Are you involved in any upcoming space missions?
I am happily working on Dragonfly. The Dragonfly mission is scheduled to land a rotorcraft on Titan in 2034, within the Shangri-La organic sand sea and traverse (by flying!) to the Selk impact structure. The unique rotorcraft design of Dragonfly was conceptualized to study the unique features of Titan including the nitrogen- and methane-rich atmosphere, large dunes composed of organic sand, a bedrock of water-ice, and a liquid hydrocarbon cycle similar to the water cycle of Earth. Previous laboratory analyses indicate that the organic matter on Titan may form prebiotic compounds when mixed with liquid water. Characterizing such organic matter, including any potential prebiotic compounds, will be critical to accomplishing multiple Dragonfly mission science goals. The Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS), led at GSFC, will be the primary means of investigating the chemical composition of samples analyzed on the surface of Titan using both laser desorption mass spectrometry (LDMS) and pyrolysis/derivatization-gas chromatography mass spectrometry (pyr/der-GCMS) modes. I specifically work on the Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS) ion trap mass spectrometer (ITMS) team.
What is your research focus?
My current research drives towards understanding the laser desorption mass spectrometer (LDMS) data that will one day be returned from Titan. LDMS is an analytical technique that requires little-to-no sample preparation and is well-suited for the analysis of organic compounds. For LDMS analysis, we essentially shoot a laser at a crushed sample to produce ions (i.e., laser desorption/ionization) and directly measure any ions produced via mass spectrometry. DraMS-like LDMS is a specific type of analysis within a family of desorption/ionization “surface analysis” techniques including matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Similarly, the Mars Organic Molecular Analyzer (MOMA) is led out of GSFC and also has onboard LDMS capabilities. At GSFC, my research focuses on the LDMS analysis of organic and inorganic compounds relevant to other planetary bodies, including analogs of the complex organic matter on Titan for Dragonfly. Our lab group at GSFC currently has multiple types of Titan analogs that are produced by other lab groups using conditions made to replicate the atmosphere of Titan. These Earth-made Titan analogs are called tholins (on Titan they are simply complex CHN compounds). I have analyzed multiple types of tholins via the DraMS LDMS breadboard in a variety of conditions including mixed with prebiotic compounds and mixed with water-ice in cryogenic LDMS (cryoLDMS) experiments to replicate the signals that may be returned from Titan. Notably, cryoLDMS experiments are critical towards understanding the LDMS signal of Titan-relevant compounds and mixtures at temperatures relevant to Titan. Because the mass spectra produced from these experiments can be very complex, I typically use statistical analysis, including machine learning, for data processing and analysis. I was also able to travel to France to help produce and collect tholins (it does feel like you’re holding a part of Titan in your gloves). I then analyzed those and other tholin samples using multiple commercial LDMS systems and using DraMS-like pyrolysis/derivatization–Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (pyr/der-GCMS) with our colleagues in France. Pyr/der-GCMS analysis is a combination of several analytical techniques that will also be employed by DraMS that can be used to separate complex mixtures for detailed analysis on both chemical structure and any potential enantiomeric excess. From this work, we were able to produce DraMS-like LDMS and pyr/der-GCMS datasets of multiple Titan-like samples in order to compare what types of signals we may actually see from each technique when analyzing samples on Titan; the manuscript is currently in prep.
What skills are most useful to you in your work, and where did you develop those skills?
The ability to work quickly and adapt to results in a wide variety of laboratory settings is the most important skill in my work. While I cannot directly share mission-related results here, I’m (hopefully…) sure that most laboratory scientists can relate to planning the perfect experiment, refining the idea with your colleagues, diligently executing every step of the process, and producing results that are completely different from anything you’ve expected forcing you to reexamine how you see the world. It’s one of the reasons our work is so exciting! I also find it extremely useful to know how to repurpose laboratory equipment and push systems to their boundaries. We recently received a new commercial LDMS system, which included a multi-day training session from a company technician. As opposed to many labs that want to learn how to use the instruments “correctly,” we spent the entire training session learning to push the boundaries of the instrument. This required us to understand not just sample preparation and results, but how each electronic subcomponent of the instrument operates (and often the backdoors in the software for access). At the end of the training session, the technician explained to us that no other trainees have wanted to get so far down into the weeds, and it was one of the most fun sessions he's run in 20+ years. The desire to push the bounds of instruments and other physical equipment speaks to both my broad research goals as well as the wider goals of many at NASA: We do not just aim to push the bounds of knowledge, we aim to push the bounds of what’s knowable.
What research accomplishment are you most proud of?
To pick just one?!? Broadly, working as a postdoc on Dragonfly with the DraMS/ITMS/LDMS team is my proudest achievement. I have been following the work of this group since my PhD research, and I distinctly remember being present at AbSciCon when Dragonfly was selected. My first NPP application was actually to work on MOMA (also at GSFC, with many members shared between the DraMS and MOMA teams); however, my NPP application was submitted immediately before the Russia-Ukraine war began. For those who are not familiar, MOMA is scheduled to be onboard the ExoMars rover, a joint European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA effort, which was scheduled to launch on a Russian vehicle. The Russian-Ukraine war therefore led to an undefined, long-term mission delay. The MOMA delay drove me to adapt my LDMS/ machine learning research for Dragonfly and then reapply to the NPP position, an application that was accepted. To now be able to be involved in a world-changing effort such as Dragonfly with the science team I’ve been following since my PhD is a dream come true.
What is one thing you wish the public understood about your field of work?
I wish the general public realized how nerve-racking, humbling, and sometimes lonely it is to be on the edge of what is known. Working at a place like NASA, we are all constantly pursuing answers to questions that have not been asked. Keeping your head down while trying to complete months of laboratory analyses that may or may not have optimal results while your assumptions are continually proven wrong can be terrifying and very humbling. Still, our curiosity always pushes us forward even when it’s uncomfortable. One of the greatest things about being here at NASA is that there are so many other people in similar situations that can advise (and commiserate) with you.
What are your future research interests and goals?
I plan on analyzing Titan-relevant samples and expanding the types of samples that I analyze to include other planetary bodies. Though it’s not “research,” I am also lucky enough to take on additional roles on Dragonfly as the mission progresses towards launch. Most recently, I was selected to help lead the storage and handling of the Dragonfly LDMS and pyr/der-GCMS sample cups when they arrive at GSFC. The sample cups will hold samples for in situ analysis on Titan, so they will be one of the most sample-intimate components of the lander. Loading samples for scientific investigations in a separate subset of cups and ensuring that the flight cups remain clean until they are integrated with the lander are my main tasks. It’s hard and extremely complicated work, but also very exciting!
What do you like to do in your free time?
Who has free time? My favorite thing to do is to read to my 20-month-old son, Oscar (Goodnight Lab is a classic in our house). I also love to run, especially long-distance runs on the weekends. I even completed the Space Coast Marathon in Cape Canaveral in December. I love the outdoors and going on hikes, with Shenandoah area trails being my current go-to. I have also played and written music my entire life. I’ve been in rock bands since grade school, and I still play guitar and piano incessantly. I also play bass and sing, but I am notably not a drummer (just ask my friends).
Published Date: .
Hometown:
Belleville, IL and Chicago, IL.
Undergraduate Degree:
B.S. Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL
Post-graduate Degrees:
M.S. Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, ILPh.D. Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL