The Pluto system: Initial results from its exploration by New Horizons

S A Stern; F Bagenal; K Ennico; G R Gladstone; W M Grundy; W B McKinnon; J M Moore; C B Olkin; J R Spencer; H A Weaver; L A Young; T Andert; J Andrews; M Banks; B Bauer; J Bauman; O S Barnouin; P Bedini; K Beisser; R A Beyer; S Bhaskaran; R P Binzel; E Birath; M Bird; D J Bogan; A Bowman; V J Bray; M Brozovic; C Bryan; M R Buckley; M W Buie; B J Buratti; S S Bushman; A Calloway; B Carcich; A F Cheng; S Conard; C A Conrad; J C Cook; D P Cruikshank; O S Custodio; C M Dalle Ore; C Deboy; Z J B Dischner; P Dumont; A M Earle; H A Elliott; J Ercol; C M Ernst; T Finley; S H Flanigan; G Fountain; M J Freeze; T Greathouse; J L Green; Y Guo; M Hahn; D P Hamilton; S A Hamilton; J Hanley; A Harch; H M Hart; C B Hersman; A Hill; M E Hill; D P Hinson; M E Holdridge; M Horanyi; A D Howard; C J A Howett; C Jackman; R A Jacobson; D E Jennings; J A Kammer; H K Kang; D E Kaufmann; P Kollmann; S M Krimigis; D Kusnierkiewicz; T R Lauer; J E Lee; K L Lindstrom; I R Linscott; C M Lisse; A W Lunsford; V A Mallder; N Martin; D J McComas; R L McNutt Jr; D Mehoke; T Mehoke; E D Melin; M Mutchler; D Nelson; F Nimmo; J I Nunez; A Ocampo; W M Owen; M Paetzold; B Page; A H Parker; J W Parker; F Pelletier; J Peterson; N Pinkine; M Piquette; S B Porter; S Protopapa; J Redfern; H J Reitsema; D C Reuter; J H Roberts; S J Robbins; G Rogers; D Rose; K Runyon; K D Retherford; M G Ryschkewitsch; P Schenk; E Schindhelm; B Sepan; M R Showalter; K N Singer; M Soluri; D Stanbridge; A J Steffl; D F Strobel; T Stryk; M E Summers; J R Szalay; M Tapley; A Taylor; H Taylor; H B Throop; C C C Tsang; G L Tyler; O M Umurhan; A J Verbiscer; M H Versteeg; M Vincent; R Webbert; S Weidner; G E Weigle 2nd; O L White; K Whittenburg; B G Williams; K Williams; S Williams; W W Woods; A M Zangari; E Zirnstein

doi:10.1126/science.aad1815

The Pluto system: Initial results from its exploration by New Horizons

Science. 2015 Oct 16;350(6258):aad1815. doi: 10.1126/science.aad1815.

