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New Horizons Team Member Discusses the Mission to Pluto

NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

“The ideas for flying to Pluto were hatched back in the 1980s.” So says Dr. Will Grundy, an astronomer with Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ.

A planetary astrophysicist, his research has encompassed a number of solar system objects, but his last few years have been dominated by his role as the lead scientist for the New Horizons Surface Composition Science Theme team. In that role, Will has participated in the planning and execution of the mission and will take part in the analysis of spectroscopic data which carries information on the strange surface of Pluto.

Listen as he takes us through the primary ideas behind the most recent NASA mission to a solar system body.

Dr. David Cornelison has been working as an educator and scientist in Arizona and Missouri universities for the last 32 years. From 2010-2018, he was the head of the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science at Missouri State University. His research interests lie at the intersection of experimental condensed-matter physics and astrophysics, while his educational efforts have focused on outreach to the K-12 school system. Most of all, he believes in curiosity-driven learning in the sciences and all other fields.