FROM HERE TO THERE
FOUR BILLION MILES AND COUNTING Olwen Morgan’s engines power NASA’s space fleet to the outer reaches of the solar system—and beyond. BY MAUREEN O’HAGAN
i m a g e b y N A S A / J o h n s H o p k i n s U n i v e r s i t y A p p l i e d P h y s i c s L a b o r at o r y/ S o u t h w e s t R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e
Artist’s concept of the New Horizons spacecraft approaching Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, in 2015. New Horizons relies on hydrazine thrusters designed by Olwen Morgan’s team at Aerojet Rocketdyne. In January, the ship flew past the enigmatic object Ultima Thule, which inhabits the outer solar system roughly 4 billion miles from Eartth.