QUESTION:
Is it possible to put Pluto in orbit around the Earth?  
It would be good to have a place nearby to possibly live on.

ANSWER from Heidi Hammel on April 13, 1996:
That's an interesting idea - sort of like bringing an ice berg from
the North Pole down to the desert to have more water.  It probably is
possible that someday, in the future, we might know how to move worlds.
But there are two reasons we will probably never move Pluto in to near
the Earth to make a place to live.

First, the energy required to move Pluto from its distant orbit all
the way into the inner Solar System (where Earth is) would be tremendous.
If we had that kind of capability, it would be just as easy to set up
bases on closer worlds, like the icy moons of Jupiter: Europa or Ganymede.

Second, we already have a place in orbit around the Earth, and that
is our own Moon! It is just as hospitable an environment as Pluto, and
probably is easier to build on, since it is rocky, not icy. Also, the Moon
is already here, so all the energy that would have been needed to move
Pluto can go into making a Moon Base a good place to live.