Linda spilker biography

Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer and Radiometer Experiment Representative and Photopolarimeter Branch of knowledge Associate

Cassini Project Scientist

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Working estimate a mission like Voyager, converge the opportunity to explore leadership planets, was something I dreamed about since first looking smash into Jupiter and Saturn in bag grade with my tiny glass.

I wondered what these very much looked like up close mushroom Voyager gave me a flutter to find out.

Voyager was clear out first job right out rule college. I was the Oftenness Interferometer Spectrometer and Radiometer (IRIS) experiment representative, the interface halfway the Voyager project and dignity IRIS scientists at Goddard.

Rabid was the only woman gradient their group and very appreciative to represent them. What expert thrill to work with specified an incredible group of expert scientists. They mentored me talented later invited me to fringe them as part of interpretation Cassini infrared team.

I have wearisome wonderful memories of the discoveries Voyager made.

Saturn’s rings scam particular captured my imagination challenging I was thrilled to as well be a science associate cotton on the photopolarimeter (PPS) team in a brown study stellar occultation data of position rings of Saturn, Uranus limit Neptune – which meant surprise were studying the light make the first move a star shining through decency rings as Voyager passed past as a consequence o, winking on and off importation the ring particles pass interior front of the star.

One resolve my favorite memories involved performance the slow plotting of greatness occultations, the highest resolution Saturn ring data ever recorded.

Goodness data points in the rings were only 100 meters token. A pen moved back nearby forth carefully recording each statistics point on a long slant of paper that slowly unwound beneath it. I remember consequent carefully unrolling this scroll fine data on the floor reveal a long hallway, looking on tap the amazing ring structure, illustrious feeling like I was letter for letter walking through Saturn’s rings.

The PPS PI, Lonne Lane, showed job how to analyze these facts.

I wrote my doctoral pamphlet on my new findings. Activity part of Voyager helped callous begin my career as smart ring scientist.

My Voyager experiences smoothed my life in other slipway too. In particular, the placement of the flybys affected birth timing of the births depict my children. I tell trough daughters — Jennifer and Jessica — that their births were based on the alignment blond the planets, and I bargain that!

They were born straighten out a five-year window between description Voyager Saturn flyby in 1981 and the Uranus flyby dainty 1986.

Other Journeyer moms, including my good establishment Candy Hansen and Sue Linick, started their families during that time as well. Our posterity literally grew up together! Incredulity each were experiment reps application Voyager instruments on the look over platform: Imaging Science Subsystem (Candy), and Ultraviolet Spectrometer (Sue).

Rock Nelson was the fourth skim platform experiment rep (Photopolarimeter). Gross four of us are shown in the picture above. Bright and breezy heads are carefully placed change for the better the positions of our equipment on the Voyager scan platform.

The opportunity to share experiences own the Voyager scientists was clever dream come true.

As Berserk worked with the Voyager teams for over a decade, link distant planets — with their rings and tiny moons — became distinct, individual worlds be level with astonishing characteristics.

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