Ticket To Space

Glasgow Science Centre 'A-Team' Biographies

Mario Di Maggio - ScottishPower Space Theatre Manager

Who/what inspired you to become a scientist?

An amazing scientist called Carl Sagan (1934-1996). As a youngster I was riveted by his TV series called "Cosmos". To me Sagan was a stirring example of the very best in humanity - a brilliant, approachable and all-encompassing human being. He was consistently exhilarated by life and understanding of the natural world. Thanks to his example I too now enjoy the thrill of attempting to understand this incredible Universe every day of my life.

How did you become a scientist?

I took science subjects at school, worked hard, and did very well. Yet on arriving at university I was disappointed to find my maths and physics was not strong enough for me to study astronomy. So I settled for biology instead, and became a museum biology teacher. Yet the stars have always been my passion, and so in my career as a museum educator I have managed to work my way into the planetarium field. Remember, the best science communicators are those madly in love with their subjects - and not always those with a PhD behind their name!

What do you like most about your job?

Every day is different. It is absolutely impossible to ever get bored in my job (my employer has to remind me to take leave!)

What are your hobbies?

Apart from amateur astronomy, I love to dance (salsa-jive), play basketball and travel. I also really enjoy clubbing and techno music, and maintain a world-wide network of friends.

Steve Owens - Science Communicator & Planetarium Leader

Who/what inspired you to become a scientist?

I've always wanted to know the answers to things, I suppose. I was never really satisfied with answers like "just because". When I found out more about the Universe, I realised that knowing the answers is all very well, but in fact it's more fun asking the questions in the first place... And that's what science is all about.

How did you become a scientist?

I studied science and mathematics at school, but from an early age I was interested in space science and astronomy. When I went to university it seemed the obvious thing to study, and I discovered that the more I found out about the Universe the more I enjoyed learning it. Leaving university with a science degree technically makes me a scientist, but that's not really enough. To answer the question: "How did I become a scientist?" I have to say that it was through being curious about everything, all the time, and by asking lots of questions.

What do you like most about your job?

Being able to make people feel the same way about science as I feel; that it is fun and exciting, and that learning stuff is actually pretty cool.

What are your hobbies?

Apart from my job (which is really a hobby for me, I enjoy it so much) I play poker, climb mountains, write stories and read books. Quite a nice life really.

Derek Shanks - Science Communicator

Who/what inspired you to become a scientist?

A very enthusiastic high school Physics teacher and my parents. Plus, I guess just the fact that I enjoyed it, was good at it compared to other subjects in school, and was always just generally inquisitive and wouldn't accept things without proof.

How did you become a scientist?

Studied Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy at university, during which time I got involved in presenting planetarium shows to school kids and other groups. When I heard Glasgow Science Centre was opening, I immediately enquired about jobs in the planetarium there. I got a job as a Science Communicator, which I've continued to work as while completing my Honours degree and a postgraduate MSc in IT.

What do you like most about your job?

Seeing people walk away absolutely inspired by science in general and astronomy in particular. If just one person walks away from a planetarium show having become interested in astronomy, then I've done my job.

What are your hobbies?

Playing guitar and singing lead vocals in two successful unsigned bands; organising gigs for other bands; practicing Yang style Tai Chi Chuan; plus going to see as many live bands as I can afford.

Samantha Moir - Science Communicator

Who/what inspired you to become a scientist?

My biology teacher at school as I thought she was really cool! And I also knew that I wanted to work outdoors for my career.

How did you become a scientist?

I studied Ecology at University, then went to work in science communication in Minnesota, USA. That was the first time that I'd seen such an amazing sky and also the Northern Lights and so became an amateur astronomer. Because of my passion, I was recommended for a job in California teaching astronomy, and when I came back to Scotland the only place I wanted to work in was the Scottish Power Space Theatre!

What do you like most about your job?

That I'm constantly learning new exciting and fun things.

What are your hobbies?

I love travelling and being outdoors, dressmaking and generally being creative.

Jon Davies - Senior Science Communicator

Who/what inspired you to become a scientist?

My inspiration for science and more specifically astronomy comes initially from a natural curiosity. Our distant ancestors were no less curious about the world around them than we are today. Human beings now are no more intelligent than those ancient peoples but we have invented a way of finding out about the world, the Universe and our place in it. This invention is called scientific method. Using this method we have come to understand that the atoms making up our planet and indeed our bodies were created inside stars many millions of years ago. We are in a very real sense part of the Universe, a way for the Cosmos to become conscious of itself.

