Ralph Lorenz

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Ralph D. Lorenz is a planetary scientist and engineer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. [1] whose research focuses on understanding surfaces, atmospheres, and their interactions on planetary bodies, especially Titan, Venus, Mars, and Earth. [2] He currently serves as Mission Architect of Dragonfly , NASA's fourth selected New Frontiers mission, [3] [4] and as participating scientist on Akatsuki [5] and InSight . [6] He is a Co-Investigator on the SuperCam instrument on the Perseverance rover, responsible for interpreting data from its microphone. He leads the Venus Atmospheric Structure Investigation on the DAVINCI Discovery mission to Venus. He is the recipient of the 2020 International Planetary Probe Workshop (IPPW) Al Seiff memorial award, and the 2022 American Geophysical Union's Fred Whipple Award for contributions to planetary science. [7]

Contents

Education

Lorenz earned a B.Eng. in Aerospace Systems Engineering from the University of Southampton (UK) Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1990. For his thesis "Exploring the Surface of Titan", Lorenz was awarded a PhD in Space Sciences from the University of Kent at Canterbury in 1994. Lorenz spent 1994-2006 at the University of Arizona as a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist. In 2006, he joined the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. [8] [9]

Research

Lorenz has published over 200 papers on spacecraft exploration of several bodies of the solar system, using scientific instruments and housekeeping data from engineering systems (such as observing the Mars environment and a transit of Deimos [10] via the solar array currents on the InSight lander [11] or measuring the dust and gas in the plumes of Enceladus using Cassini's attitude control system [12] ). He has conducted field research on dust devils, [13] sand dunes and volcanos, exploiting techniques such as kite-borne, [14] timelapse and near-infrared photography. He has also published on the dynamics of Frisbees, [15] the thermodynamics of the drinking bird toy, [16] and the moving rocks ("Sailing Stones") of Racetrack Playa in Death Valley. [17] He documented the migration of sand dunes at the Mos Espa film set in Tunisia, seen on the Star Wars movies. [18] His contributions in scientific history include noting the calculations of Edmond Halley on the size of wings needed for human flight , [19] and the definition [20] of the circumstellar habitable zone by Edward Maunder.

Lorenz has participated in several NASA and ESA missions. He was a Young Graduate Trainee for ESA's Huygens from 1990-1991 and continued on as a member of the Huygens Science Team, designing and building its penetrometer instrument. [8] [9] As a member of the Cassini RADAR team, [21] Lorenz led the planning of Titan radar observations during Cassini's 13 year mission in the Saturn system. Lorenz was selected as a participating scientist on the Japanese mission Akatsuki in 2010 [5] and NASA's InSight mission at Mars in 2017 [6]

He has also been involved in numerous mission concepts, including the Titan Mare Explorer (TiME), [22] the "Billion Dollar Box" Saturnian system study, [23] Titan Airship Explorer, [24] AVIATR, [25] a Mars meteorology and seismology concept, [26] and a Titan submarine [27]

Books

TitleAuthorsPublisherDateISBN
Planetary Exploration with Ingenuity and Dragonfly : Rotary-Wing Flight on Mars and TitanRalph LorenzAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics2022978-1624106366
Saturn's Moon Titan Owners' Workshop ManualRalph LorenzHaynes2020978-1785216435
Exploring Planetary ClimateR.D. LorenzCambridge University Press2019978-1108471541
Dust DevilsD. Reiss, R. D. Lorenz, M. Balme, L. Neakrase, A. Pio Rossi, A. Spiga, and J. Zarnecki (Editors)Springer978-9402411331
Planetary Climate before the Space AgeR.D. LorenzAmazon Digital Services LLC2017
NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini-Huygens: 1997 onwards (Cassini orbiter, Huygens probe and future exploration concepts) (Owners' Workshop Manual)R.D. LorenzHaynes Publishing UK2017978-1785211119
Dune Worlds: How Windblown Sand Shapes Planetary LandscapesR.D. Lorenz and J. R. ZimbelmanSpringer2014978-3540897248
Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics and the Production of Entropy: Life, Earth, and Beyond (Understanding Complex Systems)Axel Kleidon, Ralph D. Lorenz (Editors)Springer2005978-3-540-22495-2 and 3-540-22495-5
Spinning Flight: Dynamics of Frisbees, Boomerangs, Samaras, and Skipping StonesR.D. LorenzSpringer2006978-0387307794
Titan Unveiled: Saturn's Mysterious Moon ExploredR.D. Lorenz and J. MittonPrinceton University Press2010978-0691146331
Planetary Landers and Entry ProbesA. Ball, J. Garry, R.D. Lorenz, V. KerzhanovichCambridge University Press2007978-0521820028
Space Systems Failures: Disasters and Rescues of Satellites, Rocket and Space Probes (Springer Praxis Books)D.M. Harland, R.D. LorenzPraxis2005978-0387215198
Lifting Titan's Veil: Exploring the Giant Moon of SaturnR.D. Lorenz and J. MittonCambridge University Press2002978-0521793483

Filmography

Lorenz has appeared in numerous science documentaries and series, including NOVA, NASA's Unexplained Files, Horizon, and Wonders of the Solar System. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jet Propulsion Laboratory</span> Research and development center and NASA field center in California, United States

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center in Pasadena, California, United States. Founded in 1936 by Caltech researchers, the laboratory is now owned and sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and administered and managed by the California Institute of Technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titan (moon)</span> Largest moon of Saturn and second-largest moon in Solar System

Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the second-largest in the Solar System, larger than any of the dwarf planets of the Solar System. It is the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere, and is the only known object in space other than Earth on which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found.

