Candice Hansen

Pasadena, Calif. Born and raised.

Ever since I was a pre-teen, I loved reading science fiction. I still do.

When I attended California State University Fullerton, my favorite professor was involved with the Apollo program. She encouraged me to go to the University of Arizona in Tucson for graduate school. My advisor was Brad Smith, the leader of the Voyager Imaging team. I talked him into sending me to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to work for the summer, and I've been here ever since.

My dad inspired me.

A planetary scientist is a person who studies the planets in our solar system. I analyze data from the Cassini mission at Saturn to learn more about Saturn's moons. I also analyze images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to learn more about the seasonal polar caps on Mars.

Seeing Jupiter's ring for the first time in a Voyager image. Learning that Triton has geysers. Seeing Enceladus' plume in our ultraviolet data. Pondering the mysteries of the polar regions of Mars and marveling at how unearthly they are.

Be prepared to work very, very hard.

I like to hike, swim, ride my motorcycle, and watch movies and eat popcorn.

Study lots of math. Math is the language of science.

Planetary science is a global profession.

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