BBC Science Focus - 10.2019

RADAR

GET T Y IMAGES

PROF MONICA GRADY

Monica is professor of planetary and space

sciences at the Open University, and a research

fellow at the Natural History Museum.

Interview by BBC Science Focus editorial

assistant Amy Barrett.

PICK

OF THE

A lot of it is computer-aided design, really EVENTS

high-quality, high-precision engineering. It’s

the sort of thing that women, with their eye

for detail, are really, really good at. You see

people going into The Great British Bake-

Off and doing these really elaborate cake

designs... those skills are so important in the

space industry. The creativity, the precision,

the eye for detail.

WORLD SPACE WEEK WAS ORIGINALLY

LAUNCHED TO ‘CELEBRATE THE

CONTRIBUTIONS OF SPACE SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY TO THE BETTERMENT OF THE

HUMAN CONDITION’. SO WHAT HAS BENEFITED

US THE MOST?

The benefits are a bit intangible, really.

People talk about the ‘spin-offs’ from the

Apollo programme being non-stick frying

pans and stuff like that, but there are so

many other technological benefits that have

come from space exploration that people

don’t even realise.

I think it would be fantastic if we had a

day when we switched space off, so people

realised how much we rely on space and

space technology. It’s where all our satellites

are orbiting. So, if you said okay, no orbiting

satellites – that means no television, no

weather forecasting, no bank transfers. The

financial market would crumble. It would be

utter chaos if those satellites were wiped out.

THIS YEAR’S THEME IS ‘THE MOON, GATEWAY

TO THE STARS’. WHAT RELATIONSHIP HAVE

YOU HAD WITH OUR MOON OVER THE COURSE

OF YOUR CAREER?

Distant! [laughs] It’s a long way away.

I have analysed lunar samples throughout

the course of my career, and I’ve handled

lunar samples – I’ve even helped find one

or two in Antarctica when I was there

collecting meteorites.

To understand the Moon is a very

important part of understanding the wider

Solar System and the Earth. It’s interesting

to see how stories change about how the

Moon could have formed. I think we’re

homing in on that now: we’re looking at

more subtle effects to see it did form as a

result of a collision with another body with

the Earth, very early on in its history.

SPACE TOURISM IS GETTING CLOSER AND

CLOSER TO BECOMING A REALITY. WOULD YOU

GO INTO SPACE, AND WHERE WOULD YOU GO?

Oh yes, I would definitely go into space if I

could! I’d go anywhere somebody would take

me, really, but I’d love to explore the Moon.

When you look at pictures, it looks grey, very

black and white. Is it like that really? Or

would you see more colours in the rocks?

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR

BRITISH AND EUROPEAN SPACE EXPLORATION?

If you’re referring to Brexit, the European

Space Agency isn’t an arm of the European

Union or the European Commission – it’s

completely separate. So as long as we keep

paying our subscription to ESA, then we will

have access to space missions. As long as

we keep funding our space agency and our

research community, we will be able to plan

space missions and get the benefit of the data

and the technology spin-offs.

Now, if we remained a member of the EU,

there are even bigger opportunities. Things

like the next generation of GPS satellites –

which we invested a huge amount of money

in to design and to build.

WHAT MAKES YOU HOPEFUL FOR SPACE

SCIENCE AND THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY?

Babies keep being born! So that’s more

potential scientists and engineers. Look at a

child as they develop: they are curious and

they want to explore their world. We have

to keep that sense of wonder and wanting to

explore, and make sure we treasure it. That’s

really important.

AN AUDIENCE WITH

DR DON THOMAS

GEORGE HOTEL, LICHFIELD

MON 7 OCTOBER, 7PM

Dr Don Thomas, the

four-time Space Shule

astronaut turned author

and science educator.

will give a lecture on his

experiences in space and

his current activities,

followed by a Q&A

session. Over 16s only.

bit.ly/don_thomas

SPACE DAY 2019

THE HIVE, SAWMILL WALK,

WORCESTER

SAT 5 OCTOBER, 10.30AM-4PM

The British Interplanetary

Society hosts the UK’s

biggest free space

exhibition. Exhibitors

include the Institute of

Physics, the European

Space Agency and

Spaceight UK.

bit.ly/space_day_2019

DISCOVER MORE

d

You can listen to podcasts about space at

sciencefocus.com/science-focus-podcast

1969 AND ALL THAT

DYNAMIC EARTH,

HOLYROOD RD, EDINBURGH

TUE 15 OCTOBER, 7PM

Prof Monica Grady will

be giving a lecture about

“all the things that

happened in 1969 to do

with planetary sciences

• meteorites in
  Antarctica, comet 67P,
  the Marina space probe
  pictures – as well as Neil
  Armstrong landing on
  the Moon.”
  bit.ly/Monica_talk

RADAR

GET T Y IMAGES

PROF MONICA GRADY

Monica is professor of planetary and space

sciences at the Open University, and a research

fellow at the Natural History Museum.

