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Where's New Horizons? June 2008 - Full Trajectory: Overhead View
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New Horizons crossed the orbit of Saturn on June 8, passing yet another interplanetary milepost on its voyage to Pluto and the icy environs of the Kuiper Belt.
Spinning in healthy, electronic hibernation, New Horizons reached a distance of 10.06 AU (Astronomical Units; such as about 935 MMs or about 1,5 BKM) from the Sun at 10:00 UT (Universal Time), becoming the first spacecraft to journey beyond Saturn’s orbit since Voyager 2 passed the ringed planet nearly 27 years ago. In fact, Voyager 1 and 2, at the edge of the Sun’s Heliosphere some 100 AU away, are the only Spacecrafts operating farther out than New Horizons.
New Horizons reached Saturn's distance just two years and four months after launch - by far a faster transit to Saturn than any previous spacecraft. (Voyager 1, the previous record holder, made the trip in approximately three years and two months)
New Horizons has crossed the orbits of three planets since its launch in January 2006, though only one – Jupiter, in February 2007 – was close enough for a gravity boost and for the Spacecraft to study. Saturn is more than 1,4 BMs (about 2,3 BKM) from New Horizons at present.
After a productive two-week series of system checks, maintenance activities, and software and command uploads,the Spacecraft is humming through the Outer Solar System at a speed of 40.850 miles (65.740 Km) per hour. The New Horizons Team expects to keep the Spacecraft in hibernation until Sept. 2, 2008.
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