New Horizons instruments

The New Horizons instruments were selected by a dedicated team, who ensured that the equipment could directly measure NASA's items of interest, as well as provide backup to other instruments on the New Horizons spacecraft should one fail during the New Horizons mission.

New Horizons payload

 * Ralph: Visible and infrared imager/spectrometer; provides color, composition and thermal maps.


 * Alice: Ultraviolet imaging spectrometer; analyzes composition and structure of Pluto's atmosphere and looks for atmospheres around and  (KBOs).


 * REX: (Radio Science EXperiment) Measures atmospheric composition and temperature; passive radiometer.


 * LORRI: (Long Range Reconnaissance Imager) telescopic camera; obtains encounter data at long distances, maps Pluto's farside and provides high resolution geologic data.


 * SWAP: ( Around Pluto) Solar wind and plasma spectrometer; measures atmospheric "escape rate" and observes Pluto's interaction with solar wind.


 * PEPSSI: (Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation) Energetic particle spectrometer; measures the composition and density of plasma (ions) escaping from Pluto's atmosphere.


 * SDC: (Student Dust Counter) Built and operated by students; measures the space dust peppering New Horizons during its voyage across the solar system.