1992 Ph.D., Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
1985 B.A., Physics/Mathematics, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
Richard K Achterberg
(RESEARCH ASSOCIATE)
| Email: | richard.k.achterberg@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.286.1550 |
| Org Code: | 693 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 693 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND AT COLLEGE PARK |
Positions/Employment
Associate Research Scientist
Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park - College Park, MD
July 2018 - Present
Assistant Research Scientist
Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park - College Park, MD
July 2011 - June 2018
Research Associate
Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park - College Park, MD
July 2006 - June 2011
Senior Member of the Technical Staff
Science Systems and Applications, Inc. - Lanham, MD
February 1994 - June 2006
NRC Resident Research Associate
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD
February 1992 - February 1994
Education
Awards
8/2018 - NASA Group Achievement Award, Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer Team
5/2017 - NASA GSFC Robert H. Goddard Award for Exceptional Achievement for Science (individual)
6/2016 - NASA Group Achievement Award, Cassini Proximal Orbit and Grand Finale Orbit Sharing Team
3/2016 - NASA GSFC Robert H. Goddard Award for Exceptional Achievement for MIssion & Enabling Support, Cassini CIRS Operations Team
4/2009 - NASA Group Achievement Award, Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer Team
4/2009 - NASA Group Achievement Award, Cassini Mangetosphere Target Working Team
9/2008 - NASA GSFC Robert H. Goddard Award for Exceptional Achievement for Science, Composite Infrared Spectrometer Science Team
5/2008 - NASA Group Achievement Award, Cassini Titan Integration Science Team
6/1998 - NASA Group Achievement Award, Cassini/Composite Infrared Spectrometer Instrument Development Team
Publications
Refereed
2025. "The atmosphere of Titan in late northern summer from JWST and Keck observations." Nature Astronomy [10.1038/s41550-025-02537-3] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Cassini composite infrared spectrometer: correcting an offset error and refining the pointing parameters for the midinfrared detectors: publisher’s note." Applied Optics 62 (23): 6298 [10.1364/ao.502236] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Cassini Composite InfraRed Spectrometer: correcting an offset error and refining the pointing parameters for the mid-infrared detectors." Applied Optics 62 (22): 5882-5888 [10.1364/ao.491970] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Spitzer IRS Observations of Titan as a Precursor to JWST MIRI Observations." The Planetary Science Journal 4 (6): 114 [10.3847/psj/acd10f] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan’s atmosphere, geology and habitability: titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)." Experimental Astronomy [10.1007/s10686-021-09815-8] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "The structure of Titan's atmosphere from Cassini radio occultations: One- and two-way occultations." Icarus 345 113720 [10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113720] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Advanced Net Flux Radiometer for the Ice Giants." Space Science Reviews 216 (1): 11 [10.1007/s11214-019-0630-x] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) Observations of Titan 2004–2017." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 244 (1): 14 [10.3847/1538-4365/ab3799] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Titan's neutral atmosphere seasonal variations up to the end of the Cassini mission." Icarus 113413 [10.1016/j.icarus.2019.113413] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Titan Surface Temperatures during the Cassini Mission." The Astrophysical Journal 877 (1): L8 [10.3847/2041-8213/ab1f91] [Journal Article/Letter]
