Carolyn Porco

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Carolyn Porco

Carolyn Porco (born March 6, 1953 in New York City) is an American planetary scientist known for her work in the exploration of the outer solar system, beginning with her imaging work on the Voyager missions to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in the 1980s. She leads the imaging science team on the Cassini mission[1][2][3] presently in orbit around Saturn. She is also an imaging scientist on the New Horizons[4] mission launched to Pluto on January 19, 2006. She is an expert on planetary rings and the Saturnian moon, Enceladus.

She has co-authored over 100 scientific papers on subjects ranging from the spectroscopy of Uranus and Neptune, the interstellar medium, the photometry of planetary rings, satellite/ring interactions, computer simulations of planetary rings, the thermal balance of Triton’s polar caps, heat flow in the interior of Jupiter, and a suite of results on the atmosphere, satellites, and rings of Saturn from the Cassini imaging experiment.[5]

Porco was responsible for the epitaph and proposal to honor the late renowned planetary geologist Eugene Shoemaker by sending his cremains to the Moon aboard the Lunar Prospector spacecraft in 1998.[6][7]

A frequent public speaker, Porco gave the opening speech[8] for Pangea Day, a global broadcast coordinated from 6 cities around the world that took place on May 10, 2008, in which she described the cosmic context for human existence.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Education

Porco graduated in 1970 from Cardinal Spellman High School (New York City) in the Bronx, New York, and received a BS degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1974. She received her Ph.D. degree in 1983 from the California Institute of Technology in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences. Her doctoral dissertation focused on Voyager discoveries in the rings of Saturn and was supervised by renowned dynamicist Peter Goldreich.

[edit] Voyager

In the fall of 1983, Dr Porco joined the faculty of the Department of Planetary Sciences within the University of Arizona; the same year she was made a member of the Voyager Imaging Team. In the latter capacity, she was an active participant in the Voyager encounters with Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989, leading the Rings Working Group within the Voyager Imaging Team during the Neptune encounter.

As a young Voyager scientist, she was the first person to describe the behavior of the eccentric ringlets and the "spokes" discovered by Voyager within the rings of Saturn; to elucidate the mechanism by which the outer Uranian rings were being shepherded by the Voyager-discovered moons Cordelia and Ophelia; and to provide an explanation for the shepherding of the rings arcs of Neptune by the moon Galatea, also discovered by Voyager. She was a co-originator of the idea to take a 'portrait of the planets' with the Voyager spacecraft, and participated in the planning, design, and execution of those images in 1991, including the famous Pale Blue Dot image of Earth.[9]

[edit] Cassini-Huygens

In November 1990, Dr Porco was selected as the leader of the Imaging Team for the Cassini-Huygens mission[1][2][3] an international mission that successfully placed a spacecraft in orbit around Saturn and deployed the atmospheric Huygens probe to Saturn's largest satellite, Titan. She is also the Director of the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for OPerationS (CICLOPS), which is the center of uplink and downlink operations for the Cassini imaging science experiment and the place where Cassini images are processed for release to the public.[10] CICLOPS is part of the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

In the course of the ongoing mission, Porco and her team have discovered seven moons of Saturn: Methone and Pallene, [11][12] Polydeuces,[13][14] Daphnis, [15] Anthe, [16] Aegean, [17] and a small moonlet in the outer B ring [18].

They also found several new rings, such as rings coincident with the orbits of Atlas, Janus and Epimetheus (the Saturnian 'co-orbitals') and Pallene; a diffuse ring between Atlas and the F ring; and new rings within several of the gaps in Saturn's rings. [19]

Porco's team was responsible for the first sighting of a hydrocarbon lake, as well as a lake district, in the south polar region of Titan in June 2005.[20] (A group of similar - and larger - features were sighted in the north polar region in February 2007.)[21] The possibility that these sea-sized features are either completely or partially filled with liquid hydrocarbons is significantly strengthened by subsequent observations by other Cassini instruments.[22]

Her team was also responsible for the first sighting of plumes erupting from Enceladus, Saturn's sixth-largest moon. They first suggested, and provided detailed scientific arguments, that these jets might be geysers erupting from reservoirs of near-surface liquid water under the south pole of the small moon.[23]

[edit] New Horizons

Dr Porco is a member of the imaging team for the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. The probe is scheduled for a Pluto flyby in 2015.

[edit] University positions

Dr Porco served in the faculty of the University of Arizona from 1983 to 2001, achieving tenured professorship in 1991. She taught both graduates and undergraduates and was one of 5 finalists for the University of Arizona Honors Center Five Star Faculty Award, a campus-wide student-nominated, student-judged award for outstanding undergraduate teaching.

