Be Part of the First Mission to Pluto with the Free Interactive 'Pluto Safari' App

By Nancy Atkinson - May 29, 2015 at 11:40 AM UTC | Missions
PlutoSafari_iPhone_Launch.png

If you're like us, you've been following the news closely as the

New Horizons mission

speeds towards Pluto. Want to follow it even closer? Check out the free

Pluto Safari

app now available from the developers that brought us the award winning astronomy app 'SkySafari 4.' It is available in both iOS and Android.

The fully interactive

Pluto Safari

provides a countdown in time and distance for when New Horizons will reach Pluto on July 14, 2015. It will also give you the latest position of New Horizons and Pluto, providing 3-D views of the Solar System and the Pluto system, as well as 3-D models of the spacecraft. By using the Time Controls, you can run through the mission, backwards or forwards, to see the mission step-by-step. Just so you don't get lost in time and space, the status bar always displays the current date, time and location.

[caption id="attachment_120558" align="aligncenter" width="580"]

Views of Pluto Safari on iPads. Image via Simulation Curriculum. [/caption] The app will also show you where Pluto is located in the sky from your location. Who doesn't want to look up in the exact spot where Pluto is, knowing that New Horizons is there too? But the app allows you to do even more: the simulator provides an accurate depiction of the sky, and you can touch and drag to change the direction you are looking, and zoom in and out to adjust your field of view.

Pedro Braganca from

Simulation Curriculum

, the company that developed the app told Universe Today that the info on the app will be updated throughout the mission as new data becomes available. Simulation Curriculum created the 3D model of the spacecraft, but the surface texture maps for Pluto and Charon were created by Marc Buie of the Southwest Research Institute.

"The maps are both scientifically accurate (from Hubble data) and aesthetically pleasing," Braganca said via email. "Obviously we'll replace these textures with the 'real' Pluto map whenever that gets released post-flyby."

[caption id="attachment_120559" align="aligncenter" width="580"]

Pluto Safari on Android devices. Image via Simulation Curriculum. [/caption]

If you're newbie and only now hearing about the New Horizons mission, you can go back in time to review the mission since it launched on January 19, 2006, and explore all the mission milestones in the interactive Solar System Simulator. There's also a detailed multimedia guide to Pluto and its history.

Want to give a piece of your mind to the IAU for the controversial demotion Pluto to a dwarf planet? The app has a "poll" that also allows you to weigh in on Pluto's planet status.

You'll also get alerts to the latest news from New Horizons on the milestones, data, and discoveries.

[caption id="attachment_120560" align="alignleft" width="250"]

Pluto Safari' has interactive educational activities. Image via Simulation Curriculum. [/caption]Additionally,

Pluto Safari

has interactive educational information for all ages.

Braganca shared an interesting story about they worked with JPL to get even intricate details in the app correct.

"On the orbital/trajectory data side, when we were developing the simulation of the Pluto-New Horizons encounter, we were unable to show New Horizons passing through Pluto's shadow," he said via email. "Our calculations appeared to be correct, and we were using the latest position data available for Pluto/NH from

JPL Horizons

  • so it was a bit of a mystery. To help us figure this out, we contacted Jon Giorgini, Senior Analyst at JPL. Jon confirmed that the latest New Horizons maneuver was not yet modeled in the spacecraft reference trajectory. There was also a couple thousand km uncertainty in the Pluto system barycentric position, as determined from the ground. Jon updated the JPL Horizon data to the latest available information and we were then in close agreement with the Pluto-encounter with the new values."

You can use the app from the desktop on your computer if want a larger view than on your phone by going to the app's website,

PlutoSafari.com

.

To download

Pluto Safari

for iOS 7 and later,

click here

.

To download

Pluto Safari

for Android 4.1 and later,

click here

.

As New Horizons gets ever-closer to Pluto,

Pluto Safari

provides a great way to feel like part of the mission.

"The New Horizons Pluto flyby is a rare chance for science to touch the general public," said Braganca. "With a free app, we're capturing a new generation at this teachable moment. The Voyager missions of the 1980s inspired engineers who went on to develop today's mobile technologies. Who knows we might inspire today's young learners to accomplish 30 years from now?"

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com