2019. "Spatial and seasonal variations in C3Hx hydrocarbon abundance in Titan’s stratosphere from Cassini CIRS observations." Icarus 317 454-469 [10.1016/j.icarus.2018.08.027] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "Less absorbed solar energy and more internal heat for Jupiter." Nature Communications 9 (1): 3709 [10.1038/s41467-018-06107-2] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "A hexagon in Saturn’s northern stratosphere surrounding the emerging summertime polar vortex." Nature Communications 9 (1): 3564 [10.1038/s41467-018-06017-3] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "Thermal Emission From Saturn's Polar Cyclones." Geophysical Research Letters [10.1029/2018gl078157] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "Spatial variations in Titan’s atmospheric temperature: ALMA and Cassini comparisons from 2012 to 2015." Icarus 307 380-390 [10.1016/j.icarus.2017.10.042] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "Titan's cold case files - Outstanding questions after Cassini-Huygens." Planetary and Space Science 155 50-72 [10.1016/j.pss.2018.02.009] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "Scientific rationale for Uranus and Neptune in situ explorations." Planetary and Space Science 155 12-40 [10.1016/j.pss.2017.10.005] [Journal Article/Letter]
2018. "Seasonal Evolution of Titan's Stratosphere Near the Poles." The Astrophysical Journal 854 (2): L30 [10.3847/2041-8213/aaadbd] [Journal Article/Letter]
2017. "Mapping Vinyl Cyanide and Other Nitriles in Titan's Atmosphere Using ALMA." The Astronomical Journal 154 206 [10.3847/1538-3881/aa8eef] [Journal Article/Letter]
2017. "D/H Ratios on Saturn and Jupiter from Cassini CIRS." The Astronomical Journal 154 (5): 178 [10.3847/1538-3881/aa899d] [Journal Article/Letter]
2017. "Composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS) on Cassini: publisher’s note." Applied Optics 56 (21): 5897 [10.1364/ao.56.005897] [Journal Article/Letter]
2017. "Composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS) on Cassini." Applied Optics 56 (18): 5274 [10.1364/ao.56.005274] [Journal Article/Letter]
2016. "Titan’s temporal evolution in stratospheric trace gases near the poles." Icarus 270 409-420 [10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.027] [Journal Article/Letter]
2016. "Titan Science with theJames Webb Space Telescope." Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 128 (959): 018007 [10.1088/1538-3873/128/959/018007] [Journal Article/Letter]
2016. "SURFACE TEMPERATURES ON TITAN DURING NORTHERN WINTER AND SPRING." The Astrophysical Journal 816 (1): L17 [10.3847/2041-8205/816/1/l17] [Journal Article/Letter]
2015. "EVOLUTION OF THE FAR-INFRARED CLOUD AT TITAN’S SOUTH POLE." The Astrophysical Journal 804 (2): L34 [10.1088/2041-8205/804/2/l34] [Journal Article/Letter]
2015. "Saturn's giant storm and global radiant energy." Geophysical Research Letters 42 (7): 2144-2148 [10.1002/2015gl063763] [Journal Article/Letter]
2015. "Seasonal variations in Titan’s middle atmosphere during the northern spring derived from Cassini/CIRS observations." Icarus 250 95-115 [10.1016/j.icarus.2014.11.019] [Journal Article/Letter]
2014. "CHANGES TO SATURN'S ZONAL-MEAN TROPOSPHERIC THERMAL STRUCTURE AFTER THE 2010-2011 NORTHERN HEMISPHERE STORM." The Astrophysical Journal 786 (2): 92 [10.1088/0004-637x/786/2/92] [Journal Article/Letter]
2014. "The distribution of methane in Titan’s stratosphere from Cassini/CIRS observations." Icarus 231 323-337 [10.1016/j.icarus.2013.12.016] [Journal Article/Letter]
2014. "Thermal structure of Titan's troposphere and middle atmosphere, Ch. 3 in Titan: Interior, Surface, Atmosphere, and Space Environment." [Book]
2014. ""Thermal structure of Titan's troposphere and middle atmosphere" in Titan: Interior, Surface, Atmosphere, and Space Environment." [Book]
2014. "Thermal structure of Titan's troposphere and middle atmosphere, Ch. 3 in Titan: Interior, Surface, Atmosphere, and Space Environment." [Book]
2013. "EVOLUTION OF THE STRATOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OVER ONE TITANIAN YEAR." The Astrophysical Journal 779 (2): 177 [10.1088/0004-637x/779/2/177] [Journal Article/Letter]
