Jun 9 1988
From The Space Library
The first direct observation of an atmosphere on Pluto was made by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) astronomers flying aboard NASA ARC's Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO). A team of astronomers from MIT, including Edward Dunham, James Elliot, Amanda Bosh, Steve Slivan, and Leslie Young, made the observation during a temporary occultation of a star behind Pluto. The observations were made at 41,000 feet (12,300 meters) altitude, approximately 500 miles south of Pago Pago, American Samoa, over the Southern Pacific Ocean. Information about the temperature, pressure, and extent of the atmosphere would be derived from the occultation data, obtained using a solid state video camera attached to KAO's 36 inch (92 cm) telescope. The airborne observations lasted about 1.5 minutes, occurring shortly after midnight. (ARC Release 88-40)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
