(Alamogordo, New Mexico) - In honor of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft flyby of Pluto on July 14, Alamogordo Mayor Susie Galea will proclaim Pluto to be a planet on Tuesday, July 14, at the Clyde W. Tombaugh Theater on the campus of the New Mexico Museum of Space History. The New Mexico Legislature made the same declaration in 2007, shortly after Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet. Mayor Galea will read the proclamation at11:00 am in conjunction with NASA’s celebration of the New Horizons spacecraft.
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is fast approaching its close-up flyby of Pluto, 4.67 billion miles (7.5 billion kilometers) from Earth. At approximately 7:49 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday, July 14, New Horizons is scheduled to be as close as the spacecraft will get to Pluto, approximately 7,800 miles (12,500 kilometers) above the surface, after a journey of more than nine years and three billion miles. For much of the day, New Horizons will be out of communication with mission control as it gathers data about Pluto and its moons.
The moment of closest approach will be marked during the live NASA TV broadcast that includes a countdown and discussion of what’s expected next as New Horizons makes its way past Pluto and potentially dangerous debris. Live NASA coverage of the spacecraft’s approach to Pluto will begin in the Tombaugh Theater at 9:00 am.
In the lobby area, a special digital photo exhibit will pay tribute to Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto. In addition, the first public showing of Tombaugh’s videographed oral history conducted at the Museum of Space History will play on a monitor in the lobby. That video will rotate with another recorded by students at West High School in Wichita, Kansas, along with clips and interviews done by Tombaugh at various locations. A written transcript of Tombaugh’s history recorded at the Museum will be available for those who wish to review it. Also on display will be handcrafted models of the New Horizons spacecraft built by cadets in the museum’s summer camp program.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History, a Smithsonian affiliate, is a division of the NM Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information on Museum events or on how you can become a member of the International Space Hall of Fame Foundation, call 437-2840 or 1-877-333-6589, or visit the website atwww.nmspacemuseum.org.