Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Anthony J Martino

(AST, OPTICAL PHYSICS)

Anthony J Martino's Contact Card & Information.
Email: anthony.j.martino@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.614.6105
Org Code: 615
Address:
NASA/GSFC
Mail Code 615
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer:
NASA

Missions & Projects

Brief Bio


Dr. Anthony J. Martino earned his doctorate in Optics from the University of Rochester.  He is experienced in the fields of optics and electro-optics, with a particular emphasis on scientific instruments that use lasers and electro-optical devices. As an engineer and physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center since 1990, he led the Reference Interferometer subsystem team for the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer from design to delivery; was PI on several R&D projects related to optical detectors, interferometry, and remote sensing; and performed detailed radiometric and interferometric modeling of many instruments. He was pre-launch calibration lead for the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (launched January 2003);  designed metrology systems for SPIRIT and SPECS studies;  served as systems engineer for Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph Telescope Assembly and optics lead for LISA; and served as systems engineer for a laser communication experiment. He is currently Instrument Scientist for the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System, the instrument on the ICESat-2 mission.

Current Projects


ICESat-2/ATLAS

Deputy Project Scientist/Instrument for the Advanced Topograhic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) on the ICESat-2 mission.

Positions/Employment


Physicist

Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD

2012 - Present

Deputy Project Scientist/Instrument for the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System, the instrument on the ICESat-2 mission. Maintain the instrument performance model. Performs special-purpose analyses to determine acceptability of as-built instrument performance to meet science requirements. Works closely with the instrument and mission engineering teams to define pre-launch testing and post-launch commissioning activities. Guides development of data analysis methods to take maximum advantage of the instrument’s strengths and weaknesses.


Engineer

Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD

1990 - 2012

Led and contributed to numerous projects, including instrument and communication technology research and development, future science mission and instrument design, and development of scientific instruments for space flight missions. Highlights include:

ICESat-2/ATLAS (2007-2012)
As Instrument Systems Engineer, led the instrument engineering team from mission capture through a successful Mission Concept Review. Developed and characterized numerous candidate instrument configurations to meet variable proposed science requirements. Carried out link and performance calculations, maintained the master equipment list, and coordinated the efforts of other instrument engineers as they joined the team. Regularly represented ATLAS to GSFC management and NASA HQ. Worked closely with mission managers and systems engineers and the science team. As Instrument Architect, offloaded much of the budget and coordination work to the successor ISE while continuing to serve as the interface to science, lead the requirements definition effort, and develop a comprehensive instrument performance model from Instrument System Requirements Review through Instrument Preliminary Design Review and beyond. Worked with the science team, developed a set of design cases; negotiated the instrument architecture and measurement requirements with Science and Mission Systems. Developed the instrument performance model with an increasing level of realism in the instrument and the terrain as laboratory and field data became available to replace theoretical assumptions; used the model to produce periodic updates of the predicted instrument performance. Initiated planning for instrument calibration. Worked closely with science and instrument engineering teams to be able to represent the concerns of each to the other, and recommend compromise solutions to issues that arose. Performed many special-purpose analyses to answer questions on instrument performance, calibration, and characterization. Gave many oral presentations at reviews, Science Team meetings, and other venues describing the instrument architecture and predicted performance.

Optical Communication (1990-1992, 2006-2007)
In the early 90s, tested avalanche photodiode detectors and monitored external contracts for detector development and pulse-position-modulation transceivers. In 2006-2007, as Systems Engineer, led the engineering effort for a planned demonstration of ground-space-ground laser communication using two ground terminals at GSFC and retroreflectors on orbiting satellites. Calculated link budgets and carried out experiments in a laboratory testbed; coordinated the efforts of the rest of the engineering team.

LISA (2005-2006)
As Optics Lead for GSFC's contribution, led trade studies on telescope and aft optics design and laser frequency stabilization methods.

TPF-C (2005)
As Instrument Systems Engineer, led the engineering effort to design GSFC's planned contribution to the Terrestrial Planet Finder-Coronagraph, an 8-meter telescope. Worked closely with counterparts at JPL, who were responsible for the mission.

FAR IR Interferometry (1998-2007)
Served as a Co-I or electro-optical engineer on several design and laboratory studies of far-infrared stellar interferometers including SPECS, SPIRIT, WIIT, and FKSI. Developed mathematical models of electro-optical performance. Designed and implemented laboratory experiments in optical testbeds.

ICESat/GLAS (1999-2002)
As Calibration Lead, worked with the Instrument Scientist to develop the initial instrument pre-launch calibration plan. Defined parameters to be measured, determined tolerances, and developed the first draft of the equipment needed for calibration. Performed the zero-range calibration test. As Etalon Lead, took over near the end of the task, took delivery of the flight etalons, performed electro-optical testing of the etalon assembly (including etalon, coarse filter, and tuning detectors) and delivered the hardware to instrument I&T.

STEREO (2000-2001)
Contributed to the optical architecture and performed extensive modeling of the electro-optical performance of the COR-1 inner coronagraph. Worked closely with the science team to develop a sufficiently realistic model of the solar input to properly assess the instrument's performance.

