Pluto: hard science fiction
Pluto has been the scene of many science fiction short stories and novels (there is a link at the bottom of this page to full lists). A few of these have been firmly founded on scientific possibilities (the asterisked ones here, and the comments about them, are from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's excellent site, which includes an annotated index of stories on many subjects, all based on good astronomy/physics (https://astrosociety.org/edu/resources/scifi05.html)).
Baxter, Stephen "Gossamer" in Vacuum Diagrams. 1997, HarperCollins. Stranded astronauts discover a life form that can thrive on Pluto and Charon at perihelion.*
Benford, Gregory & Carter, Paul Iceborn. 1989, Tor. Proposes a form of life that can survive on Pluto and in the Oort Cloud.*
Niven, Larry "Wait it Out" in Tales of Known Space. 1975, Ballantine. Protagonist is marooned on Pluto and discovers a form of life that use superfluidity to survive.*
Silverberg, Robert "Sunrise on Pluto" in Preiss, Byron, ed. The Planets. 1985, Bantam. A form of life that could exist on Pluto.*
Hugh Walters, Passage to Pluto, 1973, T. Nelson. Pluto's orbit is shifted by Planet X, an unknown object with a powerful gravitational pull.
Weinberg, Stanley G., "The Red Peri" in Astounding Stories. November 1935. Pluto is the base of the eponymous space piate and home to a range of virus-like crystalline structures, each of which preys on a particular metal.
Benford, Gregory & Carter, Paul Iceborn. 1989, Tor. Proposes a form of life that can survive on Pluto and in the Oort Cloud.*
Niven, Larry "Wait it Out" in Tales of Known Space. 1975, Ballantine. Protagonist is marooned on Pluto and discovers a form of life that use superfluidity to survive.*
Silverberg, Robert "Sunrise on Pluto" in Preiss, Byron, ed. The Planets. 1985, Bantam. A form of life that could exist on Pluto.*
Hugh Walters, Passage to Pluto, 1973, T. Nelson. Pluto's orbit is shifted by Planet X, an unknown object with a powerful gravitational pull.
Weinberg, Stanley G., "The Red Peri" in Astounding Stories. November 1935. Pluto is the base of the eponymous space piate and home to a range of virus-like crystalline structures, each of which preys on a particular metal.