1 00:00:02,610 --> 00:00:03,850 >>> GOOD AFTERNOON. 2 00:00:03,850 --> 00:00:05,480 WELCOME TO NASA HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON. 3 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:08,500 I'M WADE BROWN WITH THE OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS. 4 00:00:08,500 --> 00:00:13,549 NASA'S NEW HORIZONS RESEARCH TEAM IS BACK TO REVEAL EVEN MORE 5 00:00:13,549 --> 00:00:17,830 UNPRECEDENTED IMAGES AND SCIENCE THAT CONTINUE TO BE RETURNED 6 00:00:17,830 --> 00:00:21,750 FROM THE NEW HORIZONS SPACECRAFT FOLLOWING ITS HISTORIC JULY 14th 7 00:00:21,750 --> 00:00:24,180 FLY BY PLUTO. 8 00:00:24,180 --> 00:00:27,380 LET'S SET THE STAGE FOR TODAY'S BRIEFING. 9 00:00:27,380 --> 00:00:31,830 PLEASE WELCOME TO THE PODIUM ASTRONAUT AND HEAD OF THE NASA 10 00:00:31,830 --> 00:00:36,090 DIRECTORATE WHERE NEW HORIZONS IS ONE OF ALMOST 100 SCIENCE 11 00:00:36,090 --> 00:00:45,960 MISSIONS IN THE PORTFOLIO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, DR. 12 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:49,489 JOHN GRUNGEFELD. 13 00:00:49,489 --> 00:00:50,600 >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DUANE. 14 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,890 AND, YOU KNOW, THIS WEEK HAS BEEN JUST A PHENOMENAL WEEK. 15 00:00:53,890 --> 00:00:58,890 ON MONDAY WE LEASED THE FIRST IMAGE FROM THE EPIC EARTH 16 00:00:58,890 --> 00:01:03,969 POLYCHROMATIC IMAGING PROGRAM ON THE DISCOVER MISSION, THE BLUE 17 00:01:03,969 --> 00:01:04,969 MARVEL. 18 00:01:04,969 --> 00:01:08,400 THIS IS OUR FIRST, YOU KNOW, TRUE BLUE MARVEL OF THE EARTH 19 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:13,890 SINCE 1972 WHEN THE APOLLO 17 ASTRONAUTS TOOK THE FAMOUS BLUE 20 00:01:13,890 --> 00:01:15,310 MARVEL IMAGE OF THE EARTH. 21 00:01:15,310 --> 00:01:19,380 IT REALLY PAINTS I THINK AN INCREDIBLE PICTURE OF OUR HOME 22 00:01:19,380 --> 00:01:24,810 PLANET AND HOW, YOU KNOW, LUCKY AND PRECIOUS PLANET EARTH IS. 23 00:01:24,810 --> 00:01:28,560 ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU COMPARE IT TO THE AMAZING VIEWS WE'VE 24 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,170 RECENTLY GOTTEN FROM THE DAWN SPACECRAFT, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS A 25 00:01:32,170 --> 00:01:39,310 SOMEWHAT SERIOUS, HOSTILE WORLD TO EARTH PLANET SERIES. 26 00:01:39,310 --> 00:01:43,740 WE'VE JUST ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY A KEPPLER DISCOVERY OF SORT OF A 27 00:01:43,740 --> 00:01:47,200 PARALLEL, A COUSIN OF SOLAR SYSTEM TO THAT OF OUR OWN SOLAR 28 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:51,229 SYSTEM WITH A G-TYPE STAR MUCH LIKE OUR SUN, A LITTLE BIT 29 00:01:51,229 --> 00:01:57,740 OLDER, AND AN EXOPLANET THAT'S ABOUT 60% BIGGER DIAMETER THAN 30 00:01:57,740 --> 00:02:02,380 THE EARTH RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A HABITABLE ZONE. 31 00:02:02,380 --> 00:02:04,400 IT'S TRULY AMAZING THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING. 32 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:09,850 BUT THE IMAGES THAT WE'VE BEEN GETTING AND THE SCIENCE WE'VE 33 00:02:09,850 --> 00:02:14,790 BEEN GETTING FROM PLUTO HAS REALLY JUST BEEN BEEN, YOU KNOW, 34 00:02:14,790 --> 00:02:20,730 MORE THAN AMAZING AND PROVES DEFINITIVELY A SCIENTIFIC THEORY 35 00:02:20,730 --> 00:02:24,880 THAT SCIENCE NEVER SLEEPS. 36 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,590 AND IF YOU LOOK AT OUR PANEL HERE, THEY ACTUALLY LOOK PRETTY 37 00:02:27,590 --> 00:02:33,100 CHEERY FOR A GROUP OF SCIENTISTS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SLEEPING FOR 38 00:02:33,100 --> 00:02:34,300 THE LAST FEW WEEKS. 39 00:02:34,300 --> 00:02:37,860 BUT THEY ARE HERE TO TELL US ABOUT THE MOST RECENT AMAZING 40 00:02:37,860 --> 00:02:41,360 RESULTS FROM THE PLUTO NEW HORIZONS MISSION. 41 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:48,310 AND I'M JUST THRILLED TO BE HERE TO HEAR THOSE RESULTS. 42 00:02:48,310 --> 00:02:59,030 [ APPLAUSE ] >> SO, WE HAVE -- BEFORE I 43 00:02:59,030 --> 00:03:04,480 INTRODUCE OUR PANELISTS FOR THIS AFTERNOON, OBVIOUSLY THE NASA 44 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:09,569 COUNT SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ WITH THIS MISSION AND THE RESULTS AND 45 00:03:09,569 --> 00:03:13,150 THE IMAGES FOLLOW THE NASA ACCOUNTS ON TWITTER. 46 00:03:13,150 --> 00:03:16,970 YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK, AND OTHER NASA COUNTS. 47 00:03:16,970 --> 00:03:21,990 SEND IN YOUR QUESTIONS AT #ASKNASA. 48 00:03:21,990 --> 00:03:23,090 A LOT OF QUESTIONS ARE COMING IN. 49 00:03:23,090 --> 00:03:26,430 WE'LL TRY TO ANSWER THOSE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. 50 00:03:26,430 --> 00:03:27,720 KEEP THEM COMING IN. 51 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,519 YOU CAN FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION AND THERE'S STILL A LOT OF 52 00:03:30,519 --> 00:03:34,550 CONVERSATION ALL OVER THE WORLD ON THIS HISTORIC MISSION AT 53 00:03:34,550 --> 00:03:36,830 A #PLUTOFLYBY. 54 00:03:36,830 --> 00:03:42,010 AGAIN, ONLINE, ALL OF THE INFORMATION TODAY AND IN THE 55 00:03:42,010 --> 00:03:51,300 FUTURE CAN BE OBTAINED BY GOING TO WWW.NASA.GOV/NEWHORIZONS. 56 00:03:51,300 --> 00:03:56,400 FIRST UP YOU WILL HEAR FROM JIM GREEN, DIRECTOR OF PLANETARY 57 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:02,909 SCIENCE AT NASA HEADQUARTERS. 58 00:04:02,909 --> 00:04:07,349 ALAN STERN, NEW HORIZONS PRINCIPAL INVESTOR AT SOUTHWEST 59 00:04:07,349 --> 00:04:14,950 RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN BOULDER, COLORADO. 60 00:04:14,950 --> 00:04:18,950 MICHAEL SOMERS, NEW HORIZONS CO-INVESTOR AT GEORGE MASON 61 00:04:18,950 --> 00:04:24,719 UNIVERSITY, FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA. 62 00:04:24,719 --> 00:04:29,300 KATHY OLKIN, NEW HORIZONS DEPUTY PROJECT SCIENTIST, ALSO AT THE 63 00:04:29,300 --> 00:04:33,930 SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE. 64 00:04:33,930 --> 00:04:37,229 AND ROYAL McKINNON, NEW HORIZONS CO-INVESTIGATOR AT WASHINGTON 65 00:04:37,229 --> 00:04:39,089 UNIVERSITY IN ST. 66 00:04:39,089 --> 00:04:40,089 LOUIS. 67 00:04:40,089 --> 00:04:42,989 WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JIM. 68 00:04:42,989 --> 00:04:43,989 >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DUANE. 69 00:04:43,989 --> 00:04:49,039 YOU KNOW, JULY 14th WAS VERY HISTORIC FOR NASA WITH OUR VERY 70 00:04:49,039 --> 00:04:51,779 SUCCESSFUL FLYBY OF THE NEW HORIZONS SPACECRAFT NEAR THE 71 00:04:51,779 --> 00:04:53,300 PLUTO SYSTEM. 72 00:04:53,300 --> 00:04:56,770 AND WE'RE JUST TEN DAYS FROM THAT, AND YET WE'VE ONLY HAD 73 00:04:56,770 --> 00:05:00,479 ABOUT AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE ABOUT 5% OF THE DATA. 74 00:05:00,479 --> 00:05:04,629 AS MANY KNOW, WE STORED THAT DATA ON BOARD AS WE FLEW THROUGH 75 00:05:04,629 --> 00:05:07,879 THE SYSTEM AND IT'S JUST NOW STARTING TO COME BACK. 76 00:05:07,879 --> 00:05:12,309 EACH AND EVERY DAY THE SCIENCE TEAM HAS BEEN HUDDLED LOOKING AT 77 00:05:12,309 --> 00:05:16,529 THE DATA AS IT COMES BACK AND IT'S ALWAYS SURPRISED AND JUST 78 00:05:16,529 --> 00:05:19,919 QUITE A PLEASURE TO BE PART OF THAT TEAM, TO LOOK AT THE DATA 79 00:05:19,919 --> 00:05:23,259 WHEN IT COMES IN, AND SEE THE NEW DISCOVERIES THAT ARE COMING 80 00:05:23,259 --> 00:05:24,259 OUT. 81 00:05:24,259 --> 00:05:26,960 NOW, TODAY WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE LATEST DATA 82 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,860 THAT CAME IN WITHIN THE LAST FEW DAYS. 83 00:05:29,860 --> 00:05:33,289 THIS IS A SPECTACULAR SET OF DATA, BUT IT'S ALSO DATA THAT 84 00:05:33,289 --> 00:05:38,300 HAPPENED AND WAS TAKEN ON BOARD, STORED PRIOR TO THE ENCOUNTER 85 00:05:38,300 --> 00:05:42,469 AND ITS POSTENCOUNTER, AFTER THE SPACECRAFT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO 86 00:05:42,469 --> 00:05:47,870 FLY THROUGH THE PLUTO SYSTEM AND LOOK BACK TO PLUTO AS IT'S 87 00:05:47,870 --> 00:05:51,749 HURTLING AWAY AT MORE THAN 16 KILOMETERS PER SECOND. 