Linda Spilker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Linda Spilker
Spilker in 2017
Born	Linda Joyce Bies 1955 (age 69–70)
Alma mater	California State University, Fullerton (BA) California State University, Los Angeles (MS) University of California, Los Angeles (PhD)
Awards	NASA Exceptional Service Medal (2013) NASA Group Achievement Awards (2011, 2009, 2000, 1998, 1982–1989) NASA Scientific Achievement Award (1982)
Scientific career
Fields	Planetary science
Institutions	Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Thesis	Wave structure in planetary rings (1992)
Doctoral advisor	Christopher Russell

Linda Spilker (born in 1955) is an American planetary scientist. She studies planets and space! She was the lead scientist for the Cassini mission. This mission explored the amazing planet Saturn. Linda is very interested in how Saturn's rings formed and how they move. In 2022, she also became the lead scientist for the Voyager mission. This happened after another famous scientist, Edward Stone, retired.

Linda Spilker's Career in Space

Linda Spilker explains the tradition of lucky peanuts at a gathering for the Cassini mission team.

Linda Spilker (center) at a press conference about Cassini's mission ending in 2017.

Linda Spilker studied physics at college. She earned her first degree from California State University, Fullerton in 1977. Later, she got a master's degree in physics in 1983. She then earned her PhD in Geophysics and Space Physics in 1992. This advanced degree was from UCLA.

In 1977, Linda started working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). JPL is a special place where scientists build and control spacecraft. She first worked on the Voyager missions. These missions launched in the same year she started.

Linda became a scientist for the Cassini mission in 1990. Cassini was a spacecraft that orbited Saturn for many years. In 2010, she became the main project scientist for Cassini. This meant she guided all the scientific studies for the entire mission. Linda has also appeared on TV shows. She helped explain space science on programs like PBS's Nova.

Awards and Honors

Linda Spilker has received many important awards for her work. These awards recognize her excellent contributions to space science.

• NASA Exceptional Service Medal (2013): This award is for outstanding service to NASA.
• NASA Group Achievement Award (2011, 2009, 2000, 1998, 1982–1989): She received this award multiple times. It celebrates teams that achieve great things together.
• NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (1982): This medal is for amazing scientific discoveries.

See also

In Spanish: Linda Spilker para niños