ron
June 29th 09, 08:39 PM
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/news_room/details.php?id=125
MESSENGER Mission News
June 26, 2009
Three New Co-Investigators Added to MESSENGER Team
Brian Anderson, Louise Prockter, and Thomas Zurbuchen have been
appointed MESSENGER Co-Investigators by NASA Science Mission
Directorate
Associate Administrator Edward Weiler.
"Each of these individuals has served admirably as MESSENGER
Instrument
Scientists, and each has led an important aspect of the analysis and
interpretation of MESSENGER observations from the first two Mercury
flybys," notes MESSENGER Principal Investigator Sean Solomon.
As a MESSENGER Deputy Project Scientist, Anderson, of the Johns
Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), oversees the orbital
operations planning to ensure that observations from all of the
instruments are coordinated to meet the mission objectives. He
formerly
served as the Magnotometer Instrument Scientist. In his additional
role
as Co-Investigator, Anderson will provide scientific direction to the
operation of the Magnetometer instrument in orbit, including in-flight
calibration, data validation, science product generation, and
coordination with the operation of and data returned from other
instruments closely related to investigation of Mercury's magnetic
field. In addition, he will lead aspects of the science analysis of
data
from the Magnetometer and other instruments in understanding Mercury's
internal magnetic field and magnetosphere, particularly efforts to
identify and quantify the magnetospheric contributions to the
observations so as to recover the structure of Mercury's internal
magnetic field to the highest fidelity possible.
Prockter, also of APL, serves as the Instrument Scientist for the
Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS). In her new role as Co-
Investigator,
she will provide scientific direction to the operation of MDIS in
Mercury orbit, including instrument calibration, data validation,
science product generation, and coordination with the operation of and
data returned from other instruments related to observations of
Mercury's surface. In addition, she will lead aspects of the science
analysis of MDIS observations to improve our understanding of the
geological evolution of Mercury, particularly the study of impact
melting during the formation of large craters and basins on Mercury
and
the contribution of impact melts to smooth plains deposits.
Zurbuchen, of the University of Michigan, is the Instrument Scientist
for the Energetic Particle and Plasma Spectrometer. As a
Co-Investigator, he will provide scientific direction to the operation
of the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS) sensor in orbit,
including calibration, data validation, science product generation,
and
coordination with the operation of and data returned from other
instruments sensitive to the exosphere and magnetosphere. He will also
lead aspects of the science analysis of data from FIPS and other
instruments in understanding Mercury's charged particle environment,
particularly the analysis of the distribution of plasma ions in
Mercury's vicinity and the implications of their energies and
compositions for magnetosphere-solar wind interaction at Mercury.
"MESSENGER is one of the most important things I am working on and has
accompanied me and my team for over 10 years," Zurbuchen says. "We
look
forward to the next 10 years of science data and breakthroughs that
will
come from MESSENGER, and particularly from the Fast Imaging Plasma
Spectrometer."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MESSENGER Engineer Helps Manage Probe's Data
Like many young boys of his generation, MESSENGER Team Member *Ray
Espiritu* grew up wanting to fly through space and to design video
games. A lack of perfect vision and color blindness prevented him from
becoming an astronaut. So, armed with a B.S. in mechanical engineering
and a master's in astronautical engineering, he set to make his mark
as
a satellite missions operations engineer. To read about how Espiritu
and
his colleagues at Applied Coherent Technology (ACT), Inc., help
preserve
the science that fulfills objectives of the MESSENGER mission, click
here <http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/who_we_are/member_focus.html>.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and
Ranging) is a NASA-sponsored scientific investigation of the planet
Mercury and the first space mission designed to orbit the planet
closest
to the Sun. The MESSENGER spacecraft launched on August 3, 2004, and
after flybys of Earth, Venus, and Mercury will start a yearlong study
of
its target planet in March 2011. Dr. Sean C. Solomon, of the Carnegie
Institution of Washington, leads the mission as principal
investigator.
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory built and
operates the MESSENGER spacecraft and manages this Discovery -class
mission for NASA.
