Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Mon, Aug 10, 2026 01:09 PM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Monica Grady

Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, The Open University
Monica Mary Grady CBE (born 1958) is a leading British space scientist, primarily known for her work on meteorites. Since 2005, she has been Professor of Planetary and Space Science at the Open University, and is currently Head of the Department of Physical Sciences.

Prior to 2005, Grady was based at the Natural History Museum in London, where she curated the UK's national collection of meteorites. She graduated from the University of Durham in 1979, then went on to complete a Ph.D. on carbon in stony meteorites at Darwin College, Cambridge in 1982. Since then, she has built up an international reputation in meteoritics, publishing many papers on the carbon and nitrogen isotope geochemistry of primitive meteorites, on Martian meteorites, and on interstellar components of meteorites. She gave the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in 2003, on the subject "A Voyage in Space and Time". Asteroid (4731) was named Monicagrady in her honour.

Grady was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to space sciences. She is the first UK scientist to be President of the international Meteoritical Society.

Grady is the oldest of eight children; her youngest sister, Dr Ruth Grady, is a Senior Lecturer in microbiology at the University of Manchester. Grady's husband, Professor Ian Wright is also a meteoriticist.

Space Science Series

Six space missions to look forward to in 2024

Jan 04, 2024 04:40 am UTC| Science

Its going to be a bumper time for space missions in 2024 especially to the Moon, our nearest neighbour. And thats following on from an already epic 2023. Im a laboratory scientist, so I always like to have a proper...

Space Science Series

A Nasa spacecraft is on course to deliver material from an asteroid to Earth – here's what we could learn

Sep 23, 2023 00:49 am UTC| Science

Around 15 years ago, I was on a European Space Agency (Esa) committee, looking at Esas strategy for proposed forthcoming space missions. Under consideration was a mission to an asteroid. Over dinner, one of the committee...

Physicist who found spherical meteor fragments claims they may come from an alien spaceship – here's what to make of it

Jul 11, 2023 07:36 am UTC| Science

Avi Loeb, a physicist from Harvard University in the US, has recovered 50 tiny spherical iron fragments from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean that he claims may be material from an interstellar alien spaceship. Loeb is...

Mars 2020: the hunt for life on the red planet is about to get serious

Aug 01, 2020 14:54 pm UTC| Science

Next spring is going to be a busy time for Mars. In close succession, three spacecraft will arrive at the planet, joining the dozen or so craft already circling Mars. Two of the spacecraft were launched in the past couple...

How did the Earth get its water? Asteroid sample gives a surprising answer

May 02, 2019 16:45 pm UTC| Science

Water is essential for life on Earth and is one of our most precious natural resources. But considering how our planet formed, it is quite surprising how much water we still have. The Earth aggregated from a cloud of gas...

Curious Kids: how does gravity pull things down to Earth?

Aug 21, 2018 17:04 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science

This is an article from Curious Kids, a series for children of all ages. The Conversation is asking young people to send in questions theyd like an expert to answer. All questions are welcome: find details on how to enter...

Economy

European Stocks Flat as Oil Prices Rise, US CPI in Focus

European stocks were little changed on Monday, holding close to record highs as rising crude oil prices and continued uncertainty over Middle East shipping routes offset optimism following last weeks strong market rally....

S&P 500, Nasdaq Futures Rise as Iran Risks and CPI Loom

U.S. stock futures edged higher Monday as investors weighed escalating tensions surrounding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz while preparing for crucial U.S. inflation data later this week. SP 500 futures gained about 0.1%,...

Goldman Sachs Sees US Stock Buybacks Outpacing Equity Issuance as AI Funding Rises

Goldman Sachs expects corporate demand for U.S. equities to remain stronger than new share supply this year, despite a significant recovery in follow-on equity issuance driven partly by artificial intelligence investment....

South Korean Won Leads Asian FX Losses as Dollar Rises

The South Korean won led declines across Asian currencies on Monday as the U.S. dollar strengthened, while the Japanese yen retreated after giving up some of its intervention-driven gains. The U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.18%...

Oil Prices Rise as Hormuz Reopening Remains Uncertain

Oil prices climbed on Monday as uncertainty over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz continued to support the market, despite Iran and Oman moving closer to an agreement on new shipping routes through the strategic...

Politics

South Korea, US Set Major Military Drills for August

South Korea and the United States will hold their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) military drills from August 17 to 27, with this years exercises placing greater emphasis on countering drones, GPS interference and...

US ‘Digging In’ Across Indo-Pacific, Pentagon Official Says

The United States remains firmly committed to the Indo-Pacific and has no plans to withdraw from Asia, a senior Pentagon official said Monday, while urging regional allies to take greater responsibility for their own...

Myanmar Rejects ASEAN Special Envoy, Challenges Regional Peace Plan

Myanmars military-backed government has rejected the continued role of ASEANs special envoy, deepening tensions with the regional bloc as Thailand pushes for Myanmar to fully re-engage with Southeast Asian nations....

Houthi Attack on Yemen’s Mocha Port Kills Seven, Injures 30

Seven people were killed and 30 others wounded after Houthi forces launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on Yemens Red Sea port city of Mocha, according to the Yemeni military. In a statement issued early Monday,...

Germany Warns of Daily Hybrid Warfare Threats

Germany is facing foreign hybrid warfare operations on a daily basis, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has warned after authorities discovered an explosive-carrying drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Dobrindt said hostile...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Apple Tests China’s CXMT Memory Chips for iPhones and MacBooks Amid AI Supply Crunch

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is reportedly testing memory chips from Chinese semiconductor manufacturer CXMT Corp as the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure puts increasing pressure on global memory...

Sony, TSMC Eye $6.3 Billion Japan Chip Venture for Next-Gen Image Sensors

Sony Group and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) are reportedly preparing to invest about 1 trillion yen ($6.32 billion) in a new Japanese semiconductor venture focused on next-generation chips for image...

Nvidia Seen Beating Q2 Targets as Vera Rubin Cycle Begins

Nvidia (NVDA) could enter a multi-quarter growth cycle as shipments of its next-generation Vera Rubin AI chips begin, with BofA Global Research forecasting stronger-than-expected quarterly results and maintaining a bullish...

OpenAI Restricts Astra AI Over Cyberattack Risks

OpenAI has reportedly restricted parts of the development of its next-generation AI model, code-named Astra, after early evaluations indicated the system could potentially carry out sophisticated cyberattacks with limited...

Nvidia to Invest Up to $3 Billion in Blackstone-Backed Lancium

Nvidia is reportedly preparing to invest as much as $3 billion in Lancium, a Blackstone-backed power infrastructure developer involved in the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure initiative, as demand for...