88 00:05:51,749 --> 00:05:54,839 THESE ARE JUST AMAZING DISCOVERIES. 89 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:57,490 SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, ALLOW ME TO TURN IT OVER TO THE PRINCIPAL 90 00:05:57,490 --> 00:06:00,539 VOR, ALAN STERN, TO START IT OFF. 91 00:06:00,539 --> 00:06:01,539 ALAN? 92 00:06:01,539 --> 00:06:02,539 >> THANK YOU, JIM. 93 00:06:02,539 --> 00:06:06,819 AS JIM SAID, LAST WEEK THE UNITED STATES, THROUGH OUR 94 00:06:06,819 --> 00:06:11,550 PROJECT AND NASA, EXPLORED THE FARTHEST FRONTIER EVER EXPLORED 95 00:06:11,550 --> 00:06:14,050 BY HUMANKIND, THE PLUTO SYSTEM. 96 00:06:14,050 --> 00:06:17,080 WE CAN'T TELL YOU HOW HAPPY WE ARE TO BE BACK AS A TEAM AND 97 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:19,259 TELL YOU WHAT WE'VE BEEN DISCOVERING. 98 00:06:19,259 --> 00:06:25,360 WE CAME BACK LAST FRIDAY TO GIVE A FIRST REPORT ABOUT FIRST 99 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:27,490 REACTIONS TO DATA DOWNLOAD. 100 00:06:27,490 --> 00:06:31,580 TEN DAYS OUT, 7.5 MILLION MILES FROM PLUTO, WE'VE HAD MORE TIME 101 00:06:31,580 --> 00:06:36,210 TO THINK ABOUT THE DATA SETS THAT ARE ON THE GROUND AND 102 00:06:36,210 --> 00:06:38,800 EQUALLY IMPORTANTLY, WE HAVE ABOUT THREE TIMES AS MUCH DATA 103 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:40,729 ON THE GROUND. 104 00:06:40,729 --> 00:06:44,779 NOW, IT'S NOT VERY MUCH OF THE TOTAL DATA LOAD. 105 00:06:44,779 --> 00:06:47,389 WE HAVE ABOUT 4% TO 5% OF THE DATA BACK. 106 00:06:47,389 --> 00:06:51,449 95% OR 96% OF IT IS STILL ON THE SPACECRAFT SO WE'RE ONLY 107 00:06:51,449 --> 00:06:54,449 SCRATCHING THE SURFACE AND WE HAVE SOME GREAT DISCOVERIES TO 108 00:06:54,449 --> 00:06:55,830 TELL YOU ABOUT. 109 00:06:55,830 --> 00:06:59,550 ALSO, THE SIZE OF THE DATA SETS, THERE'S ONE OTHER WAY ON THIS 110 00:06:59,550 --> 00:07:03,499 PROJECT TO KNOW THAT WE'VE DONE THE EXPLORATION ON THE OTHER 111 00:07:03,499 --> 00:07:07,099 SIDE OF PLUTO, AND THAT'S THIS BUMPER STICKER THAT'S INSPIRED 112 00:07:07,099 --> 00:07:10,369 BY VAL MALDER, OUR DEPUTY ASSISTANTS ENGINEER. 113 00:07:10,369 --> 00:07:13,370 IT SAYS, "MY OTHER VEHICLE EXPLORED PLUTO." 114 00:07:13,370 --> 00:07:17,169 A NICE PICTURE OF PLUTO MADE BY NEW HORIZONS IN THE REAR-VIEW 115 00:07:17,169 --> 00:07:18,169 MIRROR. 116 00:07:18,169 --> 00:07:20,550 THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW. 117 00:07:20,550 --> 00:07:22,759 I WANT TO SAY A FEW THINGS AND I'D LIKE TO CALL UP MY FIRST 118 00:07:22,759 --> 00:07:26,899 GRAPHIC, WHICH IS A HAUNTINGLY IMAGE OF THE DOUBLE PLANET 119 00:07:26,899 --> 00:07:30,310 SYSTEM PLUTO SHARING WITH PLUTO ON THE LEFT AND SHARON ON THE 120 00:07:30,310 --> 00:07:31,310 RIGHT. 121 00:07:31,310 --> 00:07:34,809 THIS IS MADE A FEW DAYS OUT ON APPROACH WITH TRUE COLOR ADDED 122 00:07:34,809 --> 00:07:38,240 FROM OUR RALPH INSTRUMENT ON TOP OF THE LURIE IMAGE. 123 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:42,150 AS I TELL YOU ABOUT WHERE WE ARE IN THE MISSION, JUST FEAST YOUR 124 00:07:42,150 --> 00:07:43,369 EYES ON THIS. 125 00:07:43,369 --> 00:07:45,949 WE'VE NEVER BEEN TO A DOUBLE PLANET SYSTEM BEFORE, AND IT'S 126 00:07:45,949 --> 00:07:50,379 TURNING OUT TO BE A SCIENTIFIC WONDERLAND. 127 00:07:50,379 --> 00:07:53,839 WE'VE NOW FINISHED THE FIRST PHASE OF DOWNLINK. 128 00:07:53,839 --> 00:07:56,610 THAT WAS AN INTENSIVE TEN-DAY PERIOD IN WHICH WE SENT DOWN 129 00:07:56,610 --> 00:08:00,089 IMAGES AND SPECTRA AND OTHER DATA SETS JUST TO WHET OUR 130 00:08:00,089 --> 00:08:04,059 APPETITES AND TELL US THE BASICS ABOUT THE PLUTO SYSTEM AND THE 131 00:08:04,059 --> 00:08:07,979 DISCOVEIES YOU'LL BE HEARING ABOUT BY MYSELF AND MIKE, KATHY, 132 00:08:07,979 --> 00:08:12,339 AND BILL REPORT ON SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FINDINGS THAT 133 00:08:12,339 --> 00:08:15,430 WE'VE ALREADY MADE IN THESE FEW DAYS. 134 00:08:15,430 --> 00:08:17,580 WE'RE NOW MOVING INTO A SECOND PHASE OF DOWNLINK. 135 00:08:17,580 --> 00:08:19,810 IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT 136 00:08:19,810 --> 00:08:22,659 EVERYONE UNDERSTAND THAT DIFFERENCE. 137 00:08:22,659 --> 00:08:25,969 WE'LL BE TRANSMITTING HOME NOW A LOT OF ENGINEERING DATA FROM THE 138 00:08:25,969 --> 00:08:31,919 FLYBY AS WELL AS DAY DATA FROM OUR PLASMA, OUR STUDENT COUNTER 139 00:08:31,919 --> 00:08:36,180 AND HEADER DATA TO GO WITH THE IMAGES AND SPECTER WE'VE ALREADY 140 00:08:36,180 --> 00:08:37,180 GOT. 141 00:08:37,180 --> 00:08:39,210 SO FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, UNTIL WE REACH 142 00:08:39,210 --> 00:08:43,250 MID-SEPTEMBER, IT WILL ONLY BE OCCASIONALLY THAT WE'LL HAVE NEW 143 00:08:43,250 --> 00:08:47,279 IMAGES ON THE GROUND AND AVAILABLE TO RELEASE. 144 00:08:47,279 --> 00:08:51,550 BUT STARTING IN SEPTEMBER, THE SPIGOT OPENS AGAIN, AND THEN FOR 145 00:08:51,550 --> 00:08:55,420 ABOUT A YEAR, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT MORE, THE SKY WILL BE RAINING 146 00:08:55,420 --> 00:08:59,180 PRESENTS WITH DATA FROM THE PLUTO SYSTEM. 147 00:08:59,180 --> 00:09:00,920 IT'S GOING TO BE QUITE A RIDE. 148 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:02,649 WE'RE REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF INTEREST IN THIS 149 00:09:02,649 --> 00:09:04,329 MISSION AS A MISSION TEAM. 150 00:09:04,329 --> 00:09:06,480 WE'RE EXCITED TO SHARE IT WITH ALL OF YOU. 151 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:08,060 AND WE'RE GOING TO DO SOME OF THAT RIGHT NOW. 152 00:09:08,060 --> 00:09:11,240 WE'RE GOING GET RIGHT INTO THE SCIENCE. 153 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:13,801 FOR SOME OF YOU, IF YOU'RE SEEING A CARDIOLOGIST YOU MAY 154 00:09:13,801 --> 00:09:16,209 WANT TO LEAVE THE ROOM. 155 00:09:16,209 --> 00:09:17,209 THERE ARE SOME PRETTY MIND PLEAU 156 00:09:17,209 --> 00:09:19,550 -BLOWING DISCOVERIES I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT. 157 00:09:19,550 --> 00:09:24,029 MY SECOND GRAPHIC, OUR 2 X 2 MOSAIC OF THE PLUTO SYSTEM. 158 00:09:24,029 --> 00:09:28,410 THIS HAS TWICE THE RESOLUTION OF THE PREVIOUS BEST GLOBAL IMAGE 159 00:09:28,410 --> 00:09:30,440 OF THE APPROACH HEMISPHERE. 160 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:32,740 AND REALLY IT'S JUST MOUTH WATERING. 161 00:09:32,740 --> 00:09:36,370 THE LEVEL OF DETAIL IS SPECTACULAR. 162 00:09:36,370 --> 00:09:40,600 THIS IMAGE HAS A RESOLUTION OF ABOUT 2.2 KILOMETERS PER PIXEL, 163 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:45,060 AND I THINK JUST LOOKING AT IT, YOU CAN TELL AS OUR SCIENCE TEAM 164 00:09:45,060 --> 00:09:49,029 CAN, THAT PLUTO HAS A VERY COMPLICATED STORY TO TELL. 165 00:09:49,029 --> 00:09:52,380 PLUTO HAS A VERY INTERESTING HISTORY, AND THERE IS A LOT OF 166 00:09:52,380 --> 00:09:55,529 WORK THAT WE NEED TO DO TO UNDERSTAND THIS VERY COMPLICATED 167 00:09:55,529 --> 00:09:56,560 PLACE. 