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subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Early_mission_proposals-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-The_Pluto_Underground,_Pluto_350_and_Mariner_Mark_II" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#The_Pluto_Underground,_Pluto_350_and_Mariner_Mark_II"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.1</span> <span>The Pluto Underground, Pluto 350 and Mariner Mark II</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-The_Pluto_Underground,_Pluto_350_and_Mariner_Mark_II-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Pluto_postage_stamp" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Pluto_postage_stamp"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2</span> <span>Pluto postage stamp</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Pluto_postage_stamp-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Pluto_Fast_Flyby" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Pluto_Fast_Flyby"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.3</span> <span>Pluto Fast Flyby</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Pluto_Fast_Flyby-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Kuiper_belt,_Pluto_Kuiper_Express_and_cancellation" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Kuiper_belt,_Pluto_Kuiper_Express_and_cancellation"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.4</span> <span>Kuiper belt, Pluto Kuiper Express and cancellation</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Kuiper_belt,_Pluto_Kuiper_Express_and_cancellation-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Proposed_exploration_(2003)" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Proposed_exploration_(2003)"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.5</span> <span>Proposed exploration (2003)</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Proposed_exploration_(2003)-sublist" 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<span>Persephone</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Persephone-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div 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class="mw-page-title-main">Exploration of Pluto</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. 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mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluuto_uurimise_ajalugu" title="Pluuto uurimise ajalugu – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Pluuto uurimise ajalugu" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploraci%C3%B3n_de_Plut%C3%B3n" title="Exploración de Plutón – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Exploración de Plutón" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B4_%D9%BE%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%86" title="کاوش پلوتون – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="کاوش پلوتون" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esplorazione_di_Plutone" title="Esplorazione di Plutone – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Esplorazione di Plutone" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kn mw-list-item"><a href="https://kn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B2%AA%E0%B3%8D%E0%B2%B2%E0%B3%81%E0%B2%9F%E0%B3%8A_%E0%B2%97%E0%B3%8D%E0%B2%B0%E0%B2%B9%E0%B2%A6_%E0%B2%AA%E0%B2%B0%E0%B2%BF%E0%B2%B6%E0%B3%8B%E0%B2%A7%E0%B2%A8%E0%B3%86" title="ಪ್ಲುಟೊ ಗ್ರಹದ ಪರಿಶೋಧನೆ – Kannada" lang="kn" hreflang="kn" data-title="ಪ್ಲುಟೊ ಗ್ರಹದ ಪರಿಶೋಧನೆ" data-language-autonym="ಕನ್ನಡ" data-language-local-name="Kannada" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ಕನ್ನಡ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mk mw-list-item"><a href="https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B6%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%9A%D0%B5_%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%9F%D0%BB%D1%83%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BD" title="Истражување на Плутон – Macedonian" lang="mk" hreflang="mk" data-title="Истражување на Плутон" data-language-autonym="Македонски" data-language-local-name="Macedonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Македонски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vi mw-list-item"><a href="https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C4%83m_d%C3%B2_Sao_Di%C3%AAm_V%C6%B0%C6%A1ng" title="Thăm dò Sao Diêm Vương – Vietnamese" lang="vi" hreflang="vi" data-title="Thăm dò Sao Diêm Vương" data-language-autonym="Tiếng Việt" data-language-local-name="Vietnamese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tiếng Việt</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q23581368#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit interlanguage 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class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Overview of the exploration of Pluto</div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237032888/mw-parser-output/.tmulti">.mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner{display:flex;flex-direction:column}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow{display:flex;flex-direction:row;clear:left;flex-wrap:wrap;width:100%;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle{margin:1px;float:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .theader{clear:both;font-weight:bold;text-align:center;align-self:center;background-color:transparent;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .thumbcaption{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-left{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-right{text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .text-align-center{text-align:center}@media all and (max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .tmulti .thumbinner{width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:none!important;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow{justify-content:center}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle{float:none!important;max-width:100%!important;box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .tsingle .thumbcaption{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow>.thumbcaption{text-align:center}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner img{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner img{background-color:white}}</style><div class="thumb tmulti tright"><div class="thumbinner multiimageinner" style="width:174px;max-width:174px"><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:172px;max-width:172px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:New_Horizons_Jan19_06.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/New_Horizons_Jan19_06.jpg/170px-New_Horizons_Jan19_06.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="190" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/New_Horizons_Jan19_06.jpg/255px-New_Horizons_Jan19_06.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/New_Horizons_Jan19_06.jpg/340px-New_Horizons_Jan19_06.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1516" data-file-height="1696" /></a></span></div><div class="thumbcaption"><i><a href="/wiki/New_Horizons" title="New Horizons">New Horizons</a></i>, launched on 19 January 2006</div></div></div><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:172px;max-width:172px"><div class="thumbimage"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:New_Horizons_Full_Trajectory.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/New_Horizons_Full_Trajectory.svg/170px-New_Horizons_Full_Trajectory.svg.png" decoding="async" width="170" height="201" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/New_Horizons_Full_Trajectory.svg/255px-New_Horizons_Full_Trajectory.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/New_Horizons_Full_Trajectory.svg/340px-New_Horizons_Full_Trajectory.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="606" /></a></span></div><div class="thumbcaption">A 3,462-day journey to Pluto</div></div></div></div></div> <p>The <b>exploration of <a href="/wiki/Pluto" title="Pluto">Pluto</a></b> began with the arrival of the <i><a href="/wiki/New_Horizons" title="New Horizons">New Horizons</a></i> probe in July 2015, though proposals for such a mission had been studied for many decades.<sup id="cite_ref-NYT-20150718_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NYT-20150718-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> There are no plans as yet for a follow-up mission, though follow-up concepts have been studied.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-:1_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Early_mission_proposals">Early mission proposals</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Early mission proposals"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Pluto, discovered by <a href="/wiki/Clyde_Tombaugh" title="Clyde Tombaugh">Clyde Tombaugh</a> in 1930, is an interesting target for planetary exploration, but Pluto presents significant challenges for exploration because of its small mass and great distance from Earth. </p><p>In 1964, <a href="/wiki/Gary_Flandro" title="Gary Flandro">Gary Flandro</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Jet_Propulsion_Laboratory" title="Jet Propulsion Laboratory">Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> proposed a mission called <a href="/wiki/Grand_Tour_program" title="Grand Tour program">Grand Tour</a>, taking advantage of the fact that an alignment of planets in the late 1970s would enable a single spacecraft to visit all of the outer planets, including Pluto, by using <a href="/wiki/Gravity_assists" class="mw-redirect" title="Gravity assists">gravity assists</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Due to the cost, the mission was not funded, although the planetary alignment was used by the two probes of the <a href="/wiki/Voyager_program" title="Voyager program">Voyager program</a>, launched in 1977. </p><p>One of many possibilities for the <i><a href="/wiki/Voyager_1" title="Voyager 1">Voyager 1</a></i> spacecraft after its <a href="/wiki/Planetary_flyby" title="Planetary flyby">flyby</a> of Saturn in 1980 was to use Saturn as a <a href="/wiki/Gravity_assist" title="Gravity assist">slingshot</a> towards Pluto for a flyby as early as March 1986.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-JPL_Voyager_FAQ_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-JPL_Voyager_FAQ-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, scientists decided that a flyby of <a href="/wiki/Titan_(moon)" title="Titan (moon)">Titan</a> during the Saturn encounter would be a more important scientific objective, making a subsequent flyby of Pluto impossible, because the close approach to Titan put it on a trajectory that slingshotted it out of the <a href="/wiki/Ecliptic" title="Ecliptic">plane of the solar system</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Because no mission to Pluto was planned by any space agency at the time, it would be left unexplored by interplanetary spacecraft for years to come. </p><p>After the success of the Voyager program, planetary scientists looked to Pluto as the destination for a subsequent mission. In the 1980s, <a href="/wiki/Robert_W._Farquhar" title="Robert W. Farquhar">Robert Farquhar</a> proposed that a Pluto mission could be added to the proposed <a href="/wiki/Parker_Solar_Probe" title="Parker Solar Probe">Solar Probe</a> mission,<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> which at the time was proposed to fly by Jupiter on the way to its solar encounter. The mission was tagged "Fire and Ice." However, the proposal was not accepted. