Megan B. Russell
Research Associate
Currently resides in CO
Targets of Interest: Mars, Venus
Disciplines/Techniques: Mapping, Planetary surface and shallow subsurface, Radar, Remote sensing, Tectonics, Volcanism
Missions: MRO
Mission Roles: Science Team Member, Operations Team Member, System Analyst
Instruments: SHARAD, VenSAR
I’m currently a Science Team Member and on the operations team for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Shallow Radar (SHARAD) experiment, and a System Analyst with the Colorado Shallow Radar Processing System (CO-SHARPS) team. My experience has involved delving into the world of volcanism on the planet Venus via geophysical investigations. I used observations collected from orbit during the Magellan mission (1990-1994) to help determine characteristics about the surface and subsurface, and tie this into the planet's evolution. I used radar surface images, radar altimetry and high-resolution elevation maps created from stereo radar photos. Unsolved questions include: Is Venus volcanically active today? Earth and Venus formed in the same solar system neighbourhood, but why did they end up so different? Is the surface composed of regular basaltic lava such as we see near Hawaii, or something more exotic. How can we use the morphology of volcanic features in images to test theories?
Narina Tholus, a volcanic dome, on the edge of Aramaiti Corona, on the planet Venus. Radar image acquired by NASA's Magellan mission, displayed by M. Russell in ArcGIS ArcMap.
