C. I. Honniball

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Goddard Space Flight Center

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

C. I. Honniball is a planetary scientist whose research focuses on lunar surface processes, resource utilization, and the geotechnical properties of extraterrestrial terrains. Her work is critical to preparing for future human and robotic exploration of the Moon, particularly in understanding how spacecraft and rovers will interact with the lunar surface. Honniball’s most cited paper, “Analysis of Lunar Boulder Tracks: Implications for Trafficability of Pyroclastic Deposits” (2019, 36 citations), investigates the geomechanical behavior of pyroclastic deposits—key targets for in-situ resource utilization—by studying boulder tracks left on the Moon. This work provides essential data on surface trafficability, directly informing mission planning and rover design. She also contributed to “Human-assisted Sample Return Mission at the Schrödinger Basin, Lunar Far Side, Using a New Geologic Map and Rover Traverses” (2021, 11 citations), which produced a high-resolution geologic map of the Schrödinger basin and outlined detailed rover traverses for a potential sample return mission. Honniball’s research bridges fundamental lunar geology with applied exploration engineering, making her a notable figure in the next generation of lunar scientists.