Things that triggered off this need to understand in me were first of all books. I grew up amid the 'Space Race' in the early seventies and from Space collector cards in boxes of teabags to children's books on astronomy I learned that we could see the Universe around us on a very grand scale: from an early age I would use my father's binoculars to stare at Jupiter and its moons. Science fiction was and still is a great interest of mine. When I was about ten years old I read "Islands in the Sky" by Arthur C. Clarke. Set in the near future a teenage boy wins a competition and the prize is a trip to the 'Inner Station', one of the many orbiting Space stations at the time.

Clarke's writings range from accurately told science fiction to serious, questioning science. Another scientist and author whom I greatly admire is Carl Sagan. I watched his TV series 'Cosmos' in my early teens and since then have read many of his books. "Cosmos" is THE book for a truly inspirational read. As for Clarke, "The City and the Stars" is in my opinion his greatest novel.

How did you become a scientist?

Surprisingly I did not study astronomy or science after school but photography. After university my studies were not utilised in work however, as my passion for driving took over. I worked with many different types of vehicles before becoming a driving instructor, later moving on to train and teach people to become instructors themselves. I expanded my teaching skills with a teacher training course and used these skills to become a science communicator at Glasgow Science Centre. Over the years I kept up with the current scientific world - "New Scientist", "Astronomy Now", "Skeptic" and "Skeptical Inquirer" are all excellent magazines.

What do you like most about your job?

Glasgow Science Centre is the perfect place for me to work. I am immersed in a culture of rational thought, constantly questioning the universe around us. The Scottish Power Space Theatre is the most technically advanced planetarium in the U.K. Delivering a live star show to 120 visitors under those twinkling stars is one of the highlights of my day. I now manage the team of science communicators which means unfortunately I can only get my 'fix' under the stars about once a week… unless of course the real sky is clear and I can go outside to use my 150mm (6 inch) refractor on the heavens.

What are your hobbies?

My hobbies include, at the moment, serious DIY having just moved to a new house. Driving is of course still a passion of mine and I also enjoy the theatre.

A few of my favourite books are: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M Pirsig (no prior knowledge of motorcycles needed); "White Light" by Rudy Rucker and "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking.

Hello Everyone

This is Mario, Steve, Jon, Samantha and Derek from the Glasgow Science Centre. We're going to be answering your questions about space throughout the project. [in the end we received so many that Robert, Doug and Stuart had to help too!]

Use this forum to ask us any questions that you haven't been able to find answers to.

We're really looking forward to hearing from you. We are quite busy at the Science Centre so it may take us a couple of days to answer your questions, so please be patient! If you know the answer to a question that someone has posted, you can post an answer too!

Hello Mercury Maniacs

When something moves in front of something else, you get an eclipse eg. move your hand between your face and the computer monitor - and the monitor disappears from view ie. it is eclipsed by your hand. When the Moon

moves directly in front of the Sun, the Sun disappears for a few minutes ie. we get a solar eclipse.

**HOT NEWS** After midnight next Sunday morning (Nov 9th, between 01:00-01:30), the Earth will be moving directly between the Sun and the Moon. If you were standing on the Moon at that time, you would see the Sun disappear for half and hour (ie. it will be eclipsed by the Earth).

From Earth, we will see the Moon turn a red colour!! So be sure not to miss it!!

Mario

On 30/10/2003 11:56:57, Primary 6/7 * wrote:

>hiya this is the mercury maniacs from * primary school in * just outside of *. we are primary7's and our teachers are Mr * and Miss * and we have 25 pupils in our class. We were really excited when we found out that we were going to be doing this. we wanted to know what causes an eclipse? hear from you soon L8a earthlings

Hello Peter and Barry

When people went to the Moon (30 years ago), Space food tasted YUCK! It was like tasteless, dry Pot Noodle...

Nowadays things have improved a lot, and astronauts on the Space Station eat yummy, tasty food.

The recent first Chinese man in Space (Mr Yang Liwei) even enjoyed nuggets of spicy shredded pork, diced chicken and fried rice cooked with nuts, dates and other delicacies!

(see: http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/10/16/space.takeout.ap/index.html

Mario

On 30/10/2003 11:58:15, Primary 6/7 * wrote: >Hi my name is PETER * and my freind is BARRY * are school is * primary school are teatchers are miss * and mr * we are in p6\7 we want to know what spase food tastes like

Hi there Christie and Lucy. My name is Jon and I am very pleased you have asked this question about the Space Shuttle. The shuttles do a very important job as you know and I'm sure they will be flying again soon, but how fast do they fly?

One minute after take off the shuttle is travelling at about 1200 kilometers per hour (740 mph)! One minute after that the speed has increased to 5000 kilometers per hour (3000 mph) and the shuttle is at a height of 45 km (30 miles). After a total of eight minutes the space shuttle is travelling at an amazing 28000 kilometers per hour (17500mph)!!