168 00:09:56,560 --> 00:09:57,560 I WANT TO STRESS THAT. 169 00:09:57,560 --> 00:10:02,310 I WANT TO DRIVE IT HOME BY SHOWING YOU THIS IMAGE OF HIGHER 170 00:10:02,310 --> 00:10:03,310 MAGNIFICATION. 171 00:10:03,310 --> 00:10:05,470 IF I CAN GO TO THE NEXT TIME STEP, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT 172 00:10:05,470 --> 00:10:08,970 JUST THE NORTHERN HALF OF THAT IMAGE. 173 00:10:08,970 --> 00:10:12,220 WE COULD EASILY BLOW IT UP EVEN FURTHER. 174 00:10:12,220 --> 00:10:14,660 YOU CAN SEE ACROSS THE NORTHERN TERRAINS HERE WHICH INCLUDE THE 175 00:10:14,660 --> 00:10:18,879 NORTH POLE, BY THE WAY, THIS IS A TRUE COLOR IMAGE, ESSENTIALLY 176 00:10:18,879 --> 00:10:22,769 TRUE COLOR AS YOUR EYE MIGHT SEE IT, A WHOLE RANGE OF GEOLOGIC 177 00:10:22,769 --> 00:10:23,829 EXPRESSION. 178 00:10:23,829 --> 00:10:26,509 KATHY AND BILL WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS QUITE A BIT MORE SO I 179 00:10:26,509 --> 00:10:30,900 WON'T STEAL THEIR THUNDER, BUT JUST LET YOUR EYES GAZE FROM THE 180 00:10:30,900 --> 00:10:36,110 LAST ON THE WESTERN LIMB ACROSS THE DISK OVER TO THE EAST AND 181 00:10:36,110 --> 00:10:38,949 YOU CAN SEE DIFFERENT GEOLOGICAL UNITS, DIFFERENT KIND OF 182 00:10:38,949 --> 00:10:42,870 FEATURES TELLING THAT COMPLICATED STORY AGAIN, WHICH 183 00:10:42,870 --> 00:10:44,459 IS THERE FOR US TO UNRAVEL. 184 00:10:44,459 --> 00:10:47,440 AND IF I CAN HAVE THE NEXT TIME STEP AND WE CAN GO TO THE SOUTH, 185 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:52,220 YOU SEE A STILL MORE COMPLICATED STORY WITH A GREAT EQUATORIAL 186 00:10:52,220 --> 00:10:57,100 DARK REGIONS, WITH TAMBA REGGIO, AS WE INFORMALLY CALL IT, THE 187 00:10:57,100 --> 00:11:03,069 HEART ON PLUTO, AND WHAT LOOKS LIKE MASSIVE TECTONIC FEATURES, 188 00:11:03,069 --> 00:11:06,779 BOTH RADIALLY EMANATING FROM TAMB ACTION REGGIO AND OTHERS 189 00:11:06,779 --> 00:11:10,519 THAT RUN MORE OR LESS NORTH/SOUTH. 190 00:11:10,519 --> 00:11:13,759 I DO WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT ONE ASPECT OF THE INTERPRETATION 191 00:11:13,759 --> 00:11:16,529 THAT WE'VE BEEN MAKING OVER THE LAST WEEK IN LOOKING MORE 192 00:11:16,529 --> 00:11:22,029 CAREFULLY AT THE IMAGERY OF THE HEART, LIKE A REAL HEART, IT HAS 193 00:11:22,029 --> 00:11:25,759 TWO LOBES, ON THE LEFT AND ON THE RIGHT SIDE. 194 00:11:25,759 --> 00:11:27,829 THE LEFT IS THE WESTERN SIDE. 195 00:11:27,829 --> 00:11:30,029 I THINK EVE ON THE YOUR EYE YOU CAN DISTINGUISH A DIFFERENCE 196 00:11:30,029 --> 00:11:31,439 BETWEEN THE TWO. 197 00:11:31,439 --> 00:11:34,529 THE RIGHT LOBE LOOKS LIKE A MUCH THINNER DEPOSIT THAT'S BEEN 198 00:11:34,529 --> 00:11:36,970 PAINTED ON TOP OF TOPOGRAPHY. 199 00:11:36,970 --> 00:11:40,019 OUR INTERPRETATION OF THAT MATERIAL IN THE RIGHT LOBE AS 200 00:11:40,019 --> 00:11:43,970 WELL AS THE MATERIAL EMANATING TO THE SOUTH BELOW THE WESTERN 201 00:11:43,970 --> 00:11:48,730 LOBE IS THAT IN BOTH CASES WE BELIEVE THE SOURCE FOR THAT 202 00:11:48,730 --> 00:11:51,180 MATERIAL IS THE WESTERN LOBE. 203 00:11:51,180 --> 00:11:58,439 IT'S BEING TRANSPORTED OFF THE WESTERN REGION OF THE WESTERN 204 00:11:58,439 --> 00:12:04,970 LOBE, PERHAPS BY SUBLIMATION AND WINDS AND RECONDENSATION OR 205 00:12:04,970 --> 00:12:07,100 PERHAPS BY A PROCESS WE HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT. 206 00:12:07,100 --> 00:12:11,160 IN ANY CASE WE THINK WE'RE COMING TO UNDERSTAND THIS 207 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:12,370 FEATURE JUST A LITTLE BIT. 208 00:12:12,370 --> 00:12:14,279 THIS IS EARLY DAYS. 209 00:12:14,279 --> 00:12:17,689 MAY HAVE A LITTLE MORE TO SAY ABOUT THAT. 210 00:12:17,689 --> 00:12:24,670 OUR NEXT TIME STEP IS A FALSE COLOR IMAGE STRETCHED TO SHOW 211 00:12:24,670 --> 00:12:29,130 THE DRAMATIC DIFFERENCES IN COLOR UNITS ON PLUTO AND HOW 212 00:12:29,130 --> 00:12:30,899 THEY CORRELATE WITH THE GEOLOGY. 213 00:12:30,899 --> 00:12:32,009 THIS IS PRETTY MIND-BLOWING. 214 00:12:32,009 --> 00:12:34,139 KATHY WILL HAVE MORE TO SAY ABOUT IT AND WHAT IT MEANS IN 215 00:12:34,139 --> 00:12:37,250 THE BIGGER PICTURE. 216 00:12:37,250 --> 00:12:45,839 BUT THEY HAVE DIFFERENT COLORS. 217 00:12:45,839 --> 00:12:48,540 SOON WE'LL HAVE COMPOSITION SPECK TROS COE PI TO SUPPORT 218 00:12:48,540 --> 00:12:50,990 THAT AT VERY HIGH-RESOLUTION. 219 00:12:50,990 --> 00:12:55,079 YOU CAN SEE THE POLAR REGIONS HAVE A DIFFERENT COLOR STILL AND 220 00:12:55,079 --> 00:12:58,180 A WE GET INTO THE DARK EQUATORIAL REGIONS THERE'S MORE 221 00:12:58,180 --> 00:12:59,180 INFORMATION. 222 00:12:59,180 --> 00:13:02,449 THE GEOLOGY AND THE COLOR, PROBABLY THE COMPOSITION SEEM TO 223 00:13:02,449 --> 00:13:04,450 BE CORRELATED. 224 00:13:04,450 --> 00:13:07,879 THIS TELLS US THE PAYLOAD WE BROUGHT TO BEAR ON THE 225 00:13:07,879 --> 00:13:11,249 RECONNAISSANCE OF PLUTO SYSTEM IS REALLY THE RIGHT PAYLOAD 226 00:13:11,249 --> 00:13:14,180 BECAUSE WE HAVE ON BOARD THE SPACECRAFT NOW TREMENDOUS DATA 227 00:13:14,180 --> 00:13:16,930 SETS WITH HIGHER RESOLUTION COLORS THAN THIS, HIGHER 228 00:13:16,930 --> 00:13:20,819 RESOLUTION AND CHROMATIC MAPPING FOR DOING THE GEOLOGY. 229 00:13:20,819 --> 00:13:24,579 AND A SPECTACULAR DATA SET WITH COMPOSITIONAL INFORMATION WITH 230 00:13:24,579 --> 00:13:28,829 MORE THAN 64,000 PIXELS WE'VE PUT ON THE SURFACE. 231 00:13:28,829 --> 00:13:33,579 WE'LL BE ABLE TO TELL THIS STORY WELL OVER THE NEXT YEAR. 232 00:13:33,579 --> 00:13:36,079 LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. 233 00:13:36,079 --> 00:13:38,850 I'M GOING TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT TIME STEP, TELL YOU A LITTLE 234 00:13:38,850 --> 00:13:43,170 ABOUT ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE WHERE WE'VE ALSO MADE SOME ADVANCES. 235 00:13:43,170 --> 00:13:46,889 THIS PARTICULAR GRAPH IS TO ILLUSTRATE SOMETHING ABOUT OUR 236 00:13:46,889 --> 00:13:52,420 ULTRAVIOLET MUTATION. 237 00:13:52,420 --> 00:13:53,420 THIS IS AN EXPERIMENT THAT WE 238 00:13:53,420 --> 00:13:58,019 DESIGNED AN ATMOSPHERE AROUND PLUTO'S LARGEST MOON. 239 00:13:58,019 --> 00:14:01,959 THERE'S BEEN A PRETTY BIG BODY OF LITERATURE SPECULATING ABOUT 240 00:14:01,959 --> 00:14:04,900 HOW SHARON COULD HAVE AN ATMOSPHERE. 241 00:14:04,900 --> 00:14:07,649 WE GOT THE SUMMARY DATA DOWN IN THE LAST FEW DAYS. 242 00:14:07,649 --> 00:14:11,930 WE DON'T HAVE THE FULL SPECTRAL DATA SET AND WON'T UNTIL 243 00:14:11,930 --> 00:14:12,930 SEPTEMBER. 244 00:14:12,930 --> 00:14:18,459 BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THAT STEP, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THE YELLOW 245 00:14:18,459 --> 00:14:23,459 LINE REPRESENTS THE PATH OF THE SUN AS SEEN BY THE -- FROM THE 246 00:14:23,459 --> 00:14:27,000 SPACECRAFT MOVING BEHIND SHARON. 247 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:30,820 IT CLIPS THE NORTHERN REGION OF THE MOON.CHARON. 248 00:14:30,820 --> 00:14:36,000 IT CLIPS THE NORTHERN REGION OF THE MOON. 249 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:40,610 JUST AS YOU CLICK ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BODY, YOU CAN SEE IN THAT 250 00:14:40,610 --> 00:14:44,149 RED AND WHITE GRAPH THAT THE LIGHT-FOOT LEVEL THE SUN 251 00:14:44,149 --> 00:14:45,709 PLUMMETS STRAIGHT TO ZERO. 252 00:14:45,709 --> 00:14:49,750 DOESN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THE SOLAR DATA WE SHOWED YOU LAST 253 00:14:49,750 --> 00:14:52,990 WEEK FOR PLUTO, WHERE WE COULD CLEARLY SEE A REFRACTIVE 254 00:14:52,990 --> 00:14:56,639 SIGNATURE, A SLOW DECLINE IN THE LIGHT LEVELS. 