NASA spacecraft makes closest approach to Pluto
An unmanned NASA spacecraft whizzed by Pluto on July 14, making its closest approach in the climax of a decade-long journey to explore the dwarf planet for the first time, the US space agency said.
"The New Horizons spacecraft passes its closest approach mark at Pluto after a three billion mile journey," a NASA commentator said as spectators waved flags in a crowded room at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Center outside the US capital, Washington.
The flyby happened at 7:49 am (1149 GMT), with the spacecraft running on auto-pilot.
NASA expects to receive a signal from the spacecraft later this evening to find out whether or not the spacecraft survived the encounter.
Experts said there was a one in 10,000 chance that the baby grand piano-sized spacecraft could collide with debris in the region beyond Neptune, known as the Kuiper Belt.
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