As Above, So Below
In July 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft will pass by Pluto. Launched in 2006, it is the fastest spacecraft ever and has been designed to investigate this distant planet, and all the other bodies in the space beyond Pluto. Although Pluto was demoted to “dwarf planet” status a few years ago, it is actually quite a large place, with a diameter of 5000 miles (8000 kms). No spacecraft has ever been able to send back information from Pluto or any of the thousands of bodies thought to be in the Kuiper Belt, which Pluto is a part of. The only detailed visual information we have of Pluto comes from the Hubble space telescope, which recently discovered a new moon orbiting Pluto, bringing the total to five, of which Charon is the largest, with a diameter half the size of Pluto, (This has led to Pluto being considered a double-planet.) The other moons are Kerberos, Styx, Nix and Hydra. Hmmm… does not sound so cozy.