National Academies Press: OpenBook

Forging the Future of Space Science: The Next 50 Years (2010)

Chapter: Christopher Rapley

« Previous: The Possibility of Life Elsewhere in the Universe--Christopher F. Chyba
Suggested Citation:"Christopher Rapley." National Research Council. 2010. Forging the Future of Space Science: The Next 50 Years. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12675.
×

CHRISTOPHER RAPLEY is director of the Science Museum London and professor of climate science at University College London, following a decade as director of the British Antarctic Survey and 4 years as executive director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. Prior to that, Dr. Rapley spent an extended period as professor of remote sensing science at University College London. He and a U.S. colleague were the driving force behind the International Polar Year 2007 to 2008. He is a fellow of St. Edmund’s College in Cambridge, a fellow of University College London, and an honorary professor at the University of East Anglia. His interests are in climate change and Earth-system science, as well as a more general interest in the organization, leadership, and communication of science. He was awarded the 2008 Edinburgh Science Medal for having made a significant contribution to the understanding and wellbeing of humanity.

Suggested Citation:"Christopher Rapley." National Research Council. 2010. Forging the Future of Space Science: The Next 50 Years. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12675.
×
Page 90
Next: Understanding the Poles of Earth, the Moon, and Mars--Christopher Rapley »
Forging the Future of Space Science: The Next 50 Years Get This Book
×
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

From September 2007 to June 2008 the Space Studies Board conducted an international public seminar series, with each monthly talk highlighting a different topic in space and Earth science. The principal lectures from the series are compiled in Forging the Future of Space Science. The topics of these events covered the full spectrum of space and Earth science research, from global climate change, to the cosmic origins of life, to the exploration of the Moon and Mars, to the scientific research required to support human spaceflight.

The prevailing messages throughout the seminar series as demonstrated by the lectures in this book are how much we have accomplished over the past 50 years, how profound are our discoveries, how much contributions from the space program affect our daily lives, and yet how much remains to be done. The age of discovery in space and Earth science is just beginning. Opportunities abound that will forever alter our destiny.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!