Wishing upon a Star

Sternian, Michael Clark, may help mankind to build on the Moon.

 

The claim is a bold one and generates a humble laugh from this former School House student, but he struggles to deny it.

 

“I guess I will contribute in a very small way,” he admits. “I always think of it like a domino effect. You’re a very, very small domino, but eventually there’ll be a much bigger one further down the line. Regardless, you still have to have the small domino in there.”

 

Michael is no small domino. He has just returned from a three-month internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. There, he has been working on a project, focusing on a seismic experiment carried out on the Moon by the Apollo 14 astronauts in 1971. During the experiment, the astronauts generated three artificial moonquakes to measure the vibrations caused.

 

“By studying how quickly the vibrations arrived and how they changed as they travelled, scientists could learn about the material hidden beneath the Moon’s surface,” Michael explains. “More than 50 years later, I’ve been working directly with these real recordings that were collected during the Apollo 14 mission and using modern computer simulations to recreate the experiment.”

 

The findings from this kind of research will prepare for future Moon missions and could contribute to something extremely significant in the years to come.

 

“We’re trying to give NASA a better understanding of the structure of the Moon,” Michael continues. “If you want to build a base on the Moon, which is NASA’s plan, you want to know what the structure really looks like. What are they drilling into to lay foundations? Are the buildings going to be safe? So, yes, this research may contribute in a small way to building on the Moon. Maybe someone will use the results we’ll publish from our research and take it even further. It’s a slow process, but it’s an exciting one.”

     

“I did GCSE Astronomy on a Saturday morning with Dr Haydock and I still use what I learned from that class. I truly believe that having studied it made a difference. These are all small stories from my time at LWC that helped me along the way. ”

-Sternian, Michael Clark

   

Michael joined LWC in 3^rd Form and left the College after Sixth Form, with 3 A-levels in Maths, Physics and Chemistry, along with an Extended Project Qualification. He went on to study for a Master of Science Degree in Earth and Planetary Science at Imperial College, London, before embarking upon a PhD in Global Seismology at Cambridge University. He is now beginning his second year of four at Cambridge, following his Californian adventure.

   

“This journey started at LWC for me,” he admits. “That was where I really fell in love with science. I remember doing my 3^rd Form project on stars and that was the beginning. I researched and presented my project and really enjoyed it. Things are just the same now; I’m carrying out research and telling a story through a paper. You can use the word NASA and space, and it all sounds complicated, but it really has the same origins as the 3^rd Form project.”

 

As if it wasn’t already evident, Michael looks back on his time at LWC fondly for making the impossible always seem possible.

 

“I was never told that I couldn’t do something in the future,” he reveals. “I still remember teachers like Mr Lumsden and Mrs Loud. I also did GCSE Astronomy on a Saturday morning with Dr Haydock and I still use what I learned from that class. I truly believe that having studied it made a difference. These are all small stories from my time at LWC that helped me along the way. It’s like the domino effect again.”

 

Despite embodying the LWC mindset of being inwardly confident and outwardly modest, even Michael admits that securing three months as a visiting researcher at arguably the world’s leading space exploration agency is a pretty big deal. Positions are primarily made available to US citizens and are fiercely contested.

 

“It’s been a childhood dream for me,” he admits. “It didn’t feel real until I got there and I went on a public tour of NASA with my mum! I still don’t think I’ve fully processed it!”

 

Michael has been based at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, one of ten NASA sites across the United States. “JPL focuses on robotic missions, like the rovers on Mars,” he explains. “It sits at the base of the mountains in Southern California, in the 40-degree heat. Over 4,000 people work there. It has its own fire brigade, police force and has a footprint bigger than Disneyland. It’s still not as big as LWC’s 1200 acres, though!”

 

Now back in the UK and ready to resume his PhD in Global Seismology, Michael explains there are similarities between his summer’s work and his ongoing doctorate.

 

“Whether studying earthquakes, as I do in my PhD, or moonquakes with NASA, they’re both just wiggles on a screen,” Michael smiles. “They’re both vibrations which you can process and analyse in the same way. I was using the same specialist simulation software at NASA as I use for earthquakes. There’s been a lot to learn and there are nuances, but it’s basically the same thing.”

 

And when it comes to the future (and bearing in mind the impossible is always possible) Michael hasn’t ruled out a return to the States.

 

“Going back to NASA would be great,” he admits. “I’d like to reapply in three years in the hope that there’s a project available. Equally, I may continue in research at another university. I just want to continue to do a job that I really enjoy and which feels like I’m making an impact.”

 

From North East Hampshire to NASA – proof that determination can broaden your horizons way beyond the Earth itself.