Porco is currently a Senior Research Scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

[edit] NASA advisor

Porco has been an active participant in guiding the American planetary exploration program through membership on many important NASA advisory committees, including the Solar System Exploration Subcommittee, the Mars Observer Recovery Study Team, and the Solar System Road Map Development Team. In the mid-1990’s, she served as the chairperson for a small NASA advisory working group to study and develop future outer solar system missions and she served as the Vice Chairperson of the Steering Group for the first Solar System Decadal Survey, sponsored by NASA and the National Academy of Sciences.

[edit] Public speaking

Porco speaks frequently on the Cassini mission and planetary exploration in general, and has appeared at renowned conferences such as Pop!Tech (2005, 2006)[24] and TED (2007, 2009)[25][26]. She attended and was a speaker at the Beyond Belief symposium on November 2006[27][28].

A native of New York City, Porco's style of speaking is illustrative, and reminiscent of that of fellow New York born expositors of science Richard Feynman and Carl Sagan inasmuch as seeking to entertain as well as to promote a deeper public understanding of important scientific ideas, including the dynamic and expanding frontier of contemporary science presented against the broader backdrop of human history and the history of the Universe. Appreciating the role that metaphor may play in the diffusion of scientific knowledge, in one lecture, she invited her audience to imagine a lake of liquid hydrocarbons on the surface of Titan as "Lake Michigan brimming with paint thinner."

[edit] The Human Journey

Porco's 2007 TED talk was entitled "The Human Journey," and detailed two major areas of discovery made by the Cassini mission, namely the exploration of the Saturnian moons Titan and Enceladus. In her introductory remarks, Porco explained:

"So the journey back to Saturn is really part of, and is also a metaphor for, a much larger human voyage to understand the interconnectedness of everything around us and also how humans fit into that picture."

In describing the environment of Titan, with its molecular Nitrogen atmosphere suffused with organic compounds, Porco invited her audience to imagine the scene on the moon's surface:

"Stop and think for a minute. Try to imagine what the surface of Titan might look like. It's dark: high noon on Titan is as dark as deep Earth twilight on the Earth. It's cold, it's eerie, it's misty, it might be raining, and you are standing on the shores of Lake Michigan brimming with paint thinner.

"That is the view that we had of the surface of Titan before we got there with Cassini. And I can tell you that what we have found on Titan, though not the same in detail, is every bit as fascinating as that story is, and for us, for Cassini people, it has been like a Jules Verne adventure come true."

After describing various features discovered on Titan by Cassini, and presenting the historic first photograph of Titan's surface by the Huygens lander, Porco went on to describe Enceladus and the jets of "fine icy particles" which erupt from the moon's southern pole:

"...we have arrived at the conclusion that these jets may, they may, be erupting from pockets of liquid water near, under the surface of Enceladus. So we have, possibly, liquid water, organic materials and excess heat. In other words we have possibly stumbled upon the holy grail of modern-day planetary exploration, or in other words an environment that is potentially suitable for living organisms. And I don't think I need to tell you that the discovery of life elsewhere in our Solar system, whether it be on Enceladus or elsewhere, would have enormous cultural and scientific implications. Because if we could demonstrate that genesis had occurred - not once but twice, independently, in our Solar system - then that means by inference it has occurred a staggering number of times throughout our Universe in its 13.7 billion year history."

[edit] Could a Saturn moon harbor life?

Dr Porco spoke again at the 2009 TED Talks, on the subject "Could a Saturn moon harbor life?"

[edit] Awards and honors

In 1999, Porco was selected by The London Sunday Times as one of 18 scientific leaders of the 21st century[29], and by Industrial Week as one of 50 Stars to Watch.[30]

Her contributions to the exploration of the outer solar system were recognized with the naming of Asteroid (7231) Porco which is "Named in honor of Carolyn C. Porco, a pioneer in the study of planetary ring systems...and a leader in spacecraft exploration of the outer solar system."[31]

In 2008, Dr Porco was awarded the Isaac Asimov Science Award by the American Humanist Association.[32]

In May 2009, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook,[33] of which she is an alumna.

