Monthly Archives: December 2015

As we began a new unit and started to learn about outer space, we connected with Tanya Harrison who is a geologist and scientist that works in the field of outer space.  She is from Ontario. We were able to Skype her and ask her some questions about what we have learned. I enjoyed this experience and I found it very useful as a learning tool. 

My questions were:

What got you interested in this field of work?

Growing up, I watched a lot of Star Trek and I knew from a young age that I wanted to learn more about space. I always found Mars more interesting than stars.

Are there different types of rovers for different missions?

Tanya works in both fields of space and in the past her job was to take pictures of what was happening on Mars and often she was the first one to see them.

I learned several different interesting facts such as:

How many rovers are there?

There are 3 rovers, Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity.

The Opportunity rover has been working for 12 years, and the Spirit Rover stopped working due to the fact that it got stuck in the sand and was unable to recharge itself.

The Opportunity rover cost 400 million dollars

What fields are there in Space Exploration?

Space Exploration has two fields: Scientist and Engineer, but there are other jobs you can have and still be involved with space such as food, art or medicine.

I learned a lot of the different types of ways to be involved in the field of outer space, as well as some interesting facts about Tanya and the space program in general.