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Monica Grady

Monica Mary Grady CBE (born 1958) is a leading British space scientist, primarily known for her work on meteorites. Since 2005, she has been Professor of Planetary and Space Science at the Open University, and is currently Head of the Department of Physical Sciences.

Prior to 2005, Grady was based at the Natural History Museum in London, where she curated the UK's national collection of meteorites. She graduated from the University of Durham in 1979, then went on to complete a Ph.D. on carbon in stony meteorites at Darwin College, Cambridge in 1982. Since then, she has built up an international reputation in meteoritics, publishing many papers on the carbon and nitrogen isotope geochemistry of primitive meteorites, on Martian meteorites, and on interstellar components of meteorites. She gave the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in 2003, on the subject "A Voyage in Space and Time". Asteroid (4731) was named Monicagrady in her honour.

Grady was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to space sciences. She is the first UK scientist to be President of the international Meteoritical Society.

Grady is the oldest of eight children; her youngest sister, Dr Ruth Grady, is a Senior Lecturer in microbiology at the University of Manchester. Grady's husband, Professor Ian Wright is also a meteoriticist.

Space Science Series

Private companies are launching a new space race – here's what to expect

Oct 08, 2017 10:59 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

The space race between the USA and Russia started with a beep from the Sputnik satellite exactly 60 years ago (October 4, 1957) and ended with a handshake in space just 18 years later. The handshake was the start of many...

Space Science Series

Organic molecules found on giant asteroid Ceres – why that's a such a huge deal

Feb 17, 2017 01:59 am UTC| Science

Sometimes, I think scientists are just that little bit too modest. A new paper in Science has a humdinger of a title: Localized aliphatic organic material on the surface of Ceres. It doesnt exactly trip off the tongue and...

What missing lander means for Europe’s quest to find life on Mars

Oct 20, 2016 11:42 am UTC| Science

Researchers at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, had another of those nervous days waiting to hear first from a probe designed to land on Mars surface, and then from the probes orbiting mother...

Crashing space station shows why China must start to collaborate in orbit

Sep 27, 2016 18:19 pm UTC| Science

China launched the second vehicle in its Tiangong (meaning Heavenly palace) programme to construct a space station in early September. Despite the success of the launch, the announcement was overshadowed by the...

Ceres asteroid may have an 'ice volcano' and other signs of water, NASA mission reveals

Sep 03, 2016 10:47 am UTC| Science

The arrival of NASAs Dawn mission at the huge asteroid 1 Ceres in early 2015 has turned out to have been well worth waiting for. This dwarf planet is the largest body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and was...

Solar storms could solve longstanding paradox of how life on Earth arose

May 23, 2016 16:27 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science

It was only a matter of 700m years or so after Earth formed and its surface cooled and solidified that life began to flourish on Earth. All studies suggest that life requires water and we know from rocks on Earth that the...

Why sailing to the stars has suddenly become a realistic goal

Apr 14, 2016 02:14 am UTC| Science

It takes a bold person to declare that interstellar travel is now within our grasp. Physicist Stephen Hawking has shown that he is just that, taking part in the Breakthrough Starshot initiative. The project has announced a...

Economy

Fed Rate Hike Threatens Housing as U.S. Growth Leans on AI, Citi Says

The Federal Reserves latest interest rate hike could deepen the U.S. housing downturn while making economic growth increasingly reliant on artificial intelligence investment, according to Citi Research. The Fed raised its...

Strait of Hormuz Oil Shipments Hit Six-Month High as U.S. Clears Mines

Oil and liquefied natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have climbed to a six-month high over the past two weeks, as U.S.-led naval escorts and mine-clearing operations improve access to the critical energy...

Bessent, He Lifeng to Discuss AI Security and Trade in New York

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York on Sunday for talks covering artificial intelligence security, trade and other major economic issues, according to a person...

Canada Eyes India Trade Deal by Year-End

Canada is increasingly optimistic that it can finalize a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) with India before the end of the year, with energy, nuclear power and critical minerals emerging as major areas...

Mexico Pushes for US Trade Deal Before Midterms

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday that her government is working to secure a trade agreement with the United States as quickly as possible, following what she described as a productive conversation with U.S....

Politics

Germany’s Carsten Breuer Elected Next NATO Military Committee Chair

German General Carsten Breuer has been elected as the next chair of the NATO Military Committee, putting Germanys chief of defence in line to become the alliances most senior military officer. Chiefs of defence from NATOs...

Turkey Ready to Aid Saudi Arabia Under Defence Pact as Houthi Attacks Escalate

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday that Ankara is prepared to help Saudi Arabia meet potential military needs as Houthi attacks intensify, citing a trilateral defence agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia...

US, Denmark and Greenland Reach Deal to Expand American Military Presence

The United States, Denmark and Greenland have reached an agreement allowing Washington to expand its military presence in Greenland while restricting US adversaries from establishing bases or making sensitive investments...

Israeli Strikes Across Gaza Leave at Least Three Dead

Israeli airstrikes killed at least three Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to Palestinian health officials, as violence continued despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. One Israeli strike near the...

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...

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

SpaceX Nasdaq 100 Weight to More Than Double in Rebalance

SpaceX is set to gain significantly more influence in the Nasdaq 100 Index when the benchmark completes its quarterly rebalance on Monday, with the companys weighting expected to more than double. According to Bloomberg,...

Westinghouse Targets $50 Billion Valuation in U.S. IPO

Westinghouse Electric Co. is seeking a valuation of more than $50 billion for its planned U.S. initial public offering, as the nuclear technology company moves closer to a public market debut amid growing interest in...

NASA, Boeing Discuss Expanding Starliner Missions

NASA is holding discussions with Boeing about expanding the use of its Starliner spacecraft for future missions, potentially giving the troubled vehicle a larger role in U.S. human spaceflight plans. The space agency and...

Apple Pay Set for India Launch With Axis Bank

Apple is preparing to launch Apple Pay in India next month, initially partnering with Axis Bank to support the lenders credit cards, according to three people familiar with the plans. The rollout would bring Apples digital...

Hyundai CEO Warns Chinese Automakers Could Disrupt US Market

Hyundai Motor CEO Jose Munoz warned that Chinese automakers could eventually reshape the US auto market as they have in Europe unless Washington maintains tariffs and other market-access protections. Speaking in San Jose,...