Megan Russell

I’m currently a Science Team Member and on the operations team for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Shallow Radar (SHARAD) experiment, and a System Analyst with the Colorado Shallow Radar Processing System (CO-SHARPS) team.

My experience has mainly involved delving into the world of volcanism on the planet Venus via geophysical investigations. I used observations collected from orbit during the Magellan mission (1990-1994) to help determine characteristics about the surface and subsurface, and tie this into the planet's evolution. To accomplish this, I used radar surface images, radar altimetry and high-resolution elevation maps created from stereo radar photos. Unsolved questions include: Is Venus volcanically active today? Earth and Venus formed in the same solar system neighbourhood, but why did they end up so different? Is the surface composed of regular basaltic lava such as we see near Hawaii, or is it something more exotic ... how can we use the morphology of volcanic features in images to test theories?

I’m also interested in public outreach opportunities.