new Horizons | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 11 Nov 2022 09:40:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png new Horizons | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Animal Crossing: New Horizons recently became Japan’s best-selling game of all time https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/animal-crossing-new-horizons-recently-became-japans-best-selling-game-of-all-time/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/animal-crossing-new-horizons-recently-became-japans-best-selling-game-of-all-time/#respond Thu, 10 Nov 2022 17:38:14 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=581844 For many years, Pokémon Red, Green and Blue combined have topped Japan's best-selling games chart. Now, their time at the top has ended, as Animal Crossing: New Horizons takes the lead with 10,450,000 sales in Japan, 200,000 more than the first Pokémon games. The team at Game Data Library has been collecting sales data for …

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For many years, Pokémon Red, Green and Blue combined have topped Japan's best-selling games chart. Now, their time at the top has ended, as Animal Crossing: New Horizons takes the lead with 10,450,000 sales in Japan, 200,000 more than the first Pokémon games.

The team at Game Data Library has been collecting sales data for games sold in Japan over the last few years, including the sales number for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Despite being available for two years, the game sold over 260,000 copies this past month, showing how much the Japanese public loves this title.

Since its release in March 2020, the game sold over 10,450,000 copies for the Nintendo Switch, dethroning Pokémon Red/Blue/Green and making it the best-selling game of all time in Japan. Across the world, Animal Crossing: New Horizons sales are around 40M, second only to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with over 48M copies sold.

Even if the first Pokémon game is no longer Japan's best-seller, the series is still well-represented in the top 20. Besides Pokémon Red/Blue/Green, you'll see Pokémon Gold/Silver in 3rd place, Pokémon Sword/Shield in 9th place, Pokémon Diamond/Pearl in 10th place, Pokémon Black/White in 11th place, Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire in 12th place, and Pokémon X/Y in 19th place.

Mario games also have a strong presence in the top 20 with Super Mario Bros. coming in 4th place, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in 6th place, New Super Mario Bros. in 7th place and New Super Mario Bros. Wii in the 18th spot.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Animal Crossing: New Horizons rose to the top of the charts in Japan faster than any other game. Selling more than Pokémon Red/Blue/Green is no easy feat.

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the second best selling Switch game of all time https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/animal-crossing-new-horizons-is-the-second-best-selling-switch-game-of-all-time/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/animal-crossing-new-horizons-is-the-second-best-selling-switch-game-of-all-time/#respond Fri, 07 Aug 2020 08:28:12 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=480615 There’s no denying that Animal Crossing: New Horizons exceeded everyone’s expectations when it released back in March. The social-sim game sold nearly 12 million copies in less than two weeks, cementing it instantly as one of the best-selling Switch games. Nintendo has now updated its sales figures, revealing that New Horizons has since sold a …

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There’s no denying that Animal Crossing: New Horizons exceeded everyone’s expectations when it released back in March. The social-sim game sold nearly 12 million copies in less than two weeks, cementing it instantly as one of the best-selling Switch games. Nintendo has now updated its sales figures, revealing that New Horizons has since sold a further 10 million copies.

These updated figures are accurate as of the 30th of June, meaning that the number is likely to be even higher. That being said, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has officially sold 22.4 million copies since its release on the 20th of March 2020, meaning that this milestone figure was reached in just over 3 months.

Furthermore, with 22.4 million copies sold, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has firmly secured itself as the second best selling game of all time on the Nintendo Switch. Currently, the best selling title is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which has sold a total of 26.74 million copies; at a distant third is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with 19.99 million.

With Nintendo also recently revealing that the Switch console has sold 61.44 million copies, this means that over one-third of all those who own a Nintendo Switch, also purchased Animal Crossing: New Horizons. With the game seeing such great success in such a short amount of time, and the fact that it continues to receive updates, it’ll be interesting to see whether New Horizons has the longevity to dethrone Mario Kart.

KitGuru says: Are you surprised by these figures? Do you own a Switch? Did you also buy Animal Crossing? Let us know down below.

