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Dr. Amanda Hendrix

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Senior Scientist

Currently resides in CO
ahendrix [at] psi.edu
Areas of Expertise
Targets: Asteroids, Callisto, Ceres, Deimos, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Iapetus, Icy satellites, Io, Io torus, Moon, Phobos, Planetary rings, Small satellites, Vesta
Disciplines/Techniques: Photometry, Remote sensing, Space-based observing, Spectroscopy
Missions: Cassini, Galileo, HST, IUE, LRO, Mariner 10, Mariner 9
Mission Roles: Data archive, Deputy Mission PI, Instrument Co-Investigator, Mission science team, Requirements generation and flow down, Science operations
Instruments: Spectrometers

Research Interests

Dr. Amanda Hendrix engages in UV spectroscopy of planetary surfaces including icy satellites, asteroids, Earth’s moon, Mars and Jupiter’s moon Io. She studies surface composition, weathering processes and radiation products.

Professional History

Dr. Hendrix has 20+ years of experience in planetary science research. Hendrix received a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado Boulder. As a graduate student and post-doctoral research at LASP/Univ. Colorado, Hendrix gained valuable experience in UV spectroscopy and instrumentation and began a career of investigating solar system surfaces (largely airless bodies) in the UV. After LASP, she spent 12 years at JPL, progressing from a science planner on Cassini to Deputy Project Scientist, before moving to PSI in 2012. She is a co-investigator on the Cassini UVIS instrument as well as on the LRO LAMP instrument.  She has led observing and research teams and published results in numerous NASA R&A and HST programs. Hendrix is the Director/PI of the NASA Toolbox for Exploration (TREX) team. She co-authored Beyond Earth: Our Path to a new Home in the Planets, published by Penguin/Random house in Nov 2016. Besides research, she enjoys teaching and sharing her love of planetary science with students and the public.

   TREX logo                 Beyond Earth cover

Honors and Awards

2019 Global Scholar in Residence, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, Atlanta

2018 - Minor Planet 6813 Amandahendrix

2006 - JPL Lew Allen Award for Excellence

1995 - NASA Group Achievement Award - Galileo Ida Encounter/Dactyl Discovery Team
2005 - JPL Section 317 Award for Excellence (Cassini Science Planning leadership)
2008 - NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini Education and Public Outreach Team
2009 - NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini Magnetosphere Target Working Team
2009 - NASA Group Achievement Award -  Cassini Titan Orbiter Science Team
2009 - NASA Group Achievement Award -  Cassini Rings Target Working Team
2009 - NASA Group Achievement Award -  Cassini Satellite Orbiter Science Team
2009 - NASA Group Achievement Award -  Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph Team
2009 - NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini Saturn Tour Flight Team
2010 - NASA Group Achievement Award - The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Team
2011 - NASA Group Achievement Award - Cassini Solstice Pre-Integration Team

2015 The LRO Extended Science Mission Team

2018 - NASA Certificate of Appreciation - For contributions to the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

Personal/Professional Web Page

 

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