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Dr Wes Ward - Chief Scientist Astrogeology Program (US Geological Survey)
Dr Wes Ward is chief of the US Geological Survey astrology programme, and he specialises in planetary geology, geomorphology and volcanology. He has a PhD in geological sciences, and a main feature of his research work is comparing terrestrial and Martian wind features. Ward has published 38 maps and journal articles about his research interests.
Rosaly Lopes-Gautier - Volcanologist (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Rosaly Lopes studies volcanoes on Earth and on Jupiter's moon, Io. As supervisor of the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS), she helped discover more than 20 new hotspots on Io, and has written comparative studies of volcanoes on Earth and Mars. In her spare time, she likes to visit active volcanoes on Earth, and is currently writing a book on how to study them.
Professor Timothy Dowling - Director (Comparative Planetology Laboratory - CPL)
Not many people have an asteroid named after them, but Professor Timothy Dowling, a 39-year-old father of two, was given this honour in 1996. Asteroid 3529 shares Tim Dowling's love of deep space and, in particular, atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics. His group made the first prediction of atmospheric waves caused by the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) with Jupiter. He is currently working on the atmospheric research programme (EPIC), which aims to simulate the atmosphere on various planets.
Steve Metzger - Geologist (Desert Research Institute)
Steve Metzger chases dust devils to sample their airflow dynamics and soil erosion capabilities. As part of his doctoral research, he designed innovative instrumentation to help probe into the core of dust devil activity. In 1998, he and Dr James Carr announced that dust devils could be associated with the images sent back from the Mars Pathfinder mission, supporting their investigations into geological similarities between Earth and Mars. Metzger has more recently been testing new technologies for detecting and measuring dust devils by lander spacecraft.
Capt. Eugene Cernan - Captain US Navy, retired (NASA astronaut)
Eugene Cernan has had a remarkable career in space exploration. He was one of 14 astronauts selected for the Gemini IX mission in 1963, as well as being lunar module pilot on Apollo 10 and spacecraft commander on Apollo 17 in 1972. He has logged 566 hours and 15 minutes in space, of which more than 73 hours were spent on the surface of the moon. Capt. Cernan was the second American to walk in space; he has flown to the moon twice; and, as commander of Apollo 17, had the distinction of being the last man to leave his footprint on the surface of the moon.
Peter Rhines - Oceanographer (University of Washington)
Peter Rhines is oceanographer at the University of Washington with a PhD in applied mathematics and theoretical physics. He maps the ocean storms and the intense whirling circulation that extend from the sea surface down to vast depths. He reconstructs mathematical models of these huge and complex activities, using computer simulations, laboratory experiments and maths, enabling a deeper understanding of the climate and habitability of the Earth itself.
Bruce Tsurutani - Project Scientist (Solar Probe Mission)
Senior research scientist Bruce Tsurutani loves the Sun and has a particular interest in solar weather. As head of the space physics and astrophysics department of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he studies the way magnetic storms, plasma waves, auroras and space weather have an effect on solar physics. He is currently project scientist of the solar probe mission and has published 450 scientific articles on his research.
Joseph Davila - Astrophysicist (NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre)
Joseph Michael Davila is currently an astrophysicist in the Solar Physics Branch at Goddard Space Flight Centre. His research interests have included the linear and non-linear theory of hydromagnetic waves. He has also published research on the acceleration of cosmic rays, and the transport of energetic particles within the galaxy. He is principal investigator for the SERTS project.
Dr J Connerney - Astrophysicist (NASA Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics)
Dr Connerney's current research interests focus on remote sensing of the magnetospheres of the outer planets. His primary interests are in instrumentation techniques for the magnetic field measurement of Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus. Among his 60 or so publications are studies of planetary magnetic fields, magnetospheric configuration, radio emissions, ionospheres, atmospheric phenomena and electrodynamic interaction of satellites and ring systems with planetary magnetosphere.
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