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Article for: The Davis Enterprise
Date: January 20, 2006
Author: Jonathan Bell

EXPLORIT HOSTS VIRTUAL TOUR OF PLUTO MISSION

In 1930, 11-year-old Venetia Phair heard a new planet had been discovered. She thought Pluto would be a good name for that planet and informed her grandfather. Just a few months later the name of the last planet in our solar system was set. 

After 76 years of watching and wondering from afar, scientists from NASA this week launched a satellite designed to explore the region past Neptune known as the Kuiper Belt, including Pluto and its moon.

A special panel from the National Academy of Sciences advised NASA that exploration of this final region of our solar system should be its top priority. In response, NASA developed New Horizons. When asked about the importance of this mission David Takemoto-Weerts, a JPL Solar System Ambassador explains, "We're venturing out to the fringes of the solar system to a world about which we know very little. There is great potential for learning a lot more about the origin of our solar system."

Takemoto-Weerts will present a free program about Pluto and New Horizons at Explorit Science Center Saturday evening.

Scientists hope to discover how Pluto, known as an ice dwarf, fits in with the other two types of planets, known as terrestrial planets (Earth, Mars, Venus, Mercury) or gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). Ice dwarfs can be thought of as planetary embryos. They formed over 4 billion years ago and their growth stopped at sizes much smaller than the other planets in our solar system. Scientists believe these ice dwarfs are the bodies out of which the larger planets accumulated. If correct these will help scientists learn much about the formation of the other planets.

New Horizons, a 1,000-pound spacecraft about the size of a piano, will travel three billion miles before it can begin to examine the mysterious planet and its moon Charon. Moving at speeds of about 47,000 miles per hour this will be the fastest spacecraft ever launched from Earth. It will take more than 8 years for it to complete its trip meaning this year's fourth graders will, at earliest, see New Horizons arrive at Pluto during the summer before their senior year in high school.

Takemoto-Weerts, whose interest in space was piqued as a young child when he received a telescope for Christmas will present information about the spacecraft, the mission objectives and some background on what is already known about Pluto, Charon and the Kuiper Belt. There will be two presentations, the first beginning at 7:15pm, the second at 8:15pm.

In addition to Takemoto-Weerts' presentations there will be hands-on astronomy activities for all ages. The UC Davis Astronomy Club will also be available with telescopes to assist visitors in viewing the night sky, weather permitting. This event begins at 7:00pm and concludes around 9:30pm.

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Explorit Science Center is at 3141 Fifth St. in East Davis. The current exhibition "Catch a Wave: The Science of Light and Sound" runs through Mar. 12. Public hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.explorit.org or call Explorit at (530) 756-0191.