Called“spellbinding“(ScientificAmerican)and“thrilling...afutureclassicofpopularscience“(PW),theupclose,insidestoryofthegreatestspaceexplorationprojectofourtime,NewHorizons’missiontoPluto,assharedwithDavidGrinspoonbymissionleaderAlanSternandotherkeyplayers.OnJuly14,2015,somethingamazinghappened.Morethan3billionmilesfromEarth,asmallNASAspacecraftcalledNewHorizonsscreamedpastPlutoatmorethan32,000milesperhour,focusingitsinstrumentsonthelongmysteriousicyworldsofthePlutosystem,andthen,justasquickly,continuedonitsjourneyoutintothebeyond.Nothinglikethishasoccurredinageneration--arawexplorationofnewworldsunparalleledsinceNASA’sVoyagermissionstoUranusandNeptune--andnothingquitelikeitisplannedtohappeneveragain.ThephotosthatNewHorizonssentbacktoEarthgracedthefrontpagesofnewspapersonall7continents,andNASA’swebsiteforthemissionreceivedmorethan2billionhitsinthedayssurroundingtheflyby.Atatimewhensomanythinkthatourmosthistoricachievementsareinthepast,themostdistantplanetaryexplorationeverattemptednotonlysucceededin2015butmadehistoryandcapturedtheworld’simagination.Howdidthishappen?ChasingNewHorizonsisthestoryofthemenandwomenbehindthisamazingmission:oftheirdecades-longcommitmentandpersistence;ofthepoliticalfightswithinandoutsideofNASA;ofthesheerhumaningenuityittooktodesign,build,andflythemission;andoftheplansforNewHorizons’nextencounter,1billionmilespastPlutoin2019.Toldfromtheinsider’sperspectiveofmissionleaderDr.AlanSternandothersonNewHorizons,andincludingtwostunning16-pagefull-colorinsertsofimages,ChasingNewHorizonsisarivetingaccountofscientificdiscovery,andofhowmuchwehumanscanachievewhenpeoplefocusedonadreamworktogethertowardtheirincrediblegoal.
