Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Shahid Aslam

(AST, PLANETARY STUDIES)

Shahid Aslam's Contact Card & Information.
Email: shahid.aslam-1@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.614.6961
Org Code: 693
Address:
NASA/GSFC
Mail Code 693
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer:
NASA

Brief Bio


Many years of space instrument hardware development and remote sensing experience with direct contributions to the following NASA flight programs: Pressure Modulated Infra-Red Radiometer (PMIRR) on Mars Observer; Composite Infra-Red Spectrometer (CIRS) on Cassini; Gas and Aerosol Monitoring Sensor-craft (GAMS); Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) and James Web Space Telescope (JWST). Currently is the principal lead for the Compact Ultraviolet to Visible Spectrometer (CUVIS) on the DAVINCI Mission to Venus, to be launched in 2029.

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6erZJw0AAAAJ&hl=en

Research Interests


Infra-Red Radiometry and Spectroscopy

Solar System: Remote Sensing

Development of infra-red radiometers and Fourier transform spectrometers for remote sensing of planetary atmospheres.


Net Flux Energy in Planetary Atmospheres

Solar System: Uranus

Development of advanced net flux radiometers for studying the atmospheric (thermal) structure of planetary atmospheres, in particular to, (i) determine the planet’s atmospheric heat balance and (ii) determine the planet’s tropospheric 3-D flow.


Time Resolved Raman and Photoluminescence Spectroscopy

Solar System: Planetary surfaces

Development of instrumentation to carry out in-situ time-resolved Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, of samples collected from planetary regoliths, to discover, if present, the types and distribution of biotic and abiotic organic compounds, measure CHNOPS containing organics and minerals and correlate them to radiolysis processed and textural features. 


Non-Dispersive Infra-Red Gas Analyzer

Solar System: Comets

We are designing and building a Non Dispersive Infra-Red Gas Analyzer (NDIRGA) for the New Fontiers CAESAR project (Pre-Phase A), that uses a measurement scheme based on the Beer-Lambert Law. The NDIRGA is used to measure H2O and CO2 partial pressures between the SCS and GCS and uses two redundant 4-channel (quad) thermopile detectors with 2.7-μm and 6.6-μm H2O absorption band, 4.0-μm reference filter and 4.2 µm CO2 absorption band, each paired with redundant IR sources. Knowledge of the water vapor partial pressure will ensure that we avoid reaching the triple point of water (within the P-T range 3 Torr @ 268 K and 16 mTorr @ 218 K). The measurement uses a collimated pulsed IR light source focused onto the quad thermopile detectors with IR bandpass filters in front of them. The absorbed IR light on the thermopiles generate small thermoelectric voltages that are amplified and digitized by a multi-channel digitizer (MCD) ASIC. The 20 bit digitized signals from the MCD ASIC are communicated to the FPGA board in the MEB for further data processing.

Current Projects


Compact Ultraviolet to Visible Imaging Spectrometer (CUVIS) Technology Demonstration onboard the DAVINCI Mission to Venus, NASA Discovery Mission, Principal Engineering Lead

Remote Sensing

Design, build, test and validate a Compact Ultraviolet to Visible Spectrometer (CUVIS), an innovative dual-band dispersion and imaging spectrometer with spectral range 200–570 nm, that will complement the science obtained from DAVINCI's VISOR UV Camera. The spectrometer’s primary goal is to investigate radiative balance, cloud properties and chemistry of Venus’s atmosphere, address the vexing scientific problem of the unknown UV absorber(s) at the cloud tops; secondary goals include cloud top habitability, and to gain insight into slow rotating hot exoplanets by using Venus as a test case.


Modular Infrared Molecules and Ices Sensor (MIRMIS), ESA F-Class Comet Interceptor Mission, Science Associate

Comets

MIRMIS covers the spectral range 0.9 to ~25 μm and will map the ice, mineral, and gas composition ofthe target’s nucleus and coma and the distribution of surface temperatures on the nucleus.


Ice Particle Counter for Ocean World Plume-Flyby Missions, FY23 IRAD, Principal Investigator

Remote Sensing

Develop an enabling technology that will count water-ice particles while flying through the plume of Enceladus or Europa. 


Ultra-Violet Detector Innovation for Raman Exploration and CharacTerization (UV-DIRECT) of Ocean Worlds, NASA ROSES PICASSO, Co-Investigator

Technology & Missions

Ultra-Violet Detector Innovation for Raman Exploration and CharacTerization (UV-DIRECT) of Ocean Worlds enables the identification of minerals, volatiles, organic molecules, biopolymers, water, and other hydrous phases in planetary materials with the added bonus of Raman spectroscopic imaging. 