2013. "Strong Temporal Variation Over One Saturnian Year: From Voyager to Cassini." Scientific Reports 3 (2410): [10.1038/srep02410] [Journal Article/Letter]
2012. "FIRST OBSERVATION IN THE SOUTH OF TITAN'S FAR-INFRARED 220 cm –1 CLOUD." The Astrophysical Journal 761 (1): L15 [10.1088/2041-8205/761/1/l15] [Journal Article/Letter]
2012. "THERMAL AND CHEMICAL STRUCTURE VARIATIONS IN TITAN'S STRATOSPHERE DURING THECASSINIMISSION." The Astrophysical Journal 760 (2): 144 [10.1088/0004-637x/760/2/144] [Journal Article/Letter]
2012. "Elusive Ethylene Detected in Saturn's Northern Storm Region." Astrophysical Journal 760:24 [10.1088/0004-637X/760/1/24] [Journal Article/Letter]
2012. "Water vapor in Titan’s stratosphere from Cassini CIRS far-infrared spectra." Icarus 220 (2): 855-862 [10.1016/j.icarus.2012.06.014] [Journal Article/Letter]
2012. "SEASONAL DISAPPEARANCE OF FAR-INFRARED HAZE IN TITAN'S STRATOSPHERE." The Astrophysical Journal 754 (1): L3 [10.1088/2041-8205/754/1/l3] [Journal Article/Letter]
2012. "ISOTOPIC RATIOS IN TITAN's METHANE: MEASUREMENTS AND MODELING." The Astrophysical Journal 749 (2): 159 [10.1088/0004-637x/749/2/159] [Journal Article/Letter]
2012. "Designing infrared observations of Titan's atmosphere with Cassini CIRS." 2012 IEEE Aerospace Conference [10.1109/aero.2012.6187400] [Proceedings]
2012. "The Origin and Evolution of Saturn's 2011-2012 Stratospheric Vortex." Icarus 221 560-586 [10.1016/j.icarus.2012.08.024] [Journal Article/Letter]
2011. "The Global Energy Balance of Titan ." Geophys Res Letter 38 L23201 [10.1029/2011GL050053] [Journal Article/Letter]
2011. "Equatorial winds on Saturn and the Stratospheric Oscillation." Nature Geoscience 4 750-752 [10.1038/ngeo1292] [Journal Article/Letter]
2011. "Temporal variations of Titan’s middle-atmospheric temperatures from 2004 to 2009 observed by Cassini/CIRS." Icarus 211 (1): 686-698 [10.1016/j.icarus.2010.08.009] [Journal Article/Letter]
2010. "Abundances of Jupiter's trace hydrocarbons from Voyager and Cassini." Planetary and Space Science 58 (13): 1667-1680 [10.1016/j.pss.2010.05.008] [Journal Article/Letter]
2010. "High Spectral Resolution Infrared Studies of Titan: Winds, Temperature and Composition." Planetary and Space Science 58 715-1723 [10.1016/2010.08.004] [Journal Article/Letter]
2010. "Titan trace gaseous composition from CIRS at the end of the Cassini–Huygens prime mission." Icarus 207 (1): 461-476 [10.1016/j.icarus.2009.11.027] [Journal Article/Letter]
2010. "Infrared limb sounding with Cassini CIRS: Optimal viewing strategy using horizon nodes." 2010 IEEE Aerospace Conference [10.1109/aero.2010.5446856] [Proceedings]
2010. "Upper limits for undetected trace species in the stratosphere of Titan." Faraday Discussions 147 65 [10.1039/c003771k] [Journal Article/Letter]
2010. "Seasonal Change on Saturn from Cassini/CIRS Observations, 2004-2009." Icarus 208 337-352. [Journal Article/Letter]
2010. "Saturn's emitted power." J Geophys Res 115 (E11): E11002 [10.1029/2010JE003631] [Journal Article/Letter]
2009. "D/H RATIO OF TITAN FROM OBSERVATIONS OF THECASSINI/COMPOSITE INFRARED SPECTROMETER." The Astrophysical Journal 708 (1): 342-353 [10.1088/0004-637x/708/1/342] [Journal Article/Letter]
2009. "Determining a tilt in Titan’s north–south albedo asymmetry from Cassini images." Icarus 203 (1): 242-249 [10.1016/j.icarus.2009.04.021] [Journal Article/Letter]
2009. "Saturn's south polar vortex compared to other large vortices in the Solar System." Icarus 202 (1): 240-248 [10.1016/j.icarus.2009.02.014] [Journal Article/Letter]
2009. "Saturn's latitudinal C2H2 and C2H6 abundance profiles from Cassini/CIRS and ground-based observations." Icarus 202 (1): 249-259 [10.1016/j.icarus.2009.02.013] [Journal Article/Letter]
2009. "The structure and dynamics of Titan's middle atmosphere." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 367 (1889): 649-664 [10.1098/rsta.2008.0242] [Journal Article/Letter]
2009. "TITAN'S SURFACE BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURES." The Astrophysical Journal 691 (2): L103-L105 [10.1088/0004-637x/691/2/l103] [Journal Article/Letter]
2009. "Saturn’s Latitudinal C2H2 and C2H6 Abundance Profiles from Cassini/CIRS and Ground-Based Observations." Icarus 202 249-259. [Journal Article/Letter]
