Pluto is made in Italy, or at least I have the extraordinary images it transmits, in these days, the New Horizons spacecraft. The means by which these photos were taken, in fact, a spectrograph high precision, has been elaborated and developed by an Italian researcher, Cristina Dalle Ore.
The scientist Treviso, today used to Carl Sagan Center and the SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, has told his story, the emotion of the first images, the possibilities for development that start with the data from the “his” spectrograph to the Italian border in a blog interview which is shown below:
Why is it so important to this mission?
“Why pushes the boundaries of our species on the edge of the solar system. Because it will be an inspiration for the younger generation to continue to expand the horizon of our knowledge to new destinations more distant. Why it unites humanity in the enthusiasm of discovery and this reveals the best part of mankind. And more practically because it pushes the limits of technology by motivating new studies “.
When did you start this work aiming to Pluto?
” The mission was approved in November 2001, after years of trying. “
What was your role?
” My involvement itself is started recently with the ‘arrival of the first spectroscopic data and is fast taking important data as they come to us with increasingly high spatial resolution. I am a contributor to the group that studies the composition of the surfaces of Pluto and its moons. My role is similar to that of ‘detective-archaeologist’, by studying the images ‘hyperspectral’. These are images in which each pixel has a spectrum, namely the representation of the reflected light 256 of different wavelengths from Pluto covered by the pixel. Imagine a rainbow with 256 colors instead of the usual 6. The intensity of the color is like the fingerprint surface and from that we can trace the composition and indirectly to the history of the surface. Are part of a small group of scientists (three) and we each apply different analytical techniques that we compare to make sure the results are accurate. “
What are the most advanced methods used in your work?
“My analytical approach uses classification techniques that are commonly used for the analysis of ‘big data’ and that allow you to make an objective analysis of the data. The result of the classification is then interpreted with the help of geographic data and compared with the results independent of my two colleagues was telling you about in my previous message. “
The most difficult moment?
“Until now it was last Monday, when the first interesting data came and I could not stay in the skin by the desire to analyze and understand their meaning. At the same time was one of the days more ‘exciting of my career. 
“.
What do you expect in the future?
” coming soon (in the next few months): a higher resolution geographic data that will tell us in detail materials that make up the different parts of Pluto and Charon. In the long term: new missions to other parts of the solar system and perhaps even beyond, depending on how far into the future we want to report. “
Below are some of the extraordinary images of Pluto sent New Horizons:
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