First of all, she's an optimist, in a time of great pessimism. "It's another one of those things that make you pinch yourself," she says, about latest images Cassini has sent back, "and say, 'Boy am I lucky to be around now.' For the first time in 400 years, we're seeing Saturn's rings in three dimensions."

She analyzed data from the two Voyager missions that explored the outer planets from Jupiter to Neptune in 1970s and 80s. Her current job on the $3.4 billion Cassini mission is basically like being Captain Kirk. "Being on the imaging team is like standing on the bridge of the spaceship, she said. 'We have the windows,' she said. 'That's what we're responsible for.'"

Her favorite movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey. Her favorite band: The Beatles. (Her favorite Beatle: John.) The names of two of her own former bands, wherein she used to sing and play guitar: The Titan Equatorial Band; The Estrogens.

Another awesome thing she says: "Most people go through life recoiling from its best parts. They miss the enrichment that just a basic knowledge of the physical world can bring to the most ordinary experiences. It's like there's a pulsating, hidden world, governed by ancient laws and principles, underlying everything around us – from the movements of electrical charges to the motions of the planets – and most people are completely unaware of it. To me, that's a shame."

And another: "Between my participation in Voyager and my role in Cassini," she said, "when comes the time, I will die a happy and gratified woman."

Jesus Christ! She's not even just like a super cool person. She's even better than that. She's like a cyborg programmed for a better way. She's like Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner!

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