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[::..about this blog..::]
"...all these worlds..." is a blog by David Hitt. It covers space exploration, decent science fiction, humor (by its very nature), and whatever else I happen to find cool. (Formerly "You Must Fight The Bear")
Name: David Hitt About Me: Inspiring the next generation of explorers... See my complete profile
[::..disclaimer..::]
The opinions expressed on this page are those of the author, and very likely no one else.
[::..archive..::]
:: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 ::
To Pluto, If We Must Formal approval has now been granted "forcing" NASA to send a probe to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. The sometimes-farthest planet is the only one in the solar system that has yet to be visited by a spacecraft. NASA and President Bush initially opposed the push for the probe, but Bush last week signed the bill sent him by Congress which included the funding for the "New Horizon" mission.
Why the opposition? NASA's arguement was that it's not time yet for the mission, which would launch in 2006 and arrive at Pluto in 2015. One has to wonder, though, if part of that has to do with the planned Project Prometheus, a proposal to create faster, more powerful spacecraft through the use of nuclear power. By waiting a little longer, it might have been possible to create a probe that not only would have been able to do more upon arrival, but could actually arrive before New Horizons will, though launched much later.