Cassini/CIRS (1992-1997)
As Reference Interferometer Lead Engineer, led the design and implementation of the CIRS Reference Interferometer optics, electronics, and structures from breadboard through flight. Advocated and implemented a change from the Mariner/Voyager heritage neon lamp to a laser diode/LED combination light source, resulting in extended-duration performance of CIRS. Later, developed a model of the electro-optical behavior of the entire CIRS instrument that successfully explained unexpected behavior that was observed during I&T and ensured that the performance of the delivered instrument was optimized. Worked very closely with the instrument science team and several instrument subsystem teams.

Education


B.S., Physics, Xavier University, 1983
Ph.D., Optics, University of Rochester, 1990

Professional Societies


The Optical Society (OSA)

1984 - Present


SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

1984 - Present


American Geophysical Union

2018 - Present

Awards


NASA Medal for Exceptional Achievement, 1999
"In recognition of your vital contributions to the success of the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) presently enroute to Saturn."

Robert H. Goddard Award for Exceptional Achievement in Science, 2013
"In recognition of your accomplishments for the instrument architecture development of the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System."


Publications


Refereed

2019. "ICESat-2 mission overview and early performance." Sensors, Systems, and Next-Generation Satellites XXIII [10.1117/12.2534938] [Proceedings]

2019. "The Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite – 2 mission: A global geolocated photon product derived from the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System." Remote Sensing of Environment 233 111325 [10.1016/j.rse.2019.111325] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Characterizing the System Impulse Response Function From Photon-Counting LiDAR Data." IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 57 (9): 6542 - 6551 [10.1109/tgrs.2019.2907230] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2): Science requirements, concept, and implementation." Remote Sensing of Environment 190 260-273 [10.1016/j.rse.2016.12.029] [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "The Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT): optical system design considerations." UV/Optical/IR Space Telescopes: Innovative Technologies and Concepts III [10.1117/12.738562] [Proceedings]

2007. "The wide-field imaging interferometry testbed: enabling techniques for high angular resolution astronomy." UV/Optical/IR Space Telescopes: Innovative Technologies and Concepts III [10.1117/12.734437] [Proceedings]

2007. "The wide-field imaging interferometry testbed: enabling techniques for high angular resolution astronomy." UV/Optical/IR Space Telescopes: Innovative Technologies and Concepts III 6687 66870F [Full Text] [10.1117/12.734437] [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "The space infrared interferometric telescope (SPIRIT): High-resolution imaging and spectroscopy in the far-infrared." Advances in Space Research 40 (5): 689-703 [Full Text] [10.1016/j.asr.2007.05.081] [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "The Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT): mission study results." Space Telescopes and Instrumentation I: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter [10.1117/12.669820] [Proceedings]

2006. "Optical modeling of the wide-field imaging interferometry testbed." Advances in Stellar Interferometry [10.1117/12.672281] [Proceedings]

2006. "The wide-field imaging interferometry testbed: recent results." Advances in Stellar Interferometry [10.1117/12.672110] [Proceedings]

2006. "The wide-field imaging interferometry testbed: recent results." Advances in Stellar Interferometry 6268 100 [Full Text] [10.1117/12.672110] [Journal Article/Letter]

2004. "A SPECS update: engineering and technology requirements for a space-based far-IR imaging interferometer." New Frontiers in Stellar Interferometry [10.1117/12.552104] [Proceedings]

2004. "A SPECS update: engineering and technology requirements for a space-based far-IR imaging interferometer." New Frontiers in Stellar Interferometry, Proceedings of SPIE Volume 5491 Edited by Wesley A Traub Bellingham, WA: The International Society for Optical Engineering, 2004, p212 5491 212 [Full Text] [Journal Article/Letter]

2004. "The wide-field imaging interferometry testbed: I. progress, results and future plans." New Frontiers in Stellar Interferometry, Proceedings of SPIE Volume 5491 Edited by Wesley A Traub Bellingham, WA: The International Society for Optical Engineering, 2004, p920 5491 920 [Full Text] [Journal Article/Letter]

2004. "The wide-field imaging interferometry testbed: II. Characterization and calibration." New Frontiers in Stellar Interferometry, Proceedings of SPIE Volume 5491 Edited by Wesley A Traub Bellingham, WA: The International Society for Optical Engineering, 2004, p1790 5491 1790 [Full Text] [Journal Article/Letter]

2003. "Wide-field imaging interferometry testbed II: implementation, performance, and plans." Interferometry in Space [10.1117/12.460705] [Proceedings]

2003. "Wide-field imaging interferometry testbed 3: metrology subsystem." Interferometry in Space [10.1117/12.460948] [Proceedings]

2003. "Wide-field imaging interferometry testbed I: purpose, testbed design, data, and synthesis algorithms." Interferometry in Space 4852 255-267 [10.1117/12.460704] [Proceedings]

2001. "Wide-field Imaging Interferometry." American Astronomical Society, 198th AAS Meeting, #5118; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol 33, p861 198 861 [Full Text] [Journal Article/Letter]

2001. "The Wide Field Imaging Interferometry Testbed." American Astronomical Society, 198th AAS Meeting, #7603; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol 33, p901 198 901 [Full Text] [Journal Article/Letter]

Non-Refereed

2008. "Direct-detection free-space laser transceiver test-bed." Proceedings of the Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies XX SPIE.6877 687703 [10.1117/12.758654] [Proceedings]