2009. "Saturn’s South Polar Vortex Compared to Other Large Vortices in the Solar System." Icarus 202 240-248. [Journal Article/Letter]
2009. "Saturn atmospheric structure and dynamics." Saturn from Cassini-Huygens 113-159 [10.1007/978-1-4020-9217-6_6] [Article in Book]
2008. "Titan's winter polar vortex structure revealed by chemical tracers." Journal of Geophysical Research 113 (E12): E12003 [10.1029/2008je003218] [Journal Article/Letter]
2008. "Observation of a tilt of Titan's middle-atmospheric superrotation." Icarus 197 (2): 549-555 [10.1016/j.icarus.2008.05.014] [Journal Article/Letter]
2008. "Isotopic Ratios in Titan's Atmosphere fromCassiniCIRS Limb Sounding: HC3N in the North." The Astrophysical Journal 681 (2): L109-L111 [10.1086/590534] [Journal Article/Letter]
2008. "Isotopic Ratios in Titan's Atmosphere fromCassiniCIRS Limb Sounding: CO2at Low and Midlatitudes." The Astrophysical Journal 681 (2): L101-L103 [10.1086/590553] [Journal Article/Letter]
2008. "The 12C/13C isotopic ratio in Titan hydrocarbons from Cassini/CIRS infrared spectra." Icarus 195 (2): 778-791 [10.1016/j.icarus.2008.01.012] [Journal Article/Letter]
2008. "Dynamics of Saturn's south polar vortex." Science 319 (5871): 1801 [10.1126/science.1153633] [Journal Article/Letter]
2008. "Titan's middle-atmospheric temperatures and dynamics observed by the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer." Icarus 194 (1): 263-277 [10.1016/j.icarus.2007.09.029] [Journal Article/Letter]
2008. "The Strong Jet and a New Thermal Wave in Saturn’s Equatorial Stratosphere." Geophys Res Letters 35 L23208 [doi:10.1029/2008GL035515] [Journal Article/Letter]
2008. "Temperature and Composition of Saturn's Polar Hotspots and Hexagon." Science 319 79-81. [Journal Article/Letter]
2007. "Cassini CIRS update on stratospheric ices at Titan's winter pole." Icarus 189 (1): 63-71 [10.1016/j.icarus.2007.02.005] [Journal Article/Letter]
2007. "The composition of Titan's stratosphere from Cassini/CIRS mid-infrared spectra." Icarus 189 (1): 35-62 [10.1016/j.icarus.2006.12.022] [Journal Article/Letter]
2007. "Meridional Variations of C2H2 and C2H6 in Jupiter's Atmosphere from Cassini CIRS Infrared Spectra." Icarus 188 47-71. [10.1016/j.icarus.2006.11.016] [Journal Article/Letter]
2006. "Jupiter's Atmospheric Temperatures: from Voyager IRIS to Cassini CIRS." Icarus 180 98-112. [Journal Article/Letter]
2005. "Titan's Atmospheric Temperatures, Winds, and Composition." Science 308 (5724): 975-978. [10.1126/science.1111150] [Journal Article/Letter]
2005. "Temperatures, Winds, and Composition in the Saturnian System." Science 307 (5713): 1247-1251 [10.1126/science.1105806] [Journal Article/Letter]
2004. "Jupiter's Atmospheric Composition from the Cassini Thermal Infrared Spectroscopy Experiment." Science 305 (5690): 1582-1586. [10.1126/science.1100240] [Journal Article/Letter]
2004. "The Nitrogen Isotopic Ratio in Jupiter’s Atmosphere from Observations by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer on theCassiniSpacecraft." The Astrophysical Journal 602 (2): 1063-1074 [10.1086/381084] [Journal Article/Letter]
2004. "An Intense Stratospheric Jet on Jupiter." Nature 427 132-135 [10.1038/nature02142] [Journal Article/Letter]
2004. "Exploring the Saturn System in the Thermal Infrared: The Composite Infrared Spectrometer." Space Science Reviews 115 (1-4): 169-297 [10.1007/s11214-004-1454-9] [Journal Article/Letter]
2002. "New Observational Results Concerning Jupiter's Great Red Spot." Icarus 158 249-266 [Journal Article/Letter]
1996. "Planetary-Scale Thermal Waves in Saturn's Upper Troposphere." Icarus 119 (2): 350-369 [10.1006/icar.1996.0024] [Journal Article/Letter]
1994. "Numerical Simulation of Baroclinic Jovian Vortices." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 51 (4): 541-562 [10.1175/1520-0469(1994)051<0541:nsobjv>2.0.co;2] [Journal Article/Letter]
1989. "A Normal-Mode Approach to Jovian Atmospheric Dynamics." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 46 (15): 2448-2462 [10.1175/1520-0469(1989)046<2448:anmatj>2.0.co;2] [Journal Article/Letter]