Part 1 in one of my blog posts with a follow on in Part 2. I was introduced to planetary science as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona when I received a NASA Undergraduate Research Space Grant to work on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. The idea of communicating with an alien civilization across the vast expanse of space inspired me to pursue a career in planetary science. I focus on the formation of planets and the origin of life to understand the likelihood of alien life arising and evolving elsewhere in our universe.
As for young people wanting to get into this line of work – study hard and do well in school. Graduate high school and go to college. Find people with similar interests. Start with the basics – math and physics, then work your way up from there. Planetary science is multidisciplinary and requires knowledge of math, physics, chemistry, geology, biology, etc. Once in college, you should try to get a job in a research lab. Talk to scientists and engineers who are working on projects that interest you and find ways to volunteer in their labs. Undergraduate research opportunities are key to getting needed experience for a job in the aerospace industry or for getting into a good graduate school. Be persistent, arrange for tours of local labs, and make it clear that you are interested and motivated to pursue a career in this field. Once you get the job, do it well and show initiative to move up to more responsibility.
I am optimistic about the future of space exploration for several reasons. First, despite budget cuts in recent years, the United States has a great space program with many exciting missions in the future including Mars 2020, the Europa Clipper, and, of course, OSIRIS-REx. In addition, other national space agencies are ramping up their programs including India, China, Russia, and the Europeans. Finally, I think we are starting to see some serious interest from industry in commercial development of space. If these companies take off then planetary scientists will be in high demand.