<i>Cassini–Huygens</i> Space research mission sent to the Saturnian system

Cassini–Huygens, commonly called Cassini, was a space-research mission by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to send a space probe to study the planet Saturn and its system, including its rings and natural satellites. The Flagship-class robotic spacecraft comprised both NASA's Cassini space probe and ESA's Huygens lander, which landed on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Cassini was the fourth space probe to visit Saturn and the first to enter its orbit, where it stayed from 2004 to 2017. The two craft took their names from the astronomers Giovanni Cassini and Christiaan Huygens.

<i>Huygens</i> (spacecraft) European reconnaissance lander sent to Saturns moon Titan

Huygens was an atmospheric entry robotic space probe that landed successfully on Saturn's moon Titan in 2005. Built and operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), launched by NASA, it was part of the Cassini–Huygens mission and became the first spacecraft to land on Titan and the farthest landing from Earth a spacecraft has ever made. The probe was named after the 17th-century Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens, who discovered Titan in 1655.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enceladus</span> Natural satellite orbiting Saturn

Enceladus is the sixth-largest moon of Saturn. It is about 500 kilometers in diameter, about a tenth of that of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. It is mostly covered by fresh, clean ice, making it one of the most reflective bodies of the Solar System. Consequently, its surface temperature at noon reaches only −198 °C, far colder than a light-absorbing body would be. Despite its small size, Enceladus has a wide variety of surface features, ranging from old, heavily cratered regions to young, tectonically deformed terrain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerocapture</span> Orbital transfer maneuver

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsquake</span> Seismic event occurring on Mars

A marsquake is a quake which, much like an earthquake, would be a shaking of the surface or interior of the planet Mars as a result of the sudden release of energy in the planet's interior, such as the result of plate tectonics, which most quakes on Earth originate from, or possibly from hotspots such as Olympus Mons or the Tharsis Montes. The detection and analysis of marsquakes could be informative to probing the interior structure of Mars, as well as identifying whether any of Mars's many volcanoes continue to be volcanically active.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atmosphere of Titan</span> Thick atmospheric layers of Saturns moon Titan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakes of Titan</span> Hydrocarbon lakes on Titan, a moon of Saturn

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kraken Mare</span> Largest hydrocarbon lake on Titan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ligeia Mare</span> Sea on Titan

