The thrust of curiosity that leads men to try to go where no one has gone before. (The Space thread)

[Random]

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily...to-charon.html

[Dicknose]

That is a good point. Do they time launches so the earth is moving in the direction they want to send the item (at least for the first leg before any slingshots)?

Probably not Pluto.
Definitely for the slingshot

I think all the birds we have sent to the outer solar system have used sling shots, they would time the launch for reaching Mars (or Venus if they aimed in first)
That probably gives you a window every year or so.
Now you might then pick a time when Mars is in a good position.
For NH it then went to Jupiter for another slingshot.
Hmm, haven't looked but what are the positions of Jupiter and Pluto
(Or more importantly, Pluto now, Jupiter a few years ago!)

[Dicknose]

They would also presumably want to time the launch so that when the probe is at Pluto, the earth is also at its closest to Pluto, as opposed to being on the opposite side of the sun.

I don't think the extra distance would be a big factor, but not having the sun in between would be good.
But that would be maybe only a few weeks each year that the sun would block it.

[Random]

Animation of the trajectory. You can see that they did launch "with" the Earth's orbital rotation, which makes sense. No reason to give up that velocity...

[Phil_SS]

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily...t-planets.html

Call me crazy but it feels like earth got screwed in terms of extra planetary bodies.

[Random]

We can make our own.

[Rare White Ape]

That is a good point. Do they time launches so the earth is moving in the direction they want to send the item (at least for the first leg before any slingshots)?

The biggest factor by far was Jupiter's position. If they missed this launch window, they would have had to launch without a Jupiter gravity assist, and we wouldn't be getting a flyby until sometime in 2017-18.

And if you really want to be getting into the nitty-gritty of launch timing, you'll need to launch in the early in the day to go to the inner solar system, and late in the day for the outer solar system. That will allow the spacecraft to capitalise on the east-west roation of the earth for prograde or retrograde speeds relative to the sun.

[Dicknose]

And launch from near the equator
ie Florida or if you are European, from French Guiana (their main industry is rocket launches)

[overpowered]

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily...t-planets.html

Call me crazy but it feels like earth got screwed in terms of extra planetary bodies.

Our moon is the biggest relative to its planet size for any of the 8 remaining planets.

Charon is bigger relative to its planet but Pluto is now a dwarf planet. The reduced size difference is such that their barycenter is actually outside of Pluto.

Our moon is big enough to significantly affect the tides.

[overpowered]

http://gizmodo.com/these-pluto-truth...ake-1717828679

I am so sick of stupid people.