MESSENGER Mission News
June 26, 2009
Three New Co-Investigators Added to MESSENGER Team
Brian Anderson, Louise Prockter, and Thomas Zurbuchen have been
appointed MESSENGER Co-Investigators by NASA Science Mission
Directorate
Associate Administrator Edward Weiler.
"Each of these individuals has served admirably as MESSENGER
Instrument
Scientists, and each has led an important aspect of the analysis and
interpretation of MESSENGER observations from the first two Mercury
flybys," notes MESSENGER Principal Investigator Sean Solomon.
As a MESSENGER Deputy Project Scientist, Anderson, of the Johns
Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), oversees the orbital
operations planning to ensure that observations from all of the
instruments are coordinated to meet the mission objectives. He
formerly
served as the Magnotometer Instrument Scientist. In his additional
role
as Co-Investigator, Anderson will provide scientific direction to the
operation of the Magnetometer instrument in orbit, including in-flight
calibration, data validation, science product generation, and
coordination with the operation of and data returned from other
instruments closely related to investigation of Mercury's magnetic
field. In addition, he will lead aspects of the science analysis of
data
from the Magnetometer and other instruments in understanding Mercury's
internal magnetic field and magnetosphere, particularly efforts to
identify and quantify the magnetospheric contributions to the
observations so as to recover the structure of Mercury's internal
magnetic field to the highest fidelity possible.
Prockter, also of APL, serves as the Instrument Scientist for the
Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS). In her new role as Co-
Investigator,
she will provide scientific direction to the operation of MDIS in
Mercury orbit, including instrument calibration, data validation,
science product generation, and coordination with the operation of and
data returned from other instruments related to observations of
Mercury's surface. In addition, she will lead aspects of the science
analysis of MDIS observations to improve our understanding of the
geological evolution of Mercury, particularly the study of impact
melting during the formation of large craters and basins on Mercury
and
the contribution of impact melts to smooth plains deposits.
Zurbuchen, of the University of Michigan, is the Instrument Scientist
for the Energetic Particle and Plasma Spectrometer. As a
Co-Investigator, he will provide scientific direction to the operation
of the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS) sensor in orbit,
including calibration, data validation, science product generation,
and
coordination with the operation of and data returned from other
instruments sensitive to the exosphere and magnetosphere. He will also
lead aspects of the science analysis of data from FIPS and other
instruments in understanding Mercury's charged particle environment,
particularly the analysis of the distribution of plasma ions in
Mercury's vicinity and the implications of their energies and
compositions for magnetosphere-solar wind interaction at Mercury.
"MESSENGER is one of the most important things I am working on and has
accompanied me and my team for over 10 years," Zurbuchen says. "We
look
forward to the next 10 years of science data and breakthroughs that
will
come from MESSENGER, and particularly from the Fast Imaging Plasma
Spectrometer."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MESSENGER Engineer Helps Manage Probe's Data
Like many young boys of his generation, MESSENGER Team Member *Ray
Espiritu* grew up wanting to fly through space and to design video
games. A lack of perfect vision and color blindness prevented him from
becoming an astronaut. So, armed with a B.S. in mechanical engineering
and a master's in astronautical engineering, he set to make his mark
as
a satellite missions operations engineer. To read about how Espiritu
and
his colleagues at Applied Coherent Technology (ACT), Inc., help
preserve
the science that fulfills objectives of the MESSENGER mission, click
here <http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/who_we_are/member_focus.html>.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and
Ranging) is a NASA-sponsored scientific investigation of the planet
Mercury and the first space mission designed to orbit the planet
closest
to the Sun. The MESSENGER spacecraft launched on August 3, 2004, and
after flybys of Earth, Venus, and Mercury will start a yearlong study
of
its target planet in March 2011. Dr. Sean C. Solomon, of the Carnegie
Institution of Washington, leads the mission as principal
investigator.
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory built and
operates the MESSENGER spacecraft and manages this Discovery -class
mission for NASA.