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="The_Pluto_Underground,_Pluto_350_and_Mariner_Mark_II"><span id="The_Pluto_Underground.2C_Pluto_350_and_Mariner_Mark_II"></span>The Pluto Underground, Pluto 350 and Mariner Mark II</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: The Pluto Underground, Pluto 350 and Mariner Mark II"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:CRAF.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/CRAF.jpg/220px-CRAF.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="167" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/CRAF.jpg/330px-CRAF.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/CRAF.jpg/440px-CRAF.jpg 2x" data-file-width="628" data-file-height="478" /></a><figcaption>One of the many early concepts for a mission to Pluto was to send a <a href="/wiki/Mariner_Mark_II" title="Mariner Mark II">Mariner Mark II</a> spacecraft. This was later ruled out in favor of a smaller, less expensive spacecraft similar to the "Pluto 350" concept.</figcaption></figure> <p>In May 1989, a group of scientists and engineers, including <a href="/wiki/Alan_Stern" title="Alan Stern">Alan Stern</a> and Fran Bagenal, formed an alliance called the "Pluto Underground". It was named in homage of the Mars Underground, another group of scientists that successfully lobbied for the restart of missions to Mars, following the lack of such since the <a href="/wiki/Viking_program" title="Viking program">Viking</a> program. The group started a letter writing campaign which aimed to bring to attention Pluto as a viable target for exploration.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In 1990, because of pressure from the <a href="/wiki/Scientific_community" title="Scientific community">scientific community</a>, including those of the Pluto Underground, engineers at NASA decided to look into concepts for a mission to Pluto. At the time, it was thought that the <a href="/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Pluto" title="Atmosphere of Pluto">atmosphere of Pluto</a> would freeze and fall to the surface during winter, and so a lightweight spacecraft was desirable, as it would be able to reach Pluto before such an event would occur. One of the earliest concepts was for a 40-kilogram spacecraft that would reach Pluto in five to six years. The idea was shortly scrapped, however, because of the infeasibility of miniaturizing scientific instruments aboard such a spacecraft to that size.<sup id="cite_ref-planetary-society_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-planetary-society-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:20150626_pluto350-left.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/20150626_pluto350-left.jpg/220px-20150626_pluto350-left.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="159" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/20150626_pluto350-left.jpg/330px-20150626_pluto350-left.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/20150626_pluto350-left.jpg/440px-20150626_pluto350-left.jpg 2x" data-file-width="497" data-file-height="360" /></a><figcaption>A diagram of Pluto 350.</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:20150626_pluto350-right.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/20150626_pluto350-right.jpg/220px-20150626_pluto350-right.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="221" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/20150626_pluto350-right.jpg/330px-20150626_pluto350-right.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/20150626_pluto350-right.jpg 2x" data-file-width="358" data-file-height="360" /></a><figcaption>An artist's impression of Pluto 350</figcaption></figure> <p>Another mission concept, known as Pluto 350, was developed by <a href="/wiki/Robert_W._Farquhar" title="Robert W. Farquhar">Robert Farquhar</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Goddard_Space_Flight_Center" title="Goddard Space Flight Center">Goddard Space Flight Center</a>, with Alan Stern and Fran Bagenal of the Pluto Underground, who both served as study scientists for the project. Pluto 350 aimed to send a spacecraft, weighing around 350 kilograms, to Pluto.<sup id="cite_ref-newhorizonsbook_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-newhorizonsbook-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The spacecraft's minimalistic design was to allow it to travel faster and be more cost-effective, in contrast to most other big-budget projects NASA were developing at the time, such as <i><a href="/wiki/Galileo_(spacecraft)" title="Galileo (spacecraft)">Galileo</a></i> and <i><a href="/wiki/Cassini-Huygens" class="mw-redirect" title="Cassini-Huygens">Cassini</a></i>. Pluto 350, however, would later become controversial among mission planners at NASA, who considered the project to be too small and too high-risk. Doubts about the cost-effectiveness were raised by Farquhar's team as Pluto had just passed <a href="/wiki/Apsis" title="Apsis">perihelion</a>, which would exponentially increase the mission duration before the launch date was finalized. Pluto's approximate axial tilt of 118 degrees meant that the southern hemisphere would not be able to be photographed as it entered decades-long darkness with the onset of winter.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>An alternative plan which was considered at one point was to send to Pluto a configuration of the <a href="/wiki/Mariner_Mark_II" title="Mariner Mark II">Mariner Mark II</a> spacecraft, which would weigh 2,000 kilograms and cost <a href="/wiki/US$" class="mw-redirect" title="US$">US$</a>3.2 billion, in sharp contrast to Pluto 350's $543 million cost.<sup id="cite_ref-planetary-society_10-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-planetary-society-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> While both projects competed for approval, Pluto 350 was more favored by NASA mission planners, who were starting to adopt smaller missions such as <i><a href="/wiki/Mars_Pathfinder" title="Mars Pathfinder">Mars Pathfinder</a></i> and <a href="/wiki/NEAR_Shoemaker" title="NEAR Shoemaker">NEAR Shoemaker</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-newhorizonsbook_11-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-newhorizonsbook-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Pluto_postage_stamp">Pluto postage stamp</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Pluto postage stamp"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1224211176">.mw-parser-output .quotebox{background-color:#F9F9F9;border:1px solid #aaa;box-sizing:border-box;padding:10px;font-size:88%;max-width:100%}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatleft{margin:.5em 1.4em .8em 0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatright{margin:.5em 0 .8em 1.4em}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.centered{overflow:hidden;position:relative;margin:.5em auto .8em auto}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatleft span,.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatright span{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .quotebox>blockquote{margin:0;padding:0;border-left:0;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-title{text-align:center;font-size:110%;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote>:first-child{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote:last-child>:last-child{margin-bottom:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote.quoted:before{font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-weight:bold;font-size:large;color:gray;content:" “ ";vertical-align:-45%;line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote.quoted:after{font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-weight:bold;font-size:large;color:gray;content:" ” ";line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .left-aligned{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .right-aligned{text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .center-aligned{text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .quote-title,.mw-parser-output .quotebox .quotebox-quote{display:block}.mw-parser-output .quotebox cite{display:block;font-style:normal}@media screen and (max-width:640px){.mw-parser-output .quotebox{width:100%!important;margin:0 0 .8em!important;float:none!important}}</style><div class="quotebox pullquote floatright" style="width:25em; ;"> <blockquote class="quotebox-quote left-aligned" style=""> <p>For many years, people had waved that stamp around as sort of a call to arms, as a motivating graphic: "Not yet explored". That stamp had been in so many presentations by that point, I knew it would please people to have it go along. </p> </blockquote> <p style="padding-bottom: 0;"><cite class="left-aligned" style="">S. <a href="/wiki/Alan_Stern" title="Alan Stern">Alan Stern</a> on the USPS stamp<sup id="cite_ref-planetary-society_10-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-planetary-society-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></cite></p> </div> <p>In October 1991, the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Postal_Service" title="United States Postal Service">United States Postal Service</a> released a series of stamps commemorating <a href="/wiki/NASA" title="NASA">NASA</a>'s exploration of the Solar System.<sup id="cite_ref-si-usps_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-si-usps-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The series featured a stamp for all planets, displaying an image of the planet and highlighting an associated spacecraft which was sent to it. The stamp for Pluto, however, depicted a featureless sphere, presented with the phrase "not yet explored" in place of the name of a spacecraft. The stamps were unveiled in a ceremony at the <a href="/wiki/Jet_Propulsion_Laboratory" title="Jet Propulsion Laboratory">Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a>. </p><p>Two scientists who attended the event, World Space Foundation president Robert Staehle and JPL scientist Stacy Weinstein, were inspired by Pluto's status on the stamp, such that they started to inquire about the feasibility of sending a spacecraft to Pluto.<sup id="cite_ref-stamp-foust_14-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-stamp-foust-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-stamp-betz_15-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-stamp-betz-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, inspired by the "Not Yet Explored" status of Pluto, also started to put forward ideas about a mission to Pluto.<sup id="cite_ref-stamp-070715_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-stamp-070715-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In August 1992, Staehle telephoned Pluto's discoverer, <a href="/wiki/Clyde_Tombaugh" title="Clyde Tombaugh">Clyde Tombaugh</a>, requesting permission to visit his planet. "I told him he was welcome to it", Tombaugh later remembered, "though he's got to go one long, cold trip".