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About

Evan Cloninger is a pioneering aerospace engineer whose work focuses on extreme-environment robotics, planetary surface sampling, and in-situ resource utilization. His major contributions lie in developing robust drilling and sample acquisition systems for Venus and the Moon, enabling direct scientific analysis of planetary surfaces. Cloninger’s most-cited paper, “Development of Venus drill” (2017, 7 citations), details the rotary drill for Venera 13—the first Venus surface mission with sampling capabilities—which successfully penetrated the surface and transferred material to onboard instruments, a feat replicated in later Venera and Vega missions. His 2022 work, “A fast and robust surface sample acquisition system for a Venus lander” (2 citations), describes a full-scale rotary-percussive drill prototype tested at JPL that can penetrate 5 cm of basalt in 15 minutes under Venusian conditions. Cloninger also led the Lunar Array, Mast, and Power System (LAMPS) project (2023, 3 citations), a vertical solar array for lunar poles developed with Honeybee Robotics and mPower Technology. His work directly supports NASA’s goals for Venus exploration and sustainable lunar power, making him a key figure in advancing planetary science and human exploration.