Alain Salma Joseph Khayat

Research Expertise:

• Human exploration of Mars
• Remote sensing of the atmosphere of Mars
• Developing radiative transfer techniques in planetary atmospheres
• UV, infrared and submillimeter spectroscopy
• Instrument development: Infrared Spectrometers
• Space mission operations
• Spacecraft/Rover operations - Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover.

Dr. Alain Khayat is an American Mars atmospheric scientist focusing on the remote sensing of the Martian atmosphere using spectral and imaging data from spaceflight missions. His research career is ultimately focused on formulating a strategy for the future human exploration of Mars, paving the way for American astronauts to land and safely operate on the red planet. He is a research astrophysicist in planetary studies at the Planetary Systems Laboratory (PSL), working as a NASA civil servant. He is currently a committee member on the National Academies 'A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars will identify high priority science objectives to be addressed by human explorers across multiple science campaigns on the surface of Mars'. He conducts peer-reviewed, NASA grant-supported research of the atmosphere of Mars to collect and analyze spectral and imaging data from a multitude of spaceflight missions, including, but not limited to, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), the Perseverance rover and the HOPE mission’s Emirates Mars Infrared Spectrometer (EMIRS). His research primarily focuses on developing and applying multi-wavelength (submillimeter to UV) atmospheric radiative transfer models to interpret spectroscopic and imaging data from orbiting spacecrafts, rovers and Earth-based observatories to provide insights into understanding the composition and surface interactions, structure and evolution of the Martian atmosphere and its climate. Dr. Khayat takes advantage of a multitude of instruments for planetary exploration including spectrometers like hyperspectral imagers, echelle spectrometers and heterodyne receivers. Throughout his presence at the PSL and with the combination of mission work and proposal-supported research projects, he was able to win NASA awards such as the NASA ROSES Mars Data Analysis Program (MDAP), the Planetary Data Archiving, Restoration, and Tools (PDART), and the FLaRe Internal Scientist Funding Model at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

Some of his research highlights include the first detection of a high-altitude ozone layer on Mars over the north polar region using solar occultation observations from the ExoMars TGO. This impacts the way we perceive the photochemistry of ozone, an element that plays an important role in helping to stabilize the Martian atmosphere and surface habitability. He also performs spatially resolved retrievals of water vapor over the north polar cap of Mars, the major source of atmospheric water on the red planet, in order to provide insights into the non-uniform sublimation of water ice. Using a technique he developed to retrieve water vapor abundances over surface ice using observations returned by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer on Mars (CRISM) aboard MRO, he provided the water cycle over the pole, and performed high-spatial retrievals to allow the first direct observation of the enhancement of water vapor over the polar troughs on Mars through wind and surface interactions, also known as the katabatic (north-south) jumps, indicating their important role in driving the ice migration in the pole. Dr. Khayat also conducts mission operations of the Curiosity rover at Gale crater on Mars, and provided atmospheric data to study the dust cycle, especially during the 2018 global dust storm (2018GDS). He acquired data of carbon monoxide using the Submillimeter Array (SMA) during multiples phases of the 2018GDS to provide insights into the evolution of the thermal structure of Mars during dust global storms by analyzing the changes in the spectral feature of carbon monoxide in the submillimeter. Using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) echelle spectrometer (CSHELL), Dr. Khayat reported spatially-resolved measurements of atmospheric ratio [HDO]/[H₂O], indicating a strong dependence on local time, which was observed for the first time. A global ratio larger than unity indicates water loss from the Martian atmosphere throughout billions of years. Another research highlight includes developing and leading a 3-year campaign targeting volcanic gases on Mars using ground-based observatories such as the IRTF, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), and the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO), indicating the lack of major volcanic outgassing on current day Mars, and pointing to a non-volcanic origin of a prior release of methane on the red planet. Dr. Khayat is leading a NASA research program from PDART to archive the atmospheric data products by CRISM for the entire lifetime of the instrument (~ 6 Mars years, 12 Earth years), including abundance maps of water vapor, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, observations of oxygen dayglow, vertical distributions of water ice and dust as well as their particle sizes from CRISM limb observations, and column integrated dust and water ice aerosol opacity.