255 00:14:56,639 --> 00:14:59,079 HERE IT'S JUST BASICALLY A SQUARE WAY, TELLING US THAT 256 00:14:59,079 --> 00:15:03,009 CHARON HAS MUCH LESS ATMOSPHERE THAN PLUTO IF ANY. 257 00:15:03,009 --> 00:15:06,019 WE CAN'T PUT STRICT BOUNDS ON IT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE 258 00:15:06,019 --> 00:15:11,269 SPECTRA BUT WE'LL BE ABLE TO IN SEPTEMBER BECAUSE THOSE WILL BE 259 00:15:11,269 --> 00:15:12,269 DOWNLINKED. 260 00:15:12,269 --> 00:15:16,220 FOR NOW WE CAN ASSAY IT'S A MUCH MORE RAREFIED ATMOSPHERE AND 261 00:15:16,220 --> 00:15:19,160 THAT CONFIRMS OUR PREFLIGHT NOTIONS, OUR PREENCOUNTER 262 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,999 NOTIONS AND WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE HOW RAREFIED THAT 263 00:15:22,999 --> 00:15:23,999 IS. 264 00:15:23,999 --> 00:15:28,699 IT MAY BE THERE'S A THIN NITROGEN LAYER IN THE ATMOSPHERE 265 00:15:28,699 --> 00:15:32,829 OR METHANE OR OTHER CONSTITUENT, BUT IT MUST BE VERY TENUOUS 266 00:15:32,829 --> 00:15:34,480 COMPARED TO PLUTO. 267 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:37,790 AGAIN, EMPHASIZING JUST HOW DIFFERENT THESE TWO OBJECTS ARE 268 00:15:37,790 --> 00:15:42,579 DESPITE THEIR CLOSE ASSOCIATION IN SPACE. 269 00:15:42,579 --> 00:15:46,370 ANOTHER PART OF ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE IS NOW WE'VE GOT ON THE 270 00:15:46,370 --> 00:15:50,370 GROUND SOME OF THE RADIAL OCCUPATION DATA FOR PLUTO. 271 00:15:50,370 --> 00:15:53,949 A DEEP SPACE NETWORK TRANSMITTED A POWERFUL SIGNAL UP TO PLUTO 272 00:15:53,949 --> 00:15:57,439 TIMED TO ARRIVE WHEN THE SPACECRAFT WAS PASSING BEHIND 273 00:15:57,439 --> 00:16:00,769 THE PLANET SO WE COULD MEASURE THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OF THE 274 00:16:00,769 --> 00:16:01,769 ATMOSPHERE. 275 00:16:01,769 --> 00:16:06,449 AS YOU'LL HEAR FROM MIKE, WE GOT THE DATA, IT'S BEAUTIFUL DATA, 276 00:16:06,449 --> 00:16:08,860 AND THEY HAVE A WONDERFUL SCIENTIFIC SURPRISE. 277 00:16:08,860 --> 00:16:12,069 THE PRESSURE IN PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE MEASURED AT THE BASE 278 00:16:12,069 --> 00:16:16,259 OF THE ATMOSPHERE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY IS LOWER, 279 00:16:16,259 --> 00:16:18,180 SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN PREDICTED. 280 00:16:18,180 --> 00:16:20,589 AND THAT'S PROBABLY TELLING US A STORY AND MIKE WILL HAVE MORE TO 281 00:16:20,589 --> 00:16:22,329 SAY ABOUT THAT. 282 00:16:22,329 --> 00:16:25,529 I'D LIKE TO CLOSE WITH ONE MORE TIME STEP. 283 00:16:25,529 --> 00:16:27,010 THIS IS REALLY A SPECTACULAR 284 00:16:27,010 --> 00:16:28,110 IMAGE. 285 00:16:28,110 --> 00:16:34,329 THIS IS A SILHOUETTE OF PLUTO AFTER THE FLYBY. 286 00:16:34,329 --> 00:16:38,119 THIS IS OUR EQUIVALENT ON NEW HORIZONS OF THE APOLLO EARTH 287 00:16:38,119 --> 00:16:41,300 RISE PHOTOGRAPH THAT PROVES WE WERE THERE. 288 00:16:41,300 --> 00:16:44,649 YOU CAN ONLY GET THIS IMAGE BY GOING TO PLUTO AND CROSSING TO 289 00:16:44,649 --> 00:16:46,709 THE FAR SIDE AND LOOKING BACK. 290 00:16:46,709 --> 00:16:51,709 NOW AS STRIKING AND SPECTACULAR AS THIS IMAGE IS EMOTIONALLY, IT 291 00:16:51,709 --> 00:16:55,589 ALSO REPRESENTS A HUGE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 292 00:16:55,589 --> 00:17:01,189 YOU SEE ABOVE THE DARK DISK OF PLUTO THE BAND OF LIGHT WHICH IS 293 00:17:01,189 --> 00:17:06,640 TELLING US THAT PLUTO HAS A HAZE LAYER IN ITS ATMOSPHERE AND MIKE 294 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:10,160 WILL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT IT. 295 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:11,470 >> THANK YOU, ALAN. 296 00:17:11,470 --> 00:17:16,809 I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT TWO NEW RESULTS THAT ARE BASICALLY 297 00:17:16,809 --> 00:17:19,390 CHANGING THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE. 298 00:17:19,390 --> 00:17:24,720 WE'RE STARTING FROM SCRATCH ON WHAT WE THOUGHT WE KNEW ABOUT 299 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,449 THE ATMOSPHERE. 300 00:17:27,449 --> 00:17:32,470 MAY I HAVE THE FIRST TIME STEP PLEASE. 301 00:17:32,470 --> 00:17:35,110 THE FIRST GRAPHIC PLEASE. 302 00:17:35,110 --> 00:17:36,110 OKAY. 303 00:17:36,110 --> 00:17:41,240 THIS IS ONE OF OUR FIRST IMAGES OF PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE. 304 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:49,500 FOR 25 YEARS WE'VE KNOWN THAT PLUTO HAS AN ATMOSPHERE BUT IT'S 305 00:17:49,500 --> 00:17:51,190 BEEN KNOWN BY NUMBERS. 306 00:17:51,190 --> 00:17:54,910 THIS IS OUR FIRST PICTURE, THE FIRST TIME WE'VE REALLY SEEN IT. 307 00:17:54,910 --> 00:17:58,530 THIS WAS THE IMAGE THAT ALMOST BROUGHT TEARS TO THE EYES OF THE 308 00:17:58,530 --> 00:17:59,929 ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE TEAM. 309 00:17:59,929 --> 00:18:04,029 COULD I HAVE THE NEXT STEP PLEASE. 310 00:18:04,029 --> 00:18:06,280 I WANT TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE. 311 00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:13,470 THIS IS THE ATMOSPHERE BACK LIT BY THE SUN AND IT'S LIVE 312 00:18:13,470 --> 00:18:17,200 SUNLIGHT SCATTERED BY SMALL PARTICLES IN THE ATMOSPHERE. 313 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,230 THESE PARTICLES CONSTITUTE A HAZE LAYER. 314 00:18:20,230 --> 00:18:23,890 THE INSET IS A CROSS SECTION OF THAT HAZE LAYER SHOWING 315 00:18:23,890 --> 00:18:24,890 STRUCTURE. 316 00:18:24,890 --> 00:18:26,080 THE COLORS HAVE BEEN ENHANCED. 317 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:27,419 THEY'RE NOT REAL COLORS. 318 00:18:27,419 --> 00:18:30,440 JUST SO YOU COULD SEE THERE IS STRUCTURE. 319 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:33,750 THERE IS AN ARGUMENT GOING ON IN THE TEAM, WHETHER IT'S DYNAMICS 320 00:18:33,750 --> 00:18:34,750 OR CHEMISTRY. 321 00:18:34,750 --> 00:18:36,770 IT'S PROBABLY BOTH. 322 00:18:36,770 --> 00:18:40,899 BUT THE REAL ANSWER IS THAT THIS IS OUR FIRST PEEK AT WEATHER IN 323 00:18:40,899 --> 00:18:42,220 PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE. 324 00:18:42,220 --> 00:18:43,220 OKAY. 325 00:18:43,220 --> 00:18:46,559 COULD I HAVE THE NEXT TIME STEP TO ILLUSTRATE THAT MORE? 326 00:18:46,559 --> 00:18:54,220 THERE IS A HINT THAT THERE IS EITHER A LAYER OF HAZE AT 30 327 00:18:54,220 --> 00:18:59,399 MILES, 50 MILES, OR A COMBINATION OF LAYERS AND WAVES 328 00:18:59,399 --> 00:19:01,049 IN THIS REGION. 329 00:19:01,049 --> 00:19:02,049 THOSE ARE THE KIND OF THING WES 330 00:19:02,049 --> 00:19:04,710 -- THINGS WE'RE GOING TO SORT OUT IN THE COMING WEEKS AND 331 00:19:04,710 --> 00:19:09,210 THOSE WILL TELL US THE DETAILS OF HOW THE ATMOSPHERE WORKS. 332 00:19:09,210 --> 00:19:13,080 HAZE IS EXTENSIVE AND SPINS AT LEAST 100 MILES ABOVE THE 333 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:14,080 SURFACE. 334 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:15,080 THAT IS A BIG SURPRISE. 335 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:18,610 THAT'S FIVE TERMS FURTHER THAN OUR MODELS PREDICTED. 336 00:19:18,610 --> 00:19:21,141 MODELS PREDICTED THE HAZE PARTICLES WOULD FORM LOW IN THE 337 00:19:21,141 --> 00:19:24,940 ATMOSPHERE WHERE THE TEMPERATURES ARE COLD, BUT IT'S 338 00:19:24,940 --> 00:19:28,230 FORMING HIGH IN THE ATMOSPHERE WHERE THE TEMPERATURES ARE HOT, 339 00:19:28,230 --> 00:19:31,770 HOT FROM PLUTO'S PERSPECTIVE, WHICH IS NOT HOT TO OUR 340 00:19:31,770 --> 00:19:32,830 PERSPECTIVE. 