Stellar Scripps Alum Blasts Off to Space

Scripps alumna Megan McArthur is a mission specialist aboard Atlantis, the last shuttle to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. (Image courtesy of NASA)

Megan McArthur joins final shuttle mission to upgrade the Hubble Telescope

As a graduate student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, MeganMcArthur spent a lot of time underwater studying ocean acoustics. Now she is exploring another vast, largely unknown frontier— space.

McArthur, who received her Scripps Ph.D. degree in oceanography in2002, is an astronaut aboard Atlantis, the space shuttle that launched May 11 to visit the Hubble Space Telescope for the last time. Over 11 days and fivespacewalks, the seven-member crew is expected to make repairs andupgrades to the telescope, readying it for at least another fiveyears of groundbreaking research.

"I’m extremely excited for Megan, and proud to see her involved insuch a significant mission," said Scripps Oceanography Director TonyHaymet. "Amazing scientists graduate from Scripps, and Megan’sachievements are a testament to how far they can reach."

This is the first space flight for McArthur, 37, who wasselected as an astronaut by NASA in 2000 while she was still agraduate student at Scripps. Onboard the shuttle, she operatesrobotic arms used to stabilize and assist astronauts servicing theHubble during spacewalks, extremely challenging procedures akin tobrain surgery in orbit.

She took with her into space a rock from the ScrippsOceanographic Collections. Scripps scientists collected thetriangular, greenish rock from the Tonga Trench, home to thesecond-deepest point in the oceans and the deepest spot in theSouthern Hemisphere. Upon McArthur’s return, this out-of-this-worldrock will be displayed in a future exhibit about the deep ocean atBirch Aquarium at Scripps.

From the Ocean to Space

McArthur fell in love with the ocean while studying aerospaceengineering at UCLA after she was required to become SCUBA certifiedin order to participate in Human Powered Submarine Races with otherengineering students.

She combined her two passions – engineering and the ocean — duringgraduate studies at Scripps. McArthur conducted research innearshore underwater acoustics and participated in a range ofin-water instrument testing, deployment, maintenance, and recovery,and collection of marine plants, animals, and sediment.

While at Scripps, Megan participated in the National ScienceFoundation-sponsored "Girl Power" program that teaches young girlsthat math and science can be fun. She also volunteered as a diver atBirch Aquarium at Scripps and participated in educational dive showsfrom inside the aquarium’s 70,000-gallon exhibit tank of theCalifornia Kelp Forest.

To Infinity and Beyond

NASA’s space shuttle Atlantis was originally set to launch inOctober 2008, but was delayed after a Hubble computer thatcommunicates with the ground malfunctioned just 17 days before thelaunch date. However, as a result, mission managers were able totest a spare unit and teach astronauts how to install it, furtherextending Hubble’s life.

This final round of upgrades is expected to greatly extend the reachof Hubble, images from which have already shed light on many ofastronomy’s great mysteries. Launched in 1990, the telescope orbitsabove Earth’s atmosphere, providing a clear, unparalleled view ofthe universe.

During the mission, the Atlantis crew will install a new camera withultraviolet and infrared wavelengths that will allow the Hubble tocapture large-scale, extremely clear and detailed pictures in colorsthat span a wide range of wavelengths.

A new spectrograph will observe light emitted by extremely faint,far-away quasars and measure how that light changes as it passesthrough gas between galaxies. This data will help scientistsunderstand how galaxies are formed and how the chemical makeup ofthe universe has changed over time.

McArthur was understandably excited about the journey.

"I think it’s important to the human spirit," McArthur said aboutspace exploration in an interview on the NASA Website. "It’ssomething that we have always done, pushed beyond the boundaries ofwhat we know, what we can do, what we can build.

"We’re always pushing ourselves; we’re always looking to find outwhat’s out there and what we can learn. I think it’s a very naturalthing for humans to do and we just happen to be right on the edge ofthat."

—Jessica Z. Crawford

May 2009