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References

  1. ↑ "JHUAPL - , Ralph, Lorenz - Science Research Portal". secwww.jhuapl.edu. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ Zacny, K.; Lorenz, R.; Rehnmark, F.; Costa, T.; Sparta, J.; Sanigepalli, V.; Mank, Z.; Yen, B.; Yu, D.; Bailey, J.; Bergman, D. (2019). "Application of Pneumatics in Delivering Samples to Instruments on Planetary Missions". 2019 IEEE Aerospace Conference. pp. 1–13. doi:10.1109/AERO.2019.8741887. ISBN   978-1-5386-6854-2. S2CID   195222645.
  3. ↑ Voosen, Paul (July 5, 2019). "NASA to fly drone on Titan". Science. 365 (6448): 15.1–15. Bibcode:2019Sci...365...15V. doi:10.1126/science.365.6448.15-a. ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   31273103. S2CID   195807081.
  4. ↑ JHU APL. "Dragonfly Team". Dragonfly. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "NASA - Scientists Chosen to Help on Venus Climate Orbiter". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  6. 1 2 "InSight Participating Scientist Program (INSTPSP) Abstracts of selected proposals" (PDF). NSPIRES.
  7. ↑ "Lectures". agu.org. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Ralph D Lorenz - Curriculum Vitae". arizona.edu. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Spring 2020, Dale Keiger / Published (March 19, 2020). "Destination Titan". The Hub. Retrieved March 25, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Lorenz, Ralph D.; Lemmon, Mark T.; Mueller, Nils (2020). "A Transit Lightcurve of Deimos, Observed with the InSight Solar Arrays". Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society. 4 (4): 57. Bibcode:2020RNAAS...4...57L. doi: 10.3847/2515-5172/ab8d21 . S2CID   219008928.
  11. ↑ Lorenz, Ralph D.; Lemmon, Mark T.; Maki, Justin; Banfield, Donald; Spiga, Aymeric; Charalambous, Constantinos; Barrett, Elizabeth; Herman, Jennifer A.; White, Brett T.; Pasco, Samuel; Banerdt, W. Bruce (2020). "Scientific Observations with the InSight Solar Arrays: Dust, Clouds and Eclipses on Mars". Earth and Space Science. 7 (5): e2019EA000992. Bibcode:2020E&SS....700992L. doi: 10.1029/2019EA000992 . PMC   7375148 . PMID   32715027.
  12. ↑ Lorenz, R. D.; Burk, T. A. (2018). "Enceladus Plume Density from Cassini Spacecraft Attitude Control Data". Icarus. 300: 200–202. Bibcode:2018Icar..300..200L. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.09.003. PMC   6278931 . PMID   30524143.
  13. ↑ "A Roundup of Dust Devil Research". The Planetary Society. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  14. ↑ Lorenz, Ralph D.; Scheidt, Stephen P. (2014). "Compact and inexpensive kite apparatus for geomorphological field aerial photography, with some remarks on operations". Georesj. 3–4: 1–8. Bibcode:2014GeoRJ...3....1L. doi: 10.1016/j.grj.2014.06.001 .
  15. ↑ Lorenz, Ralph D. (2005). "Flight and attitude dynamics measurements of an instrumented Frisbee". Measurement Science and Technology. 16 (3): 738–748. Bibcode:2005MeScT..16..738L. doi:10.1088/0957-0233/16/3/017. S2CID   16105503.
  16. ↑ Lorenz, Ralph (2006). "Finite-time thermodynamics of an instrumented drinking bird toy". American Journal of Physics. 74 (8): 677–682. Bibcode:2006AmJPh..74..677L. doi:10.1119/1.2190688.
  17. ↑ Lorenz, R. D.; Norris, J. M.; Jackson, B. K.; Norris, R. D.; Chadbourne, J. W.; Ray, J. (August 28, 2014). "Trail formation by ice-shoved "sailing stones" observed at Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park". Earth Surface Dynamics Discussions. 2 (2): 1005–1022. Bibcode:2014ESuDD...2.1005L. doi: 10.5194/esurfd-2-1005-2014 .
  18. ↑ "Dunes on Tatooine". The Planetary Society. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Edmond Halley's Aeronautical Calculations on the Feasibility of Manned Flight in 1691". Journal of Aeronautical History. 2012 (2). 2012.
  20. ↑ Lorenz, Ralph D. (2020). "Maunder's Work on Planetary Habitability in 1913: Early Use of the term "Habitable Zone" and a "Drake Equation" Calculation". Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society. 4 (79): 79. Bibcode:2020RNAAS...4...79L. doi: 10.3847/2515-5172/ab9831 . S2CID   219930646.
  21. ↑ "The Team | Cassini Mission". NASA Solar System Exploration. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  22. ↑ Stofan, E.; Lorenz, R.; Lunine, Jonathan I.; Bierhaus, E. B.; Clark, B.; Mahaffy, P. R.; Ravine, M. (2013). "TiME - the Titan Mare Explorer". 2013 IEEE Aerospace Conference. p. 211. Bibcode:2013aero.confE.211S. doi:10.1109/AERO.2013.6497165. ISBN   978-1-4673-1813-6. S2CID   17290531.
  23. ↑ Spilker, T. R.; Reh, K. R.; Elliott, J. O.; Lorenz, R.; Spencer, J. (2008). "The "Billion Dollar Box" Study of Science Missions to Saturnian Satellites". 2008 IEEE Aerospace Conference. pp. 1–9. doi:10.1109/AERO.2008.4526246. ISBN   978-1-4244-1487-1. S2CID   23343537.
  24. ↑ Hall, J. L.; Kerzhanovich, V. V.; Jones, J. A.; Cutts, J. A.; Yavrouian, A. A.; Colozza, A.; Lorenz, R. D. (2002). "Titan Airship Explorer". Proceedings, IEEE Aerospace Conference. Vol. 1. pp. 1–336. doi:10.1109/AERO.2002.1036852. ISBN   0-7803-7231-X. S2CID   110089994.
  25. ↑ Barnes, Jason W.; Lemke, Lawrence; Foch, Rick; McKay, Christopher P.; Beyer, Ross A.; Radebaugh, Jani; Atkinson, David H.; Lorenz, Ralph D.; Le Mouélic, Stéphane; Rodriguez, Sebastien; Gundlach, Jay (2012). "AVIATR—Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance". Experimental Astronomy. 33 (1): 55–127. doi: 10.1007/s10686-011-9275-9 . ISSN   1572-9508.
  26. ↑ Lorenz, R.; Oleson, S.; Cataldo, R.; Schmitz, P.; Colozza, A.; Bairstow, B.; Lee, Y.; Amini, R. (2014). "MASER: A Mars meteorology and seismology mini-network mission concept enabled by Milliwatt-RPS". 2014 IEEE Aerospace Conference. pp. 1–11. doi:10.1109/AERO.2014.6836397. ISBN   978-1-4799-1622-1. S2CID   46223014.
  27. ↑ Oleson, Steve (July 2015). "Phase I Final Report: Titan Submarine" (PDF). Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Ralph Lorenz". IMDb .
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