Pluto up close: Spacecraft achieves flyby, then calls home
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NASA's New Horizons spacecraft got humanity's first up-close look at Pluto on Tuesday, sending word of its triumph across 3 billion miles to scientists waiting breathlessly back home.
Confirmation of mission success came 13 hours after the actual flyby and, after a day of both jubilation and tension, allowed the New Horizons team to finally celebrate in full force.
"This is a tremendous moment in human history," John Grunsfeld, NASA's science mission chief, said at a news conference.
