Sciences and Exploration Directorate

Amy A Simon

(SENIOR SCIENTIST, PLANETARY ATMOSPH)

Amy A Simon's Contact Card & Information.
Email: amy.simon@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.286.6738
Org Code: 690
Address:
NASA/GSFC
Mail Code 690
Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer:
NASA

Brief Bio


Dr. Simon is the Senior Scientist for Planetary Atmospheres Research in the Solar System Exploration Division at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She received her PhD in Astronomy in 1998 from the New Mexico State University. Her scientific research involves the study of the composition, dynamics, and cloud structure in jovian planet atmospheres, primarily from spacecraft observations. 

Dr. Simon is also involved in multiple robotic flight missions, as well as future mission concept development. She was a co-investigator on the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) and is the Deputy Instrument Scientist for the OSIRIS-REx Visible and near-IR Spectrometer (OVIRS), as well as the Landsat 9 TIRS2 instrument, and the Lucy L'Ralph instrument Deputy PI. She is PI of the Hubble Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program. She recently served as science co-lead of the NASA Ice Giants Mission Concept study.

Research Interests


Jovian atmospheres: dynamics, structure, composition, temporal evolution

Solar System: Jupiter

Studies of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune primarily from space-based missions


Small body visible and near-IR spectroscopy

Solar System: Asteroids

Remote sensing from space-based missions


Mission concept studies

Solar System: Technology & Missions

Engineering design and scientific requirements for future deep space missions

Current Projects


Deputy Instrument Scientist, OSIRIS-REx Visible and Near-IR Spectrometer (OVIRS)

Asteroids

OSIRIS-REx is a New Frontiers mission that launched in September 2016 to the near-Earth asteroid 101955 Bennu.  OVIRS is a visible and near-IR point spectrometer covering wavelengths from 0.4 to 4.3 microns.  It is used to characterize the composition of Bennu's surface, looking for organic material, and to study the effects of space weathering.  The first OVIRS discovery at Bennu was the widespread presence of hydrated minerals, indicating aqueous alteration occurred on Bennu's parent body.


Deputy Instrument Scientist, Landsat 9 Thermal IR Sensor (TIRS-2)

Earth

Landsat 9 is the next mission in the very successful Landsat series.  TIRS-2 is a two band thermal infrared sensor at 10 and 12 microns, designed to study land and ocean temperatures, and the effects of plant evapotranspiration.


Deputy Instrument PI, Lucy L'Ralph

Asteroids

Lucy is a Discovery-class mission to study the Trojan asteroids.  Launching in 2021, it will visit a main belt asteroid and multiple Trojan asteroids trapped in Jupiters L4 and L5 lagrange points. L'Ralph is a visible camera and near-IR spectrometer buidling on the heritage of the New Horizons Ralph and OSIRIS-REx OVIRS instruments.


PrincipaI Investigator, "Hubble 2020: Outer Planets Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) Program"

Solar System

The OPAL program is a yearly campaign to image each of the outer planets from the Hubble Space Telescope with Wide Field Camera 3.  OPAL was designed to enable global mapping over two rotations of each planet to allow for generating complete 2-D wind fields, color and cloud mapping, and long-term trend evaluation from consistent data sets for the remainder of the Hubble mission.  Discoveries have included two new dark spots on Neptune, vertical growth balancing horizontal shrinking of Jupiter's Great Red Spot, and increased polar haze on Uranus.


Project Scientist, OSIRIS-APEX

Remote Sensing

OSIRIS APEX is an approved extended mission to send the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on to asteroid Apophis. This mission will begin after release of the collected Bennnu sample, and arrives at Apophis just after its near-Earth encounter in 2029.


Co-Investigator, JUICE JANUS

Remote Sensing

JANUS is the visible camera aboard the ESA JUICE mission to Ganymede. JANUS is expected to make observations trhoughoutt he Jupiter system, in addition to studying the surface of Ganymede.

Education


Ph.D. in Astronomy, New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM; December 1998.
M.S. in Astronomy, New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM; December 1996.
B.S. in Space Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FL; June 1993 (highest honors).