341 00:19:32,830 --> 00:19:34,400 NONETHELESS, IT'S A MYSTERY. 342 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:36,890 IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'LL HAVE TO SORT OUT IN THE COMING 343 00:19:36,890 --> 00:19:37,940 DAYS. 344 00:19:37,940 --> 00:19:39,000 OKAY. 345 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:40,840 THE HAZE IS PRETTY. 346 00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:42,140 IT'S A WAY TO SEE THE ATMOSPHERE. 347 00:19:42,140 --> 00:19:45,600 BUT IT'S A PIECE OF A BIG STORY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND 348 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:46,600 FROM PLUTO. 349 00:19:46,600 --> 00:19:49,529 AND THAT IS HOW THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE SURFACES ARE CONNECTED. 350 00:19:49,529 --> 00:19:54,270 SO I HAD A SIMPLE ANIMATION TO ILLUSTRATE ONE ASPECT OF THAT 351 00:19:54,270 --> 00:19:55,270 CONNECTION. 352 00:19:55,270 --> 00:19:57,360 COULD I HAVE THE NEXT TIME STEP, PLEASE? 353 00:19:57,360 --> 00:19:58,360 OKAY. 354 00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:02,679 THIS SHOWS HOW METHANE IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE IS BROKEN APART 355 00:20:02,679 --> 00:20:06,980 BY ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION FROM THE SUN AND TO CHEMICAL 356 00:20:06,980 --> 00:20:10,480 COMBINES, RADICALS, SMALL AT TOMS AND MOLECULES THAT REACT 357 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:13,010 TRIG ERR SET OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS THAT FORM COMPLEX 358 00:20:13,010 --> 00:20:16,799 HYDROCARBONS LIKE ETHYLENE AND ACETYLENE, WHICH WERE DETECTED 359 00:20:16,799 --> 00:20:18,260 BY NEW HORIZONS. 360 00:20:18,260 --> 00:20:22,370 AS TIME GOES ON, THESE BUILD UP, THEY BECOME SUPER SATURATED AND 361 00:20:22,370 --> 00:20:27,200 THEY SHOULD NUCLEATE TO FORM HAZE PARTICLES WHICH THEN GROW 362 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:29,929 AND EVENTUALLY THEY WILL GET BIG ENOUGH SO THAT YOU'LL SEE A HAZE 363 00:20:29,929 --> 00:20:32,440 LAYER AND IT WILL FALL TO THE GROUND. 364 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:37,049 AT SOME POINT IN THIS CYCLE, THOSE HAZE PARTICLES ARE 365 00:20:37,049 --> 00:20:42,149 CHEMICALLY PROCESSED TO PRODUCE WHAT WE CALL THOLENS, CHEMICALLY 366 00:20:42,149 --> 00:20:46,260 ALTERED HYDROCARBONS THAT HAVE A RED COLOR, AND WE THINK THAT IS 367 00:20:46,260 --> 00:20:50,810 HOW PLUTO'S SURFACE GOT ITS REDDISH HUE. 368 00:20:50,810 --> 00:20:53,190 IN A MINUTE, KATHY WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THE COLOR AND KOCH 369 00:20:53,190 --> 00:20:54,940 SITUATION OF THE SURFACE. 370 00:20:54,940 --> 00:20:57,220 THIS IS JUST ONE PIECE OF THAT STORY. 371 00:20:57,220 --> 00:20:58,700 IT'S NOT A COHERENT PIECE YET. 372 00:20:58,700 --> 00:20:59,990 THERE ARE SOME MYSTERIES. 373 00:20:59,990 --> 00:21:03,880 AS I SAID, WE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE'S A HAZE LAYER UP TO 374 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:06,100 100 MILES ALTITUDE. 375 00:21:06,100 --> 00:21:07,790 IT REALLY IS A MYSTERY. 376 00:21:07,790 --> 00:21:08,850 OKAY. 377 00:21:08,850 --> 00:21:11,950 THE NEXT STORY REGARDS SURFACE PRESSURE. 378 00:21:11,950 --> 00:21:14,140 JUST GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT HERE. 379 00:21:14,140 --> 00:21:17,700 UNTIL A PLANETARY ATMOSPHERE, THE SURFACE PRESSURE AT ANY 380 00:21:17,700 --> 00:21:22,780 LEVEL IS A MEASURE OF THE WEIGHT OF THE AIR ABOVE THAT LEVEL. 381 00:21:22,780 --> 00:21:26,400 AND WEIGHT IS GRAVITY ACTING ON MASS. 382 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:29,440 SO IF YOU KNOW THE SURFACE PRESSURE OF A PLANET'S 383 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,860 ATMOSPHERE, YOU CAN GET A PRETTY GOOD ESTIMATE OF THE TOTAL MASS 384 00:21:32,860 --> 00:21:34,610 OF THAT ATMOSPHERE. 385 00:21:34,610 --> 00:21:38,059 AND IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT'S A WAY OF QUANTIFYING THE 386 00:21:38,059 --> 00:21:40,320 GLOBAL STATE OF AN ATMOSPHERE. 387 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:41,320 OKAY. 388 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:45,530 SO IF I CAN HAVE THE NEXT GRAPHIC, PLEASE. 389 00:21:45,530 --> 00:21:47,309 OKAY. 390 00:21:47,309 --> 00:21:51,190 THIS SHOWS SURFACE PRESSURE ON PLUTO AS A FUNCTION OF TIME. 391 00:21:51,190 --> 00:21:53,190 THE UNITS MIGHT BE A LITTLE STRANGE TO YOU. 392 00:21:53,190 --> 00:21:54,559 THEY'RE IN MICROBARS. 393 00:21:54,559 --> 00:21:59,149 A MICROBAR IS ONE MILLIONTH OF SEA LEVEL PRESSURE ON EARTH. 394 00:21:59,149 --> 00:22:02,860 AND THE TIME SCALE IS THERE SO, 1989 UP TO JUST BEFORE THE 395 00:22:02,860 --> 00:22:03,860 PRESENT. 396 00:22:03,860 --> 00:22:07,929 NOW, WHAT IS INTERESTING HERE IS THAT 1-IN 1989 PLUTO WAS AT ITS 397 00:22:07,929 --> 00:22:10,269 CLOSEST DISTANCE TO THE SUN. 398 00:22:10,269 --> 00:22:13,309 AND NOW PLUTO IS MOVING AWAY FROM THE SUN IN ITS VERY 399 00:22:13,309 --> 00:22:14,710 ELLIPTICAL ORBIT. 400 00:22:14,710 --> 00:22:18,630 AS IT MOVES AWAY, IT SHOULD BE COOLING, THE NITROGEN SHOULD BE 401 00:22:18,630 --> 00:22:22,169 CONDENSING ONTO THE SURFACE, AND THE MASS SHOULD BE DECREASING, 402 00:22:22,169 --> 00:22:23,240 BUT WE DON'T SEE THAT. 403 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:25,659 WE SEE THE EXACT OPPOSITE. 404 00:22:25,659 --> 00:22:29,220 THAT HAS BEEN VERY INTERESTING, NONETHELESS. 405 00:22:29,220 --> 00:22:31,710 WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE THIS OUT. 406 00:22:31,710 --> 00:22:35,190 WHAT I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU NOW IS A NEW DATA POINT, SOME MORE 407 00:22:35,190 --> 00:22:38,980 INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE TO ADD TO THIS STORY. 408 00:22:38,980 --> 00:22:44,029 IT IS JUST ONE DATA POINT, BUT I DO WANT TO SAY IT IS SIGNIFICANT 409 00:22:44,029 --> 00:22:45,600 AND WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT. 410 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:46,600 OKAY. 411 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:47,600 SO THIS IS IT. 412 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:50,960 THIS IS WHAT REX, THE RADIAL SCIENCE EXPERIMENT, HAS 413 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:52,340 CONTRIBUTED TO THIS STORY. 414 00:22:52,340 --> 00:22:59,080 A NEW DATA POINT SHOWS THE PRESSURE IS AT MOST 10 MICROBAR, 415 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:00,480 UPPER LIMIT. 416 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:03,830 THE MASS, IF YOU WILL, OF PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE, HAS CHANGED 417 00:23:03,830 --> 00:23:07,560 BY A FACTOR OF TWO, DECREASED BY A FACTOR OF TWO IN ABOUT TWO 418 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:09,289 YEARS. 419 00:23:09,289 --> 00:23:12,899 THAT'S PRETTY ASTONISHING, AT LEAST TO AN ATMOSPHERIC 420 00:23:12,899 --> 00:23:13,899 SCIENTIST. 421 00:23:13,899 --> 00:23:14,899 THAT'S TELLING YOU SOMETHING IS HAPPENING. 422 00:23:14,899 --> 00:23:17,450 IT IS JUST ONE DATA POINT. 423 00:23:17,450 --> 00:23:18,710 THESE ARE EARLY RETRIEVALS. 424 00:23:18,710 --> 00:23:23,029 WE HAVE MORE DATA COMING AS ALAN SAYS, AND THERE'S MORE TO THE 425 00:23:23,029 --> 00:23:24,080 STORY. 