Amy Simon

Last updated

Amy A. Simon
Amy Headshot2023.jpg
Amy Simon in 2023
BornOctober 1971
Union, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater Florida Institute of Technology
New Mexico State University
Children1 son
Scientific career
Fields Planetary atmospheres
Robotic exploration
Institutions Cornell University
Goddard Space Flight Center

Amy Simon is an American planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, involved in several missions of the Solar System Exploration Program. [1]

Contents

Education

Simon is from Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, [2] where she attended Union High School. [3] She earned a bachelor's degree in Space Sciences from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1993 [4] and was inducted into Sigma Pi Sigma. She completed her doctoral studies in astronomy at the New Mexico State University in 1998. [5] Upon graduation, she became a postdoctoral research scientist at Cornell University.

Career

Simon is a Senior Scientist in the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, having joined NASA as a civil servant in 2001. She served as the Chief of the Planetary Systems Laboratory from 2008 to 2010 and the Associate Division Director from 2010 to 2013. [4]

Her scientific research involves the study of the composition, dynamics, and cloud structure in jovian planet atmospheres, primarily from spacecraft observations, and as of 2023, she has authored more than 160 peer-reviewed publications. [6]

Works

Her contributions include the first detailed study of the changing shape of Jupiter's Great Red Spot, as well as the discoveries of several types of waves in the atmosphere of Jupiter. [7] [8] [9] Her analysis of Voyager 2 , Cassini-Huygens , Hubble Space Telescope and New Horizons images led to the discovery of several new classes of Jupiter atmospheric waves. [10] [11] [12]

Beyond Jupiter, she has studied atmospheric chemistry and dynamics on Saturn, including the north-polar hexagon. [13] She was also part of a team that observed Neptune using the Kepler space telescope, detecting solar oscillations in light reflected off a planet for the first time. [14] [15]

Simon is involved in multiple robotic NASA planetary missions. She was a co-investigator on the Cassini-Huygens Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) and is the deputy instrument scientist for the OSIRIS-REx Visible and IR Spectrometer (OVIRS), as well as for the Landsat 9 Thermal Infrared Sensor-2 [16] instrument and the deputy principal investigator for the Lucy spacecraft L'Ralph instrument. [17]

Since 2014, she has been the principal investigator of the Hubble Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program. [18] Her team discovered a new Great Dark Spot on Neptune with Hubble [19] and has published more than 12 manuscripts from OPAL data. [18] Her work with OSIRIS-REX led to the discovery of hydrated minerals on the surface of Bennu and earned a NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal. [20]

Explorations

Simon also plans future planetary exploration missions. She served on the National Academy of Sciences' Space Studies Board 2013 Planetary Science Decadal Survey. [21] She has co-led several mission studies for NASA including Flagship class missions to Enceladus and to the Ice Giants, Uranus, and Neptune. [22] [23] She was the principal investigator for the proposed New Frontiers class Saturn probe mission, SPRITE.

Simon is a member of the American Geophysical Union, the American Astronomical Society, and the Division for Planetary Sciences.

Honors and awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jupiter</span> Fifth planet from the Sun

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, and slightly less than one one-thousandth the mass of the Sun. It is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 5.20 AU (778.5 Gm) with an orbital period of 11.86 years. Jupiter is the third brightest natural object in the Earth's night sky after the Moon and Venus, and it has been observed since prehistoric times. It was named after Jupiter, the chief deity of ancient Roman religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Dark Spot</span> Large storm in Neptunes atmosphere

The Great Dark Spot was one of a series of dark spots on Neptune similar in appearance to Jupiter's Great Red Spot. In 1989, GDS-89 was the first Great Dark Spot on Neptune to be observed by NASA's Voyager 2 space probe. Like Jupiter's spot, Great Dark Spots are anticyclonic storms. However, their interiors are relatively cloud-free, and unlike Jupiter's spot, which has lasted for hundreds of years, their lifetimes appear to be shorter, forming and dissipating once every few years or so. Based on observations taken with Voyager 2 and since then with the Hubble Space Telescope, Neptune appears to spend somewhat more than half its time with a Great Dark Spot. Little is known about the origins, movement, and disappearance of the dark spots observed on the planet since 1989.

