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David Rothery

David Rothery

Professor of Planetary Geosciences, The Open University

I became Professor of Planetary Geosciences at the Open University in November 2013, having been a Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences since 1994. Before that I was a Lecturer here. I am now in the Department of Physical Sciences, but until 2011 was in the former Department of Earth Sciences. During 1999-2004 I was Director of Teaching and Geosciences Programme Director. I have also been Leader of the IAVCEI Commission on Remote Sensing, and in 2005 I was appointed to the PPARC Solar System Advisory Panel and the BepiColombo Oversight Committee.

In May 2006 I was appointed UK Lead Scientist (now lead Co-Investigator) on MIXS (Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer), which is the only UK Principal Investigator instrument on BepiColombo, the European Space Agency mission to Mercury to be launched in 2017. I chair ESA's Mercury Surface and Composition Working Group. I was also a member of the Science Advisory Panel for C1XS, the X-ray spectrometer on Chandrayaan-1 (launched 22 Oct 2008).
In 2006-7 I served on the ESSC/ESF Ad Hoc Group on Definition of a science-driven European scenario for space exploration.

My research interests centre on the study of volcanic activity by means of remote sensing, and volcanology and geoscience in general on other planets. My landmark book 'Planet Mercury: From Pale Pink Dot to Dynamic World' was published by Springer-Praxis on 14 Dec 2014. I also wrote 'Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunami, A complete introduction' (new edition 2015) and 'Geology, A complete introduction' (new edition 2015) for Hodder's 'Teach Yourself' series, and 'A Very Short Introduction to Planets', Oxford University Press (2010). A companion volume 'A Very Short Introduction to Moons' was published in November 2015.

Is some of the body that collided with Earth to form the Moon still recognisable inside our planet?

Nov 13, 2023 12:23 pm UTC| Science

Scientists have dated the birth of the Solar System to about 4.57 billion years ago. About 60 million years later a giant impact collision between the infant Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia created the...

Space Science Series

An element essential to life discovered on one of Saturn's moons, raising hopes of finding alien microbes

Jun 15, 2023 03:51 am UTC| Science

Enceladus is the tiny moon of Saturn that seems to have it all. Its icy surface is intricately carved by ongoing geological processes. Its icy shell overlies an internal, liquid ocean. There, chemically charged warm water...

Space Science Series

Asteroid sharing Earth’s orbit discovered – could it help future space missions?

Feb 04, 2022 02:24 am UTC| Science

Research has shown that the Earth trails an asteroid barely a kilometre across in its orbit about the Sun only the second such body to have ever been spotted. It goes round the Sun on average two months ahead of the...

Mars colony: how to make breathable air and fuel from brine – new research

Dec 01, 2020 09:06 am UTC| Science

NASA is planning to land a crew on the Moon by 2024, and then onward to Mars, possibly in the 2030s. One day, we will have permanently crewed bases on both worlds. Unlike the initial short-stay visits, long-term bases will...

How geological maps made the Apollo moon landings worthwhile

Jul 22, 2019 13:33 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science

I still remember a cartoon in a newspaper in July 1969, just before the first Apollo moon landing. It showed the ground crew reminding the astronauts as they boarded their rocket, Dont forget to bring back some rock! This...

China goes where no one has gone before – the moon's far side

Jan 04, 2019 16:05 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science

In a spectacular few days for solar system exploration during which NASA whizzed the New Horizons spacecraft past the Kuiper Belt object 2009 MU69 (somewhat controversially nicknamed Ultima Thule) and eased OSIRIS-REx...

Europe's set to blast off to Mercury – here's the rocket science

Oct 20, 2018 15:30 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science

The European Space Agency (ESA) will launch its BepiColombo mission to the planet Mercury from its spaceport near the equator in Kourou, French Guyana, on October 20. My involvement in the mission means that I will be...

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Economy

Gold Prices Rise as Oil Slump Eases Fed Rate Hike Fears

Gold prices climbed on Tuesday as a sharp decline in oil prices eased inflation concerns and reduced expectations for additional Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. A softer U.S. dollar and renewed hopes for diplomacy...

Oil Prices Rise as U.S.-Iran Talks Fuel Diplomacy Hopes

Oil prices moved higher in Asian trading on Tuesday, snapping a four-session losing streak as investors assessed the possibility of renewed U.S.-Iran talks during this weeks United Nations General Assembly in New York....

Vietnam, US Trade Deal Could Be Signed Soon, To Lam Says

Vietnam and the United States have made positive progress in negotiations toward a new trade agreement, with a deal potentially ready to be signed soon, Vietnamese leader To Lam said, according to a government statement...

Canada Unveils Bill to Fast-Track Major Resource Projects

Canada unveiled draft legislation on Monday aimed at accelerating approvals for major natural resource and infrastructure projects, as Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to strengthen economic growth and reduce the countrys...

Yen Weakens as Dollar Gains on Widening US-Japan Rate Gap

The Japanese yen remained under pressure against a firm U.S. dollar on Tuesday as traders focused on the widening interest rate gap between Japan and other major economies following a hawkish shift among global central...

Politics

Macron, Trump Discuss Ukraine-Russia Energy Strike Moratorium

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that he discussed potential measures with U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at securing a moratorium on energy-related attacks between Ukraine and Russia, as diplomatic efforts...

Burnham Eyes UK Leadership Role in AI Ahead of Trump Meeting

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will push for the UK to take a global leadership role in artificial intelligence on Tuesday as he makes his first major appearance on the international diplomatic stage at the United...

US Plans Two New Military Bases in Greenland Under Arctic Deal

The United States plans to expand its military presence in Greenland by reopening a Cold War-era base in the south and establishing operations at another site on the islands east coast, according to people familiar with a...

US, Denmark and Greenland Set to Sign Arctic Security Deal

Denmark, Greenland and the United States are set to sign a new Greenland security agreement on Tuesday that could expand the US military presence while placing broader Arctic security under NATO oversight. The signing is...

UK, Mauritius Seek Diego Garcia Base Deal

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to work with Mauritius and the United States to resolve the dispute surrounding the strategically important Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean. Burnham spoke with...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

US Northeast Airports Resume Operations After Telecom Outage Disrupts Thousands of Flights

US airport operations across the Northeast began returning to normal on Monday after crews repaired telecommunications problems that had disrupted air traffic and contributed to thousands of flight delays and cancellations...

OpenAI Urges US-Led Global Standards for Frontier AI

OpenAI is calling for the United States to lead an international effort to establish technical standards for advanced artificial intelligence, as concerns grow over increasingly capable AI systems and the prospect of...

Meta Partners With Shopify to Bring Shop Pay Checkout to Muse AI

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new partnership with Shopify aimed at bringing agentic shopping and checkout capabilities to Metas recently launched Muse artificial intelligence platform. Zuckerberg said...

SoftBank Launches $11 Billion Bond Sale to Fund OpenAI Investment

SoftBank Group Corp. has launched a major bond offering worth $10 billion and 1 billion to finance its latest investment in OpenAI, according to a term sheet released Monday. The Japanese technology investment group is...

Trump Plans Federal AI Force and AI Czar

U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he plans to create a federal AI Force and appoint an artificial intelligence czar, outlining an effort to accelerate U.S. AI development while using existing laws to address...
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