Just think, in the time it takes you to listen to 2 songs by your favourite pop group, the shuttle and its crew of 7 astronauts has blasted up to a height of 400 kilometers (250 miles) and will travel around planet Earth once every hour and a half! Wow! What an exciting job these astronauts do.

May the Force be with you too,

Jon.

On 11/11/2003 09:46:05, P6 * wrote:

>Hi, we are called Christie and Lucy. We have found out about space shuttles. Space shuttles carry astronauts and materials into space. The astronauts do tests to learn how space affects their bodies. They fix damaged satellites. They also study Earth and other objects in space. But we want to know how fast they actually go. >Hope you reply soon *,p6 May the force be with you!

Hi Justin and Liam. You have asked a question that lots of people want to know the answer to, 'has anyone ever seen a UFO or an alien?'

Lots of people say they have seen aliens or alien spacecraft but nobody has any evidence or proof; by proof I mean that nobody has ever taken a picture of an alien spacecraft or an alien; nobody has any film that looks like an alien or a spacecraft. We have to have proof or evidence to say that things really exist. This is why in science we do experiments to try to understand what is happening in the world around us. We do the experiments again and again so that we can really understand things. There are lots of really exciting things to see in the sky, meteors, satellites, funny-looking clouds, planets...so keep watching and let me know if you see anything you can't explain.

Thanks for a super question, Jon.

On 12/11/2003 11:31:19, justin * wrote: >hi, our names are justin and liam and we are so fasenated with space and we want to know has anybody saw a ufo or an alian. please reply

Scientists and NASA are constantly looking at the possibility of us being hit by a large asteroid. You'll be glad to hear that the most recent information is that they don't expect any large asteroid to hit the earth in the next 600,000 years!

Of course, Earth is constantly being hit by tiny meteors all the time, but luckily we have a protective atmosphere of gases that makes sure that these rocks get burned up into nothing. Even if a big chunk of rock was to make it through the atmosphere and hit us, then it would probably land in the ocean. Yay!

Sam

On 20/11/2003 11:38:55, Primary 6/7 St * Primary wrote: >will there be any astroids that hit earth any time soon and when

Well Jade, nobody knows anything about space aliens because we haven't found any....yet. However, we are continuously on the lookout for signs of alien life. SETI is an organisation that listens to sounds from space in the hope of finding a repetitive signal and you can help them (http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu)

If there is any life in our own solar system, then I believe that it would probably be tiny microscopic organisms, and not big green aliens with 3 heads!

Sam

On 27/11/2003 14:37:54, Sheila * wrote:

>hi, i am Jade, > Please tell me more about space aliens, i am really interested in them, thanks!

Hi Daniel, thanks for your question. You're exactly right to think that we would be very different if Earth had a different atmosphere. Our lungs can only breathe oxygen, so if there were different gases we'd need different kinds of lungs. Maybe we'd have gills, like fish, or maybe something totally alien, that we've never even thought of before! We are the way we are because we were born on Earth. If we were born somewhere else, on another planet, we'd be aliens!

Steve

On 27/11/2003 14:15:37, P6 * Primary School wrote:

>Dear Scientist > If the earths air was different than it is now,would we be born diffently and breath differntly from Daniel P6 * Primary

Hi Victoria,

You could only drive a car on a solid planet like Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars or Pluto, or on a solid moon. The problem with driving a car on Mercury is that it would probably melt it's so hot there; on Venus your car would be crushed by the massive atmosphere and then disolved by the acid rain, and on Pluto it would probably freeze (do you know how hard it is to start a car on a cold Scottish morning? Well Pluto's about 250 degrees celcius colder!).

You couldn't drive a car on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus or Neptune, as they are all made of gas, with no solid surface, so you'd just sink straight down to the core!

We've already driven a little space car on the Moon, and we've sent small robot rovers (about the size of a washing machine) to Mars, which we can remote control from Earth. Maybe in the future people will go back to Mars and bring cars with them; you never know, if you study science and become an astronaut, you might get to drive a space car on another planet!

Thanks for your question,

Steve

On 19/11/2003 15:14:22, Susan Smith wrote: >Hi my name is victoria and i want to know could you drive a car on a planet?

Hi Susan

Northern Lights:

Yes, and I was lucky enough to see them! One of my colleagues at the science centre text-messaged me when he spotted them last Wednesday night and I ran out of my house straight away to see them. They were absolutely beautiful, shimmering green lights covering most of the northern part of the sky. They were caused by a huge stream of charged particles that erupted from the Sun earlier in the week and came hurtling towards Earth. When the particles hit our atmosphere, they caused the gas in the atmosphere to glow, a bit like fluorescent tube light bulbs glowing.

