Pluto fly-by could yield ‘big surprises,’ says top Israeli space official

On Tuesday, mankind will get its first-ever close-up view of Pluto, the last stop in the solar system before hitting deep space. NASA’s New Horizons, launched nearly a decade ago, has journeyed a long 5 billion or so kilometers, and is finally set to have its moment in the sun, transmitting hundreds of photos of the dwarf planet from as close as just 13,000 kilometers (8,000 miles) away.

The pictures will give scientists a great deal to analyze and discuss, hopefully filling in many missing details on Pluto, which scientists have never been able to study other than through blurry, distant images.

While the head of the Israel Space Agency says there is no Israeli technology aboard the vessel as far as he knows, many of the finding may be revealed for the first time in Israel.

“This October, Israel will be holding the space exploration industry’s most important event, the 66th annual International Aeronautical Congress,” Ben-Israel told The Times of Israel.

“This will be the first major international space event to be held after the New Horizons revelations, which will, of course, be among the most prominent topics on the agenda. I am sure that some important new information or discoveries about Pluto will be presented by scientists at the conference. Israel is in the right place at the right time for what is likely to be one of the most talked-about space conferences in years.”

Already, the craft’s Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) has sent back several interesting photos of the planet that have upended previous notions of what Pluto is.

In 2006, Pluto was downgraded to the status of dwarf planet, lacking the mass needed to force the many small icy objects of the Kuiper Belt out of its way — a basic requirement for a heavenly body to be classified as a planet, according to many scientists.

But NASA may have to revise that classification, said Ben-Israel. “The initial photos show that Pluto is about twice as large as we had thought it was, and that has all sorts of implications for what Pluto is.”

Isaac Ben-Israel (Photo credit: Courtesy)

For example, said Ben-Israel, “there is a greater chance that it has a real atmosphere, like other planets.”

Scientists had not been sure that there was one at all, speculating that Pluto’s small size meant that it didn’t have the gravity needed to keep one in place – or that the atmosphere, if it existed at all, would be very thin.

“With its bigger mass, Pluto likely has a higher level of gravity than previously thought, which means that its atmosphere could be thicker than previously thought as well.”

It’s not clear what that atmosphere might contain, but Neptune, Pluto’s closest neighbor, has an atmosphere consisting of hydrogen and helium, with trace amounts of frozen methane, water, ammonia and other ices.

Photos sent this week as the craft approached Pluto, already furnish some surprises. Unknown to scientists before, four mysterious dark spots are seen on the planet’s surface. What they might be scientists can only guess at, although that guess, if made on Wednesday when the first photos are set to come in, is likely to be much more of an educated one as the craft snaps photos from its closest pass to Pluto, less than 13,000 kilometers from its surface.

So far, the speculation is that it might be craters or some other physical feature – or perhaps a liquid, probably frozen. “The photos we’ve seen so far seem to indicate that there are a variety of materials on the surface,” said Ben-Israel. “Scientists had previously speculated that there was only ice there.”

One of the most impressive aspects of the mission, said Ben-Israel, is its longevity – and how it is using what is essentially “ancient” technology to fulfill its mission.

“The vessel was launched nine and a half years ago, but the photography technology it is using is 15 years old. That it can take photos that will allow us to see images close-up,” with a 15 meter resolution for its best photos, “from so far away is a major technological achievement,” said Ben-Israel.

If a new New Horizons craft were to be launched now, it would likely get to Pluto even more quickly and take even better photos – but NASA has said that it’s unlikely to send out another Pluto mission anytime soon.

Because of the distances, New Horizons will be sending its data back in trickles of digital bits and bytes, with NASA assembling those into proper photos. Many of the photos will become available only in a few months – just in time for the International Aeronautical Congress in October.

The IAC is sponsored by three of the world’s largest space exploration advocacy groups — the International Astronautical Federation, the International Academy of Astronautics, and the International Institute of Space Law — discussing science and exploration, space communication and navigation, space transportation, space law, and more. It is considered the most high-profile space conference of the year.

That’s especially true this year, given the Pluto photos, making this year’s congress the most highly anticipated in years. Anyone who is anyone in the space exploration industry will be there, said Ben-Israel – and everyone involved in the industry, including colleagues from Iran, which has a satellite in space, is cordially invited.

“We told the sponsors that we would be happy to supply visas for Iranian delegates if they requested them, in compliance with rules that require invitations to be sent to all countries,” said Ben-Israel. “Whether or not they will attend I cannot say, but like scientists around the world, I am sure that they are as curious about the new information as anyone else.”

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