<i>Juno</i> (spacecraft) NASA space probe orbiting the planet Jupiter

Juno is a NASA space probe orbiting the planet Jupiter. It was built by Lockheed Martin and is operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on August 5, 2011 UTC, as part of the New Frontiers program. Juno entered a polar orbit of Jupiter on July 5, 2016, UTC, to begin a scientific investigation of the planet. After completing its mission, Juno will be intentionally deorbited into Jupiter's atmosphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice giant</span> Giant planet primarily consisting of compounds with freezing points exceeding 100°K

An ice giant is a giant planet composed mainly of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, such as oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. There are two ice giants in the Solar System: Uranus and Neptune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer</span> NASA satellite of the Explorer program

Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is a NASA infrared astronomy space telescope in the Explorers Program. It was launched in December 2009, and placed in hibernation mode in February 2011, before being re-activated in 2013 and renamed the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE). WISE discovered thousands of minor planets and numerous star clusters. Its observations also supported the discovery of the first Y-type brown dwarf and Earth trojan asteroid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3548 Eurybates</span> Asteroid satellite

3548 Eurybates is a carbonaceous Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp and the parent body of the Eurybates family, approximately 68 kilometers in diameter. It is a target to be visited by the Lucy mission in August 2027. Discovered during the second Palomar–Leiden Trojan survey in 1973, it was later named after Eurybates from Greek mythology. This C-type asteroid is among the 60 largest known Jupiter trojans and has a rotation period of 8.7 hours. Eurybates has one kilometer-sized satellite, named Queta, that was discovered in images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in September 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neptune</span> Eighth planet from the Sun

Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest IAU-recognized planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times the mass of Earth, and slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus. Neptune is denser and physically smaller than Uranus because its greater mass causes more gravitational compression of its atmosphere. Being composed primarily of gases and liquids, it has no well-defined solid surface. The planet orbits the Sun once every 164.8 years at an average distance of 30.1 astronomical units. It is named after the Roman god of the sea and has the astronomical symbol , representing Neptune's trident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MAVEN</span> NASA Mars orbiter

MAVEN is a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars to study the loss of that planet's atmospheric gases to space, providing insight into the history of the planet's climate and water. The name is an acronym for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution" while the word maven also denotes "a person who has special knowledge or experience; an expert". MAVEN was launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 18 November 2013 UTC and went into orbit around Mars on 22 September 2014 UTC. The mission is the first by NASA to study the Mars atmosphere. The probe is analyzing the planet's upper atmosphere and ionosphere to examine how and at what rate the solar wind is stripping away volatile compounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite</span> NASA satellite of the Explorer program

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is a space telescope for NASA's Explorer program, designed to search for exoplanets using the transit method in an area 400 times larger than that covered by the Kepler mission. It was launched on 18 April 2018, atop a Falcon 9 launch vehicle and was placed into a highly elliptical 13.70-day orbit around the Earth. The first light image from TESS was taken on 7 August 2018, and released publicly on 17 September 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uranus Orbiter and Probe</span> Proposed NASA space mission to Uranus

The Uranus Orbiter and Probe is an orbiter mission concept to study Uranus and its moons. The orbiter would also deploy an atmospheric probe to characterize Uranus's atmosphere. The concept is being developed as a potential large strategic science mission for NASA. The science phase would last 4.5 years and include multiple flybys of each of the major moons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Europa Clipper</span> Planned NASA space mission to Jupiter

Europa Clipper is an interplanetary mission in development by NASA comprising an orbiter. Planned for launch in October 2024, the spacecraft is being developed to study the Galilean moon Europa through a series of flybys while in orbit around Jupiter.