Positions/Employment


Senior Scientist for Planetary Atmospheres Research

NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center

August 2011 - Present

 


Associate Director for Strategic Science, Solar System Exploration Division

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD

October 2010 - December 2013

 


Chief, Planetary Systems Laboratory

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD

March 2008 - October 2010


Astrophysicist/Space Scientist

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD

July 2001 - Present

Professional Service


Conference Organizing Committees:

2024       Convener, "Uranus Flagship: Investigating new paradigms for outer planet exploration"

2023       Scientific Organizing Committee, "Uranus Flagship 2023: Investigations and instruments for cross discipline science"

2022       Program committee, “Workshop on In Situ Exploration of the Giant Planets II”

2020       Organizing Committee, Royal Society of London Hooke Workshop, “Future Exploration of the Ice Giants”

2019       Organizing Committee, “Workshop on In Situ Exploration of the Ice Giants”

2014       Convener, “Workshop on the Study of Ice Giant Planets”

2013       Co-convener, AGU Chapman Conference: “Crossing the Boundaries in Planetary Atmospheres: from Earth to Exoplanets”

2011       Steering Committee, 9th IAA Low-Cost Planetary Missions Conference

2009       Organizing Committee, Women in Astronomy and Space Science III

2007       Scientific Organizing Committee, NASA Planetary Atmospheres Conference

2003       Organizing Committee, Women in Astronomy II Workshop

2002       Program Committee, Division of Planetary Sciences


Advisory and Scientific Committees:

2020-2022  Space Studies Board Planetary Science Decadal Survey Steering Committee & Giant Planet Systems Panel Vice-Chair

2015-2016  NASA Ice Giant Mission Concept Study, science co-lead

2015-2018  Space Telescope Users Committee

2015        JWST Solar System Observers Advisory Panel

2013       Study on Applications of Large Space Optics, Technical Area Expert

2009-2011  Space Studies Board Planetary Science Decadal Survey Steering Committee & Giant Planets Panel Vice-Chair

2009-2010  NASA Europa-Jupiter System Mission Joint SDT, Jupiter Science co-lead.

2009-2011  Planetary Systems Science Management Operations Working Group

2008       NASA Titan Saturn System Flagship Mission Study, Science Definition Team

2007       NASA Enceladus Flagship Mission Concept Study, SDT Co-Chair

2006       JPL $1B Box Study, Enceladus Science Definition Team

2005-2008  Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS) Executive Committee

2005-2007  Outer Planet Assessment Group Steering Committee

2003-2005  Jupiter Icy Moon Orbiter (JIMO) Science Definition Team

2002-2005  NASA Planetary Data System Management Oversight Working Group

2001-2007  AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy


Manuscript and Panel Review Service:

2013       Editor, “Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets”, Space Science Series, U. of Arizona Press

2008-2011   Icarus Editorial Board

2006-2007   NRAO Very Large Array/Green Bank Telescope proposal reviewer

2003          AAS International Travel Grant Review Committee

2003          AWIS Educational Foundation Fellowship Review

various       NASA Review Panels and/or Panel Chair: Planetary Astronomy, Planetary Atmospheres, ADP/LTSA, and Outer Planets Research Programs

various      Journal manuscript peer reviewer for Icarus, JGR-Planets, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astronomical Journal

various       Guest editor, Planetary and Space Sciences, Philosophical Transactions A

various      Hubble Space Telescope Cycles 14, 17, 19 Review Panels, Cycle 28 TAC Chair

 

