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The six-hour delay that left New Horizons alone to fail or fly
A spacecraft streaks past a tiny Kuiper Belt object 33 light‑minutes away-did New Horizons make it?
The six-hour delay that left New Horizons alone to fail or fly
In this episode, we follow the tense months that led New Horizons to an unnamed Kuiper Belt object and the six-hour communication gap that made every onboard decision irreversible. Hear how a single astronomer’s Hubble discovery, three years of distant reconnaissance, and a high‑speed, no‑turning‑back approach set the stage for a make‑or‑break flyby.
Mission: New Horizons
Date: January 1, 2019
Person: Marc Buie
Location: Kuiper Belt…
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