The camera behind the new Pluto photos

The Atlantic:

I talked to Lisa Hardaway, an engineer at Ball Aerospace in Colorado who led technical development of the one called “Ralph.” Ralph captures visible and some infrared light. When you see Pluto looking tan- and sepia-toned in the new, high-resolution photos, you’re looking at data captured by Ralph.

​Since it captures visible light, Ralph is in many ways comparable to the camera found in a phone or fancy DSLR. In conventional camera terms, it’s a 75mm lens at f/8.7. But it was far harder to build than a normal camera.

Hilarious that these incredible images we are getting from New Horizons are from a “Ralph”. An “Omar” or a “Brad” I could understand.