An Interview with Rosaly Lopes, Deputy Director of Planetary Science at JPL
Rosaly Lopes, Deputy Director for the Planetary Science Directorate at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discussed her career journey, starting with her fascination with space during the Apollo era. She transitioned from astronomy to planetary geology and volcanology, eventually joining JPL through a postdoctoral program. Lopez highlighted her work on the Galileo mission, where she discovered 71 new volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io, and her contributions to the Cassini mission, which revealed details of Saturn's moon Titan. She emphasised the importance of inspiring young people in science and the technological spin-offs from space exploration, such as miniaturisation for cell phones. Lopez also underscored the value of science literacy and the hope in humankind's ability to solve global challenges through scientific and technological advancements.
THE WORLD SPACE WEEK ASSOCIATION PODCAST SERIESA series of conversations with visionary thinkers and doers, sharing their unique insights and aspirations for the future of humanity beyond Earth — made possible with the support of the World Space Week Association.
World Space Week Association Podcasting Team
Host and producer: Haritina Mogoșanu, Co-host: Samuel Leske, Milky-Way.Kiwi
Special thanks to– Milky-Way.Kiwi and New Zealand Astrobiology Network for the recording equipment and time.– Rhian Sheehan for the music.
The podcasts have been produced for the global World Space Week network.