnoxious
What with it being the first probe ever to approach the Pluto system and navigate it, some might be tempted to think the reason New Horizons stopped communicating with base was that it was being obnoxious.
Rest assured, this was not the case. As explained by scientists over at US space agency NASA, New Horizons didn't contact them during today's historic flyby because it was too busy collecting data and snapping images of Pluto.
In fact, this prolonged silence was agreed on in the mission's early stages, when mission scientists realized that it would be best if the spacecraft were to focus solely on studying the dwarf planet during its flyby of it.
“NASA will not be in contact with the spacecraft at closest approach since the spacecraft's instruments will be pointed at Pluto, an orientation that will take the spacecraft's fixed communications antenna off Earth point,” the space agency explains.
Communication should soon be restored
NASA scientists have instructed the New Horizons probe to phone home as soon as it completes its flyby of Pluto and it can afford random chit-chat.
Since the spacecraft is now skulking around at the farther end of the Solar System, it will be a while until the much-awaited signal confirming New Horizons is alive and well reaches base.
“Earthlings will need to wait about 13 hours, until about 9 pm EDT, for a signal from the spacecraft to arrive at Earth,” NASA researchers say.
As for when all the data and all the images obtained by the probe while buzzing by Pluto will reach us, the space agency says that it will take until late 2016 to download it all.
