Rosaly Lopes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rosaly Lopes
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Rosaly M. C. Lopes
January 8, 1957 Rio de Janeiro
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| Other names | Rosaly M. C. Lopes-Gautier |
| Alma mater | University College, University of London |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Planetary geologist, volcanologist |
| Institutions | Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA |
Rosaly M. C. Lopes (born January 8, 1957) is a scientist who studies volcanoes, not just on Earth, but on other planets and moons in our solar system. She is a planetary geologist and volcanologist at NASA. She has written many scientific papers and books to share her amazing discoveries with the world.
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Early Life and Education
Rosaly Lopes was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Growing up, she was inspired by women in science like Poppy Northcutt, who worked at NASA. In 1975, she moved to London, England, to study astronomy at the University of London.
She graduated in 1978. During her last semester, she took a class about the geology of planets. A few weeks into the class, a famous volcano, Mount Etna in Italy, erupted. This exciting event made Lopes decide to change her focus. She wanted to study volcanoes, both on our planet and in outer space.
For her Ph.D., she studied the differences between volcanoes on Earth and Mars. She traveled to many active volcanoes to learn more about them. In 1979, she visited her first active volcano, Mount Etna.
A Career Studying Volcanoes
After earning her Ph.D. in 1986, Lopes worked at the Old Royal Observatory in London. In 1989, she moved to Italy to work at the Vesuvius Observatory, where she helped map the dangers of the famous volcano, Mount Vesuvius.
Later that year, she joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. At JPL, she became part of the Galileo mission team.
Discoveries on Io
From 1996 to 2001, Lopes studied Io, one of Jupiter's moons. Io is famous for having hundreds of active volcanoes. Using a special instrument on the Galileo spacecraft, she looked for heat signals from these volcanoes. During this time, she discovered 71 volcanoes on Io that scientists had never seen erupting before.
Exploring Titan's Icy Volcanoes
In 2002, Lopes joined the Cassini mission, which was sent to study Saturn. Her main interest was Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
Using a powerful radar, the Cassini spacecraft looked at Titan's surface. Lopes and her team found features that looked like volcanoes. But these were not like the hot, rocky volcanoes on Earth or Io. Instead, Titan has icy volcanoes, a process called cryovolcanism. These volcanoes erupt a cold mixture of water, ammonia, or methane instead of hot lava.
Awards and Sharing Science
Dr. Lopes has won many awards for her work. These include the Carl Sagan Medal for her work in educating the public about science and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.
She believes it is important to share science with everyone. She gives talks around the world and helps mentor young scientists. She has also appeared in many TV documentaries on channels like Discovery Channel and National Geographic.
Lopes has written several books about volcanoes. One of her books, The Volcano Adventure Guide, teaches people how to safely visit and explore active volcanoes. She once said:
You've got to know what you're doing around active volcanoes... I've come across people who are totally unprepared.
—Rosaly Lopes
Besides her work, Lopes loves scuba diving, hiking, and visiting volcanoes. She also enjoys collecting art that features volcanoes.
See also
In Spanish: Rosaly Lopes para niños
