In January of 2006, an Atlas 5 rocket will be launched in order to look at Pluto and its moon Charon. The mission is called "New Horizons." The model 551 Lockheed Martin-built Atlas 5 will have five strap-on solid rocket boosters, a single engine Centaur upper stage and the larger five-meter-diameter fairing. It will not reach its destination until 2015.
             It will be the first exploration of the third zone of the solar system.
             NASA is racing to gather data and pictures about this region of the solar system before the planet's atmosphere freezes out for two centuries from Pluto moving further from the Sun.
             There is very little solar energy that lands on Pluto and it has been impossible to get clear shots of the planet with the most powerful telescopes. There is very little known about the planet.
             Pluto's atmosphere is an enigma, its surface vaguely understood. Astronomers don't know how or under what circumstances Pluto formed.
             During this mission, a large interest is research of the Kuiper Belt. NASA would also like to gain further understanding of whether Pluto is a Kuiper Belt Object KBO or Planet and research what properties it atmosphere has. They will also research Pluto's other moons and why they might exist. They will study the global geology and morphology, map the surface composition, and characterize the atmosphere of Pluto and its escape rate. They will also studying time variability of Pluto's surface and atmosphere, imaging and mapping areas of Pluto and Charon at high-resolution, characterizing Pluto's upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and energetic particle environment, search for an atmosphere around Charon, refine bulk parameters of Pluto and Charon (such as mass and diameter), search for additional satellites and rings, and characterize one or more KBO's. The general population is also excited about the prospect of finally having a clear picture of the planet that is sometimes the most distant and some...