On September 15, 2009 Porco was awarded The Huntington Library's Science Writer Fellowship for 2010.[34]

In October, 2009, she and Babak A. Tafreshi were each awarded the 2009 Lennart Nilsson Award in recognition of their photographic work. The award panel's citation for Dr. Porco reads as follows:

"Carolyn Porco combines the finest techniques of planetary exploration and scientific research with aesthetic finesse and educational talent. While her images, which depict the heavenly bodies of the Saturn system with unique precision, serve as tools for the world's leading experts, they also reveal the beauty of the universe in a manner that is an inspiration to one and all."[35]

[edit] Television and film

Porco has been a regular CNN guest analyst and consultant on astronomy, has made many radio and television appearances explaining science to the lay audience, including appearances on the MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour, CBS's 60 Minutes, Peter Jennings's The Century, and TV documentaries on planetary exploration such as The Planets on the Discovery Channel and the BBC, Horizon on the BBC, and a Nova Cassini special on PBS. For the 2003 A&E special on the Voyager mission entitled Cosmic Journey: The Voyager Interstellar Mission and Message, Porco appeared onscreen and also served as the show's science advisor and animation director.

Porco served as an adviser for the 1997 film Contact, which was based on a novel by the well-known astronomer Carl Sagan. The actress Jodie Foster portrayed the heroine in the movie, and Sagan reportedly suggested that she use Porco as a real-life model to guide her performance.[36]

Porco was also an advisor on the film Star Trek (2009).[37] The scene in which the Enterprise comes out of warp drive into the atmosphere of Titan, and rises submarine-style out of the haze, with Saturn and the rings in the background, was Porco's suggestion.[38][39] An online petition to Star Trek producer/director J. J. Abrams has been created by fans of Porco to get her a cameo appearance in the Star Trek sequel presently under development.[40]

[edit] Interviews and articles

Porco has given numerous interviews in print media on subjects ranging from planetary exploration to the conflict between science and religion (e.g. Newsweek[41][42] and the Humanist journal[43]).

She has been profiled many times in print, beginning in the Boston Globe (October 1989)[44], the New York Times (August 1999, September 2009),[45][46] the Tucson Citizen (2001),[47] Newsday (June 2004)[citation needed], for the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (2006),[48] in Astronomy Now (2006),[49] in Discover Magazine (2007),[50] and also online on CNN.com (2005)[51] and Edge.org.[52]


Prior to Cassini’s launch, she was a strong and visible defendant of the usage of radioactive materials on the Cassini spacecraft[53]. She is a supporter of the re-direction of NASA’s human spaceflight program towards the Moon and Mars, and in an op-ed piece published in The New York Times,[54] highlighted the benefits of the new direction for the robotic exploration of the solar system.

[edit] Popular science

In 1994, Porco was a member of a committee (chaired by Carl Sagan) entitled Public Communication of NASA's Science, and in 1999, she reviewed a biography of Sagan for The Guardian.[55] Her popular science articles have been published in The London Sunday Times, Astronomy, the Arizona Daily Star, Sky & Telescope, American Scientist, and Scientific American. She continues to be active in the presentation of science to the public as the leader of the Cassini Imaging Team, where she is the creator/editor of the website where Cassini images are posted, and writes the site's homepage "Captain's Log" greeting to the public.[10]

She is also the CEO of Diamond Sky Productions, a small company devoted to the scientific, as well as artful, use of planetary images and computer graphics for the presentation of science to the public.

[edit] Musical interests

Carolyn (at right) re-enacting the famous Beatles photograph at Abbey Road with the other members of the Cassini Imaging Team.

