Includes bibliographical references and index.

"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 an 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 skill 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 as Principal Investigator) is due to be launched in early 2006 on a 9-year journey to Pluto, Charon and beyond." "For this 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."--Jacket.

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