Selected Publications


Refereed

2024. "The First Lucy Earth Flyby (EGA1)." Space Science Reviews 220 (1): 3 [10.1007/s11214-023-01034-1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Tunable Laser Spectrometers for Planetary Science." Space Science Reviews 219 78 [10.1007/s11214-023-01023-4] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Latitudinal Variations in Methane Abundance, Aerosol Opacity and Aerosol Scattering Efficiency in Neptune's Atmosphere Determined From VLT/MUSE." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 128 (11): [10.1029/2023je007980] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "L’Ralph: A Visible/Infrared Spectral Imager for the Lucy Mission to the Trojans." Space Science Reviews 219 (8): 69 [10.1007/s11214-023-01009-2] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "An intense narrow equatorial jet in Jupiter’s lower stratosphere observed by JWST." Nature Astronomy [10.1038/s41550-023-02099-2] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "OSIRIS-APEX: An OSIRIS-REx Extended Mission to Asteroid Apophis." The Planetary Science Journal 4 (10): 198 [10.3847/psj/acf75e] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "The Temporal Brightening of Uranus' Northern Polar Hood From HST/WFC3 and HST/STIS Observations." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 128 (10): [10.1029/2023je007904] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Phyllosilicate decomposition on Bennu due to prolonged surface exposure." Icarus 115809 [10.1016/j.icarus.2023.115809] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Modelling the seasonal cycle of Uranus’s colour and magnitude, and comparison with Neptune." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 527 (4): 11521-11538 [10.1093/mnras/stad3761] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Spectral determination of the colour and vertical structure of dark spots in Neptune’s atmosphere." Nature Astronomy [10.1038/s41550-023-02047-0] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Overview of the search for signs of space weathering on the low-albedo asteroid (101955) Bennu." Icarus 115563 [10.1016/j.icarus.2023.115563] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Hubble Detects the Start of a New Saturn Ring Spoke Season." Geophysical Research Letters 50 (3): [10.1029/2022gl101904] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Evaluating possible spectroscopic variation of Bennu’s sampling site." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 519 1464–1475 [10.1093/mnras/stac2969] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "GRO 95577 (CR1) as a mineralogical analogue for asteroid (101955) Bennu." Icarus 383 115054 [10.1016/j.icarus.2022.115054] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Spacecraft sample collection and subsurface excavation of asteroid (101955) Bennu." Science 377 285-291 [10.1126/science.abm1018] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Evolution of a dark vortex on Neptune with transient secondary features." Icarus 387 115123 [10.1016/j.icarus.2022.115123] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "VIPRE: A Tool Aiding the Design for Entry Probe Missions." The Planetary Science Journal 3 (4): 98 [10.3847/psj/ac6022] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Giant Planet Atmospheres: Dynamics and Variability from UV to Near-IR Hubble and Adaptive Optics Imaging." Remote Sensing 14 (6): 1518 [10.3390/rs14061518] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Cross-Instrument Comparison of MapCam and OVIRS on OSIRIS-REx." Space Science Reviews 218 (2): 5 [10.1007/s11214-022-00873-8] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Analysis of the long-term drift rates and oscillations of Jupiter’s largest vortices." Icarus 372 114732 [10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114732] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Widely distributed exogenic materials of varying compositions and morphologies on asteroid (101955) Bennu." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 508 2053–2070 [10.1093/mnras/stab2548] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Neptune Odyssey: A Flagship Concept for the Exploration of the Neptune–Triton System." The Planetary Science Journal 2 (5): 184 [10.3847/psj/abf654] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Composition of organics on asteroid (101955) Bennu." Astronomy & Astrophysics 653 L1 [Full Text] [10.1051/0004-6361/202141167] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Evolution of the Horizontal Winds in Jupiter’s Great Red Spot from One Jovian Year of HST/WFC3 Maps." Geophysical Research Letters 48 e2021GL093982 [10.1029/2021gl093982] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Lucy Mission to the Trojan Asteroids: Instrumentation and Encounter Concept of Operations." The Planetary Science Journal 2 (5): 172 [10.3847/psj/abf83f] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "In Situ exploration of the giant planets." Experimental Astronomy [10.1007/s10686-021-09775-z] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Ice giant system exploration within ESA’s Voyage 2050." Experimental Astronomy [10.1007/s10686-021-09759-z] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Visible–near-infrared observations of organics and carbonates on (101955) Bennu: Classification method and search for surface context." Icarus 368 114579 [10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114579] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Spectral effects of varying texture and composition in two‐component “mudpie” simulations: Insights for Asteroid (101955) Bennu." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 56 1173-1190 [10.1111/maps.13699] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Spectrophotometric Modeling and Mapping of (101955) Bennu." The Planetary Science Journal 2 (3): 117 [10.3847/psj/abfd2d] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Derivation of the final OSIRIS-REx OVIRS in-flight radiometric calibration." Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 7 (02): [10.1117/1.jatis.7.2.020501] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Interaction of Saturn’s Hexagon With Convective Storms." Geophysical Research Letters 48 (8): [10.1029/2021gl092461] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Evidence for limited compositional and particle size variation on asteroid (101955) Bennu from thermal infrared spectroscopy." Astronomy & Astrophysics 650 [10.1051/0004-6361/202039728] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "The Role of Hydrated Minerals and Space Weathering Products in the Bluing of Carbonaceous Asteroids." The Planetary Science Journal 2 (2): 68 [10.3847/psj/abe76f] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "In search of Bennu analogs: Hapke modeling of meteorite mixtures." Astronomy & Astrophysics 648 A88 [10.1051/0004-6361/202140343] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Hydrogen abundance estimation and distribution on (101955) Bennu." Icarus 114427 [10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114427] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Midsummer Atmospheric Changes in Saturn’s Northern Hemisphere from the Hubble OPAL Program." The Planetary Science Journal 2 (2): 47 [10.3847/psj/abe40f] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Spectral analysis of craters on (101955) Bennu." Icarus 357 114252 [10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114252] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Phase reddening on asteroid Bennu from visible and near-infrared spectroscopy." Astronomy & Astrophysics 644 A142 [10.1051/0004-6361/202039552] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Weak spectral features on (101995) Bennu from the OSIRIS-REx Visible and InfraRed Spectrometer." Astronomy & Astrophysics 644 A148 [10.1051/0004-6361/202039688] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "The Effects of Waves on the Meridional Thermal Structure of Jupiter’s Stratosphere." The Planetary Science Journal 1 (3): 63 [10.3847/psj/abbda3] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Ice giant system exploration in the 2020s: an introduction." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 378 (2187): 20190473 [10.1098/rsta.2019.0473] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Photometry of asteroid (101955) Bennu with OVIRS on OSIRIS-REx." Icarus 114183 [10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114183] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Widespread carbon-bearing materials on near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu." Science 370 eabc3522 [10.1126/science.abc3522] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Variations in color and reflectance on the surface of asteroid (101955) Bennu." Science 370 eabc3660 [10.1126/science.abc3660] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Bright carbonate veins on asteroid (101955) Bennu: Implications for aqueous alteration history." Science 370 eabc3557 [Full Text] [10.1126/science.abc3557] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Modeling optical roughness and first-order scattering processes from OSIRIS-REx color images of the rough surface of asteroid (101955) Bennu." Icarus 114106 [10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114106] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Asteroid (101955) Bennu’s weak boulders and thermally anomalous equator." Science Advances 6 (41): eabc3699 [10.1126/sciadv.abc3699] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Ice Giant Systems: The scientific potential of orbital missions to Uranus and Neptune." Planetary and Space Science 191 105030 [10.1016/j.pss.2020.105030] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Exogenic basalt on asteroid (101955) Bennu." Nature Astronomy 5 31 [10.1038/s41550-020-1195-z] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Fluctuations in Jupiter’s equatorial stratospheric oscillation." Nature Astronomy 5 71 [10.1038/s41550-020-1165-5] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Future Missions to the Giant Planets that Can Advance Atmospheric Science Objectives." Space Science Reviews 216 (5): 91 [10.1007/s11214-020-00710-w] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "A Survey of Small‐Scale Waves and Wave‐Like Phenomena in Jupiter's Atmosphere Detected by JunoCam." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 125 (7): [10.1029/2019je006369] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Small Next-Generation Atmospheric Probe (SNAP) Concept to Enable Future Multi-Probe Missions: A Case Study for Uranus." Space Science Reviews 216 (4): 72 [10.1007/s11214-020-00686-7] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "OSIRIS-REx spectral analysis of (101955) Bennu by multivariate statistics." Astronomy & Astrophysics 637 L4 [10.1051/0004-6361/202038144] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "High-resolution UV/Optical/IR Imaging of Jupiter in 2016–2019." The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 247 (2): 58 [10.3847/1538-4365/ab775f] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Visible–near infrared spectral indices for mapping mineralogy and chemistry with OSIRIS ‐ RE x." Meteoritics & Planetary Science maps.13461 [10.1111/maps.13461] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "A Review of the in Situ Probe Designs from Recent Ice Giant Mission Concept Studies." Space Science Reviews 216 (1): 17 [10.1007/s11214-020-0639-1] [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. "A complex storm system in Saturn’s north polar atmosphere in 2018." Nature Astronomy [10.1038/s41550-019-0914-9] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Saturn atmospheric dynamics one year after Cassini: Long-lived features and time variations in the drift of the Hexagon." Icarus 336 113429 [10.1016/j.icarus.2019.113429] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "OSIRIS‐REx visible and near‐infrared observations of the Moon." Geophysical Research Letters 46 2019GL083341 [10.1029/2019gl083341] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Uranus and Neptune missions: A study in advance of the next Planetary Science Decadal Survey." Planetary and Space Science 177 104680 [10.1016/j.pss.2019.06.004] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Constraints on Uranus's haze structure, formation and transport." Icarus 333 1-11 [10.1016/j.icarus.2019.05.018] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Jupiter's Turbulent Power Spectra from Hubble Space Telescope." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 124 2018JE005762 [10.1029/2018je005762] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Lifetimes and Occurrence Rates of Dark Vortices on Neptune from 25 Years of Hubble Space Telescope Images." The Astronomical Journal 157 (4): 152 [10.3847/1538-3881/ab0747] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Formation of a New Great Dark Spot on Neptune in 2018." Geophysical Research Letters 46 2019GL081961 [10.1029/2019gl081961] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Evidence for widespread hydrated minerals on asteroid (101955) Bennu." Nature Astronomy 3 (4): 332-340 [10.1038/s41550-019-0722-2] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "Properties of rubble-pile asteroid (101955) Bennu from OSIRIS-REx imaging and thermal analysis." Nature Astronomy 3 (4): 341-351 [10.1038/s41550-019-0731-1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Characterization of Mesoscale Waves in the Jupiter NEB by Jupiter InfraRed Auroral Mapper on board Juno." The Astronomical Journal 156 (5): 246 [10.3847/1538-3881/aae525] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "In-Flight Calibration and Performance of the OSIRIS-REx Visible and IR Spectrometer (OVIRS)." Remote Sensing 10 (9): 1486 [10.3390/rs10091486] [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. "Solar system science with the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope." Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 4 (03): 1 [10.1117/1.jatis.4.3.034003] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "A New, Long-lived, Jupiter Mesoscale Wave Observed at Visible Wavelengths." The Astronomical Journal 156 (2): 79 [10.3847/1538-3881/aacaf5] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Jupiter’s Mesoscale Waves Observed at 5 μm by Ground-based Observations and Juno JIRAM." The Astronomical Journal 156 (2): 67 [10.3847/1538-3881/aace02] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "The Robo-AO-2 facility for rapid visible/near-infrared AO imaging and the demonstration of hybrid techniques." Adaptive Optics Systems VI [10.1117/12.2312835] [Proceedings]

