American geologist and planetary scientist. His most famous work was as the principal investigator of the Marce Exploration Rover Mission (MER) as well as work on many other NASA missions including becoming an aquanaut aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory during the NEEMO missions. He researched and taught at Cornell University under Carl Sagan in the areas of planetary sciences focusing on large solid bodies in the Solar System (such as the planets and moons). Awards include the Carl Sagan Memorial Awards (2004), the Carl Sagan Medal of Excellence in Communication in Planetary Science (2009), and the Mines Medal (2010).
