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[h=4]Applause, emotion, tears: NASA's Pluto probe 'calls home'[/h]As the clocked ticked zero and cheers bellowed from the large crowd gathered here, the scientists and engineers standing on a makeshift stage let out a few cheers, but were surprisingly
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NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has made contact with Earth after what appears to be a successful flyby of the dwarf planet. Images and data should come in during the coming days and weeks.
Alan Stern, principal investigator on NASA's New Horizons mission, and project team members speak at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory on July 14, 2015, in Laurel, Md.(Photo: Brendan Smialowski, AFP/Getty Images)
LAUREL, Md. — It took 13 nail-biting hours, but members of the New Horizons team could finally celebrate Tuesday night. Their mission to Pluto succeeded.
That morning, as the clock ticked toward zero, scientists and engineers were more subdued. They let out a few cheers but were surprisingly hesitant.
Sure, they were excited, but it wasn't the kind of raw emotion you would expect from people who had spent nearly 10 years waiting for that moment. The New Horizons group had to wait until about 9 p.m. ET Tuesday to confirm the mission was a success. Then the applause — and some tears — really broke out.
Launched in January 2006, the New Horizons spacecraft set out to take the world's closest and most-detailed image of Pluto. From Pluto being demoted from a full-fledged planet to a dwarf planet in August 2006 to various technological hiccups with the spacecraft throughout its journey, members of the New Horizons team had their fair share of challenges.
But Tuesday night, that was all behind them as they received the "call home" from the spacecraft and learned everything went as planned.
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Around 7:50 a.m., the spacecraft performed just as it should have and from less than 8,000 miles away — taking the world's best photo of Pluto to date.
"It's a little bit surreal right now because we've been planning for it for so long," said Alice Bowman, New Horizons' mission operations manager. "It's hard to believe that we're actually on that timeline and we're seeing these milestones be passed."
Among those in attendance to celebrate the achievement at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory was the family of Clyde Tombaugh, the man who discovered Pluto in 1930. Tombaugh died in 1997, but his family has been involved in the mission since it started.
"The wait is like taking a photo and not getting the developed picture print back for 10 years," said Annette Tombaugh, Tombaugh's daughter.
Over the 10 years, a lot has changed for the Tombaugh family, too. Clyde Tombaugh's wife and his younger sister both died since the spacecraft launched. Clyde Tombaugh's legacy, though, lives on through the project.
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"After my dad died, Alan (Stern, the principal investigator of New Horizons), thought it would be very appropriate if he could get this project accepted, which he finally did, to have a little piece of dad go along with it," said Alden Tombaugh, the son of Clyde Tombaugh. "So he asked our family if there were any ashes that we could donate to the mission, and there were a small portion that they put in this capsule on the spacecraft."
The New Horizons team will now move to study the data the spacecraft sends back, including what is expected to be the most-detailed photo of Pluto ever. That photo, along with other information the spacecraft sent back, is expected to be released at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. For now, though, the team is relishing the historic accomplishment.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., called the mission a great achievement for humanity and said he hopes it inspires the next generation of scientists.
"Not all photos are created equally," he told USA TODAY. "It's a very special photo of a place we all conjured up in our imagination, and this is a moment where we can actually see it close up and learn from what we see."
Instagram | @nasa
SNEAK PEAK of gorgeous Pluto! The dwarf planet has sent a love note back to Earth via our New Horizons spacecraft, which has traveled more than 9 years and 3+ billion miles. This is the last and most detailed image of Pluto sent to Earth before the moment of closest approach - 7:49 a.m. EDT today. This image will be released and discussed at 8 a.m. EDT today. Watch our briefing live on NASA Television at: NASA Television | NASA The high res pic will be posted on the web at: NASA. This stunning image of the dwarf planet was captured from New Horizons at about 4 p.m. EDT on July 13, about 16 hours before the moment of closest approach. The spacecraft was 476,000 miles (766,000 kilometers) from the surface. Image Credit: NASA #nasa #pluto #plutoflyby #newhorizons #solarsystem #nasabeyond #science
PLUTO THE PLANET OR DWARF PLANET? WE FINALLY GET A CLOSE LOOKNever-before-seen image of Pluto revealed | 01:43NASA's New Horizons spacecraft delivered the best view yet of Pluto, and the images are expected to only get better.
