To the Edge of the Universe

Civil and Environmental Engineering adjunct Dr. Ayman Abdallah played a key role in the successful launch of the New Horizons science piano sized payload to Pluto. Dr. Abdallah used mathematical models and computer simulation to ensure the Lockheed Martin Saturn V rocket and payload would survive the forces of launch into space from the Cape.

The New Horizons spacecraft will cross the entire span of the solar system and conduct flyby studies of Pluto in 2015. The seven science instruments on the probe will shed light on the bodies' surface properties, geology, interior makeup and atmospheres.