426 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:27,010 BUT IT'S ANOTHER MYSTERY THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH 427 00:23:27,010 --> 00:23:31,669 OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, MONTHS, YEARS, AND SO ON. 428 00:23:31,669 --> 00:23:32,669 OKAY. 429 00:23:32,669 --> 00:23:33,669 NOW I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER THE KATRINA TY OLKIN, WHO'S 430 00:23:33,669 --> 00:23:35,480 GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE COLOR AND COMPOSITION OF PLUTO'S 431 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:36,480 SURFACE. 432 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:38,289 >> THANKS, MIKE. 433 00:23:38,289 --> 00:23:41,640 I'M GOING TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE COLOR AND COMPOSITION AND TRY TO 434 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:45,600 TIE THIS TOGETHER SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT WE KNOW FROM 435 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:46,820 THIS COLOR. 436 00:23:46,820 --> 00:23:51,929 THE COLOR IS REALLY AN INDICATOR OF DIFFERENT COMPOSITION NAL 437 00:23:51,929 --> 00:23:52,929 UNITS. 438 00:23:52,929 --> 00:23:56,860 FIRST TIME STEP, THIS IS THAT SAME FALSE COLOR IMAGE ALAN 439 00:23:56,860 --> 00:23:57,860 SHOWED. 440 00:23:57,860 --> 00:24:01,250 I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT WE'RE SEEING SCIENTIFICALLY AND SOME OF THE 441 00:24:01,250 --> 00:24:05,940 THINGS WE KNOW AND UNDERSTAND FROM LOOKING AT THIS IMAGE. 442 00:24:05,940 --> 00:24:09,100 FIRST OF ALL, YOU CAN SEE THE DARK REGION DOWN AT THE BOTTOM 443 00:24:09,100 --> 00:24:10,100 OF THE IMAGE. 444 00:24:10,100 --> 00:24:11,269 THAT'S NEAR THE EQUATOR. 445 00:24:11,269 --> 00:24:12,539 THAT'S THE DARKEST REGION. 446 00:24:12,539 --> 00:24:16,780 IF YOU REMEMBER, THERE'S DARK REGIONS ALL AROUND THAT AREA, 447 00:24:16,780 --> 00:24:18,799 EVEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF PLUTO. 448 00:24:18,799 --> 00:24:22,399 THEN JUST ABOVE IT, IT'S A LITTLE BIT BRIGHTER AND A LITTLE 449 00:24:22,399 --> 00:24:23,730 LESS RED. 450 00:24:23,730 --> 00:24:28,600 AND THEN AT THE NORTH POLE YOU SEE THE BRIGHT -- BRIGHTBRIGHTER. 451 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:38,090 PUTTING THE LONGITUDE AND LATITUDE ON THE GRID HELPS YOU 452 00:24:38,090 --> 00:24:40,300 DRAW YOUR EYE TO THAT PATTERN. 453 00:24:40,300 --> 00:24:44,080 I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT GOES TO THE COMPLEXITY THAT 454 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:47,460 MIKE WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT, ABOUT THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE 455 00:24:47,460 --> 00:24:49,120 SURFACE AND THE INTERACTION. 456 00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:53,380 PLUTO HAS A VERY COMPLICATED SEASONAL PATTERN OF TRANSPORT OF 457 00:24:53,380 --> 00:24:59,200 ICES OVER -- IT TAKES 248 YEARS FOR PLUTO TO GO AROUND THE SUN. 458 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:01,919 AND PLUTO HAS A VERY ECCENTRIC ORBIT. 459 00:25:01,919 --> 00:25:06,260 SO SOMETIMES IT'S MUCH CLOSER TO THE SUN THAN AT OTHER TIMES. 460 00:25:06,260 --> 00:25:10,130 ADDITIONALLY, PLUTO'S NORTH POLE IS TILTED OVER AT AN ANGLE OF 461 00:25:10,130 --> 00:25:14,980 ABOUT 120 DEGREES RELATIVE TO THE PLANE IT ORBITS IN. 462 00:25:14,980 --> 00:25:19,970 ALL OF THESE FACTORS TOGETHER CAUSE DIFFERENT PARTS OF PLUTO 463 00:25:19,970 --> 00:25:22,000 TO GET DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF SUNLIGHT. 464 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:26,169 AND THE SUNLIGHT IS POWERING THE SUBLIMATION OF THE ISLE ICES FROM THE 465 00:25:26,169 --> 00:25:28,320 SURFACE INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. 466 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:33,169 SO SOME PARTS ARE KIND OF BAKED LIKE NEAR THE EQUATOR, AND OTHER 467 00:25:33,169 --> 00:25:37,799 PARTS RECEIVE THESE CONDENSATION OF THESE ICES AS YOU CAN SEE ON 468 00:25:37,799 --> 00:25:39,630 THE NORTH POLE HERE. 469 00:25:39,630 --> 00:25:42,350 AND SO WE'VE GOT A DIFFERING PATTERN THAT YOU CAN SEE 470 00:25:42,350 --> 00:25:47,490 MANIFESTED ON PLUTO THAT WE UNDERSTAND FROM MODELING OF THE 471 00:25:47,490 --> 00:25:50,460 SEASONAL TRANSPORT OF THESE ICES. 472 00:25:50,460 --> 00:25:53,519 BUT THERE'S ONE GLARING DIFFERENCE IN THIS PATTERN THAT 473 00:25:53,519 --> 00:25:57,010 I JUST CALLED OUT, AND THAT IS TOMBO REGGIO. 474 00:25:57,010 --> 00:25:58,870 NEXT TIME STEP, PLEASE. 475 00:25:58,870 --> 00:26:02,870 TOMBO REGGIO CLEARLY INTERRUPTS THIS PATTERN OF LATITUDE NAL 476 00:26:02,870 --> 00:26:07,130 VARIATION OF COLORS AND BRIGHTNESSES. 477 00:26:07,130 --> 00:26:14,399 ONE THING I SHOULD ATHD IS THOSE SH -- DARKER REGIONS ARE LIKELY 478 00:26:14,399 --> 00:26:17,260 THE THOLENS THAT MIKE WAS DESCRIBING THAT WERE RAINING OUT 479 00:26:17,260 --> 00:26:26,580 FROM THE HAZES OR FALLING FROM THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE HAZES. 480 00:26:26,580 --> 00:26:34,169 WE'RE SEEING METHANE, CARBON ICES THERE. 481 00:26:34,169 --> 00:26:37,470 ON THE NORTHERN PART OF PLUTO WE SEE METHANE AND NITROGEN BUT NOT 482 00:26:37,470 --> 00:26:39,039 CARBON MONOXIDE. 483 00:26:39,039 --> 00:26:42,909 SO MAYBE WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN TOMBO REGGIO IS A SOURCE REGION 484 00:26:42,909 --> 00:26:48,120 FOR SOME OF THESE SPECIFIC ICES THAT COMPLICATES IN ADDITION THE 485 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:51,809 STORY OF THIS SEASONAL TRANSPORT THAT I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT. 486 00:26:51,809 --> 00:26:54,409 WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THAT IN THE FUTURE. 487 00:26:54,409 --> 00:26:57,049 AS YOU'VE HEARD, WE HAVE A SMALL BIT OF OUR COMPOSITIONAL DATA 488 00:26:57,049 --> 00:27:00,360 DOWN, AND WE'LL GET A LOT MORE INFORMATION WHEN WE GET THE REST 489 00:27:00,360 --> 00:27:01,510 DOWN. 490 00:27:01,510 --> 00:27:04,690 BUT WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT IMAGES AND BILL McKINNON IS GOING TO 491 00:27:04,690 --> 00:27:09,029 TELL US ABOUT THE GEOLOGY OF THIS TOMBO REGGIO REGION AND 492 00:27:09,029 --> 00:27:10,419 NEARBY VICINITY. 493 00:27:10,419 --> 00:27:12,700 >> THANKS, KATHY. 494 00:27:12,700 --> 00:27:13,840 OKAY. 495 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:18,830 CAN I HAVE MY FIRST GRAPHIC? 496 00:27:18,830 --> 00:27:24,809 NEXT, PLEASE. 497 00:27:24,809 --> 00:27:31,840 WE'LL BE LOOKING AT OUR FABULOUS NEAR ENCOUNTER HEMISPHERE. 498 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:32,840 I KNOW YOU CAN SEE IT. 499 00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:34,299 YOU CAN START THE ANIMATION. 500 00:27:34,299 --> 00:27:38,850 AND WHAT WE HAVE NOW IS A FULL SEVEN FRAMES OF WHAT WILL 501 00:27:38,850 --> 00:27:42,950 ULTIMATELY BE A 12-FRAME MOSAIC AT HIGHER RESOLUTION BUT NOT 502 00:27:42,950 --> 00:27:45,600 EVEN OUR HIGHEST RESOLUTION THAT WILL COME DOWN LATER. 503 00:27:45,600 --> 00:28:00,460 THIS AREA AND THE NEXT SLIDE, NEXT, THIS AREA COVERS IN ITS 504 00:28:00,460 --> 00:28:08,130 ENTIRETY THIS VAST MORE OR LESS FLAT ICY PLANE. 505 00:28:08,130 --> 00:28:13,720 IT'S PRETTY BIG, ABOUT THE SIZE OF TEXAS. 506 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:18,460 ALL AROUND THE PRIVILEGE FI AND IN THE INTERIOR ARE GEOLOGICAL 507 00:28:18,460 --> 00:28:21,880 WONDERS AND I'D LIKE TO SHARE SOME OF THOSE WONDERS WITH YOU. 508 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:25,929 COULD I HAVE THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE? 509 00:28:25,929 --> 00:28:29,519 SO FIRST I'D LIKE TO LOOK AT THAT ORANGE BOX, THE RECTANGLE 510 00:28:29,519 --> 00:28:33,029 THAT YOU SEE AT THE UPPER LEFT OF THE MOSAIC. 