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Animal Crossing Summer Update 2 announced featuring online saves https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/animal-crossing-summer-update-2-announced-featuring-online-saves/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/mustafa-mahmoud/animal-crossing-summer-update-2-announced-featuring-online-saves/#respond Wed, 29 Jul 2020 08:45:11 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=479308 One of the biggest criticisms thrown at Animal Crossing New Horizons when it was first announced was the fact that the game didn't feature online saves, meaning that if one were to lose their Switch or game save file, the hours spent building the perfect island would have been lost. Nintendo at the time promised …

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One of the biggest criticisms thrown at Animal Crossing New Horizons when it was first announced was the fact that the game didn't feature online saves, meaning that if one were to lose their Switch or game save file, the hours spent building the perfect island would have been lost. Nintendo at the time promised that the feature would arrive in a future update. Now, Island backup and restoration is coming to New Horizons, alongside a plethora of other new additions.

The Animal Crossing New Horizons Summer Wave 2 update will be arriving on the 30th of July, and will bring with it weekly firework shows (specifically on each Sunday in August for both Northern and Southern Hemisphere players) where players can create and launch their own custom firework designs.

Going to sleep will now allow you to visit other islands around the world, aided by returning character Luna.

Thirdly, as previously mentioned, players will now finally be able to backup their saves to the cloud, meaning that dozens (if not hundreds) of hours of work will no longer be lost in the event of a lost Switch or corrupted save file.

Lastly, Nintendo also confirmed that New Horizons would be getting a free “Fall Update” – although that was to be expected. The Summer Update Wave 2 arrives on the 30th of July.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for the upcoming update? What do you think of Nintendo’s post-launch support for New Horizons? How many hours have you put into the game so far? Let us know down below.

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons is third fastest selling Nintendo title ever https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/uncategorized/mustafa-mahmoud/animal-crossing-new-horizons-is-third-fastest-selling-nintendo-title-ever/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/uncategorized/mustafa-mahmoud/animal-crossing-new-horizons-is-third-fastest-selling-nintendo-title-ever/#respond Wed, 22 Apr 2020 15:48:48 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=463449 Prior to Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ release on the 20th of March, it was well known that the Switch exclusive was going to be a success. Despite the high expectations, it would seem as though the game managed to perform even better than expected. According to the NPDs, Animal Crossing: New Horizons achieved the third …

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Prior to Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ release on the 20th of March, it was well known that the Switch exclusive was going to be a success. Despite the high expectations, it would seem as though the game managed to perform even better than expected. According to the NPDs, Animal Crossing: New Horizons achieved the third highest launch month sales for any Nintendo game since tracking began.

The NPDs track all video game sales in the US, and has been doing so since 1995. According to the market research group, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the best selling game in March, and is currently the second best selling game of 2020, despite no digital data being available for Nintendo software.

Furthermore, the game achieved the 3rd highest launch month physical dollar and unit sales of any Nintendo published game in tracked history. The only two titles which managed to surpass New Horizons’ first month sales are Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in December 2018, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl in March of 2008. This means that if New Horizons continues on its current trajectory it could surpass Switch juggernauts such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey – both of which have sold over 16 million copies.

The records don't stop there however, as New Horizons’ launch month sales have also exceeded the lifetime sales of all other Animal Crossing games in history. This software success has also translated to its hardware, as Switch console sales in March 2020 exceeded that of the Switch’s initial launch month back in March 2017.

March was certainly a good month for Nintendo. With the undeniable success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it’ll be interesting to see how the Japanese console manufacturer treats the franchise moving forward.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you surprised to see Animal Crossing perform so well? With digital included, how many copies do you think Nintendo sold? Did you buy Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Let us know down below.

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Reminder: AMD will show off Zen tonight at 9PM GMT https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/jon-martindale/amd-to-show-off-zen-cpu-at-new-horizon-event-in-december/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/jon-martindale/amd-to-show-off-zen-cpu-at-new-horizon-event-in-december/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2016 10:20:57 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=313443 Announced at the tail end of November, AMD's New Horizon event to show off its upcoming Zen CPU architecture takes place later today, 13th December. Although attendance will be restricted, any and all can view online. If you'd like to check in on the livestream, make sure to be ready for when it goes live …

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Announced at the tail end of November, AMD's New Horizon event to show off its upcoming Zen CPU architecture takes place later today, 13th December. Although attendance will be restricted, any and all can view online. If you'd like to check in on the livestream, make sure to be ready for when it goes live at 9PM GMT.