2018. "Uranus's northern polar cap in 2014." Geophysical Research Letters 45 5329-5335 [10.1029/2018gl077654] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Longitudinal variability in Jupiter's zonal winds derived from multi-wavelength HST observations." Planetary and Space Science 155 2-11 [10.1016/j.pss.2018.01.004] [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. "Historical and Contemporary Trends in the Size, Drift, and Color of Jupiter's Great Red Spot." The Astronomical Journal 155 (4): 151 [10.3847/1538-3881/aaae01] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "The OSIRIS-REx Visible and InfraRed Spectrometer (OVIRS): Spectral Maps of the Asteroid Bennu." Space Science Reviews 214 (2): 54 [10.1007/s11214-018-0482-9] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "A planetary-scale disturbance in a long living three vortex coupled system in Saturn's atmosphere." Icarus 302 499-513 [10.1016/j.icarus.2017.11.029] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "A New Dark Vortex on Neptune." The Astronomical Journal 155 (3): 117 [10.3847/1538-3881/aaa6d6] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "New Observations and Modeling of Jupiter's Quasi-Quadrennial Oscillation." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 122 [10.1002/2017je005342] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "OSIRIS-REx: Sample Return from Asteroid (101955) Bennu." Space Science Reviews 212 925-984 [Full Text] [10.1007/s11214-017-0405-1] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Atmospheric waves and dynamics beneath Jupiter’s clouds from radio wavelength observations." Icarus 292 168-181 [10.1016/j.icarus.2017.01.006] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Jupiter's North Equatorial Belt expansion and thermal wave activity ahead of Juno's arrival." Geophysical Research Letters 44 [10.1002/2017gl073383] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Changes in Jupiter’s Zonal Wind Profile preceding and during the Juno mission." Icarus 296 163-178 [10.1016/j.icarus.2017.06.007] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Neptune long-lived atmospheric features in 2013–2015 from small (28-cm) to large (10-m) telescopes." Icarus 295 89-109 [10.1016/j.icarus.2017.06.009] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "HST/WFC3 Observations of Uranus’ 2014 storm clouds and comparison with VLT/SINFONI and IRTF/SpeX observations." Icarus 288 99-119 [10.1016/j.icarus.2017.01.031] [Journal Article/Letter]

