John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
Anton Ermakov, a planetary scientist, has been involved in significant discoveries from NASA's Juno mission, which were announced at the American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting. These findings, also published in Nature, focus on Io, one of Jupiter's moons. The research enhances understanding of Jupiter’s moons and their potential habitability.
Ermakov expressed his long-standing interest in space: “I’ve loved space since before I remember myself.” He is currently working as a participating scientist on the Juno mission, which is examining Jupiter and its moons during its extended phase. This includes flybys of Ganymede, Europa, and Io.
Recent results presented by Ermakov reveal that Io does not have a shallow magma ocean beneath its surface. “Juno’s data support the notion that Io is in the ‘heat pipe’ regime,” he explained. This finding challenges previous assumptions about Io’s interior structure and has implications for understanding other Jovian satellites.
Ermakov’s career began with an interest in observational astronomy during his childhood in Moscow. His academic journey led him to study space geodesy in Russia and later pursue a PhD in planetary sciences at MIT. He previously worked with NASA's Dawn mission.
His passion for his work stems from personal curiosity: “There is a great satisfaction in getting to somewhere that was completely unknown before.” Ermakov emphasizes the importance of precise measurements from space missions to understand planetary processes.
In addition to his role as an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford University, Ermakov holds courtesy appointments in geophysics and Earth and planetary sciences at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
Alerts Sign-up