Chasing New Horizons

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Chasing New Horizons
Chasing New Horizons.jpg
Author Alan Stern, David Grinspoon
CountryUS
LanguageEnglish
Subject New Horizons mission, Pluto exploration
GenreNon-fiction
Published2018
Publisher Macmillan Publishers
Media typeHardcover, paperback, ebook, audio
Pages320
ISBN 978-1250098962
Website https://alanstern.space/chasing-new-horizons/

Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto is a book by American planetary scientist Alan Stern and astrobiologist and non-fiction writer David Grinspoon, published in 2018. Grinspoon acts as a narrator, though the book is written from Alan Stern's perspective; he is the principal investigator of New Horizons mission to Pluto.

Background and reception

The book tells a story of a space probe to Pluto, that was proposed by the author, Alan Stern, in the early 1990s. The mission had been cancelled several times, and there were a harsh competition between Stern's group and that of JPL to get approval of the mission design from NASA.

Kirkus reviews called the book "an exploration of the fascinating science and complex bureaucracy behind the first journey to Pluto", and pointed that the authors "deliver a meticulously detailed, riveting chronicle of America’s history-making mission to Pluto, escorting readers through the immense hurdles and hard work involved in the landmark mission." [1] Another review praised the book saying that "Stern and Grinspoon recreate the mission’s highs and lows in a compulsively readable tale. In the hands of less gifted storytellers, much of the early years— the internal competition for funds, a feud with Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA’s alternating red and green lights—would have been tedious. But Stern and Grinspoon skillfully tease out the drama, with vivid portraits of the young scientists and engineers who were willing to stake their careers on challenges straight out of a Star Wars film". [2] Review by the Wall Street Journal juxtaposed public awareness of a photos made by the probe and of a team behind it. "The image captured a bright white region on Pluto's surface in the shape of a heart, "creating an emotional attachment for this small, previously indistinct planet at the edge of our planetary system," write Alan Stern and David Grinspoon in their riveting account Chasing New Horizons. Many are still unaware of the 2,500 people that it took to snap that picture—as well as the many years of waiting." [3]

Louisa Preston noted in a review for the Physics World that the book "reads like a novel", but also noted that it is biased in favor of Stern:

What follows next however is the story of decades of disappointment and a real insight into how hard it is to get any space mission off the ground. Going into this part of the book, I thought I would be a bit bored – who really wants to read about funding wars and academic rivalries? Well, it turns out that I do. The narrative of this part of the story is incredibly emotive and almost exciting. Grinspoon portrays NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory staff as the villains – trying to control and influence a project that was never theirs to begin with. His obviously biased view positions Stern as the hero – a veritable rebel fighting "the establishment". [4]

Despite of this, her review is positive, and she said that "book is really Grinspoon and Stern’s chance to pay homage to the thousands of people who played a part in making this mission a success." [4]

Virgil Adumitroaie in a review for AIAA Journal was impressed how "The authors' passion for space exploration transpires equally in doom and gloom or elating situations and is only surpassed by their indestructible optimism." [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>New Horizons</i> NASA probe that visited Pluto and Kuiper belt object 486958 Arrokoth

New Horizons is an interplanetary space probe that was launched as a part of NASA's New Frontiers program. Engineered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), with a team led by Alan Stern, the spacecraft was launched in 2006 with the primary mission to perform a flyby study of the Pluto system in 2015, and a secondary mission to fly by and study one or more other Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) in the decade to follow, which became a mission to 486958 Arrokoth. It is the fifth space probe to achieve the escape velocity needed to leave the Solar System.

<i>Pluto Kuiper Express</i> Cancelled 1998 NASA mission to Pluto

Pluto Kuiper Express was an interplanetary space probe that was proposed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) scientists and engineers and under development by NASA. The spacecraft was intended to be launched to study Pluto and its moon Charon, along with one or more other Kuiper belt objects (KBOs). The proposal was the third of its kind, after the Pluto 350 and a proposal to send a Mariner Mark II spacecraft to Pluto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstellar probe</span> Space probe that can travel out of the Solar System

An interstellar probe is a space probe that has left—or is expected to leave—the Solar System and enter interstellar space, which is typically defined as the region beyond the heliopause. It also refers to probes capable of reaching other star systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nix (moon)</span> Moon of Pluto

Nix is a natural satellite of Pluto, with a diameter of 49.8 km (30.9 mi) across its longest dimension. It was discovered along with Pluto's outermost moon Hydra on 15 May 2005 by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope, and was named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night. Nix is the third moon of Pluto by distance, orbiting between the moons Styx and Kerberos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydra (moon)</span> Moon of Pluto

Hydra is a natural satellite of Pluto, with a diameter of approximately 51 km (32 mi) across its longest dimension. It is the second-largest moon of Pluto, being slightly larger than Nix. Hydra was discovered along with Nix by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope on 15 May 2005, and was named after the Hydra, the nine-headed underworld serpent in Greek mythology. By distance, Hydra is the fifth and outermost moon of Pluto, orbiting beyond Pluto's fourth moon Kerberos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Stern</span> American engineer & planetary scientist (born 1957)

Sol Alan Stern is an American engineer and planetary scientist. He is the principal investigator of the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Chief Scientist at Moon Express.