<i>Lucy</i> (spacecraft) NASA mission to fly by eight asteroids

Lucy is a NASA space probe on a twelve-year journey to eight different asteroids, visiting two main belt asteroids as well as six Jupiter trojans, asteroids which share Jupiter's orbit around the Sun, orbiting either ahead of or behind the planet. All target encounters will be flyby encounters. The Lucy spacecraft is the centerpiece of a US$981 million mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor</span> Proposed NASA space telescope

The Large Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor, commonly known as LUVOIR, is a multi-wavelength space telescope concept being developed by NASA under the leadership of a Science and Technology Definition Team. It is one of four large astrophysics space mission concepts studied in preparation for the National Academy of Sciences 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Europa Lander</span> Proposed NASA lander for Europa

The Europa Lander is a proposed astrobiology mission concept by NASA to send a lander to Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter. If funded and developed as a large strategic science mission, it would be launched in 2027 to complement the studies by the Europa Clipper orbiter mission and perform analyses on site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie Anderson</span> American planetary scientist

Carrie Anderson is an American planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Trident is a space mission concept to the outer planets proposed in 2019 to NASA's Discovery Program. The concept includes flybys of Jupiter and Neptune with a focus on Neptune's largest moon Triton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neptune Odyssey</span> NASA orbiter mission concept to study the Neptune system

Neptune Odyssey is an orbiter mission concept to study Neptune and its moons, particularly Triton. The orbiter would enter into a retrograde orbit of Neptune to facilitate simultaneous study of Triton and would launch an atmospheric probe to characterize Neptune's atmosphere. The concept is being developed as a potential large strategic science mission for NASA by a team led by the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. The current proposal targets a launch in 2033 using the Space Launch System with arrival at Neptune in 2049, although trajectories using gravity assists at Jupiter have also been considered with launch dates in 2031.

