After Pluto, Where Will NASA's New Horizons Go?

[Renew Deal]

Scientists are mulling over which of two icy bodies NASA's New Horizons spacecraft should visit following its Pluto encounter this summer — provided the U.S. space agency comes up with funding for an extended mission.

The New Horizons team ended up having to turn to the Hubble Space Telescope to find Kuiper belt objects that would be suitably positioned for New Horizons to reach.

Two contenders remain out of five original candidates found by Hubble, which spent 45 days last summer scouting for targets. Follow-up observations in October narrowed the list to two objects within range of the spacecraft, which has limited fuel for a maneuvering burn, scientists said at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston this week.

The newly named objects are 2014 MT69, a 37-mile (60-km) wide body circling some 44.3 times farther away from the sun than Earth. An encounter with MT69 would occur around New Year's Day 2019.
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http://io9.com/after-pluto-where-will-nasas-new-horizons-go-1692944864

[2naSalit]

1. Probably

wherever the energizer bunny came from.

[shenmue]

2. Zomg

[AlbertCat]

3. Where Will NASA's New Horizons Go?

To a nice hotel for room service and a drink.

That was a long trip!

[xocet]

4. to new horizons.... n/t

[chapdrum]

5. So interesting

the things for which we find money amidst austerity.