Speaker Night – Mission to Pluto: From Napkins to New Horizons

Mission to Pluto: From Napkins to New Horizons

Speaker: Max King, University of Toronto

In July 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto, photographing the last unexplored major body in our solar system. Taking over 25 years from its original conception to its phenomenal photographic fly-by, New Horizons upended the space industry. We will explore the story behind the most unlikely expedition into our solar system, the development of the mission from scrap paper to the spacecraft itself.

We will examine the unique challenges of spacecraft engineering, the lasting impact this mission has made on our understanding of the solar system, and how its unparalleled success marks the beginning of a new era in space exploration.