<sup id="cite_ref-Sobel1993_18-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Sobel1993-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Pluto_Fast_Flyby">Pluto Fast Flyby</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Pluto Fast Flyby"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Pluto_Kuiper_Express" title="Pluto Kuiper Express">Pluto Kuiper Express</a></div> <p>That year, Staehle, with the help of JPL engineers and students from the <a href="/wiki/California_Institute_of_Technology" title="California Institute of Technology">California Institute of Technology</a>, formed the <a href="/wiki/Pluto_Kuiper_Express" title="Pluto Kuiper Express">Pluto Fast Flyby</a> project. The mission heralded the same ideology as the Pluto 350 concept: small in size and cost-effective in scope, so that the spacecraft would be able to get to Pluto faster and be affordable to develop and launch. Described as a "radical" mission concept, the mission would see two spacecraft being sent to Pluto. Both spacecraft were to weigh only around 35-50 kilograms each (including 7 kg worth of scientific instruments), and the project would cost less than US$500 million to develop, excluding launch costs.<sup id="cite_ref-stamp-foust_14-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-stamp-foust-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Described by Staehle as a "faster, better, [and] cheaper" approach than the Pluto 350 and Mariner Mark II projects, it caught the attention of then-NASA Administrator <a href="/wiki/Daniel_S._Goldin" class="mw-redirect" title="Daniel S. Goldin">Daniel S. Goldin</a>, who ordered all work on both Pluto 350 and Mariner Mark II to cease and shift all resources to the new Pluto Fast Flyby project instead.<sup id="cite_ref-newhorizonsbook_11-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-newhorizonsbook-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>During the development of Pluto Fast Flyby, however, there were multiple concerns from both NASA, Administrator Goldin and the mission's development team. As research and development into the mission progressed, the project's size, scope, and budget all expanded. Additionally, morale among the team and personnel working on interplanetary missions was low following the loss of the <a href="/wiki/Mars_Observer" title="Mars Observer">Mars Observer</a> spacecraft in August 1993. Alan Stern would later cite that event as a significant factor towards the low enthusiasm for the Pluto Fast Flyby project.<sup id="cite_ref-planetary-society_10-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-planetary-society-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The spacecraft were intended to be launched using <a href="/wiki/Titan_IV" title="Titan IV">Titan IV</a> rockets, which would have cost US$400 million each, thus raising the budget to over US$1 billion.<sup id="cite_ref-newhorizonsbook_11-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-newhorizonsbook-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Because of growing budget constraints, the dual-spacecraft concept was scrapped in favor of sending a single spacecraft to Pluto. The project was still too expensive, however, in the eyes of Administrator Goldin.<sup id="cite_ref-planetary-society_10-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-planetary-society-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Alan Stern, as a compromise, reached an agreement with <a href="/wiki/Russian_Space_Research_Institute" title="Russian Space Research Institute">Russian Space Research Institute</a> scientists in Moscow, in which Pluto Fast Flyby would be launched atop a <a href="/wiki/Proton_(rocket_family)" title="Proton (rocket family)">Proton rocket</a>, saving NASA over US$400 million in launch costs. Alec Galeev, head of the Russian Space Research Institute, reached the agreement with Stern by stipulating that Russia would include an atmospheric probe that would impact Pluto after studying its atmosphere with a mass spectrometer.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The proposal was forwarded to Administrator Goldin, but he vetoed the proposal, recommending instead that the JPL look into the feasibility of Pluto Fast Flyby being launched aboard a smaller rocket, such as the <a href="/wiki/Delta_II" title="Delta II">Delta II</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-newhorizonsbook_11-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-newhorizonsbook-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Kuiper_belt,_Pluto_Kuiper_Express_and_cancellation"><span id="Kuiper_belt.2C_Pluto_Kuiper_Express_and_cancellation"></span>Kuiper belt, Pluto Kuiper Express and cancellation</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Kuiper belt, Pluto Kuiper Express and cancellation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Pluto_express.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Pluto_express.jpg/220px-Pluto_express.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Pluto_express.jpg/330px-Pluto_express.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Pluto_express.jpg/440px-Pluto_express.jpg 2x" data-file-width="640" data-file-height="480" /></a><figcaption>Concept art for the Pluto Kuiper Express; the last iteration of the original Pluto mission concepts, eventually cancelled in 2000.</figcaption></figure> <p>During the course of the late 1990s, a number of <a href="/wiki/Trans-Neptunian_object" title="Trans-Neptunian object">trans-Neptunian objects</a> were discovered, confirming the existence of a <a href="/wiki/Kuiper_belt" title="Kuiper belt">Kuiper belt</a>. Interest in a mission to the Kuiper belt arose such that NASA instructed the JPL to re-purpose the mission as not only a Pluto flyby, but also a Kuiper belt object (KBO) flyby. The mission was thus re-branded as the <a href="/wiki/Pluto_Kuiper_Express" title="Pluto Kuiper Express">Pluto Kuiper Express</a>, after briefly being billed as Pluto Express prior to the revision. The weight of the spacecraft was raised again, this time to 175 kilograms, and NASA allowed further liberty with the project's budget.<sup id="cite_ref-newhorizonsbook_11-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-newhorizonsbook-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>However, Goldin later decided that Pluto Kuiper Express was of low importance, and thus cut funding to the project drastically. Eventually, despite official selection of scientific instruments and the appointment of several investigators, then-<a href="/wiki/Science_Mission_Directorate" title="Science Mission Directorate">Science Mission Directorate</a> <a href="/wiki/Edward_J._Weiler" title="Edward J. Weiler">Edward J. Weiler</a> ordered the cancellation of the entire Pluto and Kuiper belt mission in 2000, citing growing budget constraints, which had plagued the project since its inception in 1992. At the time of cancellation, the projected costs surpassed $1 billion.<sup id="cite_ref-planetary-society_10-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-planetary-society-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-alan-stern_20-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-alan-stern-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The cancellation of Pluto Kuiper Express angered some of the space-exploration scientific community, which led to groups, such as <a href="/wiki/The_Planetary_Society" title="The Planetary Society">The Planetary Society</a>, lobbying NASA for either a reboot of the Pluto Kuiper Express or a restart of a mission to Pluto. Internal divisions within NASA, including its Scientific Advisory Council, also voiced support for a Pluto mission.<sup id="cite_ref-planetary-society_10-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-planetary-society-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In response to the backlash caused by the cancellation of Pluto Kuiper Express, it was decided to inaugurate a new class of missions that would fit between the big-budget <a href="/wiki/Flagship_Program" class="mw-redirect" title="Flagship Program">Flagship Program</a> and the low-budget <a href="/wiki/Discovery_Program" title="Discovery Program">Discovery Program</a>, creating a compromise for missions such as the former Pluto Kuiper Express, which proved to be too expensive for the Discovery Program. A competition was held, in which NASA would select a mission concept to fund as part of the first mission of the <a href="/wiki/New_Frontiers_program" title="New Frontiers program">New Frontiers program</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-alan-stern_20-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-alan-stern-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Proposed_exploration_(2003)"><span id="Proposed_exploration_.282003.29"></span>Proposed exploration (2003)</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Proposed exploration (2003)"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A Pluto orbiter/lander/sample return mission was proposed in 2003. The plan included a twelve-year trip from Earth to Pluto, mapping from orbit, multiple landings, a warm water probe, and possible <i>in situ</i> propellant production for another twelve-year trip back to Earth with samples. Power and propulsion would come from the bimodal MITEE nuclear reactor system.<sup id="cite_ref-powell_21-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-powell-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="New_Horizons"><i>New Horizons</i></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: New Horizons"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/New_Horizons" title="New Horizons">New Horizons</a></div> <p>After an intense political battle, a revised mission to Pluto called <i><a href="/wiki/New_Horizons" title="New Horizons">New Horizons</a></i> was granted funding from the US government in 2003.<sup id="cite_ref-Britt2003_22-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Britt2003-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <i>New Horizons</i> was launched successfully on 19 January 2006. The mission leader, <a href="/wiki/S._Alan_Stern" class="mw-redirect" title="S. Alan Stern">S. Alan Stern</a>, confirmed that some of the ashes of Clyde Tombaugh, who died in 1997, had been placed aboard the spacecraft.<sup id="cite_ref-Stern2006_Tombaugh_100th_23-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Stern2006_Tombaugh_100th-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure class="mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:First_Pluto_sighting_from_New_Horizons.gif" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/First_Pluto_sighting_from_New_Horizons.gif/175px-First_Pluto_sighting_from_New_Horizons.gif" decoding="async" width="175" height="175" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/First_Pluto_sighting_from_New_Horizons.gif/263px-First_Pluto_sighting_from_New_Horizons.gif 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/First_Pluto_sighting_from_New_Horizons.gif/350px-First_Pluto_sighting_from_New_Horizons.gif 2x" data-file-width="896" data-file-height="896" /></a><figcaption>First Pluto sighting from <i>New Horizons</i> in 2006</figcaption></figure> <p><i>New Horizons</i> captured its first (distant) images of Pluto in late September 2006, during a test of the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager.<sup id="cite_ref-pluto.jhuapl_First_Pluto_Sighting_24-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-pluto.jhuapl_First_Pluto_Sighting-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The images, taken from a distance of approximately 4.2 billion kilometers, confirmed the spacecraft's ability to track distant targets, critical for maneuvering toward Pluto and other Kuiper belt objects. In early 2007 the craft made use of a <a href="/wiki/Gravity_assist" title="Gravity assist">gravity assist</a> from <a href="/wiki/Jupiter" title="Jupiter">Jupiter</a>. </p><p>On 4 February 2015, NASA released new images of Pluto (taken on 25 and 27 January) from the approaching probe.