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NASA Chooses Pluto Mission

Posted by michael on from the midnight-train-to-georgia dept.

CheshireCatCO writes: "NASA announced on Thursday that it has selected Alan Stern's Pluto mission proposal, named New Horizons, for phase B study and (hopefully) eventual launch in 2006. Alan is himself one of the top experts on Pluto, and his team consists of many other leaders in the field. It should be a good mission, if only they get the money for it." CNN has a story with some background on the mission. NASA is having a hard time deciding whether the Pluto-Kuiper Express is actually going to launch or not.

5 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. Pluto sucks by dustman · · Score: 1, Funny

    Of all the characters in the Evil Empire, Pluto sucks the most.

    Studying Donald Duck would be much more enlightening.

  2. Re:Ice on Charon? by MaufTarkie · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's made of two of the commonest elements, after all.

    Water ice is made up of hydrogen and stupidity? You learn something new every day. Thanks, Slashdot! ;)

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  3. Who gives a shit about Pluto by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...we need to get our monkey asses to Mars. Hell, there are Ghosts there(ghosts of mars), aliens(mission to mars), 4 titted prostitutes(total recall), humans with small people embedded in their chests(total recall), alien nuclear reactors, and all sorts of fun things to discover and enjoy. Why send another goddamn satellite out looking at other planets when we can party it up with martian meta-whores? Mr. Scientist needs to get out more.

  4. Obligatory flamebait... by freeweed · · Score: 4, Funny
    I'm always Puzzled on how someone can be an 'expert' on something we've never really seen, poked and proded


    Ask any priest, rabbi, reverand, etc, etc, etc...


    :)

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  5. Re:The need to launch Pluto-Kuiper Express soon by LittleGuy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Planetary scientist are very anxious to study its atmosphere in a gaseous state, it is predicted to be completetly frozen by 2020. As Pluto takes 248 years to revolve around the sun it will be a LONG time before it's gas again.
    *sigh* I have the sinking feeling that by the time a probe is approved and launched, Pluto will be unfrozen again.

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