Zen is AMD's next-generation CPU architecture and from what we know so far, it should prove competitive with at least mid-range Intel chips and possibly even some of its higher-end i7 CPUs. However some of those early showings were in rather contrived circumstances, so a public showcase of what Zen is capable of would be very welcome.

The event set to take place later today (3PM CST, 9PM GMT) has been termed New Horizon and will be hosted by Canadian video game journalist, Geoff Keighley. There will be giveaways, special guests and Evil Geniuses DotA 2 pro player, Peter ‘PPD' Dager, who will be demoing the Zen hardware live on stage.

Although we don't know exactly where it's set to take place (somewhere in Austin, Texas), we're told that this will be the first time the public will have access to Zen hardware and will be able to try it out for themselves. For those unable to attend in person (read: most of us) there will be a livestream of the event too. You'll need to sign up though, so make sure you do so before the event begins, in case there are any issues with traffic making access difficult.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I'm cautiously optimistic about Zen. While I don't like that AMD felt the need to underclock the Intel chip in its previous test (even if it was to show clock for clock performance) it does seem like powerful hardware. Here's hoping it can offer Intel some real competition at the top end of the first time in a decade. 

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Pluto is much more active than scientists thought https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/pluto-is-much-more-active-than-scientists-thought/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/pluto-is-much-more-active-than-scientists-thought/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2015 10:47:51 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=259740 Following the New Horizons flyby of Pluto last week, data has been trickling in and showing us things about the dwarf planet we never knew before and it turns out we wrong about a lot of things. So much so in-fact that scientists that studied the far flung object have admitted that they were totally …

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Following the New Horizons flyby of Pluto last week, data has been trickling in and showing us things about the dwarf planet we never knew before and it turns out we wrong about a lot of things. So much so in-fact that scientists that studied the far flung object have admitted that they were totally wrong in painting Pluto as an inert ball of ice and rock. In-fact, it's very active.

Early photos that have returned from the edges of our solar system showed tall ice mountains, possible volcanoes, and vast, crater-free planes, suggesting that it was a surface that had been created – in the cosmic sense – quite recently. That in turn should mean that Pluto is geologically active, something that wasn't thought possible without the gravitational pull from a much larger planet.

With evidence pointing in this direction, the hunt is now on to figure out what it is that makes this internal activity possible. Energy is required, which may come from a radioactive core. That in turn could generate heat, enough of which could melt sub-surface ice and send it flowing towards the surface in icy volcanoes.

Chances are it wouldn't stay liquid on the surface however, since it reaches temperatures as low as -230 degrees Celsius; cold enough for there to be frozen nitrogen and methane.

plutogas
It's also thought likely that Pluto has carbon monoxide gas in the Tombaugh region

More surprising than this however, is that Pluto's even smaller moon, Charon, also shows sign of geological activity. Much like Pluto, scientists will be studying images and data recorded by New Horizons about Charon over the coming months and years. While a gigabit of data has so far been returned, according to the Independent, more than 49 gigabits are still be transmitted. It's expected that due to the distance between Earth and New Horizons, it will take the better part of 16 months to retrieve it all.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's amazing that until this past week, our only view of Pluto was a few pixels across from fuzzy Hubble imagery. Now we have pictures that show us the minutia of its surface. It's fascinating stuff.

Image source: NASA

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New Horizons Pluto update, new images, more coming today https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-pluto-update-new-images-more-coming-today/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-pluto-update-new-images-more-coming-today/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2015 11:31:53 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=259498 It's already been a few days since the New Horizons space craft made its historic flyby of the furthest flung planetary entity the human race has ever visited: Pluto. It took some awe inspiring images, the first of which we've begun to get our first look at, but there is so much more to come. …

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It's already been a few days since the New Horizons space craft made its historic flyby of the furthest flung planetary entity the human race has ever visited: Pluto. It took some awe inspiring images, the first of which we've begun to get our first look at, but there is so much more to come. Take for example the recent image of Pluto's moon Charon up close and personal, and the new break down of everything Pluto by a member of the New Horizons team.

charon

Charon is the largest moon in the Plutonian system and it has some unique features which we're only just beginning to learn about, as this is by far the best view we've ever had of the far flung stellar body. Like the large depression in the upper left which has a peak in its middle.

