Dr. Jeffrey M. Moore is a Research Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. His research has focused on a range of topics relating to the geologic evolution of planetary landscapes and crustal materials. He has published a number of papers on the geomorphology, stratigraphy, and sedimentology of, as well as explored the roles of impact cratering, volcanology, and tectonism on terrestrial planets and outer planet satellites. He has conducted extensive laboratory simulations of Martian geologic processes. He has over the past year conducted research on the implications of impact craters on Europa for a sub-surface ocean, and surface volatile migration and landform degradation on the icy Galilean Satellites as part of his 8-year-long ongoing participation with the Galileo SSI (imaging team) on that mission. Also he has recently investigated the evolution of the martian south polar deposits, and the nature of aqueous chemistry and lacustrine processes on Mars. He was a Participating Scientist on the MSP Mars '98 Polar Lander MVACS Team. Dr. Moore is Project Scientist of the Carl Sagan Center, to be located at Ames Research Center. He has recently been appointed Imaging Node Leader for NASA's New Horizons Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission. As Imaging Node Leader, he will help design cameras, help plan observation sequences, and analyze images after they are acquired.

Dr. Moore answers some questions for us:

The Pluto Portal: What advice would you give to someone interested in a career in space science?
Dr. Moore: If you really want to become a planetary scientist, you must study hard for a long time and be very persistent once out of school, and be willing to accept disappointments along with the discoveries.

The Pluto Portal: Do you think Pluto is a planet, if so why or why not?
Dr. Moore: Yes, I think Pluto is a planet. An object of its size in a circular orbit close to the sun would unquestionable be considered a planet. It is also the only solar system planet discovered by and American.less we wait till the 23rd century, that is).