First man on the moon: Neil Armstrong - on 20th July 1969. He was followed a few moments later by Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. Poor Michael Collins had to stay behind in the orbiting spacecraft while Armstrong and Aldrin went down to the surface of the moon in their lander.

Derek :o)

On 03/11/2003 10:29:59, Susan * wrote:

>Hello Earthlings. Did you hear about the Northern Lights? Who was the first man on the Moon?

Hi, Oliver

No, the Sun won't end up a black hole. Black holes form only when stars that are much bigger than the Sun end their lives in what we call supernova explosions. Stars that are at least 1.5 times more massive than our Sun at the end of their lives can become black holes.

Our Sun is simply too small for this to happen. In fact, our Sun will take billions of years to die and won't explode in a supernova, which us really lucky for us!

Robert

On 19/11/2003 12:05:24, hannah * wrote: >Do you think the sun will end up a black hole? >By Oliver *

Hello Thomas and Ross

Yes, the Earth's atmosphere will end, but, fortunately for us, not for billions of years. It's all to do with the Sun: when the Sun begins to cool down, it will swell up into a huge star. Then it will blast off it outer layers of hot gas into space. The planets that are closest to the Sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth ) will be destroyed when they are burnt up by the hot gas.

Don't worry, though, it's not going to start happening for about another thousand million years, so there's plenty of time to book your holidays to Mars!

Robert

On 09/12/2003 14:55:55, Mark * wrote: >Hi we are Thomas and Ross > We would like to know will the earths atmosphere end >please replie.

How cold is Neptune?

Neptune is very far away from the sun, so it must be very cold. In fact, the temperature is about -260 degrees centigrade! I don't think we can imagine how cold that must be! We haven't known about Neptune for as long as a lot of the other planets, because it's so far away that we can't see it at all without a telescope. It was named Neptune after the ancient Roman god of the sea, since it was a blue watery colour. We now know that this colour was caused by a gas called methane though - if it was water it would have turned into ice pretty quickly!

Doug

On 27/11/2003 14:12:28, P6 *Primary School wrote: >how cold is neptune

Hey Andrew and Ryan,

At the moment only a selected few manage to become astronauts and make it into space, each of these people have special skills which when they work together contribute towards the sucess of their mission. Perhaps one day a child might be sent into space when our technology improves and space travel becomes safer so that tourists and families can travel into space as well.

Stuart

On 11/12/2003 11:58:32, Martin Collis wrote:

>Hello this is Andrew and Ryan at* Primary School. We were wondering will a child ever be sent into space? > thank you for answering our question (if you do! ) > over and out > from Andrew & Ryan

Mario Di Maggio - ScottishPower Space Theatre Manager
	Who/what inspired you to become a scientist? An amazing scientist called Carl Sagan (1934-1996). As a youngster I was riveted by his TV series called "Cosmos". To me Sagan was a stirring example of the very best in humanity - a brilliant, approachable and all-encompassing human being. He was consistently exhilarated by life and understanding of the natural world. Thanks to his example I too now enjoy the thrill of attempting to understand this incredible Universe every day of my life. How did you become a scientist? I took science subjects at school, worked hard, and did very well. Yet on arriving at university I was disappointed to find my maths and physics was not strong enough for me to study astronomy. So I settled for biology instead, and became a museum biology teacher. Yet the stars have always been my passion, and so in my career as a museum educator I have managed to work my way into the planetarium field. Remember, the best science communicators are those madly in love with their subjects - and not always those with a PhD behind their name! What do you like most about your job? Every day is different. It is absolutely impossible to ever get bored in my job (my employer has to remind me to take leave!) What are your hobbies? Apart from amateur astronomy, I love to dance (salsa-jive), play basketball and travel. I also really enjoy clubbing and techno music, and maintain a world-wide network of friends.


Steve Owens - Science Communicator & Planetarium Leader
	Who/what inspired you to become a scientist? I've always wanted to know the answers to things, I suppose. I was never really satisfied with answers like "just because". When I found out more about the Universe, I realised that knowing the answers is all very well, but in fact it's more fun asking the questions in the first place... And that's what science is all about. How did you become a scientist? I studied science and mathematics at school, but from an early age I was interested in space science and astronomy. When I went to university it seemed the obvious thing to study, and I discovered that the more I found out about the Universe the more I enjoyed learning it. Leaving university with a science degree technically makes me a scientist, but that's not really enough. To answer the question: "How did I become a scientist?" I have to say that it was through being curious about everything, all the time, and by asking lots of questions. What do you like most about your job? Being able to make people feel the same way about science as I feel; that it is fun and exciting, and that learning stuff is actually pretty cool. What are your hobbies? Apart from my job (which is really a hobby for me, I enjoy it so much) I play poker, climb mountains, write stories and read books. Quite a nice life really.