2017. "Time-series Analysis of Broadband Photometry of Neptune from K2." The Astronomical Journal 153 (4): 149 [10.3847/1538-3881/aa6119] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "A DISTANT MIRROR: SOLAR OSCILLATIONS OBSERVED ON NEPTUNE BY THE KEPLER K 2 MISSION." The Astrophysical Journal 833 (1): L13 [10.3847/2041-8213/833/1/l13] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "An enduring rapidly moving storm as a guide to Saturn’s Equatorial jet’s complex structure." Nature Communications 7 13262 [10.1038/ncomms13262] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE MID-IR LIGHT CURVES OF NEPTUNE." The Astronomical Journal 152 (5): 142 [10.3847/0004-6256/152/5/142] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Vortices in Saturn's Northern Hemisphere (2008-2015) Observed by Cassini ISS." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 121 (9): 1814-1826 [10.1002/2016je005122] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Chromophores from photolyzed ammonia reacting with acetylene: Application to Jupiter's Great Red Spot." Icarus 274 106-115 [10.1016/j.icarus.2016.03.008] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "The Spectrum of Jupiter's Great Red Spot: The Case for Ammonium Hydrosulfide (NH4SH)." Icarus 271 265-268 [10.1016/j.icarus.2016.02.010] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. " NEPTUNE’S DYNAMIC ATMOSPHERE FROM KEPLER K2 OBSERVATIONS: IMPLICATIONS FOR BROWN DWARF LIGHT CURVE ANALYSES ." The Astrophysical Journal 817 (2): 162 [10.3847/0004-637x/817/2/162] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Net Flux Radiometer for a Saturn Probe." European Planetary Science Congress 10 388-389 [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "The OSIRIS-REx target asteroid (101955) Bennu: Constraints on its physical, geological, and dynamical nature from astronomical observations ." Meteoritics and Planetary Science 50 (4): 834-849 [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.12353] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "First results from the Hubble OPAL Program: Jupiter in 2015." Astrophysical Journal 812 55 [10.1088/0004-637X/812/1/55] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Observations and Numerical Modeling of the Jovian Ribbon." Astrophys. J. Letters 810 L10 [10.1088/2041-8205/810/1/L10] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Stratospheric benzene and hydrocarbon aerosols in Saturn's auroral regions." Astronomy and Astrophysics 580 A89 [10.1051/0004-6361/201424745] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Giant-Planet Chemistry: Ammonium Hydrosulfide (NH4SH), its IR Spectra and Thermal and Radiolytic Stabilities." Icarus 258 181–191 [10.1016/j.icarus.2015.06.015] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Meandering Shallow Atmospheric Jet as a Model of Saturn’s North-Polar Hexagon." Astrophysical Journal Letters 806 L18 [10.1088/2041-8205/806/1/L18] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Small-scale waves on Jupiter: A reanalysis of New Horizons, Voyager and Galileo data." Geophysical Research Letters 42 2612-2618 [10.1002/2015GL063433] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Spectral Comparison and Stability of Red Regions on Jupiter." J. Geophys. Res. - Planets 120 483-494 [10.1002/2014JE004688] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "The OSIRIS-REx target asteroid (101955) Bennu: Constraints on its physical, geological, and dynamical nature from astronomical observations." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 50 (4): 834–849 [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.12353] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "Dramatic Change in Jupiter's Great Red Spot from Spacecraft Observations." Astrophysical Journal Letters 797 L31 [10.1088/2041-8205/797/2/L31] [Journal Article/Letter]

2014. "Scientific rationale of Saturn's in situ exploration." Planetary and Space Science 104 29-47 [doi:10.1016/j.pss.2014.09.014] [Journal Article/Letter]

2013. "Colors of Jupiter's large anticyclones and the interaction of a Tropical Red Oval with the Great Red Spot in 2008." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 118 1-21 [10.1002/2013JE004371] [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]

2013. "Jupiter's Equatorial Hot Spots and Plumes from Cassini." Icarus 223 832-843 [10.1016/j.icarus.2013.02.001] [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. "Vertical cloud structure of the 2009 Jupiter impact based on HST/WFC3 observations." Icarus 221 1061-1078 [doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.10.012] [Journal Article/Letter]

2012. "Emitted Power of Jupiter Based on Cassini CIRS and VIMS Observations. ." J Geophys Res - Planets 117 E11002 [doi:10.1029/2012JE004191] [Journal Article/Letter]

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]

2012. "Longitudinal Variation and Waves in Jupiter's South Equatorial Wind Jet." Icarus 218 817-830. [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. "Jovian Chromophore Characteristics from Multispectral HST Images." Icarus 215 552-583 [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "Long-Term Evolution of the Aerosol Debris Cloud Produced by the 2009 Impact on Jupiter." Icarus 214 462-476. [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "Thermal Structure and Dynamics of Saturn’s Northern Springtime Disturbance." Science 332 1413-1417. [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "Evolution of the equatorial oscillation in Saturn’s stratosphere between 2005 and 2010 from Cassini/CIRS limb data analysis 2011." Geophys Res Lett 38 L09201 [doi:10.1029/2011GL047192] [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "Jovian Temperature and Cloud Variability during the 2009-2010 Fade of the South Equatorial Belt." Icarus 213 564-580. [Journal Article/Letter]

2011. "The Atmospheric Influence, Size and Asteroidal Nature of the July 2009 Jupiter Impactor." Icarus 211 587-602 [10.1016/j.icarus.2010.10.0] [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "First Earth-Based Detection of a Superbolide on Jupiter." Ap J Lett 721 L129-L133. [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Jupiter after the 2009 Impact: Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Impact-generated Debris and its Temporal Evolution." Ap J Lett 715 L150-L154. [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Seasonal Change on Saturn from Cassini/CIRS Observations, 2004-2009." Icarus 208 337-352. [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Thermal Structure and Composition of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot from High-Resolution Thermal Imaging." Icarus 208 306-328. [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "The impact of a large object with Jupiter in July 2009." Ap J Lett 715 L155-L159. [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Meridional distribution of CH3C2H and C4H2 in Saturn's stratosphere from CIRS/Cassini limb and nadir observations." Icarus 209 682-695 [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Analysis of Jupiter's Oval BA: A Streamlined Approach." Icarus 210 202-210 [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "On the long-term variability of Jupiter's winds and brightness as observed from Hubble." Icarus 210 (1): 258-269 [10.1016/j.icarus.2010.06.020] [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Saturn's emitted power." J Geophys Res 115 (E11): E11002 [10.1029/2010JE003631] [Journal Article/Letter]

2009. "Mapping Potential Vorticity Dynamics on Saturn: Zonal mean circulation from Cassini and Voyager data." Planetary and Space Science 57 1682-1698 [Journal Article/Letter]

2009. "Vertical and meridional distribution of ethane, acetylene and propane in Saturn's stratosphere from CIRS/Cassini limb observations." Icarus 203 240-248 [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]

2008. "Dynamics of Saturn's south polar vortex." Science 319 (5871): 1801 [10.1126/science.1153633] [Journal Article/Letter]

2008. "Depth of the strongest Jovian Jet from a Planetary-Scale Disturbance driven by storms." Nature 451 437-439. [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]

2008. "Spatial evidence for an equatorial oscillation on Saturn." Nature 453 200-202. [Journal Article/Letter]

2008. "Changing Characteristics of Jupiter's Little Red Spot." Astronomical Journal 135 2246-2452. [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]

2007. "Jupiter Cloud Composition, Stratification, Convection and Wave Motion: A View from New Horizons." Science 318 223-225. [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "New Horizons at Jupiter: Discovery of Polar Lightning and Decadal-Scale Cloud Variability." Science 318 226-228. [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Meridional variations in Stratospheric Acetylene and Ethane in the Southern Hemisphere of the Saturnian Atmosphere as Determined from Cassini/CIRS Measurements." Icarus 190 556-572. [Journal Article/Letter]

2007. "Wind Variations in Jupiter's Equatorial Atmosphere: A QQO Counterpart?." Icarus 186 192-203. [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Mapping Potential Vorticity Dynamics on Jupiter: 1 Zonal Mean Circulation from Cassini and Voyager 1 data." Q J R Meteorol Soc 132 1577-1603. [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Waves in Jupiter's Atmosphere Observed by the Cassini ISS and CIRS Instruments." Icarus 185 416-429. [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Vertical wind shear on Jupiter from Cassini images." J. Geophys. Res. 111 (E4): E04004 [10.1029/2005JE002556] [Journal Article/Letter]

2006. "Jupiter's White Oval Turns Red." Icarus 185 558-562. [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]

2005. "Vertical Structure Modeling of Saturn's Equatorial Region using High Spectral Resolution Imaging." Icarus 175 464-489. [Journal Article/Letter]

2004. "Retrievals of Jovian tropospheric phosphine from Cassini/CIRS." Icarus 172 (1): 37-49 [10.1016/j.icarus.2003.09.027] [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. "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]

2004. "Dynamics of Jupiter's Atmosphere." Jupiter: The Planet, Satellites, and Magnetosphere 105-128 [Article in Book]

2003. "Operations and calibration of the solid-state imaging system during the Galileo extended mission at Jupiter." Optical Engineering 42 494-504. [Journal Article/Letter]

2003. "Planetary Astronomy: Recent Advances and Future Discoveries with Small Aperture Telescopes." The Future of Small Telescopes in the New Millennium 3. Science in the Shadow of Giants 37-55 [Article in Book]

2002. "New Observational Results Concerning Jupiter's Great Red Spot." Icarus 158 249-266 [Journal Article/Letter]

2001. "Color and Vertical Structure of Jupiter's Belts, Zones and Weather Features." Icarus 154 459-474 [Journal Article/Letter]

2001. "An HST Study of Jovian Chromophores." Icarus 149 94-106 [Journal Article/Letter]

2000. "A Detection of Water Ice on Jupiter with Voyager IRIS." Icarus 145 454-461. [Journal Article/Letter]

2000. "Observation of moist convection in Jupiter's atmosphere." Nature 403 628-630. [Journal Article/Letter]

1999. "Ammonia and Eddy Mixing Variations in the Upper Troposphere of Jupiter from HST Faint Object Spectrograph Observations." Icarus 142 342-356. [Journal Article/Letter]

