LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE >> Inspired by the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," a Jet Propulsion Laboratory expert devised a potential way to catch a ride through space using a strong tether and perhaps a hefty diamond harpoon.
Unlike the classic sci-fi novel's protagonist, JPL's Masahiro Ono, principal investigator of Comet Hitchhiker, said his goal isn't to visit extraterrestrial civilizations or to dine at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.