Derek Shanks - Science Communicator
	Who/what inspired you to become a scientist? A very enthusiastic high school Physics teacher and my parents. Plus, I guess just the fact that I enjoyed it, was good at it compared to other subjects in school, and was always just generally inquisitive and wouldn't accept things without proof. How did you become a scientist? Studied Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy at university, during which time I got involved in presenting planetarium shows to school kids and other groups. When I heard Glasgow Science Centre was opening, I immediately enquired about jobs in the planetarium there. I got a job as a Science Communicator, which I've continued to work as while completing my Honours degree and a postgraduate MSc in IT. What do you like most about your job? Seeing people walk away absolutely inspired by science in general and astronomy in particular. If just one person walks away from a planetarium show having become interested in astronomy, then I've done my job. What are your hobbies? Playing guitar and singing lead vocals in two successful unsigned bands; organising gigs for other bands; practicing Yang style Tai Chi Chuan; plus going to see as many live bands as I can afford.


Samantha Moir - Science Communicator
	Who/what inspired you to become a scientist? My biology teacher at school as I thought she was really cool! And I also knew that I wanted to work outdoors for my career. How did you become a scientist? I studied Ecology at University, then went to work in science communication in Minnesota, USA. That was the first time that I'd seen such an amazing sky and also the Northern Lights and so became an amateur astronomer. Because of my passion, I was recommended for a job in California teaching astronomy, and when I came back to Scotland the only place I wanted to work in was the Scottish Power Space Theatre! What do you like most about your job? That I'm constantly learning new exciting and fun things. What are your hobbies? I love travelling and being outdoors, dressmaking and generally being creative.


Jon Davies - Senior Science Communicator
	Who/what inspired you to become a scientist? My inspiration for science and more specifically astronomy comes initially from a natural curiosity. Our distant ancestors were no less curious about the world around them than we are today. Human beings now are no more intelligent than those ancient peoples but we have invented a way of finding out about the world, the Universe and our place in it. This invention is called scientific method. Using this method we have come to understand that the atoms making up our planet and indeed our bodies were created inside stars many millions of years ago. We are in a very real sense part of the Universe, a way for the Cosmos to become conscious of itself. Things that triggered off this need to understand in me were first of all books. I grew up amid the 'Space Race' in the early seventies and from Space collector cards in boxes of teabags to children's books on astronomy I learned that we could see the Universe around us on a very grand scale: from an early age I would use my father's binoculars to stare at Jupiter and its moons. Science fiction was and still is a great interest of mine. When I was about ten years old I read "Islands in the Sky" by Arthur C. Clarke. Set in the near future a teenage boy wins a competition and the prize is a trip to the 'Inner Station', one of the many orbiting Space stations at the time. Clarke's writings range from accurately told science fiction to serious, questioning science. Another scientist and author whom I greatly admire is Carl Sagan. I watched his TV series 'Cosmos' in my early teens and since then have read many of his books. "Cosmos" is THE book for a truly inspirational read. As for Clarke, "The City and the Stars" is in my opinion his greatest novel. How did you become a scientist? Surprisingly I did not study astronomy or science after school but photography. After university my studies were not utilised in work however, as my passion for driving took over. I worked with many different types of vehicles before becoming a driving instructor, later moving on to train and teach people to become instructors themselves. I expanded my teaching skills with a teacher training course and used these skills to become a science communicator at Glasgow Science Centre. Over the years I kept up with the current scientific world - "New Scientist", "Astronomy Now", "Skeptic" and "Skeptical Inquirer" are all excellent magazines. What do you like most about your job? Glasgow Science Centre is the perfect place for me to work. I am immersed in a culture of rational thought, constantly questioning the universe around us. The Scottish Power Space Theatre is the most technically advanced planetarium in the U.K. Delivering a live star show to 120 visitors under those twinkling stars is one of the highlights of my day. I now manage the team of science communicators which means unfortunately I can only get my 'fix' under the stars about once a week… unless of course the real sky is clear and I can go outside to use my 150mm (6 inch) refractor on the heavens. What are your hobbies? My hobbies include, at the moment, serious DIY having just moved to a new house. Driving is of course still a passion of mine and I also enjoy the theatre. A few of my favourite books are: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M Pirsig (no prior knowledge of motorcycles needed); "White Light" by Rudy Rucker and "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking.

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