Deep Space High: Space For All

Did you know they there’s a job in space exploration no matter what you love to do?!

Whether it’s math, sport or cooking, there’s going to be a career in space exploration that you could be working in when you’re older.

In ‘Deep Space High: Space For All’ Principle Pulsar, Sam, Quark and the whole Deep Space High classroom are learning all about all the different careers you could have in space.

Geography… in space!

If you like Geography then there might be a job in space for you as a ‘Planetary Scientist’.

What is a Planetary Scientist?

Not all scientists that work in space are Rocket Scientists you know!

Planetary Scientists study planets and moons like Mars and Titan to try to understand what they are made of and how they are formed.

They will study many features of a planet, including its gravity, magnetic fields, and the geologic processes that have changed it over periods of time that range from days to millions, even billions, of years.

To be a Planetary Scientist you need to know more about geography than you do physics!

What sort of Geography do Planetary Scientists study?

Process Studies and Systems Analysis

This is things like weathering (the wearing away of rock by wind, water and ice, or chemicals), the formation of soil, and the flow of water.

Climatic Geomorphology

How changes in the weather over short and long periods of time cause changes in a planet’s landscape.

Geomorphological Mapping

Creation of maps of features on a planet to help determine the processes that created the landscape.

Tectonic Geomorphology

The way landforms, landscapes, and plate tectonics work together to create surface features.

Geodesy

A planet’s size, shape, gravity, rotation, and tides.

Seismology

Earthquakes, both on a planet’s surface and in its interior, to learn about the planet’s composition and to evaluate earthquake hazards and locate faults.

Magnetism

Magnetic fields and their effects on heat flow and fluid motion in a planet’s interior.

Hydrogeology & Oceanography

The movement and quantity of water in soils and rocks, and the currents, circulation, and atmospheric interaction of oceans.

Atmospheric Physics

A planet’s atmosphere and related features such as its climate

What do Planetary Scientists do?

Their work often involves travelling to locations on Earth that have similar geology to the planet they are studying – for example the Moroccan desert is often used as an analogue for Mars. Samples are tested in labs to examine their composition and structure.

They will analyse data from remote sensors like satellites and probe using computers and the laws of physics to explore deep within a planet’s interior and to examine its surface and atmosphere.

How do you become a Planetary Scientist?

Planetary scientists usually go to university and study Geology, Geochemistry, Geophysics, or other related subjects typical of Earth Science/Geology degrees.