Christine Knudson is a geologist with a background in geochemistry and volcanology working on site in the mineralogy and geochemical laboratories in the Planetary Environments Laboratory group at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She works primarily on tasks related to the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover and she is also involved in field work which in part supports Mars related analog studies.
Christine A Knudson
(RESEARCH ASSISTANT)
| Email: | christine.a.knudson@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.614.6585 |
| Org Code: | 699 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 699 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND AT COLLEGE PARK |
Brief Bio
Current Projects
Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity Rover
Mars
MOMA
Mars
Positions/Employment
Sr. Faculty Specialist
University of Maryland / CRESST - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland
February 2015 - Present
Teaching Assistant, Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences
Northern Illinois Univeristy - DeKalb, IL
August 2012 - May 2014
Education
- M.S. Geology, 2014, Northern Illinois Univeristy, DeKalb, IL
- Thesis: Magmatic water content of Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala, determined from a thermodynamic model for the plagioclase – liquid hygrometer
- Advisor: Dr. James Walker
- B.S. Geology and Environmental Geosciences, 2012, Northern Illinois Univeristy, DeKalb, IL
Selected Publications
Refereed
2024. "Environmental Changes Recorded in Sedimentary Rocks in the Clay-Sulfate Transition Region in Gale Crater, Mars: Results from the Sample Analysis at Mars-Evolved Gas Analysis Instrument onboard the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 129 e2024JE008587 [Full Text] [10.1029/2024JE008587] [Journal Article/Letter]
2024. "Variable and Large Losses of Diagnostic Biomarkers After Simulated Cosmic Radiation Exposure in Clay- and Carbonate-Rich Mars Analog Samples." Astrobiology [10.1089/ast.2023.0123] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Spectroscopic comparisons of two different terrestrial basaltic environments: Exploring the correlation between nitrogen compounds and biomolecular signatures." Icarus 402 115626 [10.1016/j.icarus.2023.115626] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "Life Underground: Investigating Microbial Communities and Their Biomarkers in Mars‐Analog Lava Tubes at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 127 (11): [10.1029/2022je007268] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "Diagnostic biosignature transformation under simulated martian radiation in organic-rich sedimentary rocks." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 9 [10.3389/fspas.2022.919828] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "Evolved gas analyses of sedimentary rocks from the Glen Torridon Clay-Bearing Unit, Gale crater, Mars: Results from the Mars Science Laboratory Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument Suite." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 127 (9): e2022JE007179 [10.1029/2022JE007179] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Pyrolysis of Oxalate, Acetate, and Perchlorate Mixtures and the Implications for Organic Salts on Mars." Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets 126 (4): e2020JE006803 [Full Text] [10.1029/2020JE006803] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Solubility of CO2 in Sodium Silicate Melts." ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 4 (11): 2113-2120 [10.1021/acsearthspacechem.0c00223] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Accuracies and detection limits of major, minor, and trace element quantification in rocks by portable laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy." Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy 171 [10.1016/j.sab.2020.105946] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Benzoic Acid as the Preferred Precursor for the Chlorobenzene Detected on Mars: Insights from the Unique Cumberland Analog Investigation." The Planetary Science Journal 1 (2): 41 [10.3847/psj/aba690] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Detection of reduced sulfur on Vera Rubin ridge by quadratic discriminant analysis of volatiles observed during evolved gas analysis." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 125 (8): e2019JE006304 [Full Text] [10.1029/2019JE006304] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Constraints on the Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Vera Rubin ridge, Gale Crater, Mars, from Mars Science Laboratory Sample Analysis at Mars Evolved Gas Analyses." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets [Full Text] [10.1029/2019JE006309] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Indigenous and exogenous organics and surface-atmosphere cycling inferred from carbon and oxygen isotopes at Gale crater." Nature Astronomy 4 526-532 [Full Text] [10.1038/s41550-019-0990-x] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Lipid Biomarkers in Ephemeral Acid Salt Lake Mudflat/Sandflat Sediments: Implications for Mars." Astrobiology 20 (2): 167-178 [10.1089/ast.2017.1812] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Recovery of Fatty Acids from Mineralogic Mars Analogs by TMAH Thermochemolysis for the Sample Analysis at Mars Wet Chemistry Experiment on the Curiosity Rover." Astrobiology 19 (4): 522-546 [Full Text] [10.1089/ast.2018.1819] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "The Incorporation of Field Portable Instrumentation Into Human Planetary Surface Exploration." Earth and Space Science 5 24 [10.1029/2018ea000378] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "Major Volatiles Evolved From Eolian Materials in Gale Crater." Geophysical Research Letters [Full Text] [10.1029/2018gl079059] [Journal Article/Letter]
2017. "Large sulfur isotope fractionations in Martian sediments at Gale crater." Nature Geoscience 10 658–662 [Full Text] [10.1038/ngeo3002] [Journal Article/Letter]
Non-Refereed
2020. "Building Safer and More Inclusive Field Experiences in Support of Planetary Science." 2023–2032 NAS Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey [Journal Article/Letter]
2017. "The Preservation and Detection of Organic Matter within Jarosite." AGU Fall Meeting [Full Text] [Proceedings]
Professional Societies
Geological Society of America
2012 - Present
Professional Service
NASA Goddard Association of Postdoctoral Scholars (NGAPS+) Subcommittee Member (2021-2024)
Awards
2017 NASA Group Achievement Award – MSL Extended Mission-1 Science and Operations Team
2024 NASA Special Act Group Award – As an Officer of the NASA Goddard Association of Postdoctoral and
Early Career Scientists (NGAPS+)
Other Professional Information
Conversations with Goddard: Christine Knudson Uses Earthly Experience to Study Martian Geology - https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/christine-knudson-uses-earthly-experience-to-study-martian-geology/
Selected Public Outreach
Women’s History Month: @NASAEarth Instagram, X, and Facebook
April 2024 - April 2024
Christine Knudson (699/CRESST/UMD) is one of the scientists featured in a social media post on @NASAEarth accounts (Instagram, X, and Facebook) for Women's History Month (#WHM). The post features examples of GIFT and RISE2 fieldwork. Sofie Bates (130/eMITS) and Jocelyn Argueta (JPL) are the @NASAEarth account leads, and Caela Barry (690/ADNET) helped to put the content together.
@NASAGoddard, NASA Experts Answer Instagram Post
September 2022 - September 2022
Christine Knudson (699/CRESST/UMD) was featured in a social media post on the @NASAGoddard Instagram account celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the Curiosity rover landing on Mars. Christine responded to questions from the public in the comments.
STEM Cafe
September 2021 - September 2021
USA Science & Engineering Fest
May 2018 - May 2018
Explore @ NASA Goddard Event
October 2015 - October 2015