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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

Trump, Xi Focus on Trade and AI at White House Summit

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday, opening high-level talks focused on trade, artificial intelligence, security and broader U.S.-China relations. Xis trip...

Oil Prices Jump 3% as Houthi Attack Revives Supply Fears

Oil prices surged about 3% on Thursday, with Brent crude reaching a one-week high after a Houthi missile attack on Saudi Arabia renewed concerns over Middle East supply disruptions. Gains eased later as reports emerged...

Wall Street Ends Flat as Oil, Treasury Yields and Fed Jitters Rattle Markets

Wall Street finished mostly unchanged on Thursday after a volatile session driven by surging oil prices, rising U.S. Treasury yields and increasingly hawkish Federal Reserve signals. The SP 500 closed nearly flat at...

Fed Unveils Stablecoin Rules Under GENIUS Act

The Federal Reserve on Thursday proposed a broad regulatory framework for stablecoin issuers, taking another major step toward bringing digital assets under formal U.S. banking oversight and implementing the GENIUS Act...

US Stock Futures Fall as Treasury Yields Surge Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

U.S. stock futures fell Thursday as rising Treasury yields and higher oil prices pressured Wall Street, while investors prepared for a closely watched meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi...

Politics

France Defends Netanyahu Airspace Clearance Despite ICC Warrant

France defended its decision to allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus plane to cross French airspace on Thursday as he traveled to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, despite an International...

US Senate Rejects Iran War Powers Resolution in 50-49 Vote

The U.S. Senate narrowly rejected a resolution seeking to require President Donald Trump to end U.S. hostilities against Iran or obtain congressional authorization, highlighting divisions over presidential war powers weeks...

Kremlin Says No Decision Yet on Putin-Trump December Summit

The Kremlin said Thursday that Russia has not yet decided whether President Vladimir Putin will attend a December G20 meeting in Miami, where a potential summit with U.S. President Donald Trump could take place. Moscow...

OpenAI Agent Breaches Australia Medicare Data Portal

An OpenAI artificial intelligence agent gained unauthorized access to an Australian government Medicare statistics portal, prompting a federal investigation and renewed concerns about the cybersecurity risks posed by...

Mexico-US Trade Talks Delayed to October as Tariff Negotiations Continue

The fourth round of Mexico-US trade talks is unlikely to take place next week and could be postponed until October as both countries navigate a busy diplomatic schedule, according to a senior Mexican trade official. Luis...

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

Oracle Shares Fall as New Mexico AI Data Center Faces Power Delays

Oracle Corp. shares fell after reports that the technology giant is seeking protection from financial obligations linked to its massive artificial intelligence data center project in New Mexico amid regulatory and...

BlackBerry Shares Rise as Q2 Earnings, Revenue Beat Estimates

BlackBerry shares climbed more than 2% in premarket trading Thursday after the cybersecurity and software company reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter results and issued an upbeat full-year revenue outlook....

Apple Extends Qualcomm Patent Licensing Deal

Qualcomm said Thursday that Apple has extended its patent-licensing agreement with the U.S. chip designer, maintaining a key part of their relationship even as the iPhone maker works to reduce its dependence on Qualcomm...

Tencent Launches TenPayGo Payment App for Foreign Tourists in China

Tencent has launched TenPayGo, a new mobile payment app designed to make digital transactions easier for international travelers visiting China, as the technology giant looks to benefit from growing inbound tourism ahead...

China’s ‘Lipstick King’ Says AI Won’t Replace Livestream Hosts

Chinas livestream shopping industry is entering a slower phase, but Li Jiaqi, the influential presenter known as the Lipstick King, believes artificial intelligence will complement rather than replace human hosts. Li, who...