Mark Lemmon, associate professor of atmospheric sciences in the College of Geosciences, received the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal on June 15 for his rigorous work on the development of research on Mars.
Leading a group of students from the University of Arizona, Europe and Texas A&M, Lemmon’s team developed a stereographic imager called the Phoenix Surface Stereo Imager, which successfully captured 30,000 images for research. The stereographic imager chooses places to dig and sample at its landing site and to make color images, videos and other products that express the nature of the Martian polar landing site
to Earth.
Keri Bean, class of 2010, gradiated with her bachelor’s in meteorology and played a large role in the Phoenix project.
“I processed the images as they arrived and studied the dust devils and clouds that we took pictures of,” Bean said.
Bean started her work with Lemmon when she arrived at A&M and said she benefited greatly. “Mark has been a great mentor for me. He’s incredibly talented and I really am honored to work with him,” she said.
During the five months that Phoenix was on Mars, the images it gathered helped confirm the presence of water and ice, as well as the discovered sources for oxygen and energy. These findings raise questions about the potential for life on Mars.
Lemmon was the lead scientist and worked on the Phoenix project from 2003 to 2009. As a well-respected scholar in the planetary science field, this award only confirms and further boosts his notoriety to Texas A&M and the science community, Bean said.
Lemmon said he is very appreciative of the award and the recognition that it has brought to him and his peers.
“To be able to see the results that come out of building something to put on Mars and to then receive recognition is very gratifying,” Lemmon said. “The mission was a milestone in history.”
Although project Phoenix proved to be successful and provided informational results to the scientific world, Lemmon is not ceasing his research. He is planning another mission for 2011, as a part of the science team for the cameras on the Curiosity rover. Lemmon is currently participating in operations of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers as a member of the Athena Science team.
The NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal is among the highest NASA grants to a non-government employee.
“This award is a great honor and brings important recognition to the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, the College of Geosciences and Texas A&M University,” said Ken Bowman, department head of Atmospheric Sciences.