The New Frontiers program is a series of space exploration missions being conducted by NASA with the purpose of furthering the understanding of the Solar System. The program selects medium-class missions which can provide high science returns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Grinspoon</span> American astrobiologist

David H. Grinspoon is an American astrobiologist. He is Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute and was the former inaugural Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology for 2012–2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exploration of Pluto</span> Overview of the exploration of Pluto

The exploration of Pluto began with the arrival of the New Horizons probe in July 2015, though proposals for such a mission had been studied for many decades. There are no plans as yet for a follow-up mission, though follow-up concepts have been studied.

<i>Planetary Science Decadal Survey</i> Publication of the United States National Research Council

The Planetary Science Decadal Survey is a serial publication of the United States National Research Council produced for NASA and other United States Government Agencies such as the National Science Foundation. The documents identify key questions facing planetary science and outlines recommendations for space and ground-based exploration ten years into the future. Missions to gather data to answer these big questions are described and prioritized, where appropriate. Similar decadal surveys cover astronomy and astrophysics, earth science, and heliophysics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerberos (moon)</span> Small natural satellite of Pluto

Kerberos is a small natural satellite of Pluto, about 19 km (12 mi) in its longest dimension. Kerberos is also the second-smallest moon of Pluto, after Styx. It was the fourth moon of Pluto to be discovered and its existence was announced on 20 July 2011. It was imaged, along with Pluto and its four other moons, by the New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015. The first image of Kerberos from the flyby was released to the public on 22 October 2015.

<i>New Horizons 2</i> Proposed NASA mission

New Horizons 2 was a proposed mission to the trans-Neptunian objects by NASA. It was conceived as a planetary flyby mission in 2002, based on the New Horizons spacecraft, which was in development at the time. In March 2005, the proposal was not selected for further development because of a shortage of plutonium-238 needed for the radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG). The New Horizons 2 study was funded out of the New Frontiers program, and was delivered to the U.S. Congress in June 2005.

<span class="nowrap">2014 PN<sub>70</sub></span> Trans-Neptunian object

2014 PN70 (internally designated g12000JZ, g1 and PT3) is a trans-Neptunian object from the cold classical Kuiper belt located in the outermost region of the Solar System. It measures approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) in diameter. The object was first observed by the New Horizons Search Team using the Hubble Space Telescope on 6 August 2014, and was a proposed flyby target for the New Horizons probe until 2015, when the alternative target 486958 Arrokoth was selected.

<span class="nowrap">2014 OS<sub>393</sub></span> Classical Kuiper belt asteroid

2014 OS393, unofficially designated e31007AI, e3 and PT2, is a binary trans-Neptunian object in the classical Kuiper belt, the outermost region of the Solar System. It was first observed by the New Horizons KBO Search using the Hubble Space Telescope on 30 July 2014. Until 2015, when the object 486958 Arrokoth was selected, it was a potential flyby target for the New Horizons probe. Estimated to be approximately 42 kilometres (26 mi) in diameter, the object has a poorly determined orbit as it had been observed for only a few months.

<span class="nowrap">2014 MT<sub>69</sub></span> Cold classical Kuiper belt object

2014 MT69 (internally designated 0720090F in the context of the Hubble Space Telescope, and 7 in the context of the New Horizons mission) is a cold classical Kuiper belt object (KBO) and was formerly a potential flyby target for the New Horizons probe. The object measures approximately 20–90 kilometers (12–56 miles) in diameter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planetary Missions Program Office</span> Division of NASA responsible for the Discovery, New Frontiers, and Solar System Exploration programs

The Planetary Missions Program Office is a division of NASA headquartered at the Marshall Space Flight Center, formed by the agency's Science Mission Directorate (SMD). Succeeding the Discovery and New Frontiers Program Office, it was established in 2014 to manage the Discovery and New Frontiers programs of low and medium-cost missions by third-party institutions, and the Solar System Exploration program of NASA-led missions that focus on prioritized planetary science objectives. The Discovery and New Frontiers programs were established in 1992 and 2001 respectively, and have launched fourteen primary missions together, along with two missions launched under the administration of the Planetary Missions Program Office. The Solar System Exploration Program was established alongside the office, with three missions planned for launch under the new program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of New Horizons</span>

Timeline for the New Horizons interplanetary space probe lists the significant events of the launch, transition phases as well as subsequent significant operational mission events; by date and brief description.

References

  1. ↑ "CHASING NEW HORIZONS - Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  2. ↑ "a book review by Hamilton Cain: Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto". www.nyjournalofbooks.com. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  3. ↑ Bartusiak, Marcia (11 May 2018). "'Chasing New Horizons' and 'Discovering Pluto' Reviews: Big Lessons From a Tiny World". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  4. 1 2 Preston, Louisa (February 2019). "Pathway to Pluto". Physics World. 32 (2): 43–44. Bibcode:2019PhyW...32b..43P. doi:10.1088/2058-7058/32/2/33. S2CID   146066756.
  5. ↑ Adumitroaie, Virgil (November 2018). "Chasing New Horizons". AIAA Journal. 56 (11): 4638–4639. Bibcode:2018AIAAJ..56.4638A. doi:10.2514/1.J057666. S2CID   126032559 . Retrieved 18 December 2021.
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