exploration, showing us why basic scientific research is so important,” said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “The mission has had nine years to build expectations about what we would see during closest approach to Pluto and Charon. Today, we get the first sampling of the scientific treasure collected during those critical moments and I can tell you it dramatically surpasses those high expectations.” The observations also indicate Hydra’s surface is probably coated with water ice. Future images will reveal more clues about the formation of this, and the other moon, billions of years ago.