Authors

S A Stern¹, F Bagenal², K Ennico³, G R Gladstone⁴, W M Grundy⁵, W B McKinnon⁶, J M Moore³, C B Olkin⁷, J R Spencer⁷, H A Weaver⁸, L A Young⁷, T Andert⁹, J Andrews⁷, M Banks¹⁰, B Bauer⁸, J Bauman¹¹, O S Barnouin⁸, P Bedini⁸, K Beisser⁸, R A Beyer³, S Bhaskaran¹², R P Binzel¹³, E Birath⁷, M Bird¹⁴, D J Bogan¹⁵, A Bowman⁸, V J Bray¹⁶, M Brozovic¹², C Bryan¹¹, M R Buckley⁸, M W Buie⁷, B J Buratti¹², S S Bushman⁸, A Calloway⁸, B Carcich¹⁷, A F Cheng⁸, S Conard⁸, C A Conrad⁷, J C Cook⁷, D P Cruikshank³, O S Custodio⁸, C M Dalle Ore³, C Deboy⁸, Z J B Dischner⁷, P Dumont¹¹, A M Earle¹³, H A Elliott⁴, J Ercol⁸, C M Ernst⁸, T Finley⁷, S H Flanigan⁸, G Fountain⁸, M J Freeze⁸, T Greathouse⁴, J L Green¹⁸, Y Guo⁸, M Hahn¹⁹, D P Hamilton²⁰, S A Hamilton⁸, J Hanley⁴, A Harch⁷, H M Hart⁸, C B Hersman⁸, A Hill⁸, M E Hill⁸, D P Hinson²¹, M E Holdridge⁸, M Horanyi², A D Howard²², C J A Howett⁷, C Jackman¹¹, R A Jacobson¹², D E Jennings²³, J A Kammer⁷, H K Kang⁸, D E Kaufmann⁷, P Kollmann⁸, S M Krimigis⁸, D Kusnierkiewicz⁸, T R Lauer²⁴, J E Lee²⁵, K L Lindstrom⁸, I R Linscott²⁶, C M Lisse⁸, A W Lunsford²³, V A Mallder⁸, N Martin⁷, D J McComas⁴, R L McNutt Jr⁸, D Mehoke⁸, T Mehoke⁸, E D Melin⁸, M Mutchler²⁷, D Nelson¹¹, F Nimmo²⁸, J I Nunez⁸, A Ocampo¹⁸, W M Owen¹², M Paetzold¹⁹, B Page¹¹, A H Parker⁷, J W Parker⁷, F Pelletier¹¹, J Peterson⁷, N Pinkine⁸, M Piquette², S B Porter⁷, S Protopapa²⁰, J Redfern⁷, H J Reitsema⁷, D C Reuter²³, J H Roberts⁸, S J Robbins⁷, G Rogers⁸, D Rose⁷, K Runyon⁸, K D Retherford⁴, M G Ryschkewitsch⁸, P Schenk²⁹, E Schindhelm⁷, B Sepan⁸, M R Showalter²¹, K N Singer⁷, M Soluri³⁰, D Stanbridge¹¹, A J Steffl⁷, D F Strobel³¹, T Stryk³², M E Summers³³, J R Szalay², M Tapley⁴, A Taylor¹¹, H Taylor⁸, H B Throop¹⁰, C C C Tsang⁷, G L Tyler²⁶, O M Umurhan³, A J Verbiscer³⁴, M H Versteeg⁴, M Vincent⁷, R Webbert⁸, S Weidner⁴, G E Weigle 2nd⁴, O L White³, K Whittenburg⁸, B G Williams¹¹, K Williams¹¹, S Williams⁸, W W Woods²⁶, A M Zangari⁷, E Zirnstein⁴

Affiliations

¹ Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA. [email protected].
² Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.
³ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.
⁴ Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA.
⁵ Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA.
⁶ Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
⁷ Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.
⁸ Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA.
⁹ Universität der Bundeswehr München, Neubiberg 85577, Germany.
¹⁰ Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA.
¹¹ KinetX Aerospace, Tempe, AZ 85284, USA.
¹² NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA.
¹³ Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
¹⁴ University of Bonn, Bonn D-53113, Germany.
¹⁵ NASA Headquarters (retired), Washington, DC 20546, USA.
¹⁶ University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
¹⁷ Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
¹⁸ NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA.
¹⁹ Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung an der Universität zu Köln, Cologne 50931, Germany.
²⁰ Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
²¹ Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
²² Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.
²³ NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
²⁴ National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ 26732, USA.
²⁵ NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812, USA.
²⁶ Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
²⁷ Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
²⁸ University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
²⁹ Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA.
³⁰ Michael Soluri Photography, New York, NY 10014, USA.
³¹ Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
³² Roane State Community College, Jamestown, TN 38556, USA.
³³ George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA.
³⁴ Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.

PMID: 26472913
DOI: 10.1126/science.aad1815

Abstract

The Pluto system was recently explored by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, making closest approach on 14 July 2015. Pluto's surface displays diverse landforms, terrain ages, albedos, colors, and composition gradients. Evidence is found for a water-ice crust, geologically young surface units, surface ice convection, wind streaks, volatile transport, and glacial flow. Pluto's atmosphere is highly extended, with trace hydrocarbons, a global haze layer, and a surface pressure near 10 microbars. Pluto's diverse surface geology and long-term activity raise fundamental questions about how small planets remain active many billions of years after formation. Pluto's large moon Charon displays tectonics and evidence for a heterogeneous crustal composition; its north pole displays puzzling dark terrain. Small satellites Hydra and Nix have higher albedos than expected.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.