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <i>New Horizons</i> was more than 203,000,000 km (126,000,000 mi) away from Pluto when it began taking the photos, which showed Pluto and its largest moon, Charon. On 20 March 2015, NASA invited the general public to suggest names for surface features that will be discovered on Pluto and Charon.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> On 15 April 2015, Pluto was imaged showing a possible polar cap.<sup id="cite_ref-NASA-20150429_27-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NASA-20150429-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Between April and June 2015, <i>New Horizons</i> began returning images of Pluto that exceeded the quality that the Hubble Space Telescope could produce.<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Pluto's small moons, discovered shortly before and after the probe's launch, were considered to be potentially hazardous, as debris from collisions between them and other Kuiper belt objects could have produced a tenuous dusty ring. If <i>New Horizons</i> had travelled through such a ring system, there would have been an increased risk of potentially disabling <a href="/wiki/Micrometeoroid" title="Micrometeoroid">micrometeoroid</a> damage.<sup id="cite_ref-Steffl_2006_30-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Steffl_2006-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><i>New Horizons</i> had its closest approach to Pluto on 14 July 2015—after a 3,462-day journey across the Solar System. Scientific observations of Pluto began five months before the closest approach and continued for at least a month after the encounter. <i>New Horizons</i> used a <a href="/wiki/Remote_sensing" title="Remote sensing">remote sensing</a> package that includes imaging instruments and a radio science investigation tool, as well as spectroscopic and other experiments, to characterize the global geology and morphology of Pluto and its moon Charon, map their surface composition and analyze Pluto's neutral atmosphere and its escape rate. <i>New Horizons</i> also photographed the surfaces of Pluto and Charon. </p><p>Photographs of Pluto taken on 14 July 2015 taken 15 minutes after <i>New Horizon</i><span class="nowrap" style="padding-left:0.1em;">'s</span> closest approach, from a distance of 18,000 kilometers and sent to Earth on 13 September 2015 show a near-sunset on Pluto with details of the surface and a haze in the atmosphere.<sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Future_mission_concepts">Future mission concepts</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Future mission concepts"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>No follow-up missions to <i>New Horizons</i> have been formally planned, but at least two mission concepts have been studied. In April 2017, a workshop met in Houston, Texas to discuss ideas for a follow-up mission.<sup id="cite_ref-:2_33-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:2-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Possible objectives discussed by the group for a follow-up mission include mapping the surface at 30 feet per pixel, observations of Pluto's smaller satellites, observations of how Pluto changes as it rotates on its axis, and topographic mapping of Pluto's regions that are covered in long-term darkness due to its axial tilt. The last objective could be accomplished using infrared laser pulses. According to New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern, “If we send an orbiter, we can map 100 percent of the planet, even terrains that are in total shadow."<sup id="cite_ref-:2_33-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:2-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Stern and David Grinspoon have also suggested that an orbiter mission could search for evidence of the subsurface ocean hinted at in <i>New Horizons</i> data.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Fusion-Enabled_Pluto_Orbiter_and_Lander.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Fusion-Enabled_Pluto_Orbiter_and_Lander.png/220px-Fusion-Enabled_Pluto_Orbiter_and_Lander.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="220" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Fusion-Enabled_Pluto_Orbiter_and_Lander.png/330px-Fusion-Enabled_Pluto_Orbiter_and_Lander.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Fusion-Enabled_Pluto_Orbiter_and_Lander.png/440px-Fusion-Enabled_Pluto_Orbiter_and_Lander.png 2x" data-file-width="480" data-file-height="480" /></a><figcaption>Artist's impression of the Fusion-Enabled Pluto Orbiter and Lander at Pluto, with a <i>New Horizons</i> image of Pluto in the background.</figcaption></figure> <p>Shortly after the <i>New Horizons</i> flyby, Stern suggested a Charon lander as a follow-up that would observe Pluto from Charon's surface.<sup id="cite_ref-:3_35-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:3-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, such a lander would only observe the Charon-facing hemisphere of Pluto, as Pluto and Charon are <a href="/wiki/Tidal_locking" title="Tidal locking">tidally locked</a>. Since the Houston workshop, Stern changed his mind to advocate instead for a <i>Cassini</i>-style orbiter that would use Charon's gravity to adjust its orbit while studying Pluto and its moons.<sup id="cite_ref-:3_35-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:3-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The probe could use electric propulsion similar to NASA's <i><a href="/wiki/Dawn_(spacecraft)" title="Dawn (spacecraft)">Dawn</a></i> mission. It would then have the option of using Charon's gravity to leave the Pluto system after all Pluto science objectives are completed and study new KBOs beyond Pluto. Stern envisaged the probe being launched in 2030, marking the 100th anniversary of Pluto's discovery, and spending 7–8 years traveling to the Pluto system. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Fusion-Enabled_Pluto_Orbiter_and_Lander">Fusion-Enabled Pluto Orbiter and Lander</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Fusion-Enabled Pluto Orbiter and Lander"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The Fusion-Enabled Pluto Orbiter and Lander was a 2017 phase I report funded by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (<a href="/wiki/NASA_Institute_for_Advanced_Concepts" title="NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts">NIAC</a>) program.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The report, written by principal investigator Stephanie Thomas of Princeton Satellite Systems, Inc., describes a <a href="/wiki/Direct_Fusion_Drive" title="Direct Fusion Drive">Direct Fusion Drive</a> (DFD) mission to Pluto. A fusion reactor would be used to send a 1000 kg orbiter and lander to the Pluto system in only four years (more than twice as fast as <i>New Horizons</i>).<sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Pluto_Hop,_Skip,_and_Jump"><span id="Pluto_Hop.2C_Skip.2C_and_Jump"></span>Pluto Hop, Skip, and Jump</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Pluto Hop, Skip, and Jump"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Global Aerospace Corporation presented a Pluto lander concept titled "Pluto Hop, Skip, and Jump" at the 2017 NIAC Symposium in Denver, Colorado.<sup id="cite_ref-38" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-:0_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The concept describes an entrycraft that would brake using the drag of Pluto's thin but highly spread-out atmosphere. Once on Pluto's surface, the vehicle would exploit Pluto's low gravity to hop between sites using propellant. This is similar to NASA's <a href="/wiki/Triton_Hopper" title="Triton Hopper">Triton Hopper</a> concept for exploring Neptune's largest moon <a href="/wiki/Triton_(moon)" title="Triton (moon)">Triton</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Persephone">Persephone</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Persephone"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Another proposal submitted to NASA in 2020 is an orbital probe of the Pluto & Charon system, named "Persephone".<sup id="cite_ref-39" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-40" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>It would be powered by 5 <a href="/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator" title="Radioisotope thermoelectric generator">RTGs</a>, contain several high-resolution cameras, and orbit for 3 years. A key goal would be to determine whether there is a subsurface ocean on Pluto. Estimated cost would be $3 billion. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_dwarf_planets" title="Exploration of dwarf planets">Exploration of dwarf planets</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Exploration_of_Pluto&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-NYT-20150718-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-NYT-20150718_1-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFChang2015" class="citation news cs1">Chang, Kenneth (18 July 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/19/us/the-long-strange-trip-to-pluto-and-how-nasa-nearly-missed-it.html">"The Long, Strange Trip to Pluto, and How NASA Nearly Missed It"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. 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talk:Planetary exploration"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Planetary_exploration" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Planetary exploration"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Exploration_of_the_Solar_System" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Discovery_and_exploration_of_the_Solar_System" title="Discovery and exploration of the Solar System">Exploration</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Solar_System" title="Solar System">Solar System</a></div></th></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_Solar_System_exploration" title="Timeline of Solar System exploration">Timeline of Solar System exploration</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Exploration of</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_Mercury" title="Exploration of Mercury">Mercury</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Observations_and_explorations_of_Venus" title="Observations and explorations of Venus">Venus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_the_Moon" title="Exploration of the Moon">Moon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_Mars" title="Exploration of Mars">Mars</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_Jupiter" title="Exploration of Jupiter">Jupiter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_Saturn" title="Exploration of Saturn">Saturn</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_Uranus" title="Exploration of Uranus">Uranus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_Neptune" title="Exploration of Neptune">Neptune</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Pluto</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Artificial objects</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/List_of_artificial_objects_on_extra-terrestrial_surfaces" class="mw-redirect" title="List of artificial objects on extra-terrestrial surfaces">On extra-terrestrial surfaces</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_artificial_objects_on_the_Moon" title="List