PDS_VERSION_ID = PDS3 RECORD_TYPE = UNDEFINED ^PNG_DOCUMENT = "NH_POS_VEL_ANGLE.PNG" MISSION_NAME = "NEW HORIZONS KUIPER BELT EXTENDED MISSION" INSTRUMENT_HOST_NAME = "NEW HORIZONS" PRODUCER_INSTITUTION_NAME = "SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE" DATA_SET_ID = "NH-X-SDC-3-KEMCRUISE1-V2.0" PRODUCT_CREATION_TIME = 2017-04-30T00:00:00 DESCRIPTION = " This document contains a plotted illustration of the relative angle between the Sun-relative position and velocity vectors of the New Horizons (NH) spacecraft. The geometric data come from the NH SPICE data set [NH-J/P/SS-SPICE-6-V1.0]. The time period covered by the plot is from just after launch in January, 2006 through the end of 2016. The purposes of the plot are the following: 1) The plot shows that, from 2009 onwards, the NH velocity vector, also known as the ram direction, is aligned with the position vector to within twenty degrees. Other than the Jupiter flyby in early 2007, there are no large (greater than a few degrees) changes in direction by the spacecraft, due to its high-speed trajectory. Specifically, the Pluto flyby in mid-2015 and the Trajectory Correction Maneuver in later 2015 did not result in large changes of direction. 2) The plot supports the PDS user in interpreting the document, SDCRAM, supplied in this data set, which provides a summary of the angle between the NH Student Dust Counter (SDC) boresight vector and the NH ram direction (velocity vector) over the course of the mission. The SDC boresight is normal, outward, to the SDC detector surfaces. The SDCRAM document does not supply any information about the Sun- relative position vector, but this plot provides a user, who may be interested in the angle between the boresight and that Sun-relative position vector, with information to choose whether they can use the ram direction, via the SDCRAM document, as a proxy for the Sun-relative vector, or whether they need to use the SPICE data set data for a more detailed analysis. " OBJECT = PNG_DOCUMENT DOCUMENT_NAME = "New Horizons FOV document" PUBLICATION_DATE = 2007-09-24 DOCUMENT_TOPIC_TYPE = "INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTION" INTERCHANGE_FORMAT = BINARY DOCUMENT_FORMAT = "PNG" END_OBJECT = PNG_DOCUMENT END