What's it like being an astronomer?

An interview with Planetary scientist Dr Veronica Bray of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.

In Issue 3 of the Starlight Newsletter (which is now available to download - just follow the links from the top of the page) we interview Dr Veronica Bray, a planetary scientist from the UK who now works at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Arizona, America. She specialises in comparing the surface features of different moons and planets in the Solar System, and is part of the team who gets to chose what the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft look at.

Here is the full length interview to get you inspired!

This image shows Veronica standing on the rim of Meteor Crater,

a 1.2 kilometre wide impact crater in Arizona.

What is the coolest thing about your job?
It’s great to see a new image of a planet and know I’m one of the first people to see it. Plus I’m getting to see amazing pictures of so many different things in the Solar System including rocky bodies like Mars and the Moon, and icy bodies like Europa and Ganymede (two of Jupiter’s large icy moons). But the really cool part of my job is getting to tell a huge spacecraft what bit of the Moon or Mars to point at!

What do you do in a typical day?
First I get to decide whether I want to look at pictures of the Moon, Mars or Ganymede today! Great choice to have, huh?! I then take measurements of the impact craters I see in the images so that I can compare the size and shape of the different craters. Craters are the large holes formed when an asteroid or comet crashes into the surface of a planet. I use these observations and computer modelling of the impact process to find out about differences in the surface composition and structure of the Moon, Mars and Ganymede. If there are any craters on the Moon and Mars that I want a closer look at then I’ll add them to my list of targets for the cameras onboard LRO or MRO. I have to note the latitude and longitude of the crater, and give a scientific rationale why I think they should be imaged in high resolution. If there is anything that you think we should get a closer look at on Mars then you can do this too by going to: http://quest.nasa.gov/challenges/hirise/

What new science are you finding out?
With the HiRISE camera onboard MRO I’m looking at very close-up pictures of the surface of Mars to work out how a weird type of crater called a ‘central pit crater’ forms. These craters have a large pit in the middle and we think that they only form when an asteroid or comet hits a body with ice in the surface, and so understanding them might help us identify ice-rich places in our Solar System. With the LRO (which is scheduled to launch in April 2009), we’ll be collecting different types of data including info about the surface temperature, radiation environment and distribution of water ice. We’ll use the data to make detailed maps of the lunar surface to better understand what the Moon is made of and where the natural resources like water-ice are. This will help us to select the landing sites for manned missions and decide where to build lunar outposts!

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve found out in your research?
My first research project involved measuring the dimensions of river-like channels on the surface of Venus which may have been formed by massive amounts of fast flowing lava. The largest of these channels is called Baltis Vallis and is the longest channel on any planet in the Solar System. Its length was recorded as ~ 7000 km before my research but then I found a new section to the channel that made its total length over 8000 km! It doesn’t change what we know about these channels, but it’s just cool to have found the longest channel in the Solar System!!

What first got you interested in planetary science?
The colours! The amazing images sent back from the Voyager and Galileo space crafts showed the planets to be so brightly coloured and so incredibly different from each other. I wanted to find out why they were different. At the same time, I loved collecting rocks and learning why they were certain shapes and shades. Doing a university degree in Planetary Science allowed me to combine these, as it included everything from learning how tiny crystals are made, to how massive planets and stars form.

What GCSEs/A-Levels/degree/PhD did you do?
I took 10 GCSEs including geography, separate science, maths and graphic design. I chose the separate science option so that I would be better prepared for going on to do Maths, Physics and Geography at A-level. After that I went to UCL for an MSci in Planetary Science, and to Imperial College for a PhD in Impact Cratering.

How did you get to go and work in America?
At the moment, most planetary science research jobs are in the USA. I went to meetings in the USA during my PhD and made sure to find out who was working on interesting projects and whether they needed new researchers to join them… I then walked right up and introduced myself!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow in your footsteps as a planetary scientist?
Start by finding out about things you are curious about… What sort of rock is your house built on? How are crystals made and why are they lots of different colours? Get yourself to your local observatory or amateur astronomy group; from there you’ll be able to find out more about what current research is being done and where the hot places are in planetary science. Secondly, start practicing your maths and physics! I used to find these subjects really tricky and was an E to D grade student. My Mum knew I needed improve this if I wanted to get a sciency job, and so she arranged tutoring and made me practice, practice, practice! It wasn’t fun at first, but after a little while I started to enjoy it and understand it more… I jumped to an A grade (Thanks Mum!). So just keep at it, and remember that you are working towards getting a cool future job! Finally, don’t be afraid to get yourself out there! Email people to ask questions about their research, and to find out what you might be able to do to join in now, or at some time in the future.

Let us know what you thought of this interview, or who else you think we should interview, by emailing us at yoursay@starlight-news.co.uk. We'll even post your suggestions on the 'Have Your Say' part of this website!