RAMS: RAman-Mass Spectrometer for planetary exploration, NASA ROSES PICASSO, Co-Investigator

Technology & Missions

Raman-Mass Spectrometer (RAMS) instrument suite incorporates laser desorption/ ionization mass spectrometry (LDMS) and micro Raman microspectroscopy imaging (μRS) into a compact instrument package with shared resources realizing size, weight and power (SWaP) savings over two separate instruments, while simultaneously enabling comprehensive sample analysis capabilities transcending those of either technique alone.


Characterization of the CUVIS spectrometer: maturation of a multi-mission radiation-hard CMOS-based camera assembly and breadboard integration, FY22, Co-Investigator

Remote Sensing

Develop in-house capability on the broad spectral response NUV-NIR Teledyne space-qualified CMOS image sensor.


Design, Fabrication and Testing of Metal-Mesh Linear Variable Filters for Planetary Remote Sensing Instrumentation, FY22 IRAD, Co-Investigator

Remote Sensing

Demonstrate metal mesh based LVFs for the 12.5 mm to 25 mm band to improve measurements of surface temperature, emissivity, multi-spectral image maps, porosity, and material composition identification for remote sensing planetary missions. 


Time Resolved Spatial Heterodyne Raman Spectrometer, FY22 IRAD, Co-Invetigator

Remote Sensing

Demonstrate a novel high resolution, high throughput, time resolve Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer (SHS) for planetary science applications. 


Portable flow inferencing device using Fourier Ptychography and Deep Learning for detection of biosignatures, CIF Award, NASA HQ, Principal Investigator

Remote Sensing


Advanced Net Flux Radiometer Focal Plane Assembly for Ice Giants, NASA ROSES PICASSO, Principal Investigator

Uranus


Quantum efficiency and noise performance of back-side illuminated CMOS detector arrays for future planetary ultra-violet to visible hyperspectral imagers, FY23 IRAD, PI

Technology & Missions

Measure quantum efficiency and noise performance characterization, from deep ultra-violet (UV) to visible (Vis) to near infra-red (NIR), of a Teledyne e2v back-illuminated CIS115 CMOS image sensor.

Positions/Employment


Instrument Scientist, Non Dispersive Infra-Red Gas Analyzer (NDIRGA), CAESAR

NASA/GSFC - Greenbelt, MD, 20771

January 2018 - October 2019


Instrument Scientist - CIRS/CASSINI

NASA/Goddard - Greenbelt, MD, 20771

June 2013 - December 2018


Principal Investigator of ROSES ICEE "Thermal Imager for Europa Reconnaissance (TIMER)"

NASA/GSFC - Greenbelt, MD, 20771

September 2013 - September 2014


Co-Investigator (NASA PI), MiniFTS for SmallSat Applications

NASA/Goddard - Greenbelt, MD, 20771

September 2013 - January 2015


Space Scientist

NASA/Goddard - Greenbelt, MD, 20771

January 2010 - Present


Principal Scientist

Raytheon Corporation - NASA, GSFC Detector Systems Branch Greenbelt, MD, 20771

July 1996 - April 2010


Principal Investigator, CIF Award, NASA HQ, Portable flow inferencing device using Fourier Ptychography and Deep Learning for detection of biosignatures

NASA/GSFC - Greenbelt, MD, 20771

2019 - Present


Science Associate, MIRMIS, ESA F-Class Comet Interceptor Mission

NASA/GSFC - Greenbelt, MD, 20771

July 2019 - Present


Principal Investigator, NASA ROSES PICASSO, "Advanced Net Flux Radiometer Focal Plane Assembly for Ice Giants"

NASA/GSFC - Greenbelt, MD 20771.

