Pluto and Charon: Ice Worlds on the Ragged Edge of the Solar System - Tapa dura

Acerca del autor

S. ALAN STERN, PhD, is a planetary scientist and astrophysicist with both observational and theoretical interests. Dr Stern is a pilot, a former NASA F-18 and WB-57 flight astronomer, and a principal and experienced research investigator in NASA's planetary research program. He was a finalist candidate to become a NASA Space Shuttle mission specialist. He is the Director of the Department of Space Studies of the Southwest Research Institute; the department is located in Boulder, Colorado. Dr Stern has published more than 170 technical papers and 30 popular articles. His research has primarily focused on studies of the satellites of the outer planets, Pluto, comets, the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt, and the formation and evolution of the outer solar system. Dr Stern has led instrument teams for several NASA planetary missions, for the Space Shuttle, and for airborne and suborbital rocket expeditions as well. He is the Principal Investigator of NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. JACQUELINE MITTON, PhD, lives in Cambridge, England and works as a writer and editor. She trained as an astronomer at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and has for many years concentrated on bringing astronomy to the general public. For 15 years she was Press Officer for the Royal Astronomical Society, making frequent contributions to radio and TV programs. She writes for both children and adults and has 23 previous books to her credit. Her recent titles include 'Once Upon a Starry Night' and 'Zodiac', (both for children), 'Lifting Titan's Veil' and 'The Cambridge Dictionary of Astronomy'.

De la contraportada

The exploration of Pluto and its moon, Charon, is a tale of perseverance and ingenuity on the part of the planetary scientists who have been lured by the fascination of these far-flung miniature worlds. In their book, Stern and Mitton turn that story into and entertaining adventure, starting with the discovery of Pluto in 1930. In a highly accessible narrative, they bring to life the many Pluto researchers ( Plutophiles ), who with skills and resourcefulness have pieced together over several decades an amazingly detailed picture of the nature of Pluto and Charon. The book also documents vividly the struggle to persuade NASA to fund the first mission to Pluto, At last, New Horizons (led by author Stern and Principal Investigator) is due to be launched in early 2006 on a 9-year journey to Pluto, Charon and beyond.

For the second edition, Stern and Mitton have brought their 1998 book fully up to date, including the latest discoveries about Pluto s ancient relationship with the members of the Kuiper Belt of icy bodies and dwarf planets beyond Neptune. They have also added a completely new chapter on the new Horizons mission.