Aaron Kiely

About

Aaron Kiely is a planetary scientist whose work has centered on the geophysical exploration of Mars, with a particular focus on understanding the physical properties of the Martian regolith. His research has been instrumental in preparing for and interpreting data from landmark NASA missions. Kiely’s major contributions include developing techniques for retrieving near-surface properties of the Martian soil using hammering sources, a method directly applicable to the InSight mission’s Heat Flow and Physical Properties Probe (HP³). This work, though early in its citation history, addresses a critical challenge in planetary science: characterizing subsurface material without extensive excavation. Additionally, Kiely has contributed to human exploration concepts, co-authoring a foundational study on crew surface activities for the first Mars mission as part of NASA’s HEDS reference mission. This forward-looking analysis helped define the operational framework for combining human and robotic exploration on the Red Planet. With a career bridging robotic mission science and human spaceflight planning, Kiely’s research continues to inform how we both understand and prepare to inhabit Mars.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Retrieval of near-surface properties of martian regolith using under-sampled repeating hammer source during the 2018 insight mission

   2 citations · 2016
2. 2
   The Exploration of Mars: Crew Surface Activities

   2 citations · 2000

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links