Space Jobs Game
When you think of space jobs, do you think of astronauts? Did you know there are lots of other jobs out there for people who like space, science, or technology?
Sally Ride
Early Life
Sally grew up in Los Angeles, California. As a child, Sally loved science and her parents encouraged her by giving her a chemistry set and a telescope. Sally studied English and physics at Stanford University. She stayed at Stanford to study for a master’s degree and a PhD. Sally's research was on how x-rays behaved in the interstellar medium. The interstellar medium is the stuff between the stars.
Year born: 1951
Research Areas: Spaceflight, Physics, X-rays
"All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary. "
Karlie Noon
Early Life
Karlie grew up in a small town in New South Wales, Australia. Karlie is a Gomeroi women. The Gomeroi (also spelled Gamilaraay or Kamilaroi) are one of the largest Indigenous nations in Australia.
Research Areas: Galaxy Evolution, Indigenous Astronomy, Moon Haloes
"I never had a plan for any of this, I just followed what I was interested in and learned to ignore any critics and my own doubts along the way."
Thebe Medupe
Early Life
Thebe was born in a rural village in north-west South Africa. He spent his childhood playing outside and sitting by the fire listening to his grandparents tell stories. Thebe went to school in the city of Mmabatho where he became interested in science. He saw Halley’s comet when he was 13 and this inspired him to build his own telescope. He learned how to make a telescope using household items from a book in his local library.
Year born: 1973
Research Areas: Variable Stars
Nergis Mavalvala
Early Life
Nergis was born in Lahore and grew up in Karachi, Pakistan. She spent her childhood in a home without gender stereotypes. This meant she and her older sister were free to follow their own interests. Nergis developed hands-on and practical skills, including fixing her bike, and enjoyed science and maths. She thought she would become an engineer when she was older.
Year born: 1968
Research Areas: Astrophysics, Experimental Physics, Quantum Mechanics
Divya M Persaud
Early Life
Divya is from New Jersey, USA and went to the University of Rochester in New York State. While she was there she studied geology and music. During her degree, Divya was also an intern at NASA and at the SETI institute. In 2017, Divya moved to the UK to complete a PhD at University College London.
Research Areas: Martian Geology, Remote Sensing, Geophysics
Jan Eldridge
Early Life
Jan read and watched lots of science fiction when they were a child. She liked how the science was a part of the story. However, she didn't think about going to university until a career advisor suggested it.
Research Areas: Numerical Modelling, Stellar Evolution, Binary Stars
Norio Kaifu
Early Life
Norio began his career in astronomy in 1966 at the University of Tokyo. He was a student at the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory. Norio was part of a group of researchers who were all studying radio waves from objects in space. Radio waves are a type of light that our eyes and traditional telescopes cannot see. You need to use special telescopes.
Year born: 1943
Research Areas: Radio Astronomy, Infrared Astronomy