posted 09-06-2015 02:15 PM               

Many space cover collectors were stunned to find out that their space covers for the New Horizons spacecraft's flyby of Pluto were cancelled in Baltimore, Maryland, or Washington, D.C. with ubiquitous sprayed on postal cancels, instead of careful USPS post office hand cancels for the July 14, 2015, flyby date.

The premium location of Laurel, Maryland, where the New Horizons spacecraft was being tracked and controlled for the flyby of Pluto, by the Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory mission center, was only accessed by a few determined Space Unit members to get the best cancel for the flyby at the best location for the first viewing of Pluto and its Moons. Space Unit member Terry Chamberlin cacheted and arranged for his Pluto covers to be serviced at Laurel, Maryland, for the New Horizons spacecraft's closest point of approach, July 14, 2015, for Pluto and its Moons.

Another key site for the Pluto flyby and closest point of approach by the New Horizons spacecraft was the Goldstone Deep Space Network site near Barstow, California. Goldstone DSS site's primary objective for the New Horizons spacecraft mission was to track and communicate with the spacecraft over the Pluto flyby's period of time ending July 20, 2015. The other two primary DSS sites used included Robledo de Chavela (near Madrid, Spain), and Canberra, Australia, both of these were also tracking and communicating with the spacecraft when Goldstone was below the Earth's horizon due to the Earth's rotation.

The New Horizons spacecraft cover above was canceled on the flyby date of July 14, 2015, at Barstow, California, the closest USPS post office near Goldstone for the Pluto flyby date. The Goldstone, Barstow, California, flyby date cover is shown with thanks to Terry Chamberlin.

Space Cover #333: Goodbye, Pluto!

It has been nearly seven weeks since the New Horizon spacecraft's flyby of Pluto and its lunar system as this incredible can do spacecraft speeds on to its next assignment in 2019. Although previously focused on the Pluto flyby, NASA staff have now picked a new rendezvous target, a small Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) termed 2014 MU69 and practically a billion miles beyond Pluto. The approach and closest point of approach to Pluto was carefully planned, but the "what happens next" scenario after the flyby of Pluto was more complicated.

Above: The New Horizons spacecraft sped by its closest point of approach to Pluto and its Moons on July 14, 2015. This shows Pluto receding away from the New Horizons spacecraft at a distance of about 1.25 million miles. The backlighted photo also displays the presence of Pluto's atmosphere, a farewell gift from our ninth planet as the Pluto flyby is completed. (NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI)

When queried by NASA, scientists involved in the mission remarked that they wanted to further explore the Kuiper Belt region of our Solar System because the Kuiper Belt's dwarf planets would be made up of original material and a composition that was believed to be unchanged since the birth of our Solar System 4.6 billion years ago.

NASA has now selected its next target, a small, cold Kuiper Belt Object called PT1 or 2014 MU69 a dwarf planet nearly a billion miles beyond Pluto and its Moons. Since 2011, NASA had been looking for a KBO that New Horizons could pass on its way further into the Kuiper Belt region. However, none of the large Earth based ground telescopes had located anything that the spacecraft could reach with its remaining fuel.

With time running out, NASA arranged critical observation time on the Hubble Space Telescope in the summer of 2014. Dependably, the Hubble Space Telescope identified five potential KBO targets and NASA staff carefully narrowed this list down to two preferred targets.

PTI, more scientifically known as 2014 MU69, seemed to be the better selection, because it would be easier to reach. But the second option, PT3, looked brighter in the sky, meaning it could be bigger and more interesting to the scientific community. "We have to weigh the risk of something barely reachable and another one that is smaller but easily reachable," said Hal Weaver, a New Horizons project scientist, back in July. With a multi-million dollar spacecraft on the line, NASA chose PT1, 2014 MU69.

NASA will orient the New Horizons spacecraft toward 2014 MU69 with four maneuvers this fall. The spacecraft will reach PT1 by January 2019.

And, the New Horizons spacecraft is already on its way!