College of Science Distinguished Speaker: Visible to Short Wavelength Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy

College of Science Distinguished Speaker
Visible to Short Wavelength Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy for Earth Science and Discovery Through the Solar System

Dr. Robert O. Green
Principal Investigator of the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT)
Director of the Microdevices Laboratory and a Senior Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

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Abstract:
The first instrument to measure a spectrum for every point in an image, the Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (AIS), flew in 1982 and made discoveries on its first flights.  Subsequently, first and second generation imaging spectrometers have been developed and flown in Earth-orbit and been sent to Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, the Moon, and elsewhere.  Their list of discoveries is broad and deep.  Today enabled by advances in design, detector, optical components, electronic, and thermal control technology, third and fourth generation imaging spectrometers are under development.  The Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE) will investigate questions of habitability around this moon of Jupiter.  The High-Resolution Volatile Moon Mineral Mapper (HVM3) will measure materials on the lunar surface spectroscopically and investigate volatiles signatures in the permanently shadowed regions.  The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) imaging spectrometer is planned to launch to the International Space Station in May of 2022 and will provide the first comprehensive maps of arid land mineral dust sources that have impacts throughout the Earth system.  The Carbon Plume Mapper (CPM), a public-private partnership, will measure localized carbon dioxide and methane plumes on the Earth’s surface with a goal to reduce the release of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.  As part of the NASA Earth System Observatory (ESO), the Surface Biology and Geology mission is planned to deliver new science and applications measurements and products for the full terrestrial and coastal regions of our planet.  This talk presents key architectural elements of this class of instrumentation and their most important discoveries to date as well as the basis for the diverse set of imaging spectrometers in development for Earth and targets across the solar system today.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Robert O. Green is the Principal Investigator of the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) that will fly a state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer on the International Space Station.  He is the Principal Investigator of AVIRIS and AVIRIS-NG that are used for advanced science and applications research across many domains of the Earth system. A Google Scholar search on “AVIRIS” yields more than 20,000 results.  Dr. Green was the Instrument Scientist for the 2008 NASA Discovery Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) that discovered water/hydroxyl on the illuminated surface of our Moon.  He is a science Co-Investigator and Instrument Scientist on the Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE) that will address science questions related to habitability for NASA’s Europa Clipper mission.  Dr. Green is a science co-investigator on the NASA Lunar Trailblazer mission in development.  He is the Instrument Scientist at JPL for the Carbon Plume Mapper instrument that will be used to identify and help mitigate localized sources of methane to combat global warming.  Dr. Green is a Senior Research Scientist and Fellow at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Director of the Microdevices Laboratory.  For more than 25 years, his research has used advanced imaging spectrometer instrumentation to test hypotheses and pursue scientific investigations and applications research on Earth and for discovery through the solar system.  Read more about Dr. Green.

Intended Audience:
All are welcome!

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