511 00:28:33,029 --> 00:28:35,840 NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 512 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:40,340 THIS IS THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY OF SPLIT NICK PLANA. 513 00:28:40,340 --> 00:28:43,330 THERE'S A LITTLE SCALE BAR DOWN THERE, BUT BASICALLY THIS IS 514 00:28:43,330 --> 00:28:48,460 ABOUT 250 MILES ACROSS, ABOUT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN KANSAS 515 00:28:48,460 --> 00:28:50,179 CITY, MISSOURI, AND ST. 516 00:28:50,179 --> 00:28:52,210 LOUIS, A CITY WHICH I PICKED COMPLETELY 517 00:28:52,210 --> 00:28:53,960 AT RANDOM. 518 00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:54,960 OKAY. 519 00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:57,110 NEXT SLIDE. 520 00:28:57,110 --> 00:29:00,720 I'VE MARKED SOME THINGS HERE TO HELP SORT OF GUIDE THIS TOUR. 521 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:14,259 SO MOST OF THE PICTURE YOU SEE IS SPLITNIK PLANA. 522 00:29:14,259 --> 00:29:16,550 YOU CAN SEE THIS REALLY WELL AS YOU MOVE TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE 523 00:29:16,550 --> 00:29:19,580 IMAGE WHERE THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE BRIGHT AND DARK SHOWS UP. 524 00:29:19,580 --> 00:29:23,259 BUT AT THE TOP OF THE PICTURE IT'S REALLY DIFFERENT. 525 00:29:23,259 --> 00:29:26,970 THERE'S A RUGGED LANDSCAPE THERE, A DEGRADED LANDSCAPE, 526 00:29:26,970 --> 00:29:29,340 SOMETHING THAT TO A GEOLOGIST'S EYE LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING THAT 527 00:29:29,340 --> 00:29:33,600 HAS BEEN DEEPLY AND EXTENSIVELY ERODED. 528 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,210 WE CAN TELL IT'S OLD AS WELL BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE WITH YOUR 529 00:29:36,210 --> 00:29:40,250 OWN EYE VARIOUS IMPACT CRATERS OF LARGE SIZE. 530 00:29:40,250 --> 00:29:45,100 BUT WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO US IS THE ACTUAL INTERACTION 531 00:29:45,100 --> 00:29:49,230 BETWEEN THE SPLITNIK PLANUM AND THE TERRAIN AT THE TOP. 532 00:29:49,230 --> 00:29:54,460 IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY, YOU CAN SEE A PATTERN THAT INDICATES THE 533 00:29:54,460 --> 00:30:01,210 FLOW OF VISCOUS ICE TOWARDS THE CLIFF BOUNDARY ON THE RUGGED 534 00:30:01,210 --> 00:30:02,210 TERRAIN. 535 00:30:02,210 --> 00:30:03,740 WE CALL THESE STREAMLINES. 536 00:30:03,740 --> 00:30:05,450 WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE STREAMLINES WHICH I'VE MARKED 537 00:30:05,450 --> 00:30:10,080 WITH THESE CURVED ARROWS YOU SEE THERE, THEY LOOK JUST LIKE, AND 538 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:14,140 WE INTERPRET THEM TO BE JUST LIKE GLACIAL FLOW ON THE EARTH. 539 00:30:14,140 --> 00:30:18,220 I DON'T HAVE TO REMIND YOU THAT GLASHERS ON THE RERT MADE OF ICE 540 00:30:18,220 --> 00:30:25,170 LIKE IN ANTARCTIC AND GREENLAND, AND WON'T MOVE ANYWHERE, IT'S 541 00:30:25,170 --> 00:30:27,289 IMMOBILE. 542 00:30:27,289 --> 00:30:32,620 ON PLUTO, THE KIND OF ICES WE THINK MAKE UP THE PLANUM, WHICH 543 00:30:32,620 --> 00:30:36,740 KATHY TALKED ABOUT, CARBON MONOXIDE ICE, NITROGEN ICE, 544 00:30:36,740 --> 00:30:41,230 METHANE ICE, THESE ICES ARE GEOLOGICALLY SOFT AND MALLEABLE 545 00:30:41,230 --> 00:30:45,820 EVEN AT PLUTO CONDITION, AND THEY WILL FLOW LIKE IN THE SAME 546 00:30:45,820 --> 00:30:47,951 WAY THAT GLACIERS DO ON THE EARTH. 547 00:30:47,951 --> 00:30:52,830 WE HAVE ACTUAL EVIDENCE FOR BASICALLY RECENT GEOLOGICAL 548 00:30:52,830 --> 00:30:55,429 ACTIVITY. 549 00:30:55,429 --> 00:31:01,779 ONE MORE THING, ONE ARROW AT THE 12:00 POSITION, WE CAN PROBABLY 550 00:31:01,779 --> 00:31:07,750 SEE A FLOW OF THIS, SOLID NITROGEN ICE FLOEING THROUGH A 551 00:31:07,750 --> 00:31:11,830 BREACH IN AN OLD IMPACT CRATER AND PARTIALLY FILLING IN THE 552 00:31:11,830 --> 00:31:15,090 INTERIOR OF THAT CRATER. 553 00:31:15,090 --> 00:31:18,990 LIKE KATHY SAID, WE KNEW THERE WAS NITROGEN ICE ON PLUTO FROM 554 00:31:18,990 --> 00:31:19,990 SPECTRA. 555 00:31:19,990 --> 00:31:21,429 WE'VE KNOWN THIS FOR YEARS. 556 00:31:21,429 --> 00:31:24,870 WE IMAGINED THAT NITROGEN WAS SUBLIMATING AND EVAPORAING IN 557 00:31:24,870 --> 00:31:30,250 ONE PLACE AND CONDENSING IN ANOTHER PLACE, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE 558 00:31:30,250 --> 00:31:33,909 SEE EVIDENCE FOR RECENT GEOLOGICAL ACTIVITY IS SIMPLY A 559 00:31:33,909 --> 00:31:35,480 DREAM COME TRUE. 560 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:38,570 I WANT TO BACK UP JUST ONE LITTLE BIT AND SAY WHEN I SAY 561 00:31:38,570 --> 00:31:40,590 RECENT I DON'T NECESSARILY MEAN YESTERDAY. 562 00:31:40,590 --> 00:31:42,750 I MEAN GEOLOGICALLY RECENT. 563 00:31:42,750 --> 00:31:45,309 BUT THE APPEARANCE OF THIS TERRAIN, THE UTTER LACK OF 564 00:31:45,309 --> 00:31:48,830 IMPACT CRATERS ON THE SPUTNIK PLANUM TELLS US THAT THIS IS 565 00:31:48,830 --> 00:31:56,590 REALLY A YOUNG UNIT AND WE HAVE MODELS OF WHAT SMALL BELTS WOULD 566 00:31:56,590 --> 00:31:59,190 BE ON PLUTO AND THEY GIVE VARIOUS ANSWERS BUT THE BEST 567 00:31:59,190 --> 00:32:03,799 ONES IMPLY THAT THE ICES OF SPUTNIK PLANUM AND THE FLOW 568 00:32:03,799 --> 00:32:07,510 FEATURES WE SEE, I SHOULD POINT OUT THE CURVED ARROWS AT THE 569 00:32:07,510 --> 00:32:10,760 UPPER LEFT, WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE THEM GOING AROUND WHAT LOOK TO 570 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:14,759 BE BARRIER ISLANDS, REALLY KIND OF CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE. 571 00:32:14,759 --> 00:32:19,580 JUST TO GET BACK TO THE AGE, THE AGE IS ONLY A FRACTION OF THE 572 00:32:19,580 --> 00:32:23,070 TOTAL AGE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM, PROBABLY NO MORE THAN A FEW TENS 573 00:32:23,070 --> 00:32:25,190 OF MILLIONS OF YEARS. 574 00:32:25,190 --> 00:32:28,759 WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT NITROGEN ICE, WHAT WE KNOW OR CAN 575 00:32:28,759 --> 00:32:31,269 THEORETICALLY ESTIMATE ABOUT THE HEAT FLOW COMING FROM THE 576 00:32:31,269 --> 00:32:35,889 INTERIOR OF PLUTO, THERE'S NO REASON WHY THIS CANNOT BE GOING 577 00:32:35,889 --> 00:32:37,340 ON TODAY. 578 00:32:37,340 --> 00:32:38,799 OKAY. 579 00:32:38,799 --> 00:32:41,740 SO LET'S GO TO THE NEXT TIME STEP. 580 00:32:41,740 --> 00:32:44,940 NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF SPUTNIK PLANUM 581 00:32:44,940 --> 00:32:50,470 THERE, AND LET'S BLOW THAT UP. 582 00:32:50,470 --> 00:32:55,919 THIS IS A VERY BUSY SCENE, OKAY, AND IT'S A BUILT BIGGER THAN THE 583 00:32:55,919 --> 00:32:57,919 ONE I JUST SHOWED YOU. 584 00:32:57,919 --> 00:33:00,510 THIS ONE'S ABOUT 400 MILES ACROSS, SO THAT'S LIKE TAKING A 585 00:33:00,510 --> 00:33:05,580 DRIVE FROM L.A. TO PHOENIX, ALTHOUGH IT'S A BIT COLDER. 586 00:33:05,580 --> 00:33:08,269 ANYWAY, NEXT TIME STEP, PLEASE. 587 00:33:08,269 --> 00:33:12,809 SO HERE ARE SOME THINGS -- ACTUALLY AT THE TOP OF THE IMAGE 588 00:33:12,809 --> 00:33:15,559 YOU CAN STILL SEE SPUTNIK PLANUM. 589 00:33:15,559 --> 00:33:19,919 YOU CAN STILL SEE IT'S POLYGON AND AT THE VERY BOTTOM IS THIS 590 00:33:19,919 --> 00:33:24,789 ANCIENT BLACK HEAVILY CRATERED REGION WHICH WE'VE BEEN 591 00:33:24,789 --> 00:33:27,600 INFORMALLY CALLING CAZULU REGGIO. 