Interview byBBC Science Focus editorial

assistant Amy Barrett.

PICK

OF THE

A lot of it is computer-aided design, really EVENTS

high-quality, high-precision engineering. It’s

the sort of thing that women, with their eye

for detail, are really, really good at. You see

people going intoThe Great British Bake-

Offand doing these really elaborate cake

designs... those skills are so important in the

space industry. The creativity, the precision,

the eye for detail.

WORLD SPACE WEEK WAS ORIGINALLY

LAUNCHED TO ‘CELEBRATE THE

CONTRIBUTIONS OF SPACE SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY TO THE BETTERMENT OF THE

HUMAN CONDITION’. SO WHAT HAS BENEFITED

US THE MOST?

The benefits are a bit intangible, really.

People talk about the ‘spin-offs’ from the

Apollo programme being non-stick frying

pans and stuff like that, but there are so

many other technological benefits that have

come from space exploration that people

don’t even realise.

I think it would be fantastic if we had a

day when we switched space off, so people

realised how much we rely on space and

space technology. It’s where all our satellites

are orbiting. So, if you said okay, no orbiting

satellites – that means no television, no

weather forecasting, no bank transfers. The

financial market would crumble. It would be

utter chaos if those satellites were wiped out.

THIS YEAR’S THEME IS ‘THE MOON, GATEWAY

TO THE STARS’. WHAT RELATIONSHIP HAVE

YOU HAD WITH OUR MOON OVER THE COURSE

OF YOUR CAREER?

Distant![laughs]It’s a long way away.

I have analysed lunar samples throughout

the course of my career, and I’ve handled

lunar samples – I’ve even helped find one

or two in Antarctica when I was there

collecting meteorites.

To understand the Moon is a very

important part of understanding the wider

Solar System and the Earth. It’s interesting

to see how stories change about how the

Moon could have formed. I think we’re

homing in on that now: we’re looking at

more subtle effects to see itdidform as a

result of a collision with another body with

the Earth, very early on in its history.

SPACE TOURISM IS GETTING CLOSER AND

CLOSER TO BECOMING A REALITY. WOULD YOU

GO INTO SPACE, AND WHERE WOULD YOU GO?

Oh yes, I would definitely go into space if I

could! I’d go anywhere somebody would take

me, really, but I’d love to explore the Moon.

When you look at pictures, it looks grey, very

black and white. Is it like that really? Or

would you see more colours in the rocks?

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR

BRITISH AND EUROPEAN SPACE EXPLORATION?

If you’re referring to Brexit, the European

Space Agency isn’t an arm of the European

Union or the European Commission – it’s

completely separate. So as long as we keep

paying our subscription to ESA, then we will

have access to space missions. As long as

we keep funding our space agency and our

research community, we will be able to plan

space missions and get the benefit of the data

and the technology spin-offs.

Now, if we remained a member of the EU,

there are even bigger opportunities. Things

like the next generation of GPS satellites –

which we invested a huge amount of money

in to design and to build.

WHAT MAKES YOU HOPEFUL FOR SPACE

SCIENCE AND THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY?

Babies keep being born! So that’s more

potential scientists and engineers. Look at a

child as they develop: they are curious and

they want to explore their world. We have

to keep that sense of wonder and wanting to

explore, and make sure we treasure it. That’s

really important.

AN AUDIENCE WITH

DR DON THOMAS

GEORGE HOTEL, LICHFIELD

MON 7 OCTOBER, 7PM

Dr Don Thomas, the

four-time Space Shule

astronaut turned author

and science educator.

will give a lecture on his

experiences in space and

his current activities,

followed by a Q&A

session. Over 16s only.

bit.ly/don_thomas

SPACE DAY 2019

THE HIVE, SAWMILL WALK,

WORCESTER

SAT 5 OCTOBER, 10.30AM-4PM

The British Interplanetary

Society hosts the UK’s

biggest free space

exhibition. Exhibitors

include the Institute of

Physics, the European

Space Agency and

Spaceight UK.

bit.ly/space_day_2019

DISCOVER MORE

d

You can listen to podcasts about space at

sciencefocus.com/science-focus-podcast

1969 AND ALL THAT

DYNAMIC EARTH,

HOLYROOD RD, EDINBURGH

TUE 15 OCTOBER, 7PM

Prof Monica Grady will

be giving a lecture about

“all the things that

happened in 1969 to do

with planetary sciences

• meteorites in
  Antarctica, comet 67P,
  the Marina space probe
  pictures – as well as Neil
  Armstrong landing on
  the Moon.”
  bit.ly/Monica_talk