QUESTION:
For Mike Mellon: What are some of the main conflicts you face with 
your job as a planetary scientist? 

ANSWER from Mike Mellon on November 24, 1996:
Hmmmm. Conflicts, that's a tough one. I really like my job. I get to 
make discoveries about things that no one else has even thought 
about before. I get to play with fancy toys (equipment) in the 
laboratory or large expensive computers in my office. I get to travel 
to interesting places and meet new people. The conflict occurs when 
something prevents me from doing these fun things.

The largest conflict I've encountered has been when a spacecraft is
lost and we, the scientists, are unable to get the data we needed. 
This happened to me this fall. I was involved with the Russian Mars 
mission which crashed in the Pacific Ocean. When this happens the 
scientists have to stop the work they have been laboring on 
(sometimes for years) and move on to something new. Unfortunately 
space exploration is an extremely risky business and not every 
spacecraft we send will succeed. Fortunately, many do succeed and 
we continue to learn new things about the planets and our Earth.

On a more day-to-day basis, small problems can occur that bring
work to a temporary stop. For example, this week, I ran into a
problem in the lab when a pump I was using in my experiment broke. 
After several phone calls to the manufacturer they finally agreed
to send me a replacement. In the process I've wasted a couple of
days on the problem and my experimental work has stopped for a 
week. In the meantime I have other interesting projects to work on.

Mike Mellon