Porco is famously fascinated by the 1960s and The Beatles and has, at times, incorporated references to The Beatles and their music into her presentations, writings, and press releases. The first color image released by Cassini to the public was an image of Jupiter, taken during Cassini’s approach to the giant planet and released on October 9, 2000 to honor John Lennon’s 60th birthday.[56] In 2006, she produced and directed a brief 8-minute movie of 64 of Cassini’s most spectacular images,[57] put to the music of the Beatles, in honor of Paul McCartney’s 64th birthday. And in 2007, she produced a poster showing sixty-four scenes from Saturn, which she sent to the former Beatle, Paul McCartney.[58][59]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Cassini-Huygens: Mission to Saturn & Titan
  2. ^ a b Cassini-Huygens: Close Encounter with Saturn
  3. ^ a b Cassini-Huygens
  4. ^ New Horizons: NASA's Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission
  5. ^ Cassini Imaging Team Scientific Publications
  6. ^ Astronomy, February 2000 "Destination Moon"
  7. ^ Eugene M. Shoemaker: A Tribute
  8. ^ Introduction to Pangea Day
  9. ^ C. Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space (New York: Ballantine Books, 1997)
  10. ^ a b CICLOPS
  11. ^ C.C. Porco, et al., IAUC 8389 - discovery of S/2004 S 1 (Methone) and S/2004 S 2 (Pallene)
  12. ^ IAUC 8471 - naming of Methone and Pallene (January 21, 2005)
  13. ^ C.C. Porco, et al., IAUC 8432 - discovery of S/2004 S 5 (Polydeuces) (November 8, 2004)
  14. ^ IAUC 8471 - naming of Polydeuces (January 21, 2005)
  15. ^ C.C. Porco et al., IAUC 8524: discovery of S/2005 S 1 (Daphnis)
  16. ^ C.C. Porco et al., IAUC 8857: discovery of S/2007 S 4
  17. ^ "C.C. Porco et al., IAUC 9023 - discovery of S/2008 S 1 (Aegean)". International Astronomical Union. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009IAUC.9023....1P. 
  18. ^ C. C. Porco et al., IAUC 9091 - discovery of S/2009 S 1
  19. ^ C. C. Porco et al. "Cassini Imaging Science: Initial Results on Saturn's Rings and Small Satellites". Science, vol. 307, no. 5713, pp. 1226-1236
  20. ^ Land of Lakes?
  21. ^ Exploring the Wetlands of Titan
  22. ^ Meet Carolyn Porco, the Scientist Who Made Saturn a Rock Star
  23. ^ C. C. Porco, et al. "Cassini Observes the Active South Pole of Enceladus", Science, vol. 311, no. 5766, 2006, pp. 1393-1401
  24. ^ Pop!Tech Pop!Casts archive
  25. ^ Carolyn Porco Flies Us to Saturn
  26. ^ Could a Saturn moon harbor life?
  27. ^ Beyond Belief 2006: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival
  28. ^ A Free-for-All on Science and Religion
  29. ^ Farrer, Steve (January 10, 1999). "The brains behind the 21st century". News Review (The Sunday Times): p. 6. 
  30. ^ Industrial Week, 1999 "50 R&D Stars To Watch"
  31. ^ JPL Small-Body Database Browser
  32. ^ Humanists to Honor Lead Imaging Scientist on the Cassini Saturn Project
  33. ^ "Cassini Imaging Leader Awarded Honorary Degree from Stony Brook University". Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPS). 2009-05-21. http://diamondskyproductions.com/news/5-21-2009.php. 
  34. ^ Carolyn Porco Awarded Huntington Science Writer Fellowship
  35. ^ "Lennart Nilsson Award". http://www.lennartnilssonaward.se/winner.php?id=47,48. 
  36. ^ "An Odyssey From the Bronx to Saturn’s Rings". http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/22/science/space/22prof.html. 
  37. ^ Lead Planetary Scientist to Advise on New Star Trek Movie
  38. ^ "Interview with Star Trek's new science advisor". http://trekmovie.com/2008/02/11/interview-with-star-treks-new-science-advisor/. 
  39. ^ Kevin Grazier (2008-04-27). "Cinema Boffin Interview: Carolyn Porco Talks 'Star Trek XI'". Cinema Boffin. http://www.cinemaspy.ca/article.php?id=857. 
  40. ^ "Dr. Carolyn Porco Deserves a Star Trek Cameo!". http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/dr-carolyn-porco-deserves-a-star-trek-cameo. 
  41. ^ Losing Our Religion
  42. ^ The New Naysayers
  43. ^ "Science and Spirituality: An Interview With Carolyn Porco". 68. The Humanist. January/February, 2008. 
  44. ^ Seeking The Truth Amid The Rings: Planets' Disks Fascinate Carolyn Porco
  45. ^ Carolyn Porco: Cassini Scientist Yielded to the Seduction of Space
  46. ^ An Odyssey From the Bronx to Saturn’s Rings
  47. ^ Carolyn Porco profile in the Tucson Citizen
  48. ^ Dr. Carolyn Porco: The Biggest, Baddest Team Leader
  49. ^ Carolyn Porco: the biggest, baddest team leader of them all
  50. ^ Weinstock, Maia (Winter, 2007). "Planetary Paparazzo: Carolyn Porco". Discover Magazine's Unseen Universe. 
  51. ^ Astronomer's 'cosmic connection' to Saturn
  52. ^ Carolyn Porco profile on the Edge.org website
  53. ^ Carolyn Porco: Cassini Scientist Yielded to the Seduction of Space
  54. ^ NASA Goes Deep
  55. ^ Book Review: Carl Sagan: A Life
  56. ^ Jupiter & Europa in True Color
  57. ^ Sixty-Four Scenes from Saturn ... The Movie
  58. ^ Sixty-Four Scenes from Saturn ... The Poster
  59. ^ Sixty-Four Scenes from Saturn ... The Images

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn_Porco"