Exploration of Pluto

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/exploration-of-pluto

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the mission objective?First reconnaissance of Pluto system and Kuiper Belt
2. What is the spacecraft velocity at launch?Highest ever for a planetary mission (approx. 36,000 mph / 58,000 km/h)
3. What was the New Horizons mission and why was it important?The New Horizons spacecraft was launched in 2006 to fly by Pluto and learn about its surface and atmosphere. It was the fastest space probe ever and gave us the first close pictures of Pluto.
4. Why did scientists change Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet?In 2006 scientists decided Pluto was a dwarf planet after finding other big objects in the Kuiper Belt. This showed Pluto was similar to those objects.

Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs): Icy bodies orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune, including dwarf planets and comets.
Tholins: Complex organic molecules formed by ultraviolet radiation acting on simple compounds like methane and nitrogen.
Cryovolcanism: Volcanic activity on icy bodies where eruptions consist of water, ammonia, or methane instead of molten rock.