The much closer image of the moon's surface was taken about an hour and a half before New Horizon's closest approach with Pluto, at a distance of just 49,000 miles. The picture is noteworthy for its craters, which was something that was missing from several parts of Pluto, which suggested geological activity; something the was considered very unlikely until these images started appearing.

One of the most compelling images that's showed up in the last few hours however has been the 3D creation of the original ice mountain image released of Pluto. It's not entirely accurate, as it was made using photoclinometry to estimate heights based on light and shadow.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37TNyDHZExA']

Amy Shira Teitel of the New Horizons team also gives us an exciting breakdown of Pluto in just over a minute, explaining much of what we know and have recently learned about the dwarf planet.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm6ga-g9ACU']

More Pluto and New Horizons news is expected later, with a NASA press conference taking place at 1PM EDT (5PM GMT).

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: There's nothing quite like space exploration to make you feel part of the human race, rather than a member of a local community or nation. We're all striving for this sort of stuff together. Or at least we should be.

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New Horizons shows first close up image of Pluto’s ice mountains https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-shows-first-close-up-image-of-plutos-ice-mountains/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-shows-first-close-up-image-of-plutos-ice-mountains/#respond Thu, 16 Jul 2015 08:03:53 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=259285 It's been nine and a half long years since the original launch of the New Horizons, nearly fifteen years since its conception and almost 100 years since we originally discovered its target (dwarf) planet, Pluto. But finally, after so long in the murky depths of our imaginations, we're finally getting a close up view of …

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It's been nine and a half long years since the original launch of the New Horizons, nearly fifteen years since its conception and almost 100 years since we originally discovered its target (dwarf) planet, Pluto. But finally, after so long in the murky depths of our imaginations, we're finally getting a close up view of what the far flung world looks like and it turns out that it has ice mountains.

While the images from New Horizon's recent flyby of Pluto will take as long as 16 months to send us back all of the data and images collected, we had the first one through in the early hours of this morning. It represents a small segment of Pluto's surface, but clearly shows mountainous areas which we believe are made of ice.

The fact that they cast such long shadows suggest that some are as high as 11,000 feet, just over a third of the height of mount Everest.

plutocloseup

More inticing though are the flat plane areas. The fact that they aren't dotted with craters like would be expected, suggests that those areas are young in the cosmic sense, possible less than 100 million years old, which could suggest some form of tectonic activity. If true, scientists would love to figure out how, since it was believed that Pluto would require the nearby influence of a much larger planet to stimulate its core with such energy.

What's really exciting however, is that as detailed as this image is, it was taken when New Horizons was a full 47,800 miles from the dwarf planet's surface. It eventually approached as close as 7,800 miles, so those images should be spectacular.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's great to see such successes as this, especially considering some of the failings of launching into LEO that we've seen over the past 10 months or so. 

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New Horizons confirms Pluto is bigger than we thought https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-confirms-pluto-is-bigger-than-we-thought/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-confirms-pluto-is-bigger-than-we-thought/#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2015 08:08:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=258831 Poor Pluto. Once part of the collective of nine planets that make up our solar system, it was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2005, after the discovery of the larger Eris – a trans-Neptunian object – forced scientists to consider the formal definition of “planet;” unfortunately for Pluto it didn't make the cut. However, …

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Poor Pluto. Once part of the collective of nine planets that make up our solar system, it was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2005, after the discovery of the larger Eris – a trans-Neptunian object – forced scientists to consider the formal definition of “planet;” unfortunately for Pluto it didn't make the cut. However, as if in an attempt to prove us wrong, Pluto has turned out to be slightly larger than it was originally thought, with the New Horizons probe confirming that it is bigger than previous estimations.

