Would you guys like to go to Outer Space?

[Calvat]

I don't care where in space I go, as long as it's not Uranus.

[Swiftman]

Did you guys know that a planet was discovered between Jupiter and Earth? O_O

I believe that's called Mars.

[Lazlo Falconi]

[megakevinexe]

Did you guys know that a planet was discovered between Jupiter and Earth? O_O

I believe that's called Mars.

No. It's not Mars, Swift! It's like a planet shaped just like Neptune! Mars is smaller than that, and Mars isn't that bright!

[megakevinexe]

Hey guys, how would you like to take a trip to the solar system? Well, now you can by going here!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solarsystem/3d_tour.shtml

Here, you may visit the planets in a virtual spaceship! So, have you stuff ready, because other planets=being prepared! Have a nice trip! :wink:

[Swiftman]

Sounds non-dial-up friendly...

But my one Englidh teacher, who is an astronomy buff, has this program where you can cruise through the entire universe. Not the solar systems, but the stars. [and the local solar system of Sol too.] It's a nifty program.

[megakevinexe]

I just heard that they sent an unmanned probe to Pluto! Wow... and by the time it reaches Pluto, it'll be the year 2015! Wow, I'll be 23 years old by the time it reaches Pluto! :shock:

[Jehuty]

I wanna see them discover more planets beyond that of Pluto.

[megakevinexe]

That would take even longer! For all we know, the Voyager spacecrafts are  still leaving us! So far, they still haven't reached the heliosphere! :roll:

[Swiftman]

I heard about that too,  Kev.

The "New Horizons" as it's called is basically a massive fuggin' rocket with a piano-sized camera pod at the tip of it. It can travel an estimated 20 kilometers per second, or to the moon in 9 hours. [took the Apollo's 3 days to get there, but the New Horizon's is getting there in 20.]

The intended purpose of the New Horizons is to do a fly-by of Pluto, taking pictures as it goes by. [better hope for a real good flash, since the sun looks almost like a normal star that far out.]

The estimated travel time [that I've heard] is about 14 years, in which case there will have to be some massively correct time calculations in order for the New Horizon's to take the pictures. It takes light 3 or so hours to get to Pluto, and that's as fast as radio commands go. So, if NASA takes a live-feed camera link from the New Horizons, they'll be seeing what the NewHorizons saw about 3 hours ago, thus making picture taking pretty pointless, since the NH will have been long gone by then.

Yes, I'm an astronomy nerd. Suck it up, I love talking about space and space travel and stuff.

*edit*

Whaddya mean by heliosphere, Kev? If you want to know, the Voyager has long left the solar system and is drifting out to, what we think, is Alpha Centuari. It'll take a LONG time to get there though, 4 lightyears and all....