Skip to main content

'Dinosaurs led me to the moon'

ASU postdoctoral researcher turned interest in dinosaurs into a passion for outer space


Craig Hardgrove
February 21, 2016

Craig Hardgrove was fascinated with dinosaurs. When he found out they were killed off by an asteroid, he became fascinated with space. Now he’s head of a NASA satellite project to explore water-ice deposits on moon. “If you’re interested in something, you never really know where it’s going to lead you,” Craig says.

Luna-H Map

An image of the LunaH-Map Orbiter

Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper

It has been six years since deposits of water were found on the moon. Now the question isn’t “Is there,” but “How much” and “Where.” The LunaH-Map orbiter will train two neutron spectrometers on the moon’s south pole region to confirm and map water deposits in the always-dark craters there. The results will become part of NASA’s strategy for sending humans farther into the solar system.

Craig's favorite dinosaur

An image of the triceratops dinosaur

triceratops [trahy-ser-uh-tops]

Triceratops exceeded the largest rhinoceroses in bulk, equalling a fairly large elephant, but with much shorter legs.

Explore your interests, options, future

me3 is an interactive game that leads college-bound students to new, even unexpected paths like Craig’s. They explore career interests, relate them to college majors, and design a high school experience around them. Explore more

Download the Learn to Thrive app in the App Store or Google Play Store for more interactive features.

An icon reading "Download on the App Store"   An icon to download the app on Google Play

More Science and technology

 

Stock photo of woman with head in hands and stress drawings displayed around her

The science behind chronic stress

Stress comes in many shapes and sizes. There’s the everyday stress of preparing for a final exam or being stuck in traffic. And the more significant stress of losing a friend, family member,…

Portrait of Meenakshi Wadhwa

ASU planetary scientist to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences

The National Academy of Sciences is inducting School of Earth and Space Exploration Director Meenakshi Wadhwa into the 2023 class of new members for her pioneering work in planetary sciences and…

Adam Cox speaks to an unseen audience, sitting next to another person in a suit

Unlocking the potential of AI for homeland security

“Can we do what we're doing now cheaper, more efficiently, more effectively?” Adam Cox, director in the Office of Strategy and Policy at the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology…