Matthias Grott
Papers
9
Total Citations
179
H-Index
4
About
Matthias Grott is a planetary scientist whose research centers on the thermal properties of planetary bodies, subsurface exploration instrumentation, and the geophysics of Mars and the Moon. He is perhaps best known for his pivotal role in developing the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP³) for NASA's InSight mission, the first instrument designed to measure Mars' planetary heat flow by driving a self-penetrating mole to depths of 3–5 meters beneath the Martian surface. This landmark paper has garnered over 146 citations, reflecting its significance to the planetary science community. Grott's work extended to characterizing Martian regolith properties through HP³ operational data, providing critical constraints on soil mechanics and thermal behavior under Mars-like conditions. More recently, he has pioneered lunar subsurface exploration, contributing to the LISTER instrument deployed on Blue Ghost Mission 1 in Mare Crisium — the first robotically deployed thermal probe to actively excavate lunar regolith — and advancing the LunarLeaper mission concept, which proposes using a legged robot to investigate volcanic pits and potential lava tube systems on the Moon. Together, these contributions position Grott as a leading voice in planetary heat flow science and next-generation subsurface exploration technology.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1The Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) for the InSight Mission146 citations · 2018
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- 5HP<sup>3</sup>– Experiment on InSight Mission – Operations on Mars3 citations · 2018
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- 8LunarLeaper - Unlocking a Subsurface World2 citations · 2025
- 9Investigating the Martian soil at the InSight landing site2 citations · 2024