The Year of Pluto - Closer to the Edge of the Solar System

New Horizons is the first mission to the Kuiper Belt, a vast region of icy bodies and mysterious small objects orbiting Neptune. This region is also known as the "third" region of the solar system, beyond the inner rocky planets and outer gas giants. The Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland designed, built and operated the New Horizons spacecraft and manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "Year of Pluto - NASA New Horizons" is a one-hour documentary that delves into the hard science and explains how this mission was accomplished and why it is important. Doctoral interviews with James Green, John Spencer, Fran Bagnall, Mark Showalter and others show how New Horizons will answer many of the questions. New Horizons is part of the New Frontiers program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.