Love at first sight
Melissa Battler was just 15 years old when she first glimpsed another world.
She was on a family vacation in Prince Edward Island and was peering through her cousin's tiny telescope, which was perched on the hood of their car.
"We got to see the shadows on Jupiter of its four largest moons - that kind of blew my mind," says the now 27-year-old University of New Brunswick master's degree graduate and aspiring astronaut.
Battler looks back on that experience as a starting point for her love for space exploration, which she's combined with her passion for planetary geology.
After completing her honours Bachelor of Science in Earth Sciences degree at the University of Waterloo in 2004, Battler chose to pursue her Master's degree in Planetary Geology at UNB's Planetary and Space Science Centre, one of Canada's leading space research institutes.
Battler says she was drawn in part to the centre because of the opportunity to work with its director, renowned UNB scientist Dr. John Spray, the Canada Research Chair in Planetary Materials.
Visiting Mars on Earth
Battler's passion for planetary exploration and for Mars has taken her to some of the most remote and barren places on Earth. She's participated in five Mars Society of Canada training and research missions at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah and led the first-ever four-month expedition to the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station on Devon Island, in Canada's far north.
"I was isolated on Devon Island...with a crew of seven people, scientists and engineers," she says.
The research project was organized by the Mars Society and supported by NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and several private firms. During her time in Utah and on Devon Island, Battler experienced simulated life on Mars, including living in a simulated habitat, eating freeze-dried foods and wearing spacesuits while conducting research work outside.
"It was intense."
Battler says she still hopes to become an astronaut. But if her dream of going to space doesn't pan out, she'd be almost as happy helping prepare other astronauts and continuing her research.
Pursuing her passion at UNB
Battler finished her master's degree at UNB this fall and is now completing her PhD at the University of Western Ontario. She looks back at her time at UNB fondly.
"I love UNB and I love the community-feel of Fredericton. The geology department at UNB is really great,"she says.
One of UNB's greatest strengths is its size, she adds. "It's small enough that you can get to know a lot of people and you can really find your place there a lot more quickly than a larger university where you are just a number."
