From Point of Light to Actual World

Today we learned more from the New Horizons mission team about Pluto than all the observations put together since the planet was found in 1930. I know that sounds a little hyperbolic, but think about it. We now know Pluto’s exact size: 2,370 kilometers across (1,473 miles). That’s a very big deal, since it also changes the estimates of its density. It’s less dense than we thought. Which means it has slightly more ice in its composition than planetary scientists thought.

We’ve also learned more about the surface of both Pluto and Charon in the past 24 hours than anyone ever knew. Before this week, all we could really say with certainty was that these worlds are icy, Pluto has a polar spot, and an atmosphere.

How much has changed in 48 hours! We’ve all seen the images, with the craters, the chasms, the strange markings, the polar ice and the dark curlicues of material. As Alan Stern keeps asking, “Who ordered THIS??!”

What Does it Feel Like?

Alan and others on the team have spoken a lot about a strange surreal feeling they’re experiencing now that Pluto flyby is here. It has been more than 10 years since the mission was conceived of; 9 years since launch. The lights of the New Horizons “freight train” were a long ways down the tracks for so long. And now, suddenly, here we are at the railroad crossing and New Horizons and Pluto are coming at us, unstoppable, delivering news and views of a distant world we’ve long dreamed of. Let me tell you, the team members aren’t the only ones having that feeling!

There are many guests and media folks here at the Pluto Flyby, at what we’ve come to call “Pluto Central”. Many people have that same slightly glazed look, a big smile and a dreamy idea that this is the moment in time we’ve all been waiting for. And suddenly, like Christmas or summer vacation or graduation day — this is it. Our time, our moment, shared with thousands of team members, family members, friends of the mission, and of course, the larger community of people who are moved by the major accomplishments of sending a grand piano-sized spacecraft across several billion kilometers of space to show us the wonders of a world that was, until what feels like a few minutes ago, just a point of light to us.

As you watch the festivities the next few days, and enjoy the sight of Pluto brought to you by your fellow human beings, take a moment to savor it. This is what exploration is supposed to be like — the acquisition of knowledge that enriches your life in ways you never anticipated!

See you on the other side of Pluto!