. 24/7 Space News .
OUTER PLANETS
Icy Hydra's highly reflective surface
by Staff Writers
Laurel MD (SPX) May 11, 2016


Image courtesy NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute. For a larger version of this image please go here.

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has sent home the first compositional data about Pluto's four small satellites. The new data show the surface of Hydra, Pluto's outermost small moon, is dominated by nearly pristine water ice - confirming hints that scientists picked up in New Horizons images showing Hydra's highly reflective surface.

The new compositional data, recently received on Earth, was gathered with the Ralph/Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA) instrument on July 14, 2015, from a distance of 150,000 miles (240,000 kilometers).

The new data - known as infrared spectra - show the unmistakable signature of crystalline water ice: a broad absorption from 1.50 to 1.60 microns and a narrower water-ice spectral feature at 1.65 microns.

The Hydra spectrum is similar to that of Pluto's largest moon, Charon, which is also dominated by crystalline water ice. But Hydra's water-ice absorption bands are even deeper than Charon's, suggesting that ice grains on Hydra's surface are larger or reflect more light at certain angles than the grains on Charon.

Hydra is thought to have formed in an icy debris disk produced when water-rich mantles were stripped from the two bodies that collided to form the Pluto-Charon binary some 4 billion years ago. Hydra's deep water bands and high reflectance imply relatively little contamination by darker material that has accumulated on Charon's surface over the past 4 billion years.

Mission scientists are investigating why Hydra's ice seems to be cleaner than Charon's.

"Perhaps micrometeorite impacts continually refresh the surface of Hydra by blasting off contaminants," says Simon Porter, a New Horizons science team member from Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, "This process would have been ineffective on the much larger Charon, whose much stronger gravity retains any debris created by these impacts."

The New Horizons Science Team is looking forward to obtaining similar spectra of Pluto's other small moons, for comparison to Hydra and Charon.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
New Horizons
The million outer planets of a star called Sol






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
OUTER PLANETS
Pluto's icy moon Hydra
Washington DC (SPX) May 09, 2016
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has sent home the first compositional data about Pluto's four small satellites. The new data show the surface of Hydra, Pluto's outermost small moon, is dominated by nearly pristine water ice - confirming hints that scientists picked up in New Horizons images showing Hydra's highly reflective surface. The new compositional data, recently received on Earth, wa ... read more


OUTER PLANETS
NASA research gives new insights into how the Moon got inked

First rocket made ready for launch at Vostochny spaceport

Supernova iron found on the moon

Russia to shift all Lunar launches to Vostochny Cosmodrome

OUTER PLANETS
Flying observatory detects atomic oxygen in Martian atmosphere

Clues about Volcanoes Under Ice on Ancient Mars

Second ExoMars mission moves to next launch opportunity in 2020

Although Boiling, Water Does Shape Martian Terrain

OUTER PLANETS
No more space race for US, rivalry gives way to collaboration

NASA Awards Contract for Aeronautics, Exploration Modeling, Simulation

Michael Watkins Named Next JPL Director

US to move more assets into deep space over next 4 years

OUTER PLANETS
Long March-7 rocket delivered to launch site

China's space technology extraordinary, impressive says Euro Space Center director

China can meet Chile's satellite needs: ambassador

China launches Kunpeng-1B sounding rocket

OUTER PLANETS
NASA, Space Station partners announce future mission crew members

New landing date for ESA astronaut Tim Peake

Tim Peake goes roving

Russia delays space crew's return to Earth

OUTER PLANETS
SpaceX lands rocket's first stage after space launch

SpaceX successfully lands rockets first stage after space launch

Agreement Signed for Airbus Safran Launchers

SpaceX to launch Japanese satellite early Friday

OUTER PLANETS
Scientists discover potentially habitable planets

MIT compiles list of potential gases to guide search for life on exoplanets

Three potentially habitable worlds found around nearby ultracool dwarf star

Light Echoes Give Clues to Protoplanetary Disk

OUTER PLANETS
Accelerating complex computer simulations: thinking beyond ones and zeros

Airbus Defence and Space to lead TeSeR, next EU project to clean up space

Army investigating new materials for explosive, propellant use

Engineers create a better way to boil water









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.