592 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:33,659 AT THE 3:00 POSITION ARE A GROUP OF MOUNTAIN BLOCKS WHICH WE 593 00:33:33,659 --> 00:33:38,750 DISCOVERED LAST WEEK AND WE ALL INFORMALLY NAMED THAT A WELL. 594 00:33:38,750 --> 00:33:42,610 IN THIS PICTURE YOU CAN SEE KIND OF IN THE CENTER, ACTUALLY ABOVE 595 00:33:42,610 --> 00:33:45,990 IN THE SENTER AND TOWARDS THE LEFT ANOTHER RANGE OR 596 00:33:45,990 --> 00:33:47,779 ARRANGEMENT OF MOUNTAIN BLOCKS. 597 00:33:47,779 --> 00:33:50,769 AND THESE MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS, TWO OF THEM, ARE ACTUALLY 598 00:33:50,769 --> 00:33:52,560 SOMEWHAT SIMILAR. 599 00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:55,220 YOU MIGHT THINK THE ONES ON THE LEFT ARE DIFFERENT, BUT THAT'S 600 00:33:55,220 --> 00:33:58,259 JUST BECAUSE THE SUN IS HIGHER IN THE SKY WHEN THAT PICTURE WAS 601 00:33:58,259 --> 00:34:00,950 TAKEN SO YOU DON'T SEE THE SHADOWS QUITE AS PROMINENTLY. 602 00:34:00,950 --> 00:34:04,110 THE ARRANGEMENT AND APPEARANCE OF THESE MOUNTAINS IS SIMILAR 603 00:34:04,110 --> 00:34:06,870 FROM ONE REGION TO THE OTHER. 604 00:34:06,870 --> 00:34:10,800 WE'VE GIVE AN INFORMAL NAME TO THIS MOUNTAIN BLOCK AFTER SIR 605 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:17,850 EDMOND HILLARY, FIRST SUMMITED EVEREST BACK IN 1953. 606 00:34:17,850 --> 00:34:21,350 THE SCIENTIFICALLY INTERESTING AND FASCINATING THING ABOUT THE 607 00:34:21,350 --> 00:34:26,370 PICTURE TO ME IS THAT THE SPUTNIK PLANUM ICE, MOBILE ICES, 608 00:34:26,370 --> 00:34:30,440 SEEM TO HAVE MOVED AND SURROUNDED AND BATHED THE 609 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:31,440 MOUNTAINS. 610 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:36,730 IN FACT, THEY SEEM TO COVER UP NOT JUST -- INVADE AROUND THE 611 00:34:36,730 --> 00:34:40,010 MOUNTAIN BLOCKS BUT THEY EXTEND ALL THE WAY DOWN AND THEY SEEM 612 00:34:40,010 --> 00:34:45,740 TO FORGET OUT JUST ONTO THE EDGE OF THE CAZULU REGGIO. 613 00:34:45,740 --> 00:34:49,670 WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT IN DETAIL THERE'S A LOT OF FINE STRUCTURE 614 00:34:49,670 --> 00:34:56,430 IN THE ICE BETWEEN THE TWO AND A LOT OF FINE STRUCTURE THAT IS 615 00:34:56,430 --> 00:35:00,460 DIFFERENT THAN THE DIFFERENT SCALE, FINER SCALE THAN THE 616 00:35:00,460 --> 00:35:02,350 POLYGONS WE SEE THROUGHOUT. 617 00:35:02,350 --> 00:35:06,260 THAT TELLS US THAT THE ICE IN THAT INTERVENING REGION BETWEEN 618 00:35:06,260 --> 00:35:10,140 THE MOUNTAINS AND CAZULU IS SUBSTANTIALLY THINNER. 619 00:35:10,140 --> 00:35:13,250 ONE MORE FUN THING YOU CAN SEE, JUST AS YOU LOOK AT THE EDGE OF 620 00:35:13,250 --> 00:35:24,120 THE DARK UNIT, YOU SEE SORT OF CIRCLES OF BRIGHT MOBILE ICE. 621 00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:29,350 OKAY. 622 00:35:29,350 --> 00:35:34,330 SO LET'S PUT THIS ALL TOGETHER AND TAKE A FLYOVER FROM ONE END 623 00:35:34,330 --> 00:35:37,610 OF SPUTNIK PLANUM TO THE OTHER. 624 00:35:37,610 --> 00:35:42,810 WE'RE GOING TO START AT THE NORTH. 625 00:35:42,810 --> 00:35:48,170 WE'RE GOING TO CAREEN OVER THE CLIFFS ON TO SPUTNIK PLANUM. 626 00:35:48,170 --> 00:35:59,520 THERE ARE THE ICE FLOES. 627 00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:03,761 THEY'RE STILL THERE BUT OBSCURED BY BRIGHTER ICES AND IT'S OUR 628 00:36:03,761 --> 00:36:06,580 APPROACHING THE REGION THAT IS SUPER RICH IN THE CARBON 629 00:36:06,580 --> 00:36:10,130 MONOXIDE THAT KATHY WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT. 630 00:36:10,130 --> 00:36:13,590 ANYWAY, IT'S A LONG FLIGHT ALL THE WAY TO THE SOUTH SO WE'LL 631 00:36:13,590 --> 00:36:19,210 SKIP OVER THAT PART AND WE'LL REJOIN OUR TOUR HERE COMING UP 632 00:36:19,210 --> 00:36:23,990 ON THE HILLARY MONTAY. 633 00:36:23,990 --> 00:36:26,160 BIG BLOCKS, SMALL BLOCKS AND BITS. 634 00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:34,900 THE CAZULU REGGIO, DARK ASPHALT CONE SURFACE. 635 00:36:34,900 --> 00:36:41,930 AS WE MOVE OVER THE HILLARY MONTES, THAT CRATER ITSELF IS 636 00:36:41,930 --> 00:36:43,780 ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE D.C. 637 00:36:43,780 --> 00:36:45,860 METRO AREA. 638 00:36:45,860 --> 00:36:59,100 AS WE MOVE OFF THE HILLARY MONTIES, THERE ARE THE NORGAY. 639 00:36:59,100 --> 00:37:04,020 THERE'S A WHOLE LOT MORE WE'RE GOING LEARN ABOUT PLUTO. 640 00:37:04,020 --> 00:37:09,380 JUST AS ALAN SAID AND JIM SAID, MOST OF OUR IMAGES, MOST OF OUR 641 00:37:09,380 --> 00:37:13,420 DATA ARE STILL ON THE SPACECRAFT OUTBOUND FROM PLUTO AND WE'LL BE 642 00:37:13,420 --> 00:37:17,510 DOWNLINK THIS IN THE MONTHS ALMOST A FULL YEAR OR MORE 643 00:37:17,510 --> 00:37:18,510 AHEAD. 644 00:37:18,510 --> 00:37:22,180 WITH THAT, BACK TO YOU, DUANE. 645 00:37:22,180 --> 00:37:24,170 >> THANK YOU. 646 00:37:24,170 --> 00:37:27,820 NOW WE'RE GOING TO TRANSITION INTO QUESTIONS, HIT THE PHONE 647 00:37:27,820 --> 00:37:32,280 LINES, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND COME BACK. 648 00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:35,920 I'LL GIVE YOU THE FIRST QUESTION BECAUSE YOUR EXPRESSION, PRETTY 649 00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:39,030 COOL STUFF, RIGHT? 650 00:37:39,030 --> 00:37:42,040 >> AVIATION WEEK FOR DR. 651 00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:43,040 McKINNON. 652 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:48,490 I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT A COUPLE THINGS I SAW IN THE NEW DISK 653 00:37:48,490 --> 00:37:51,030 IMAGE. 654 00:37:51,030 --> 00:37:58,390 IT LOOKS LIKE A COPYRIGHT OR JUST TO THE WEST OF THE PLANE. 655 00:37:58,390 --> 00:38:01,680 IT'S A BIG CRATER I GUESS WITH SOME CENTRIC CIRCLES. 656 00:38:01,680 --> 00:38:04,560 IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT MIGHT BE. 657 00:38:04,560 --> 00:38:08,270 THEN ALSO JUST TO CONTINUE ON THE ICE FLOES. 658 00:38:08,270 --> 00:38:13,250 DO YOU HAVE ELEVATION DATAS AS TO WHAT'S MAKING IT FLOW AND IS 659 00:38:13,250 --> 00:38:16,810 IT FLOWING DOWN INTO THE MOUNTAINS, THE PLANE HIGHER THAN 660 00:38:16,810 --> 00:38:20,030 THE MOUNTAINS? 661 00:38:20,030 --> 00:38:22,210 >> I THINK YOU'RE PROBABLY TALKING ABOUT THERE ARE SOME 662 00:38:22,210 --> 00:38:24,400 CIRCULAR FEATURES I DIDN'T PARTICULARLY POINT OUT IN THE 663 00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:31,250 FULL DISK IMAGE, AND TO THE WEST AND TO THE NORTH OF SPUTNIK 664 00:38:31,250 --> 00:38:36,930 PLANUM AND TOMBAUGH REGGIO ITSELF, AND THOSE ARE PROBABLY 665 00:38:36,930 --> 00:38:38,740 IMPACT CRATERS OF SOME SCALE. 666 00:38:38,740 --> 00:38:42,740 MAYBE 150 OR UP TO 250 KILOMETERS WIDE. 667 00:38:42,740 --> 00:38:46,590 SO SOME PARTS OF PLUTO ARE PROBABLY AT LEAST FUNDAMENTALLY 668 00:38:46,590 --> 00:38:47,990 ANCIENT. 669 00:38:47,990 --> 00:38:50,210 EVEN THOUGH THERE MAY BE ACTIVE GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES. 670 00:38:50,210 --> 00:38:53,300 >> THERE ARE A FEW WITH CENTRAL PEAKS. 671 00:38:53,300 --> 00:38:56,260 >> I THINK THE SCALE -- LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE OF PLUTO 672 00:38:56,260 --> 00:38:59,020 YOU'D BE REALLY LOOKING AT VERY DISTINCT -- 673 00:38:59,020 --> 00:39:02,370 >> I THINK HE WAS THINKING OF THE ONE WE INFORMALLY CALLED 674 00:39:02,370 --> 00:39:03,580 ELLIOTT CRATER. 675 00:39:03,580 --> 00:39:07,060 YOU CAN SEE IT IN THIS IMAGE THERE. 676 00:39:07,060 --> 00:39:10,260 >> YOU MEAN THE ONE JUST UP AT THE 10:30 POSITION OFF THE EDGE? 677 00:39:10,260 --> 00:39:13,140 IS THAT THE ONE YOU MEAN OR -- >> YEAH.