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| An undated artist's concept shows the New Horizons spacecraft as it approaches Pluto and its largest moon, Charon. |
"NASA Spacecraft Wakes Up as It Approaches Pluto" by Justin Worland, Time Magazine
New Horizons will come closest to the dwarf planet on July 14
A NASA spacecraft has emerged from hibernation in preparation for completing its nine-year, 2.9-billion mile journey to observe Pluto from up close, the space agency said.
Sending its signal at the speed of light, the New Horizons ship beamed a report down to Earth that it was back in active mode as of Dec. 6.
“Technically, this was routine, since the wake-up was a procedure that we’d done many times before,” said Glen Fountain, the mission’s project manager. “Symbolically, however, this is a big deal. It means the start of our pre-encounter operations.”
After tests early next year, the spacecraft will collect data and images about Pluto and its surrounding moons. It will come closest to the dwarf planet on July 14.
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