of artificial objects on the Moon">Moon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_artificial_objects_on_Venus" title="List of artificial objects on Venus">Venus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_artificial_objects_on_Mars" title="List of artificial objects on Mars">Mars</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Huygens_(spacecraft)" title="Huygens (spacecraft)">Titan</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Deep-space missions</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_artificial_objects_in_heliocentric_orbit" title="List of artificial objects in heliocentric orbit">Heliocentric orbit</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_artificial_objects_leaving_the_Solar_System" title="List of artificial objects leaving the Solar System">Leaving the Solar System</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Lists</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Solar_System_probes" title="List of Solar System probes">Solar System probes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_minor_planets_and_comets_visited_by_spacecraft" title="List of minor planets and comets visited by spacecraft">Minor planets and comets visited by spacecraft</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_missions_to_minor_planets" title="List of missions to minor planets">Missions to minor planets</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_missions_to_comets" title="List of missions to comets">Missions to comets</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_landings_on_extraterrestrial_bodies" title="List of landings on extraterrestrial bodies">Landings on extraterrestrial bodies</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_objects_at_Lagrangian_points" class="mw-redirect" title="List of objects at Lagrangian points">Objects at Lagrangian points</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Space_exploration" title="Space exploration">Space exploration</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Outline_of_space_exploration" title="Outline of space exploration">outline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_space_exploration" title="Timeline of space exploration">timeline</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Pluto" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="3"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Pluto" title="Template:Pluto"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Pluto" title="Template talk:Pluto"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Pluto" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Pluto"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Pluto" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Pluto" title="Pluto">Pluto</a></div></th></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="3"><div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Pluto" title="Atmosphere of Pluto">Atmosphere</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Climate_of_Pluto" title="Climate of Pluto">Climate</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Geology_of_Pluto" title="Geology of Pluto">Geology</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Pluto" title="Geography of Pluto">Geography</a><br />(<a href="/wiki/List_of_geological_features_on_Pluto" title="List of geological features on Pluto">features</a>)</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: right;">Regions</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>"<a href="/wiki/Geography_of_Pluto#The_Brass_Knuckles" title="Geography of Pluto">Brass Knuckles</a>" <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Safronov_Regio" title="Safronov Regio">Safronov</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sharaf_Regio" title="Sharaf Regio">Sharaf</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Harrington_Regio" title="Harrington Regio">Harrington</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vucub-Came_Macula" title="Vucub-Came Macula">Vucub-Came</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hun-Came_Macula" title="Hun-Came Macula">Hun-Came</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Meng-p%CA%BBo_Macula" class="mw-redirect" title="Meng-pʻo Macula">Meng-pʻo</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Belton_Regio" title="Belton Regio">Belton</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cadejo_Macula" title="Cadejo Macula">Cadejo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hayabusa_Terra" title="Hayabusa Terra">Hayabusa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lowell_Regio" title="Lowell Regio">Lowell</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Morgoth_Macula" title="Morgoth Macula">Morgoth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pioneer_Terra" class="mw-redirect" title="Pioneer Terra">Pioneer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tombaugh_Regio" title="Tombaugh Regio">Tombaugh "The Heart"</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Venera_Terra" class="mw-redirect" title="Venera Terra">Venera</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Viking_Terra" class="mw-redirect" title="Viking Terra">Viking</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Voyager_Terra" title="Voyager Terra">Voyager</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: right;">Hills and<br /> mountains</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Baret_Montes" title="Baret Montes">Baret Montes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Challenger_Colles" title="Challenger Colles">Challenger Colles</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coleta_de_Dados_Colles" title="Coleta de Dados Colles">Coleta de Dados Colles</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hillary_Montes" title="Hillary Montes">Hillary Montes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Piccard_Mons" title="Piccard Mons">Piccard Mons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tenzing_Montes" title="Tenzing Montes">Tenzing Montes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wright_Mons" title="Wright Mons">Wright Mons</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: right;">Plains</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Sputnik_Planitia" title="Sputnik Planitia">Sputnik Planitia</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: right;">Valleys and<br />depressions</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Adlivun_Cavus" title="Adlivun Cavus">Adlivun Cavus</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: right;">Lineae</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Luna_Linea" title="Luna Linea">Luna Linea</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: right;">Craters</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Burney_(crater)" title="Burney (crater)">Burney</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td><td class="noviewer navbox-image" rowspan="5" style="width:1px;padding:0 0 0 2px"><div><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Pluto_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Pluto"><img alt="Pluto" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Pluto_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg/90px-Pluto_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg" decoding="async" width="90" height="90" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Pluto_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg/135px-Pluto_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Pluto_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg/180px-Pluto_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg 2x" data-file-width="8000" data-file-height="8000" /></a></span><br /><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:NH-PlutoCharon-Color-NewHorizons-20150711.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Both to scale"><img alt="Both to scale" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/NH-PlutoCharon-Color-NewHorizons-20150711.jpg/90px-NH-PlutoCharon-Color-NewHorizons-20150711.jpg" decoding="async" width="90" height="47" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/NH-PlutoCharon-Color-NewHorizons-20150711.jpg/135px-NH-PlutoCharon-Color-NewHorizons-20150711.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/NH-PlutoCharon-Color-NewHorizons-20150711.jpg/180px-NH-PlutoCharon-Color-NewHorizons-20150711.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1422" data-file-height="744" /></a></span><br /><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Charon_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg" class="mw-file-description" title="Charon"><img alt="Charon" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Charon_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg/90px-Charon_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg" decoding="async" width="90" height="90" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Charon_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg/135px-Charon_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Charon_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg/180px-Charon_in_True_Color_-_High-Res.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2000" data-file-height="2000" /></a></span></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Pluto" title="Moons of Pluto">Moons</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><b><a href="/wiki/Charon_(moon)" title="Charon (moon)">Charon</a></b></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hydra_(moon)" title="Hydra (moon)">Hydra</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kerberos_(moon)" title="Kerberos (moon)">Kerberos</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nix_(moon)" title="Nix (moon)">Nix</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Styx_(moon)" title="Styx (moon)">Styx</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Exploration</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/New_Horizons" title="New Horizons">New Horizons</a></i></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Astronomy</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: right;">Official definitions</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Definition_of_planet" title="Definition of planet">Definition of planet</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/IAU_definition_of_planet" title="IAU definition of planet">IAU definition of planet</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: right;">Scientist opinions</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Alan_Stern#Planetary_classification" title="Alan Stern">Alan Stern</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Michael_E._Brown#Other_work" title="Michael E. Brown">Michael E. Brown</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Neil_deGrasse_Tyson#Pluto" title="Neil deGrasse Tyson">Neil deGrasse Tyson</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: right;">Discovery</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Planets_beyond_Neptune#Discovery_of_Pluto" title="Planets beyond Neptune">Planet X</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lowell_Observatory" title="Lowell Observatory">Lowell Observatory</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Percival_Lowell#Pluto" title="Percival Lowell">Percival Lowell</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Clyde_Tombaugh#Pluto" title="Clyde Tombaugh">Clyde Tombaugh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Roger_Putnam#Role_in_discovering_Pluto" title="Roger