Anne Long
Papers
2
Total Citations
6
H-Index
2
About
Anne Long is a pioneering aerospace engineer whose work focuses on deep space navigation and lunar communications infrastructure. Her research has been instrumental in advancing X-ray Pulsar Navigation (XNAV), a revolutionary technique that uses the precise timing of pulsar emissions to autonomously guide spacecraft beyond Earth’s orbit. Long contributed to NASA’s SEXTANT experiment aboard the NICER mission, which in 2017 successfully demonstrated XNAV’s feasibility—a breakthrough that could transform future deep space and lunar missions by reducing reliance on ground-based tracking. Her 2019 paper on this topic has garnered foundational citations as the field matures. Long also shaped early concepts for lunar exploration support systems. Her 2006 work proposed a dedicated communications and navigation satellite constellation for the Second Robotic Lunar Exploration Program (RLEP), addressing critical needs for missions aimed at surveying permanently shadowed craters for water ice. This visionary concept laid groundwork for later lunar navigation architectures. Though her citation counts are modest, Long’s contributions are highly specialized and forward-looking, directly influencing NASA’s strategic planning for autonomous spacecraft guidance and cislunar infrastructure. Her work exemplifies how foundational engineering research enables humanity’s next giant leaps in space exploration.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2