July 2018 - Present


Co-Investigator, NASA ROSES PICASSO, "Development of a Prototype for the Thermal Infrared Composite Imaging Spectrometer (TIRCIS) Instrument"

NASA/GSFC - Greenbelt, MD 20771

July 2017 - Present


Principal Engineering Lead, CUVIS Tech Demo on DAVINCI

NASA/GSFC - Greenbelt, MD, 20771

June 2021 - Present


Program Scientist

NASA HQ, Planetary Exploration Science Technology Office (PESTO) - Washington DC

January 2023 - Present


Program Officer

NASA HQ, Planetary Instrument Concepts for the Advancement of Solar System Observations (PICASSO) - Washington DC

January 2023 - Present

Education


D.Phil., Planetary Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

Professional Societies


American Astronomical Society (AAS)

Member

2010 - Present


Division of Planetary Science (DPS - AAS)

Member

2010 - Present


Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Senior Member

2014 - Present


Philosophical Society of Washington DC

Member

2018 - Present

Professional Service


Member of the Goddard Scientific Colloquium Committee, 2021-Present

Member of NfoLD, 2020-Present

Awards


1993 NASA Group Achievement Award - Mars Observer/PMIRR

1998 NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini/CIRS

2003 NASA Contractor Excellence Award

2005 NASA Public Service Award Medal

2011 NASA Group Achievement Award - JWST Micro-Shutter System Team

2016 NASA Special Act Award

2018 NASA Group Achievement Award - CIRS Spectrometer Team

2018 NASA Group Achievement Award - CIRS Investigation Team

2020 NASA Exceptional Service Award Medal

2022 NASA Patent Plaque Award

2023 NASA Group Achievement Award - CAESAR NDIRGA Team

2023 NASA Patent Plaque Award

18 USA Patents

Publications


Refereed

2024. "PReSSiC: Planetary Remote Sensing using SiC detectors." 243rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, id. 329.05. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society Vol. 56 (No. 2 e-id): [Proceedings]

2024. "The Comet Interceptor Mission." Space Science Reviews 220 (1): 9 [10.1007/s11214-023-01035-0] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "Improved Design of an Advanced Ice Giants Net Flux Radiometer." Space Science Reviews 220 (1): 5 [10.1007/s11214-023-01038-x] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "The Modular Infrared Molecules And Ices Sensor (MIRMIS): An Instrument Visiting A Long-Period Comet." Abstract from 21st Annual Meeting AOGS 2024, Pyeongchang, Korea, Republic of 1 [Proceedings]

2023. "Deep Learning-Based Polarization Capable Fourier Ptychographic Microscopy (DL-PFPM)." Optica Imaging Congress (3D, COSI, DH, FLatOptics, IS, pcAOP) [10.1364/3d.2023.jw2a.8] [Proceedings]

2023. "System, Apparatus and Methods for Detecting Methane Leak." US Patent 11,774,355 B1, Washington DC: US Patent and Trademark Office, issued Oct. 3rd 2023 [Other]

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. "Single-Event Effects on Commercial-Off-the Shelf Edge-Processing Artificial Intelligence ASICs." IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science 1-1 [10.1109/tns.2023.3286728] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Design and optimization of NUV-enhanced 4H-SiC separate-absorption-charge-multiplication avalanche photodiodes." Physics and Simulation of Optoelectronic Devices XXXI 12415 [10.1117/12.2649236] [Proceedings]

2022. "Pivoting Successive Approximation Register ADC for a Radiation Hard Autonomous Digital Readout." US Patent 11,522,552. Washington DC: US Patent and Trademark Office issued Dec. 6th 2022 [Other]

2022. "Cross-slot metal-mesh bandpass filters for far-infrared astronomy." Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy XI 121901M [10.1117/12.2630571] [Proceedings]

2022. "Compact Non-Dispersive Infrared Gas Analyzer." U.S. Patent 11,391,672. Washington DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office July 19th 2022 [Other]

2022. "Design of an Advanced, Compact Ice Giants Net Flux Radiometer." In Situ Exploration of the Giant Planets II, Laurel, MD, USA, LPI Contributions (2686): id. 4001 [Proceedings]

2022. "The CORGIE Instrument Suite: Understanding Hydrogeologic Cycles on Planetary Bodies Through In Situ Characterization of Surface-Atmosphere Interactions." Optimizing Planetary In Situ Surface-Atmosphere Interaction Investigations Workshop, Boise, Idaho, LPI Contribution No. 2685 id. 7008 [Proceedings]

2022. "Planetary exploration enabled by a compact adaptable time-resolved spatial-heterodyne Raman spectrometer." Proc. SPIE 12121, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications XV [10.1117/12.2618777] [Proceedings]

2022. "A parallel readout circuit for a space-based non-dispersive infrared gas analyzer." Proc. SPIE 12121, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications XV [10.1117/12.2619116] [Proceedings]

