A. Go to https://media.dcccd.eduivideo.php?vid=10475 and watch the video called Chasing Pluto. Answer the following questions: 1. New Horizons was the fasted launch ever recorded. What was its speed? 2. How long after launch did it take Mission Ops to receive the first signal from New Horizons? 3. About how long after launch did it take New Horizons to cross the orbit of the Moon? How long did it take Apollo astronauts? 4. From what 1950’s TV show do two of New Horizons instruments get their name? 5. What rare event did the Kuiper Airborne Observatory view to find out if Pluto has an atmosphere? What did the slowly fading light observed during this event confirm? 6. The New Horizon’s spacecraft needed to be pre-programed to do everything on its own because radio communication between us and the craft would take about how long? 7. About how long did we cut off the travel time to Pluto by getting the “gravity assist” from Jupiter? 8. What event did Laurie capture occurring on Jupiter’s moon, lo? 9. What self-educated farm boy discovered Pluto? What device aided him in analysis of his photographic plates, which eventually led to the discovery? 10. What discovery put Pluto’s planetary status in jeopardy?
- At the IAU meeting in Prague, what part of the new definition of a planet declassified Pluto? What is Pluto now classified as? 12. On what day did New Horizons pass the orbit of Saturn? 13. What unexpected discovery occurred which put the mission at risk? What was the potential risk this discovery presented?
- What unexpected discovery occurred which put the mission at risk? What was the potential risk this discovery presented? 14. What shape was noticed on Pluto’s surface on the first close up images that came in? 15. How long will/did it take New Horizons to send back all the photos and data it has gathered? B. Go to https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/soho/videos/index.html and select the video ‘Highlights from SOHO’s 20 Years in Space.” 16. SOHO shows solar system planets circling around the Sun. Describe how they appear. 17. What does a coronagraph do? 18. The video describes ‘,now on SOHO’S windshield.” What causes this? 19. Name some of the comets seen by SOHO. 20. How do the prominences appear as the Sun’s activity changes from maximum to minimum? C. Go to http://www.eso.org/publiclusa/videos/almatrailer2016a/ and watch the video giving an overview of the ALMA telescope. 21. Where is ALMA located and what is the advantage of this site? 22. What part of the electromagnetic spectrum does ALMA use? Hint: What is the wavelength range that ALMA studies? 23. What is the size of each telescope dish? How many dishes are there? 24. How are the dishes transported? 25. What are the topics being explored by ALMA?
