Burning like a falling star: A conversation with Patrick Shober, Ph.D., NASA Postdoctoral Fellow

Patrick Shober, Ph.D., NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, uses Doppler weather radar to detect and characterize meteorite falls in North America. Getting more information about meteorite falls increases the ability to collect these rocks that may have come from the moon or Mars or elsewhere. The goal of Shober’s fellowship is to improve the ability to track and locate meteorite falls, potentially automate the process, and improve the amount of information that can be extracted from Doppler weather radar. Shober is nearing the end of his fellowship. His immediate plans include a trip to Antarctica to search for meteorites, and in 2027 will go to work for the NEO Surveyor, a NASA space-based infrared telescope designed to detect and track potentially hazardous asteroids and comets near Earth.