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| Harold
Weaver |
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(Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Lab)
Weaver has been pursuing space-borne, rocket-borne,
airborne, and ground-based investigations in planetary
science since 1978. His thesis work involved analyses
of cometary spectra obtained with the NASA/ESA International
Ultraviolet Observer (IUE) satellite and was the
first systematic investigation of cometary ultraviolet
emissions.
In 1985-1986 he made infrared observations of Comet
Halley from the NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory
(KAO), which resulted in the first unambiguous detection
of water in comets. For this latter work, he was
awarded the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific
Achievement in 1988.
During the past decade, he has led many investigations
of comets using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
(HST). Weaver was the Principal Investigator (PI)
on the first HST spectroscopic observations of a
comet in September 1991, which resulted in the discovery
of the CO Cameron bands, a unique tracer of CO2
in comets. He was the PI on the main HST program
to study Comet D/Shoemaker-Levy 9, which plunged
into Jupiter's atmosphere in July 1994, and he also
served as the Chair of the Science Observing Team,
which oversaw the entire HST Comet-Jupiter impact
campaign. For this latter work he received a NASA
Group Achievement Award. He also led HST investigations
of Comets Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp, C/1999 S4 (LINEAR),
and several others, and he is a member of the team
using HST to measure the sizes, shapes and colors
of cometary nuclei.
Weaver is currently participating in a program
to study comets with FUSE; more than 60 new emission
features have already been discovered during that
investigation, including the first detection of
H2.
In parallel with his UV studies, Weaver has also
continued his infrared and radio investigations
of comets, using ground-based facilities at the
IRTF, Keck, JCMT, CSO, and IRAM observatories.
During the summer of 1996, asteroid 1984 FN was
renamed to asteroid "Halweaver" in recognition
of Weaver's work on the chemical composition of
comets.
Weaver has published over 90 papers, including
studies of planets and their satellites in addition
to comets. He has a longstanding interest in research
on the formation and evolution of planetary systems
and, in particular, wants to investigate possible
connections between cometary matter and interstellar
material in star-forming regions.
Amy Simon
(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center)
Amy Simon-Miller is a planetary scientist at the
NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center. She received her
PhD in 1998 from New Mexico State University and
studies the dynamic atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn.
She is a member of the Cassini Composite Infrared
Spectrometer team, studying Saturn in the mid to
far-infrared. However, her first love is studying
the vast swirling clouds of Jupiter using images
from spacecraft, such as Hubble, Galileo, Cassini,
New Horizons and even Voyager.
When not analyzing data or supporting deep space
missions, she enjoys the great outdoors, sports,
pets and family. She lives near Baltimore with her
husband and son, and can often be found taking in
a game at Camden Yards.
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