PLUTO THE PLANET OR DWARF PLANET? WE FINALLY GET A CLOSE LOOKA timeline of New Horizons' journey to Pluto | 02:15The New Horizons' spacecraft has successfully completed the flyby of Pluto early Tuesday morning on July 14, 2015. This motion graphic piece shows New Horizons' journey from Earth to Pluto. Ramon Padilla, Jerry Mosemak, George Petras, Bethany Fewell, Zackary Walker
PLUTO THE PLANET OR DWARF PLANET? WE FINALLY GET A CLOSE LOOKPluto flyby elicits huge cheers, 'USA' chants at NASA | 00:43NASA staff and fans of the space program celebrate the flyby of Pluto from the New Horizon spacecraft. VPC
PLUTO THE PLANET OR DWARF PLANET? WE FINALLY GET A CLOSE LOOKNASA | Four Questions About New Horizons | 01:48NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is speeding towards Pluto for the first-ever flyby on July 14, 2015. Scientists are eager to collect data on the dwarf planet’s chemical and atmospheric makeup, and the Ralph spectrometer will do just that. NASA USA TODAY
PLUTO THE PLANET OR DWARF PLANET? WE FINALLY GET A CLOSE LOOKMankind about to see Pluto for first time | 03:35NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is closing in on Pluto, now a dwarf planet, and sending back images of its surface for the first time. USA TODAY
PLUTO THE PLANET OR DWARF PLANET? WE FINALLY GET A CLOSE LOOK3 billion miles later, spacecraft closes in on Pluto | 01:51Almost 10 years after it launched, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is closing in on Pluto. The flyby will offer the first detailed look at the dwarf planet. VPC
PLUTO THE PLANET OR DWARF PLANET? WE FINALLY GET A CLOSE LOOKNew horizons flyby will shed light on Pluto's mysteries | 01:22NASA's New Horizons probe will make its closest approach to Pluto this week, giving us a wealth of new information about the distant dwarf planet. Newslook
PLUTO THE PLANET OR DWARF PLANET? WE FINALLY GET A CLOSE LOOKPluto flyby begins: NASA probe enters encounter phase | 00:43NASA's New Horizons probe has officially begun to execute its sequence of Pluto flyby observations as it zooms toward its closest approach to the dwarf planet on July 14. USA TODAY
PLUTO THE PLANET OR DWARF PLANET? WE FINALLY GET A CLOSE LOOKNASA probe captures first color images of Pluto | 01:26NASA’s New Horizons probe has sent back its most detailed images of Pluto yet, but it’s got a way to go before we see high-resolution images.
Video provided by Newsy Newsy
PLUTO THE PLANET OR DWARF PLANET? WE FINALLY GET A CLOSE LOOKNew horizons spacecraft takes first images of Pluto's moons | 01:33NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has sent back the clearest images yet of two of Pluto's moons as it approaches the dwarf planet to collect more data.
Video provided by Newsy Newslook
PLUTO THE PLANET OR DWARF PLANET? WE FINALLY GET A CLOSE LOOKNASA spacecraft soon arrives at Pluto | 02:29USA TODAY's Rick Hampson discusses the dwarf planet Pluto, and NASA's deep space mission dubbed "New Horizons," which aims to explore, photograph and analyze it. Image courtesy NASA. Jason Allen
PLUTO THE PLANET OR DWARF PLANET? WE FINALLY GET A CLOSE LOOKWait, is Pluto a planet, again? | USA NOW | 02:09There’s been a lot of talk about Pluto’s planet status, eight years since the celestial body was officially labeled a “dwarf planet.” Carly Mallenbaum talks about what all of the fuss is about and why some people are really excited for Pluto. (USA TODAY, USA NOW)
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