Small aircraft missions
2016 Cygnus OA6
2015 WT1190F
2014 Camelopardalids
2008 Quadrantid MAC
2007 Ursid MAC
2007 Aurigid MAC

Leonid MAC
2002 Leonid MAC
2001 Leonid MAC
2000 Leonid MAC
1999 Leonid MAC
1998 Leonid MAC

ATV Disruptive Reentry
2015 ATV-5 "G. Lemaitre"
2008 ATV-1 "Jules Verne"

Hyperseed MAC
2010 Hayabusa reentry
2006 Stardust MAC
2004 Genesis MAC

ASIMA (satellite mission proposed)
2008 Asteroid Impact Analyzer

Sutter's Mill:

2014 Nov. issue

ATV + Hayabusa Entry:

(in preparation)

2008 TC3:

2010 Oct./Nov. issue

Stardust SRC Entry:

2010 Vol. 47, number 5 and 6

SOFIA S.U.R.F.:

2002 Leonid MAC:

790 p. monograph

2001 Leonid MAC:

1999 Leonid MAC:

1998 Leonid MAC:

Dr. Peter Jenniskens,
Principal Investigator
[Career pages]

Dr. Peter Jenniskens has been a proud mentor to the following students and interns:

NASA Frontier Development Lab:

• 
  Robert Citron - 2016 [FDL, UC Berkeley]
• 
  Amar Shah - 2016 [FDL, Cambridge University]
• 
  Shravanthi Sinha - 2016 [FDL, Holbrook School]
• 
  Christopher Watkins - 2016 [FDL, Monash University]

Students NASA Ames Exploration Academy:

• 
  Cooper Matthieson - 2014 [CAMS in Space, Columbia University]
• 
  Quentin Nenon - 2013 [CAMS, at ISAE/CNES, France]
• 
  Anthony Berdeu - 2012 [CAMS, at ISAE/CNES, France]
• 
  Jon Reijneveld - 2011 [Draconid MAC, at Technical University of Delft, Netherlands, now with Astrium]
• 
  Kevin Newman - 2010 [CAMS, now at NASA Ames]
• 
  Heather Duckworth - 2009 [CAMS, now at Caltech, CA]
• 
  Michael Borden - 2008 [ATV MAC, now at JPL]
• 
  Rick Conrey - 2007 [Aurigid MAC, now at Velodyne Acoustics, Inc.]

Students NASA Ames Astrobiology Academy:

• 
  Monica C. Byrne - 2002 [Now PhD student at MIT, geobiology]
• 
  Emily Schaller - 2001 [2001 and 2002 Leonid MAC, now at NASA Armstrong]
• 
  Avi Mandell - 2000 [2001 Leonid MAC, now NASA civil servant at GSFC]
• 
  Matt Lacey - 1999 [1999 Leonid MAC, now aerospace engineer at KSFC]

Students SETI Institute Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates program:

• 
  Melissa Hannan - 2015 [CAMSS, Cal State San Bernardino]
• 
  Andy Crump - 2014 [CAMS, Principia College]
• 
  Bethany Kelley - 2014 [CAMS, at Univ. Maryland]
• 
  Beth Johnson - 2013 [CAMS, at San Jose State University]
• 
  Kathryn Steakley - 2012 [CAMS, at Washington University, Seattle]
• 
  Meridel Phillips - 2011 [CAMS, currently at Univ Rochester, NY ]
• 
  Erin Leidy - 2010 [Hayabusa MAC, currently at MIT]
• 
  Steffi Valkov - 2010 [CAMS, currently at Pomona State University, CA]
• 
  Lisa Genovese - 2009 [CAMS, at Grand Valley State University ]
• 
  Claire Webb - 2008 [ATV MAC, at Vassar College]
• 
  Kat de Kleer - 2007 [Aurigid MAC, at MIT, now doing PhD at UC Berkeley]
• 
  Jason Merritt - 2006 [Now at University of Arizona, College of Optical Sciences]

Research Intern:

• 
  David Nugent - 1999-2001 [now product engineer at YUME]

Post doc:

• 
  Dr. Jeremie Vaubaillon - 2004 [Now staff position at IMCCE, France]

Science themes:

• How do comets and their meteor showers originate and evolve?
• What role did meteoric matter play in the prebiotic evolution of life?
• What comets can threaten life on Earth?
• When do spacecraft need protection from meteoroid impacts?
• What are the physical conditions during the re-entry of spacecraft?
• At what altitude do asteroids break up in the atmosphere and create airbursts?
• Where do our meteorites originate in the asteroid belt?

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Impact and recovery of 2018 LA

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2018 The recovery of meteorites from the impact of the second asteroid to be discovered prior to impacting the Earth.

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ADELIE

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Website

2016 Development of a drone into an Airborne DEep Learning Imaging Explorer (ADELIE).

Website

2017 Automation of the CAMS meteor shower survey.

Legacy image

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Cygnus OA6 reentry

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Website

2016 Shallow re-entry of Cygnus OA6 "S.S. Rick Husband", optical imaging and spectroscopic support fro Re-Entry Breakup Recorder - Wireless deployment.

Legacy video

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WT1190F debris reentry

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Website

2015 Re-entry of an unknown space debris object on an asteroid-like orbit (possibly the Trans Lunar Injection Stage of Lunar Prospector) as practice for a future asteroid impact mission.

