Space probe flies along rock at 6 billion km

houston - Far from the earth, a space rock will be visited by a scout on Tuesday. The American probe New Horizons flies on New Year's Day along Ultima Thule, an asteroid with a diameter of 30...

Tuesday morning at 6.33 am Dutch time the New Horizons is closest to Ultima Thule. The distance to the asteroid is about 3500 kilometers. Seven instruments on board do all sorts of measurements, while the probe shoots 52,000 kilometers per hour past the rock. A few hours later he must send a signal that everything went well. That sign takes six hours to reach the earth. The research results will follow later. Scientists want to know, among other things, what Ultima Thule consists of, because it can tell something about our own planet.