Putnam">Roger Putnam</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: right;">General</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Double_planet" title="Double planet">Double planet</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dwarf_planet" title="Dwarf planet">Dwarf planet</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Planet" title="Planet">Planet</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Plutino" title="Plutino">Plutino</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Trans-Neptunian_object" title="Trans-Neptunian object">Trans-Neptunian object</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kuiper_belt" title="Kuiper belt">Kuiper belt</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Pluto_in_fiction" title="Pluto in fiction">Fiction</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pluto_(mythology)" title="Pluto (mythology)">Mythology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Venetia_Burney" title="Venetia Burney">Venetia Burney</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Solar_System" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Solar_System" title="Template:Solar System"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Solar_System" title="Template talk:Solar System"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Solar_System" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Solar System"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Solar_System" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Solar_System" title="Solar System">Solar System</a></div></th></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"><div><figure class="mw-default-size noresize" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="The Sun, the planets, their moons, and several trans-Neptunian objects" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Solar_System_Template_2.png" decoding="async" width="666" height="36" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="666" data-file-height="36" usemap="#ImageMap_95c11910eb0c3136" /></span><map name="ImageMap_95c11910eb0c3136"><area href="/wiki/Sun" shape="rect" coords="0,0,90,35" alt="The Sun" title="The Sun" /><area href="/wiki/Mercury_(planet)" shape="circle" coords="112,18,6" alt="Mercury" title="Mercury" /><area href="/wiki/Venus" shape="circle" coords="153,18,8" alt="Venus" title="Venus" /><area href="/wiki/Moon" shape="circle" coords="204,10,4" alt="The Moon" title="The Moon" /><area href="/wiki/Earth" shape="circle" coords="195,18,8" alt="Earth" title="Earth" /><area href="/wiki/Mars" shape="circle" coords="233,18,8" alt="Mars" title="Mars" /><area href="/wiki/Moons_of_Mars" shape="circle" coords="241,13,3" alt="Phobos and Deimos" title="Phobos and Deimos" /><area href="/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)" shape="circle" coords="271,18,5" alt="Ceres" title="Ceres" /><area href="/wiki/Asteroid_belt" shape="rect" coords="256,0,288,35" alt="The main asteroid belt" title="The main asteroid belt" /><area href="/wiki/Jupiter" shape="circle" coords="316,19,15" alt="Jupiter" title="Jupiter" /><area href="/wiki/Moons_of_Jupiter" shape="circle" coords="329,6,6" alt="Moons of Jupiter" title="Moons of Jupiter" /><area href="/wiki/Rings_of_Jupiter" shape="rect" coords="298,18,335,20" alt="Rings of Jupiter" title="Rings of Jupiter" /><area href="/wiki/Saturn" shape="circle" coords="372,18,12" alt="Saturn" title="Saturn" /><area href="/wiki/Moons_of_Saturn" shape="circle" coords="381,7,6" alt="Moons of Saturn" title="Moons of Saturn" /><area href="/wiki/Rings_of_Saturn" shape="rect" coords="353,5,389,31" alt="Rings of Saturn" title="Rings of Saturn" /><area href="/wiki/Uranus" shape="circle" coords="418,18,12" alt="Uranus" title="Uranus" /><area href="/wiki/Moons_of_Uranus" shape="circle" coords="427,10,6" alt="Moons of Uranus" title="Moons of Uranus" /><area href="/wiki/Rings_of_Uranus" shape="rect" coords="408,4,429,34" alt="Rings of Uranus" title="Rings of Uranus" /><area href="/wiki/Neptune" shape="circle" coords="462,18,12" alt="Neptune" title="Neptune" /><area href="/wiki/Moons_of_Neptune" shape="circle" coords="471,10,5" alt="Moons of Neptune" title="Moons of Neptune" /><area href="/wiki/Rings_of_Neptune" shape="rect" coords="441,9,485,28" alt="Rings of Neptune" title="Rings of Neptune" /><area href="/wiki/Pluto" shape="circle" coords="504,18,12" alt="Pluto" title="Pluto" /><area href="/wiki/Moons_of_Pluto" shape="circle" coords="510,13,8" alt="Moons of Pluto" title="Moons of Pluto" /><area href="/wiki/Haumea" shape="circle" coords="534,18,12" alt="Haumea" title="Haumea" /><area href="/wiki/Moons_of_Haumea" shape="circle" coords="540,13,8" alt="Moons of Haumea" title="Moons of Haumea" /><area href="/wiki/Makemake" shape="circle" coords="567,18,12" alt="Makemake" title="Makemake" /><area href="/wiki/S/2015_(136472)_1" shape="circle" coords="571,13,8" alt="S/2015 (136472) 1" title="S/2015 (136472) 1" /><area href="/wiki/Kuiper_belt" shape="rect" coords="490,0,580,35" alt="The Kuiper Belt" title="The Kuiper Belt" /><area href="/wiki/Eris_(dwarf_planet)" shape="circle" coords="596,18,12" alt="Eris" title="Eris" /><area href="/wiki/Dysnomia_(moon)" shape="circle" coords="602,13,8" alt="Dysnomia" title="Dysnomia" /><area href="/wiki/Scattered_disc" shape="rect" coords="581,0,610,35" alt="The Scattered Disc" title="The Scattered Disc" /><area href="/wiki/Hills_cloud" shape="rect" coords="623,0,640,35" alt="The Hills Cloud" title="The Hills Cloud" /><area href="/wiki/Oort_cloud" shape="rect" coords="641,0,666,35" alt="The Oort Cloud" title="The Oort Cloud" /></map><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Sun" title="Sun">Sun</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mercury_(planet)" title="Mercury (planet)">Mercury</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Venus" title="Venus">Venus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Earth" title="Earth">Earth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mars" title="Mars">Mars</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)" title="Ceres (dwarf planet)">Ceres</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jupiter" title="Jupiter">Jupiter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Saturn" title="Saturn">Saturn</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Uranus" title="Uranus">Uranus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Neptune" title="Neptune">Neptune</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Orcus_(dwarf_planet)" title="Orcus (dwarf planet)">Orcus</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Pluto" title="Pluto">Pluto</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Haumea" title="Haumea">Haumea</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Quaoar" title="Quaoar">Quaoar</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Makemake" title="Makemake">Makemake</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Gonggong_(dwarf_planet)" title="Gonggong (dwarf planet)">Gonggong</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Eris_(dwarf_planet)" title="Eris (dwarf planet)">Eris</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Sedna_(dwarf_planet)" title="Sedna (dwarf planet)">Sedna</a></i></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0;background:transparent;color:inherit;"><div style="padding:0px"><table class="navbox-columns-table" style="border-spacing: 0px; text-align:left;width:100%;"><tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"><td class="navbox-list" style="padding:0px;width:50%;"><div> </div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th id="Planets,dwarfs" scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align:center;"><a href="/wiki/Planet" title="Planet">Planets</a>,<br /><a href="/wiki/Dwarf_planet" title="Dwarf planet">dwarfs</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Terrestrial_planet" title="Terrestrial planet">Terrestrials</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Mercury_(planet)" title="Mercury (planet)">Mercury</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Venus" title="Venus">Venus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Earth" title="Earth">Earth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mars" title="Mars">Mars</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Giant_planet" title="Giant planet">Giants</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Gas_giant" title="Gas giant">Gas</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Jupiter" title="Jupiter">Jupiter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Saturn" title="Saturn">Saturn</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ice_giant" title="Ice giant">Ice</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Uranus" title="Uranus">Uranus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Neptune" title="Neptune">Neptune</a></li></ul></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dwarf_planet" title="Dwarf planet">Dwarfs</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)" title="Ceres (dwarf planet)">Ceres</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Orcus_(dwarf_planet)" title="Orcus (dwarf planet)">Orcus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pluto" title="Pluto">Pluto</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Haumea" title="Haumea">Haumea</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Quaoar" title="Quaoar">Quaoar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Makemake" title="Makemake">Makemake</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gonggong_(dwarf_planet)" title="Gonggong (dwarf planet)">Gonggong</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eris_(dwarf_planet)" title="Eris (dwarf planet)">Eris</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sedna_(dwarf_planet)" title="Sedna (dwarf planet)">Sedna</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align:center;"><a href="/wiki/Natural_satellite" title="Natural satellite">Moons</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>Earth <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Moon" title="Moon">Moon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Claimed_moons_of_Earth" title="Claimed moons of Earth">other near-Earth objects</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Mars" title="Moons of Mars">Mars</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Phobos_(moon)" title="Phobos (moon)">Phobos</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Deimos_(moon)" title="Deimos (moon)">Deimos</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Jupiter" title="Moons of Jupiter">Jupiter</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ganymede_(moon)" title="Ganymede (moon)">Ganymede</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Callisto_(moon)" title="Callisto (moon)">Callisto</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Io_(moon)" title="Io (moon)">Io</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Europa_(moon)" title="Europa (moon)">Europa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Jupiter#List" title="Moons of Jupiter">all 95</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Saturn" title="Moons of Saturn">Saturn</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Titan_(moon)" title="Titan (moon)">Titan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rhea_(moon)" title="Rhea (moon)">Rhea</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Iapetus_(moon)" title="Iapetus (moon)">Iapetus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dione_(moon)" title="Dione (moon)">Dione</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tethys_(moon)" title="Tethys (moon)">Tethys</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Enceladus" title="Enceladus">Enceladus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mimas" title="Mimas">Mimas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hyperion_(moon)" title="Hyperion (moon)">Hyperion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Phoebe_(moon)" title="Phoebe (moon)">Phoebe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Saturn#List" title="Moons of Saturn">all 146</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Uranus" title="Moons of Uranus">Uranus</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Titania_(moon)" title="Titania (moon)">Titania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Oberon_(moon)" title="Oberon (moon)">Oberon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Umbriel" title="Umbriel">Umbriel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ariel_(moon)" title="Ariel (moon)">Ariel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Miranda_(moon)" title="Miranda (moon)">Miranda</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Uranus#List" title="Moons of Uranus">all 28</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Neptune" title="Moons of Neptune">Neptune</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Triton_(moon)" title="Triton (moon)">Triton</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Proteus_(moon)" title="Proteus (moon)">Proteus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nereid_(moon)" title="Nereid (moon)">Nereid</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Neptune#List" title="Moons of Neptune">all 16</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Orcus_(dwarf_planet)" title="Orcus (dwarf planet)">Orcus</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Vanth_(moon)" title="Vanth (moon)">Vanth</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Pluto" title="Moons of Pluto">Pluto</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Charon_(moon)" title="Charon (moon)">Charon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nix_(moon)" title="Nix (moon)">Nix</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hydra_(moon)" title="Hydra (moon)">Hydra</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kerberos_(moon)" title="Kerberos (moon)">Kerberos</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Styx_(moon)" title="Styx (moon)">Styx</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moons_of_Haumea" title="Moons of Haumea">Haumea</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Hi%CA%BBiaka_(moon)" title="Hiʻiaka (moon)">Hiʻiaka</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Namaka_(moon)" title="Namaka (moon)">Namaka</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Quaoar" title="Quaoar">Quaoar</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Weywot" title="Weywot">Weywot</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Makemake" title="Makemake">Makemake</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/S/2015_(136472)_1" title="S/2015 (136472) 1">S/2015 (136472) 1</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gonggong_(dwarf_planet)" title="Gonggong (dwarf planet)">Gonggong</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Xiangliu_(moon)" title="Xiangliu (moon)">Xiangliu</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eris_(dwarf_planet)" title="Eris (dwarf planet)">Eris</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Dysnomia_(moon)" title="Dysnomia (moon)">Dysnomia</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align:center;"><a href="/wiki/Ring_system" title="Ring system">Rings</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Rings_of_Earth" title="Rings of Earth">Earth</a>?</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rings_of_Jupiter" title="Rings of Jupiter">Jovian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rings_of_Saturn" title="Rings of Saturn">Saturnian</a> (<a href="/wiki/Rings_of_Rhea" title="Rings of Rhea">Rhean</a>?)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rings_of_Chariklo" title="Rings of Chariklo">Charikloan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2060_Chiron#Rings" title="2060 Chiron">Chironean</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rings_of_Uranus" title="Rings of Uranus">Uranian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rings_of_Neptune" title="Rings of Neptune">Neptunian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Haumea#Ring" title="Haumea">Haumean</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Quaoar#Rings" title="Quaoar">Quaoarian</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align:center;"><a href="/wiki/Small_Solar_System_body" title="Small Solar System body">Small<br />Solar<br />System<br />bodies</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Comet" title="Comet">Comets</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Damocloid" title="Damocloid">Damocloids</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Meteoroid" title="Meteoroid">Meteoroids</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Minor_planet" title="Minor planet">Minor planets</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Meanings_of_minor-planet_names" title="Meanings of minor-planet names">names and meanings</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Minor-planet_moon" title="Minor-planet moon">moons</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Planetesimal" title="Planetesimal">Planetesimal</a></li> <li>Planetary orbit-crossing minor planets <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Mercury-crossing_minor_planets" title="List of Mercury-crossing minor planets">Mercury</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Venus-crossing_minor_planets" title="List of Venus-crossing minor planets">Venus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Earth-crossing_asteroids" title="List of Earth-crossing asteroids">Earth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Mars-crossing_minor_planets" title="List of Mars-crossing minor planets">Mars</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Jupiter-crossing_minor_planets" title="List of Jupiter-crossing minor planets">Jupiter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Saturn-crossing_minor_planets" title="List of Saturn-crossing minor planets">Saturn</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Uranus-crossing_minor_planets" title="List of Uranus-crossing minor planets">Uranus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Neptune-crossing_minor_planets" title="List of Neptune-crossing minor planets">Neptune</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Trojan_(celestial_body)" title="Trojan (celestial body)">Trojans</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/2013_ND15" title="2013 ND15">Venus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Earth_trojan" title="Earth trojan">Earth</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mars_trojan" title="Mars trojan">Mars</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jupiter_trojan" title="Jupiter trojan">Jupiter</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Jupiter_trojans_(Trojan_camp)" title="List of Jupiter trojans (Trojan camp)">Trojan camp</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Jupiter_trojans_(Greek_camp)" title="List of Jupiter trojans (Greek camp)">Greek camp</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Co-orbital_configuration#Trojan_moons" title="Co-orbital configuration">Saturn Moons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Uranus_trojans" title="Uranus trojans">Uranus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Neptune_trojan" title="Neptune trojan">Neptune</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Near-Earth_object" title="Near-Earth object">Near-Earth objects</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Asteroid_belt" title="Asteroid belt">Asteroid belt</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Asteroid" title="Asteroid">Asteroids</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)" title="Ceres (dwarf planet)">Ceres</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/4_Vesta" title="4 Vesta">Vesta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2_Pallas" title="2 Pallas">Pallas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/10_Hygiea" title="10 Hygiea">Hygiea</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Active_asteroid" title="Active asteroid">active</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_minor_planets:_1%E2%80%931000" title="List of minor planets: 1–1000">first 1000</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Asteroid_family" title="Asteroid family">families</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Potentially_hazardous_object" title="Potentially hazardous object">PHA</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_exceptional_asteroids" title="List of exceptional asteroids">exceptional</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kirkwood_gap" title="Kirkwood gap">Kirkwood gap</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Centaur_(small_Solar_System_body)" title="Centaur (small Solar System body)">Centaurs</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Neptune_trojan" title="Neptune trojan">Neptune trojans</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Trans-Neptunian_object" title="Trans-Neptunian object">Trans-Neptunian objects</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Kuiper_belt" title="Kuiper belt">Kuiper belt</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Classical_Kuiper_belt_object" title="Classical Kuiper belt object">Cubewanos</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Plutino" title="Plutino">Plutinos</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Detached_object" title="Detached object">Detached objects</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sednoid" title="Sednoid">Sednoids</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scattered_disc" title="Scattered disc">Scattered disc</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Oort_cloud" title="Oort cloud">Oort cloud</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hills_cloud" title="Hills cloud">Hills cloud</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div></td><td class="navbox-list" style="border-left:2px solid #fdfdfd;padding:0px;width:50%;"><div> </div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: center;"><a href="/wiki/List_of_hypothetical_Solar_System_objects" title="List of hypothetical Solar System objects">Hypothetical <br />objects</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Five-planet_Nice_model" title="Five-planet Nice model">Fifth giant</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nemesis_(hypothetical_star)" title="Nemesis (hypothetical star)">Nemesis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Phaeton_(hypothetical_planet)" title="Phaeton (hypothetical planet)">Phaeton</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Planet_Nine" title="Planet Nine">Planet Nine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Planet_V" title="Planet V">Planet V</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Planets_beyond_Neptune#Planet_X" title="Planets beyond Neptune">Planet X</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Subsatellite" title="Subsatellite">Subsatellites</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Theia_(planet)" title="Theia (planet)">Theia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tyche_(hypothetical_planet)" title="Tyche (hypothetical planet)">Tyche</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vulcan_(hypothetical_planet)" title="Vulcan (hypothetical planet)">Vulcan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vulcanoid" title="Vulcanoid">Vulcanoids</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: center;"><a href="/wiki/Space_exploration" title="Space exploration">Exploration</a><br />(<a href="/wiki/Outline_of_space_exploration" title="Outline of space exploration">outline</a>)</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Space_colonization" title="Space colonization">Colonization</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Discovery_and_exploration_of_the_Solar_System" title="Discovery and exploration of the Solar System">Discovery</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Astronomy" title="Astronomy">astronomy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Historical_models_of_the_Solar_System" title="Historical models of the Solar System">historical models</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_discovery_of_Solar_System_planets_and_their_moons" title="Timeline of discovery of Solar System planets and their moons">timeline</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Space_probe" class="mw-redirect" title="Space probe">Space probes</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_Solar_System_exploration" title="Timeline of Solar System exploration">timeline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Solar_System_probes" title="List of Solar System probes">list</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Human_spaceflight" title="Human spaceflight">Human spaceflight</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Space_station" title="Space station">space stations</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_crewed_spacecraft" title="List of crewed spacecraft">list</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Human_spaceflight_programs" title="Human spaceflight programs">programs</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_Mercury" title="Exploration of Mercury">Mercury</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Observations_and_explorations_of_Venus" title="Observations and explorations of Venus">Venus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_the_Moon" title="Exploration of the Moon">Moon</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Lunar_resources" title="Lunar resources">mining</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_Mars" title="Exploration of Mars">Mars</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)#Exploration" title="Ceres (dwarf planet)">Ceres</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Asteroid#Exploration" title="Asteroid">Asteroids</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Asteroid_mining" title="Asteroid mining">mining</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_missions_to_comets" title="List of missions to comets">Comets</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_Jupiter" title="Exploration of Jupiter">Jupiter</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_Saturn" title="Exploration of Saturn">Saturn</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_Uranus" title="Exploration of Uranus">Uranus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exploration_of_Neptune" title="Exploration of Neptune">Neptune</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Pluto</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Deep_space_exploration" title="Deep space exploration">Deep space</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: center;"><a href="/wiki/Formation_and_evolution_of_the_Solar_System" title="Formation and evolution of the Solar System">Formation,<br />evolution</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Star_formation" title="Star formation">Star formation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Accretion_(astrophysics)" title="Accretion (astrophysics)">Accretion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Accretion_disk" title="Accretion disk">Accretion disk</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Accretion_disk#Excretion_disk" title="Accretion disk">Excretion disk</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Circumplanetary_disk" title="Circumplanetary disk">Circumplanetary disk</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Circumstellar_disc" title="Circumstellar disc">Circumstellar disc</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Circumstellar_envelope" title="Circumstellar envelope">Circumstellar envelope</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coatlicue_(star)" title="Coatlicue (star)">Coatlicue</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cosmic_dust" title="Cosmic dust">Cosmic dust</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Debris_disk" title="Debris disk">Debris disk</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Detached_object" title="Detached object">Detached object</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exoplanetary_Circumstellar_Environments_and_Disk_Explorer" title="Exoplanetary Circumstellar Environments and Disk Explorer">EXCEDE</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exozodiacal_dust" title="Exozodiacal dust">Exozodiacal dust</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Extraterrestrial_materials" title="Extraterrestrial materials">Extraterrestrial materials</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Extraterrestrial_sample_curation" title="Extraterrestrial sample curation">Sample curation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sample-return_mission" title="Sample-return mission">Sample-return mission</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Frost_line_(astrophysics)" title="Frost line (astrophysics)">Frost/Ice/Snow line</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Giant-impact_hypothesis" title="Giant-impact hypothesis">Giant-impact hypothesis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gravitational_collapse" title="Gravitational collapse">Gravitational collapse</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hills_cloud" title="Hills cloud">Hills cloud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hill_sphere" title="Hill sphere">Hill sphere</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interplanetary_dust_cloud" title="Interplanetary dust cloud">Interplanetary dust cloud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interplanetary_medium" title="Interplanetary medium">Interplanetary medium/space</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interstellar_cloud" title="Interstellar cloud">Interstellar cloud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interstellar_medium" title="Interstellar medium">Interstellar medium</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Outer_space#Interstellar_space" title="Outer space">Interstellar space</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kuiper_belt" title="Kuiper belt">Kuiper belt</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kuiper_cliff" class="mw-redirect" title="Kuiper cliff">Kuiper cliff</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Molecular_cloud" title="Molecular cloud">Molecular cloud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nebular_hypothesis" title="Nebular hypothesis">Nebular hypothesis</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Oort_cloud" title="Oort cloud">Oort cloud</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Outer_space" title="Outer space">Outer space</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Planet" title="Planet">Planet</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Disrupted_planet" title="Disrupted planet">Disrupted</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Planetary_migration" title="Planetary migration">Migration</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Planetary_system" title="Planetary system">System</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Planetesimal" title="Planetesimal">Planetesimal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nebular_hypothesis#Formation_of_planets" title="Nebular hypothesis">Formation</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Stellar_collision#Formation_of_planets" title="Stellar collision">Merging stars</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Protoplanetary_disk" title="Protoplanetary disk">Protoplanetary disk</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ring_system" title="Ring system">Ring system</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Roche_limit" title="Roche limit">Roche limit</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Roche_limit#Roche_limit,_Hill_sphere_and_radius_of_the_planet" title="Roche limit">vs. Hill sphere</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rubble_pile" title="Rubble pile">Rubble pile</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scattered_disc" title="Scattered disc">Scattered disc</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: center;">Lists</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Lists_of_comets" title="Lists of comets">Comets</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_possible_dwarf_planets" title="List of possible dwarf planets">Possible dwarf planets</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_gravitationally_rounded_objects_of_the_Solar_System" title="List of gravitationally rounded objects of the Solar System">Gravitationally rounded objects</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_minor_planets" title="List of minor planets">Minor planets</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_natural_satellites" title="List of natural satellites">Natural satellites</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Solar_System_model" title="Solar System model">Solar System models</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Solar_System_objects" title="List of Solar System objects">Solar System objects</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Solar_System_objects_by_size" title="List of Solar System objects by size">by size</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_discovery_of_Solar_System_planets_and_their_moons" title="Timeline of discovery of Solar System planets and their moons">by discovery date</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_interstellar_and_circumstellar_molecules" title="List of interstellar and circumstellar molecules">Interstellar and circumstellar molecules</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align: center;">Related</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Double_planet" title="Double planet">Double planet</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lagrange_point" title="Lagrange point">Lagrange point</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Moonlet" title="Moonlet">Moonlet</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Syzygy_(astronomy)" title="Syzygy (astronomy)">Syzygy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tidal_locking" title="Tidal locking">Tidal locking</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;;padding:0.4em;line-height:1.25em;"><div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Outline_of_the_Solar_System" title="Outline of the Solar 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