2022. "Revealing the Mysteries of Venus: The DAVINCI Mission." The Planetary Science Journal 3 (5): 117 [10.3847/psj/ac63c2] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Thermopile bias method for low voltage infrared readout integrated circuits." U.S. Patent 11,293,809. Washington DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued April 5, 2022 [Other]

2022. "50 Years of Spaceflight with Fourier Transform Spectrometers (FTS) designed at NASA GSFC." 2022 IEEE Aerospace Conference (AERO) [10.1109/aero53065.2022.9843804] [Proceedings]

2022. "Gas Analyzer for Monitoring H2O and CO2 Partial Pressures in Space Instrumentation." IEEE Sensors Journal 22 (1): 12576-12587 [10.1109/JSEN.2022.3177079] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Raman and UVN+LWIR LIBS detection system for in-situ surface chemical identification." MethodsX 9 101647 [10.1016/j.mex.2022.101647] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Measuring large amplitude surface figure error using coordinate metrology." Optical Engineering 60 (08): [10.1117/1.oe.60.8.084103] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Spectroscopic Characterization of Samples from Different Environments in a Volcano-Glacial Region in Iceland: Implications for in situ Planetary Exploration." Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 263 [Full Text] [10.1016/j.saa.2021.120205] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "In situ Chemistry Experiment - µscope, Photoluminescence and Raman Observations on Icy Satellites (ICE-µPROBIS)." EPSC Abstracts 15 (EPSC2021-432): [10.5194/epsc2021-432] [Proceedings]

2021. "Ice-Giants Net Flux Radiometer for Heat Flux Measurements." EPSC Abstracts 15 (EPSC2021-144): [10.5194/epsc2021-144] [Proceedings]

2021. "Ice Giants Net Flux Radiometer (IG-NFR) Electrical Architecture." EPSC Abstracts 15 (EPSC2021-449): [10.5194/epsc2021-449] [Proceedings]

2021. "Enabling in situ Raman Spectroscopic Exploration of Icy Worlds: Ultra-Violet Detector Innovation for Raman Exploration and CharacTerization (UV-DIRECT) of Ocean Worlds." EPSC2021 [10.5194/epsc2021-330] [Proceedings]

2021. "TID and Heavy Ion Performance of a RHBD Multi-Channel Digitizer in 180 nm CMOS." IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science 68 (7): 1414-1422 [10.1109/tns.2021.3080179] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Parallel Computation of CRC-Code on an FPGA Platform for High Data Throughput." Electronics 10 (7): 866 [10.3390/electronics10070866] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Comparative VIS and NIR Raman and FTIR Spectroscopy of Lunar Analog Samples." Europlanet Science Congress 2020, online [10.5194/epsc2020-427] [Proceedings]

2020. "Modelling the expected observations of the Advanced Ice Giants Net Flux Radiometer (IG-NFR) instrument concept, under study for future entry probe missions to Uranus or Neptune." EPSC Abstracts EPSC2020-306 [10.5194/epsc2020-306] [Proceedings]

2020. "Modelling the in situ solar and thermal radiation environment for future entry probe missions to Venus." EPSC-2020 EPSC2020-312 [10.5194/epsc2020-312] [Proceedings]

2020. "Correlated Raman and Reflectance Spectroscopy for In Situ Lunar Resource Exploration." Lunar Surface Science Workshop (LPI Contrib No. 2241) id. 5113 [Proceedings]

2020. "Compact Lunar Mineralogy Imager (CLuMI)." Lunar Surface Science Workshop 2020 (LPI Contrib. No. 2241) [Proceedings]

2020. "The CORGIE (Confirming Orbital Remote-Sensing with Ground Information Experiments) Consortium." Lunar Surface Science Workshop 2020 (LPI Contrib. no 2241) [Proceedings]

2020. "Radiation-hard parallel readout circuit for low-frequency voltage signal measurements." Sensors and Systems for Space Applications XIII 11422 (1142205): [10.1117/12.2558117] [Proceedings]

2020. "Portable flow device using Fourier ptychography microscopy and deep learning for detection in biosignatures." Real-Time Image Processing and Deep Learning 2020 11401 1-6 [Full Text] [10.1117/12.2557316] [Proceedings]

2020. "Advanced Net Flux Radiometer for the Ice Giants." Space Science Reviews 216 (1): 11 [10.1007/s11214-019-0630-x] [Journal Article/Letter]

Non-Refereed

2021. "Ice Giant Atmospheric Science." BAAS 53 (4): e-id. 264 [10.3847/25c2cfeb.97316a54] [Journal Article/Letter]