References

  1. 1 2 "(84994) Amysimon". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  2. ↑ Amy Simon: Planetary Scientist, NASA. Accessed September 13, 2018. "[Q] Where are you from? [A] I am originally from Union, N. J."
  3. ↑ Parkinson, Claire L.; Millar, Pamela S.; and Thaller, Michelle (editors) Women of Goddard: Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics NASA Goddard Space Flight Center July 2011, p. 111 Accessed September 13, 2018 "Amy Simon-Miller Union High School, Union, New Jersey"
  4. 1 2 "Bio - Amy A. Simon". science.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 19 August 2018.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  5. ↑ "NMSU Astronomy Alumni". astronomy.nmsu.edu. October 2015. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Google scholar profile: Amy A. Simon". Google Scholar. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  7. ↑ Simon-Miller, A. A; Gierasch, P. J.; Beebe, R. F.; Conrath, B.; Flasar, F. M.; Achterberg, R. K. (2002). "New Observational Results Concerning Jupiter's Great Red Spot". Icarus. 158 (1): 249–266. Bibcode:2002Icar..158..249S. doi:10.1006/icar.2002.6867.
  8. ↑ Simon, Amy A.; Tabataba-Vakili, F.; Cosentino, R.; Beebe, R. F.; Wong, M. H.; Orton, G. S. (2018). "Historical and Contemporary Trends in the Size, Drift, and Color of Jupiter's Great Red Spot". Astronomical Journal. 155 (4): 151. Bibcode:2018AJ....155..151S. doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/aaae01 . S2CID   126147959.
  9. ↑ "Jupiter's Great Red Spot Getting Taller as it Shrinks, NASA Team Finds". nasa.gov. NASA. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  10. ↑ Simon, Amy A.; Hueso, R.; Inurrigarro, P.; Sanchez-Lavega, A.; Morales-Juberias, R.; Cosentino, R.; et al. (2018). "A New, Long-Lived, Jupiter Mesoscale Wave Observed at visible Wavelengths". Astronomical Journal. 156 (2): 79. arXiv: 1807.10692 . Bibcode:2018AJ....156...79S. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aacaf5. PMC   6268009 . PMID   30510304.
  11. ↑ Simon, Amy A.; Li, L.; Reuter, D. C. (2015). "Small-scale waves on Jupiter: A reanalysis of New Horizons, Voyager, and Galileo data". Geophysical Research Letters. 42 (8): 2612–2618. Bibcode:2015GeoRL..42.2612S. doi:10.1002/2015GL063433. S2CID   129617336.
  12. ↑ Simon-Miller, A. A; Rogers, J. H; Gierasch, P. J; Choi, D. C; Allison, M. D; Adamoli, G.; Mettig, H. J (2012). "Longitudinal Variation and Waves in Jupiter's South Equatorial Wind Jet". Icarus. 218 (2): 817–830. Bibcode:2012Icar..218..817S. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.01.022. hdl: 2060/20120007841 . S2CID   122840527.
  13. ↑ Morales-Juberias, R.; Sayanagi, K. M.; Simon, Amy A.; Fletcher, L. N.; Cosentino, R. G. (2015). "Meandering Shallow Atmospheric Jet as a Model of Saturn's North-Polar Hexagon". Astrophysical Journal Letters. 806 (1): L18. Bibcode:2015ApJ...806L..18M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/806/1/L18. S2CID   55193896.
  14. ↑ Simon, Amy A.; Rowe, J. F.; Gaulme, P.; Hammel, H. B.; Casewell, S. L.; Fortney, J. J.; et al. (2016). "Neptune's Dynamic Atmosphere for Kepler K2 Observations: implications for Brown Dwarf Light Curve Analysis". Astrophysical Journal. 817 (2): 162. arXiv: 1512.07090 . Bibcode:2016ApJ...817..162S. doi:10.3847/0004-637X/817/2/162. PMC   5257274 . PMID   28127087.
  15. ↑ Gaulme, P.; Rowe, J. F.; Bedding, T. R.; Benomar, O.; Corsaro, E.; Davies, G. R.; et al. (2016). "A Distant Mirror: Solar Oscillations Observed on Neptune by the Kepler K2 Mission". Astrophysical Journal Letters. 833 (1): L13. arXiv: 1612.04287 . Bibcode:2016ApJ...833L..13G. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/833/1/L13. S2CID   119477700.
  16. ↑ "Landsat 9 Science Instrument Details". landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2018.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  17. ↑ "The Lucy Spacecraft and Payload". lucy.swri.edu. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  18. 1 2 "Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy Program". archive.stsci.edu. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  19. ↑ Wong, M. H.; Tollefson, J.; Hsu, A. I.; de Pater, I.; Simon, Amy A.; Hueso, R.; et al. (2018). "A New Dark Vortex on Neptune". Astronomical Journal. 155 (3): 117. Bibcode:2018AJ....155..117W. doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/aaa6d6 .
  20. ↑ Hamilton, V. E.; Simon, Amy A.; et al. (2019). "Evidence for widespread hydrated minerals on asteroid (101955) Bennu" (PDF). Nature Astronomy. 3 (4): 332–340. Bibcode:2019NatAs...3..332H. doi:10.1038/s41550-019-0722-2. hdl:1721.1/124501. PMC   6662227 . PMID   31360777.
  21. ↑ "Planetary Science Decadal Survey". National Academies. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  22. ↑ "Enceladus: Saturn's Active Ice Moon" (PDF). lpi.usra.edu. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  23. ↑ "Ice Giants Mission Planning". lpi.usra.edu. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  24. ↑ "2023 Prize Winners". dps.aas.org. DPS. Retrieved 13 August 2023.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  25. ↑ "2022 Presidential Rank Award Winners" (PDF). opm.gov. NASA. Retrieved 6 December 2022.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  26. ↑ "Solar System Exploration Division (690) Awards Won". science.gsfcnasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 8 February 2021.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  27. ↑ "Lindsay Awards and Lectures". science.gsfcnasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 5 March 2021.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  28. ↑ "NASA Bio, Dr. Amy Simon". nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 5 May 2023.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  29. ↑ "Sciences and Exploration Directorate (600) Awards Won". nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 17 August 2018.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  30. ↑ "NASA Agency Honor Awards 2014" (PDF). nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 17 August 2018.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  31. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
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