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Feature Guest: Chris McKay
Plus a behind the scenes look at The Star Spot, highlights of our first year, and a conversation with a familiar voice.
About Dr. Chris McKay
Dr. Chris McKay is a planetary scientist, with a PhD in Astrogeophysics from the University of Colorado. As a NASA Research Scientist with the NASA Ames Research Centre since 1982, he studies planetary atmospheres, the evolution of the solar system, the origin of life, astrobiology and terraforming. He’s been co-investigator for the Huygens probe to Saturday’s Moon Titan, the Mars Phoenix lander and the Mars Science Laboratory whose Curiosity rover is now on the red planet.
Dr. McKay conducts research on extremophiles in Mars-like environments on Earth, including in the ice-covered lakes of antarctica, Siberia, Death Valley, the Canadian Arctic. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Planetary Society.
Current in Space
Confirmation of Marsian past habitability is one of two space-related headline news stories of the last few weeks. The other is the discovery by astronomer Mike Brown and colleague Kevin Hand that Europa’s vast liquid water ocean deep below its icy crust might not be isolated from the surface after all. Mallory Warren and Julia Mazurchuk discuss this new discovery and its implications.
Links
Space Science and Astrobiology at Ames
Mars Talk – Chris McKay – ExploreMars.org
NASA Planetary Scientist Chris McKay explains Mars Curiosity mission
If you have interesting news and story ideas, as well as topics or potential interview guest, please send them to starspotpodcast@gmail.com
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