Mentorship: NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship.

NPP Fellow: Yiu Wah Daniel Lo. Proposal Title: A New 4-Dimensional Multi-Instrument Perspective to an Old Problem: Mars Atmospheric O₂ and its Variability.

Ph. D. in Astronomy. Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai`i at Manoa, and NASA Infrared Telescope Facility.

M. Sc. in Astronomy. Magna Cum Laude. University of Hawai`i at Manoa.

Reviewer, NASA GSFC's Internal Research & Development Program (IRAD).

Reviewer, United Kingdom (UK) Space Agency.

Reviewer, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

Reviewer, Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy & Radiative Transfer.

Reviewer, Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Reviewer, Icarus.

2024-2025: Planetary Science Director's Council. Serving in advisory role to the NASA Solar System Exploration Division on strategic and tactical matters.

2024-2025: Principal Investigator of Science on the Commercial Hall propulsion for Mars Payload Services​ (CHAMPS), as nominated by the Mars Exploration Program’s Chief Scientist for the small EP science mission to Mars concept study. Purpose: "The study shows an example of how Electric Propulsion, a flight qualified technology (FY2025-Q1) enables lower cost, more frequent, and compelling Mars science and exploration missions."​ Location: NASA Glenn Research Center, Compass Lab. https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/facilities/compass-lab/

2024-2025: Committee Member. National academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine. "A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars: Panel on Atmospheric Science and Space Physics". The NASA sponsored panel works on identifying the highest priority science objectives among the atmospheric science and space physics disciplines to be addressed by humans on the surface of Mars.

2024: Technical Managers Training (TMT-62) at the Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). Of the main goals: "To advance a highly skilled, competent, and diverse NASA workforce through a better understanding of how Goddard formulates and implements missions to study Earth and Space. To increase awareness of Directorates’ roles in formulation and implementation of GSFC science instruments and payloads, technologies, spacecraft missions, ground systems, and connections with technical experts and/or senior management".

2023: Recovery of Troubled Projects. NASA Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership.

2023: Foundations of Aerospace at NASA. NASA Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership.

2023: Space Mission Operations. NASA Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership.

2022: Share the Science Training. Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. Stony Brook University.

2020-present: Science team member. Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) on the Exomars Trace Gas Orbiter of the European Space Agency.

2018-present: NASA's Speakers Bureau. "The NASA Speakers Bureau is composed of engineers, scientists, and other professionals who represent the agency as speakers at civic, professional, educational and other public venues". https://www.nasa.gov/about/speakers/nasa-speakers-about.html

2018: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Planetary Science Winter School for NASA's early career scientists - Mechanical engineering lead.

2018-2022: Group leader, Exoplanets & Stellar Astrophysics; Solar System Exploration, Astrochemistry; Planetary Systems & Magnetospheres. Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology II.

2017-present: Served on NASA review panels.

2017-present: Red panel reviewer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

2016-present: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Science Team Collaborator.

2016-present: Environmental Science Theme Lead/Keeper of the Plan (ESTLK) for the Environmental Science Theme Group of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL).

2016: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Planetary Science Summer School - Instrument lead.

SOLAR SYSTEM EXPLORATION DIVISION Special Act awards:

Awarded for significant contributions to the National Academies study "A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars”.

Awarded for exceptional contributions to the development of the Mars Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) framework.

Observing nights awarded:

• Submillimeter Array: 5 nights using dual receiver RxA and RxB 2018A (PI)

• NASA Infrared Telescope Facility: 2 nights using CSHELL 2016A (PI)

• James Clerk Maxwell Telescope: 18 hours using HARP 2014A (PI)

• NASA Infrared Telescope Facility: 10 nights using CSHELL 2014A (PI)

• Caltech Submillimeter Observatory: 14 nights using Barney 2012A (PI)

• Caltech Submillimeter Observatory: 12 nights using Barney 2011B (PI)

• NASA Infrared Telescope Facility: 9 nights using CSHELL 2011B (PI)