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Featured Scientist Archive

  Jessica Sunshine, Co-investigator, UMD

Jessica Sunshine, Co-Investigator, UMD

What is your role on the Stardust-NExT Mission?
I’m responsible for identifying and interpreting the significance of ice components on the surface of comet 9P/Tempel 1, establishing any associations with water vapor in the coma, and comparing these to what we saw with the Deep Impact mission in 2005

This is not the first time you've "gone to a comet." Can you tell us more about what else you've done?
I’ve “gone to” this comet. As part of the Deep Impact science team we carried out the largest scale impact experiment ever! My particular focus is with the spectrometer data collected from the fly-by spacecraft. We studied the pre-impact nucleus and the dust
and ice in the ejecta.

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  Ken Klaasen

Ken Klaasen, Deputy Principal Investigator of Stardust-NExT

What do you find interesting about returning to Tempel 1?
It will be fascinating to see how this comet has evolved over the course of one orbit about the Sun. I also hope we will be able to see some of the details of the crater formed by the Deep Impact Impactor collision.

What are your expectations for the Stardust-NEXT mission and the science findings that come from it?
I expect we will achieve a successful close encounter and will return a number of high-resolution stereo images of Tempel 1 that will allow us to derive greater insight into the structure and evolution of comets.
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  Tom Economou

Tom Economou, Co-Investigator of Stardust-NExT

What is your current role on the Stardust-NEXT mission?
I am a Co-I and team lead for the Dust Flux Monitor Instrument ( DFMI).

What suggestions do you have for young people today wanting to do
what you do?

To study hard, to be dreamers and willing to sacrifice for the good of science.
Follow the advice of your teachers.
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Science In-Depth

Exploring Comets

Meet The Science Team

Meet The Science Team


“When we see comets up in the sky they're really spectacular. But unless you get close to a comet, you can't really figure out what's going on.”

-Joe Veverka