National Geographic Documentaries
Mission Pluto
E32 Jul 11, 2015 45m TV-PG
Nine years in space. A four billion mile journey. Travelling at 35,000 miles per hour. One historic mission.
Back in 2006 the New Horizons space probe was launched from Cape Canaveral on a journey bound for the edge of our solar system with the goal of capturing the first clear images and data ever recorded of Pluto.
New Horizons is headed where no spacecraft has ever gone before: the last great, uncharted realm of our solar system called The Third Zone.
There it will intercept the last unexplored world, the ninth planet, Pluto. It has just 86 seconds to complete its mission but assuming it is successful then this will genuinely be history in the making.
No-one yet knows what Pluto really looks like, but one thing is certain: it looks set to revolutionise planetary science forever, because it could answer some of the biggest questions about how our solar system evolved and, ultimately, how the earth was formed.
All being well New Horizons will fly by Pluto on July 14. It anticipation of that event National Geographic Channel broadcasts an hour-long special revealing the extraordinary story behind a landmark mission.
Back in 2006 the New Horizons space probe was launched from Cape Canaveral on a journey bound for the edge of our solar system with the goal of capturing the first clear images and data ever recorded of Pluto.
New Horizons is headed where no spacecraft has ever gone before: the last great, uncharted realm of our solar system called The Third Zone.
There it will intercept the last unexplored world, the ninth planet, Pluto. It has just 86 seconds to complete its mission but assuming it is successful then this will genuinely be history in the making.
No-one yet knows what Pluto really looks like, but one thing is certain: it looks set to revolutionise planetary science forever, because it could answer some of the biggest questions about how our solar system evolved and, ultimately, how the earth was formed.
All being well New Horizons will fly by Pluto on July 14. It anticipation of that event National Geographic Channel broadcasts an hour-long special revealing the extraordinary story behind a landmark mission.
Where to Watch Mission Pluto