Nasa celebrates as US spacecraft passes Pluto in historic flyby
Nasa officials hail a 'hallmark in human history' as they await a 'data waterfall' about planet
We've made it to Pluto by Nasa's calculations, the last stop on a planetary tour of the solar system a half-century in the making.
The moment of closest approach for the New Horizons spacecraft yesterday was the culmination a journey from planet earth that spanned an incredible 4.8 billion kilometres and 91/2 years.
"This is truly a hallmark in human history," said John Grunsfeld, Nasa's science mission chief.
Based on everything Nasa knows, New Horizons was straight on course for the historic encounter, sweeping within 12,500km of Pluto at 50,000km/h. But official confirmation would not come until 13 nerve-racking hours later. That's because Nasa wanted New Horizons taking pictures of Pluto, its jumbo moon Charon and its four little moons during this critical time, not communicating with earth.
"I have to pinch myself. Look what we accomplished," mission operations manager Alice Bowman said.
"It is truly amazing that humankind can go out and explore these worlds. And to see Pluto be revealed just before our eyes - it is just fantastic."
In a cosmic coincidence, the encounter occurred on the 50th anniversary of Mariner 4's flyby of Mars that yielded the first close-up pictures of the red planet.