1999. "The Structure and Temporal Stability of Jupiter's Zonal Winds: a Study of the North Tropical Region." Icarus 141 29-39. [Journal Article/Letter]

1998. "On the Latitude Variation of Ammonia, Acetylene, and Phosphine Altitude Profiles on Jupiter from HST Faint Object Spectrograph Observations." Icarus 133 192-209. [Journal Article/Letter]

1996. "Interpretation of Measured Translation Rates of Jupiter's Equatorial Clouds." Science 272 841. [Journal Article/Letter]

1996. "Absolute Reflectivity Spectra of Jupiter: 025 - 35 Microns." Icarus 121 351-360. [Journal Article/Letter]

1996. "Jovian Tropospheric Features - Wind Field, Morphology and Motion of Long-lived Systems." Icarus 121 319-330. [Journal Article/Letter]

1995. "HST Imaging of Atmospheric Phenomena Created by the Impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9." Science 267 1237-1392. [Journal Article/Letter]

Non-Refereed

2019. "Landsat 9 Thermal Infrared Sensor 2 Spectral Response Test: Updates And Perspective." IGARSS 2019 - 2019 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium [10.1109/igarss.2019.8899118] [Proceedings]

2019. "Main-Belt Infrared Spectral Analogues for (101955) Bennu: AKARI and Spitzer IRS Asteroid Spectra." EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2019 2019 EPSC-DPS2019-312 [Proceedings]

2018. "Landsat 9 Thermal Infrared Sensor 2 pre-launch characterization: initial imaging and spectral performance results." Earth Observing Systems XXIII [10.1117/12.2321084] [Proceedings]

2018. "Landsat 9 Thermal Infrared Sensor 2 Architecture and Design." IGARSS 2018 - 2018 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium 8841-8844 [10.1109/igarss.2018.8518269] [Proceedings]

2018. "Landsat 9 Thermal Infrared Sensor 2 Characterization Plan Overview." IGARSS 2018 - 2018 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium 8845-8848 [10.1109/igarss.2018.8518798] [Proceedings]

2015. "DARe: Dark Asteroid Rendezvous." Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 46 2835 [Proceedings]

Professional Societies


American Astronomical Society

1992 - Present


Division of Planetary Sciences

1993 - Present


American Geophysical Union

1998 - Present


International Astronomical Union

2009 - Present


Women in Aerospace

2017 - Present


Association of Women in Science

1994 - Present


American Association for the Advancement of Science

2015 - Present

Awards


2023               AAS Division for Planetary Sciences Claudia J. Alexander Prize

2022               Presidential Rank Award, Meritorious Professional Service

2022               NASA Group Achievement Award (Lucy Assembly, Test & Launch Operations Team)

2021               NASA Group Achievement Award (Lucy Mission)

2020               NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal

2020               Robert H. Goddard Engineering Team Award – L’Ralph Team

2020               John C. Lindsay Memorial Award for Space Science

2019               NASA Group Achievement Award (OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Approach and Preliminary Surveys)

2019               NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal

2018               NASA Group Achievement Award (Cassini CIRS Team)

2018               NASA Group Achievement Award (OSIRIS-REx EGA Team)

2018               NASA Silver Achievement Medal (TIRS2 Telescope, Optics and Detector Team)

2018               Robert H. Goddard Engineering Achievement Award (TIRS2 Telescope Team)

2017               Robert H. Goddard New Opportunities Captured (Lucy Team)

2017               NASA Silver Achievement Medal (OVIRS Team)

2017               NASA Group Achievement Award (OSIRIS-REx Team)

2016               Robert H. Goddard Science Achievement Award (Hubble OPAL Team)

2016               Robert H. Goddard Engineering Achievement Award (OVIRS Team)

2016               NASA Exceptional Service Medal

2015               Robert H. Goddard Exceptional Achievement for Mission and Enabling Support, Cassini CIRS Operations Team

2014               Robert H. Goddard New Opportunities Captured (OSIRIS-REx Team)

2014               Robert H. Goddard Exceptional Engineering (OVIRS Team)

2014               NASA Exceptional Service Medal

2014               Asteroid 2003 YW106 named 84994 Amysimon

2009               NASA Group Achievement Award (Cassini CIRS Science Team)

2009               NASA Group Achievement Awards (4 Cassini Science Integration Teams)

2008               Robert H. Goddard Science Achievement Team Award (CIRS Science Team)

2007               Robert H. Goddard Space Science Achievement Award, individual

2005               NASA Group Achievement Award, Jupiter Icy Moon Orbiter SDT