Over the past decade since Pluto's reclassification, many individuals have postulated that it is of various sizes, ranging from 2306 kilometres in diameter, to 2368KM. It turns out however that Pluto is in-fact 2,370KM in diameter, larger than anyone expected. It means that Pluto's surface area is roughly equivalent to that of Russia.

However this size increase does have some ramifications. It means that Pluto is less dense than previously thought, which suggests that there is a higher density of ice in its interior and a little less rock.

plutoplanets
Image source: NASA

As much as it may remain a dwarf planet though, Pluto's moons are far smaller. We will get a better view of them soon, but Nix is estimated to be just 20 miles across, whilst Hydra is closer to 30 miles in diameter.

This is all only possible thanks to the approach of the New Horizons probe, which after almost a decade in the inky blackness of space and billions of miles traversed, is now set to flyby Pluto in the next few hours. However, due to the distance between the control centre and the probe, there will be no direct control and to make sure that processing capabilities and power are conserved, scientists will have no contact with New Horizons until it has completed its complicated series of manoeuvres and picture taking.

It's said that we'll hear about the success or failure of New Horizons in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with images and scientific data to follow in the coming days – though it will take many months to receive all of the space craft's measurements and readings.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Fingers crossed for you New Horizons. Do us proud. 

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New Horizons space probe on track for historic Pluto flyby https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-space-probe-on-track-for-historic-pluto-flyby/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-space-probe-on-track-for-historic-pluto-flyby/#respond Mon, 13 Jul 2015 10:12:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=258726 Despite having a hiccup when it temporarily switched to its backup computer just before the weekend, NASA has confirmed that the New Horizons space probe is said to be in good shape for its flyby of far-flung dwarf planet, Pluto over the next few days. Launched in 2006 and given a gravity assist by Jupiter …

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Despite having a hiccup when it temporarily switched to its backup computer just before the weekend, NASA has confirmed that the New Horizons space probe is said to be in good shape for its flyby of far-flung dwarf planet, Pluto over the next few days.

Launched in 2006 and given a gravity assist by Jupiter and Earth, the space craft is now travelling at 14 kilometres per second, so is quickly approaching its intended flyby, having come within a million miles of Pluto early Monday morning. At its closest approach in the coming days, New Horizons will pass just 12,500KM above the surface of the world, taking high resolution imagery as it passes by.

However, due to the many billions of miles between Earth and the probe, it cannot be controlled in-real time, so will be operating an automated procedure throughout. The data sent back is also expected to take up to 16 months to be returned in its entirety, though we should see the first close up images of Pluto come through in the next few days.

rings
Early shots on the approach to the dwarf planet have already been impressing scientists around the world. 

As well as Pluto's surface, New Horizons will also be taking photos of many of Pluto's moons, including Charon – which has already been pictured – Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra, all of which have only been glimpsed in blurry digital reconstructions before now.

Unfortunately though New Horizons will simply be travelling too fast and with too little fuel to be captured by the weak gravity of Pluto, so it will speed on by after a brief few days in Pluto's presence. However, even after it's main mission is finished, it still has much to do. Between 2016 and 2020, there's a chance that the speeding probe will be able to fly by several Kuiper belt objects, specifically 2014 MU69 in 2019.

The mission is expected to officially end around 2026, when the on board radioisotope thermoelectric generator's plutonium sufficiently decays. However, if it doesn't, New Horizons can continue to be useful well into the 2030s, taking measurements from our solar system's outer heliosphere.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Fingers crossed for you New Horizons. Send us back some pretty snaps from your holiday.

Image source: NASA

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NASA revives New Horizons probe after malfunction https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/nasa-revives-new-horizons-probe-after-malfunction/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/nasa-revives-new-horizons-probe-after-malfunction/#respond Mon, 06 Jul 2015 10:44:47 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=257580 Everyone excited to see what images the New Horizons probe is set to send back of Pluto, our erstwhile 8th planetary friend, can breathe a sigh of relief, as NASA scientists have managed to bring it back to life after a computer malfunction, just over a week out from its fly by. The fault occurred …

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Everyone excited to see what images the New Horizons probe is set to send back of Pluto, our erstwhile 8th planetary friend, can breathe a sigh of relief, as NASA scientists have managed to bring it back to life after a computer malfunction, just over a week out from its fly by.