Legacy video

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Camelopardalids outburst

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Website

2014 Study of weakly-active comet 209P/LINEAR dust ejecta, when Earth is expected to meet a pile-up of centuries-old dust ejecta during an exceptionally close passage of the comet by Earth.

legacy image

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Chelyabinsk airburst

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Images field campaign Chelyabinsk Airburst Consortium

2013 Investigation of all factors that contributed to airburst from 500 kt impact in Russia. Taking part in Russian Academy of Sciences fact-finding mission.

legacy image

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Novato meteorite fall

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CAMS website Legacy image

2012 CAMS video cameras track falling meteoroid, resulting in meteorite recovery in Novato. Fourth recovered fall in California in two centuries. Second in one year.

Novato Meteorite Consortium.

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Sutter's Mill meteorite fall

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Photo: Sacramento Bee CAMS website. SM Meteorite Consortium.

2012 A 4 kt impact over California and the search and recovery of rare carbonaceous chondrite meteorites in gold country.

Legacy image

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2011 Draconid outburst

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Website.

2011 The encounter of Earth with the 1900-dust ejecta of comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner promises a rich shower and the chance to study the breakup of a comet.

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Hayabusa re-entry

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Website.

2010 The re-entry of the Hayabusa sample return capsule as a system field test for a thermal protection system, and of Hayabusa itself as a study of meteoroid fragmentation. [#5 Best Space Picture of 2010" by National Geographic]

Legacy image talk (YouTube)

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Impact and recovery of 2008 TC3

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Website. Workshop - talk (YouTube).

2009 The recovery of meteorites from the impact of the first asteroid to be discovered prior to impacting the Earth. [#62 news story in science of 2009 - Discovery Magazine] talk (YouTube)

Legacy image Legacy image

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ATV-1 "Jules Verne" MAC mission

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Website	2015 An international multi-instrument airborne campaign to prepare for the ISS de-orbit and to study the physics of uncontrolled reentries by observing the controlled shallow reentry of ATV-5.
Website	2008 An international multi-instrument airborne campaign to monitor the safe reentry of ESA's new Automated Transfer Vehicle over the south Pacific ocean during its maiden voyage in 2008.	Legacy image [#3 Best astronomy picture of 2008 - Discovery Space]

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Gulfstream V meteor shower missions

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website	2008 Study of the annual Quadrantid shower to determine the influence of Jupiter on the shower and whether the shower can have been created in 1490 AD.	Legacy image
2007 An otherwise minor shower was expected to become strong with the imminent return of comet 8P/Tuttle.	website	Bright Ursid Meteor Dec 22, 2007
website	2007 An outburst of Aurigid meteors dating from 4 A.D.. A brief but spectacular outburst of meteors was observed from two parallel flying Gulfstream V aircraft en route from Utah to California.	Night of the mission Legacy image Legacy image

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Hyperseed MAC

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Website	2006 The fiery return of the Stardust Sample Return Capsule was observed from the Nevada/Utah border from NASA's DC-8 Airborne Laboratory. Observers recorded a spectacular video of the entry, as well as signatures of the shock emissions, hot surface, white paint, and the ablating heat shield material. [#1 News story in astronomy - Astronomy magazine]	Fiery reentry of the Stardust sample return capsule Legacy video by partipant Dr. Mike Taylor of Utah State University.
Website	2004 During this final mission of the USAF FISTA aircraft, observers recorded how hot the Genesis Sample Return Capsule got before it crashed on the Utah salt flats due to a failed parachute opening.	Back at Offutt AFB Legacy image

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SOFIA Upper Deck Research Facility

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Website

2004 Workshop to discuss a future research facility on the upper deck of the SOFIA Infrared Airborne Observatory.

SOFIA S.U.R.F. logo

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Leonid MAC

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The Leonid MAC logo: a silhouetted human reaches beyond the limits of our knowledge, grasping toward the tail of a comet. The orange stripe represents an upper region of the atmosphere where meteors vaporize and leave atomic debris behind that is responsible for the faint orange glow of Earth's natural airglow layer.
Website	2002 The final meteor storms in this Leonid storm season double peaked over Europe and Northern America. Both storms were observed as planned during a flight from Torrejon, Spain, to Omaha, Nebraska. Aurora created a scenic background for a blizzard of tiny meteors.	Back at Offutt AFB
2001 The most beautiful of all meteor storms in the Leonid storm season double-peaked over Northern America and the western Pacific. The 2001 Leonid MAC covered the first peak in a mission over the continental USA from Alabama to California.	Website	Proud at dawn! Legacy image [#1 News story in astronomy - Astronomy magazine]
Website	2000 No Leonid MAC mission because of relatively low meteor shower rates. Airborne effort limited to small Cessna aircraft used to escape bad Florida weather and moon light. Ground-based observers encounter the 1932 and 1866 dust trail on November 16/17 and 17/18.	Onboard the Cessna aircraft.
1999 The 1999 Leonid MAC mission patch features the flags of participating nations, both nations from which participants originate as nations that are visited on our route. The patch illustrates the multi-national and multi-instrument nature of the campaign, symoblizing the global impact of meteoroids on satellite safety and the global implications of our search for the origins of life.	Website	Meteor flux counter wearing video headset display. Legacy image Legacy image
Website	1998 November 1998: the first airborne mission in this campaign executed over Okinawa, Japan. This was NASA's first Astrobiology mission. The mission featured the NSF/NCAR "Electra", with a 2-beam iron lidar of the University of Illinois, and the USAF/452nd FTS "FISTA".	At work during1998 mission. Legacy image Legacy image

2009 Leonids:
video (YouTube)

1997 Leonids:
Legacy image

1995 Leonids:
Legacy image + Legacy image
Legacy image

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Other images:
Legacy image - meteor in slit of Very Large Telescope
Legacy image - alpha Monocerotids
Legacy image - NEAR passing by Earth