The fault occurred on Saturday afternoon, when an as-yet undiagnosed malfunction caused the probe to switch to a backup computer system, resulting in the entire space-craft being out of touch with ground control for what must have been a nail-biting 81 minutes. Fortunately they quickly re-established communication and announced that despite the set back, the scheduled fly by would still take place on the 14th July, as planned.

newhorizonsi
As cool as these renders are, I think future launches should include a space-craft selfy stick. Source: NASA

However, there will be a lack of imagery over the next few days as NASA brings the craft back to full functionality, as it explained in a statement:

“Due to the 9-hour, round trip communication delay that results from operating a spacecraft almost 3 billion miles (4.9 billion kilometers) from Earth, full recovery is expected to take from one to several days; New Horizons will be temporarily unable to collect science data during that time.”

Fortunately NASA had already completed all scheduled manoeuvres to orient the craft into the correct path to fly by Pluto at an altitude that avoids any potential hazards whilst taking the best quality images possible of its surface. To date, the best pictures we have of the far flung dwarf planet are blurry, vague ones captured by the Hubble Space telescope.

Already images from New Horizons have proved almost as detailed, so as it gets closer and as long as it comes fully back online, we may see some much clearer shots.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It would be heart breaking if after its near 10 year journey New Horizons failed to operate correctly. Here's hoping last week's Space X failure wasn't a bad omen.

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NASA wants a clear path for Pluto probe https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/nasa-wants-a-clear-path-for-pluto-probe/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/nasa-wants-a-clear-path-for-pluto-probe/#comments Mon, 18 May 2015 10:55:44 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=249803 As NASA's New Horizons probe gets ever closer to its intended target of Pluto, where on the 14th July it is expected to complete its first flyby of the dwarf planet, scientists on the ground are scanning the inky blackness of space to make sure that it has a clear path. Since the probe is travelling …

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As NASA's New Horizons probe gets ever closer to its intended target of Pluto, where on the 14th July it is expected to complete its first flyby of the dwarf planet, scientists on the ground are scanning the inky blackness of space to make sure that it has a clear path. Since the probe is travelling at more than 32,500 miles per hour (relative to the Sun), colliding with something as small as a speck of dust would be the equivalent of setting off a huge explosion on the surface of the craft, so keeping it sailing through space free from obstacles is an important part of the mission.

To keep New Horizons running safely, NASA is now conducting weekly observations using the probe's long-range camera to look for potential debris, as well as sources of it. Pluto is known to have several moons of its own, some of which may be shedding dust into the nearby system. If so, that needs to be avoided at all costs.

However veering off at those sorts of speeds isn't easy and it's potentially costly in terms of fuel, of which in space, there is always a finite supply of. One suggested strategy from NASA researchers is to use the ship's high-gain antenna as a forward facing shield, letting it take the brunt of any dust particles in its path; though this is hardly ideal. Fortunately then there are three potential course changes that could be made, allowing the craft to still achieve its mission objectives, whilst not sacrificing too much fuel.

nerhorizons
Artists interpretation of New Horizon's orbiting Pluto

That said, NASA would rather not change course at all, since the alternatives would send the craft much closer to the surface of the dwarf planet and therefore the images recovered of its surface would not be as clear.

“Our cameras are designed to work from a certain distance, with things moving at a certain rate of speed through the system,” explained NASA's John Spencer (via Yahoo). “If you're speeding along a highway, it's hard to read the sign on the front of a business that's right next to the road.”

Fortunately though, whatever route the craft takes, it's predicted that it will have enough fuel left (even after a manoeuvre) to visit other objects beyond Pluto in a plan for an extended mission beyond current parameters.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Fingers crossed for you New Horizons. It's time Pluto got a bit of a redemption after it was dropped from school books around the world. 

You'll always be the ninth planet to us '90s kids Pluto. Don't worry.

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