E. Arthur Bettis

About

E. Arthur Bettis is a geologist and planetary scientist whose research centers on robotic planetary exploration, astrobiology, and the simulation of Mars surface missions. His major contributions lie in field experiments that test how science teams operate remotely using rovers, providing critical insights for future Mars sample return missions. Bettis was a key participant in the 1999 Marsokhod rover simulation at Silver Lake, California, where the payload and data constraints mirrored those of the planned Mars Surveyor mission (33 citations). He also played a central role in the Nomad Rover Field Experiment in Chile’s Atacama Desert, where a potential fossil was identified remotely and collected for analysis—a landmark demonstration of paleolife detection via robotic vehicle (17 citations). His analysis of science team behavior during the Marsokhod trial (14 citations) has informed the design of automated surface exploration protocols. Bettis’s work bridges geology and robotics, shaping how scientists collaborate with autonomous systems to explore extreme environments on Earth and beyond.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   The 1999 Marsokhod rover mission simulation at Silver Lake, California: Mission overview, data sets, and summary of results

   33 citations · 2001
2. 2
   Nomad Rover Field Experiment, Atacama Desert, Chile: 2. Identification of paleolife evidence using a robotic vehicle: Lessons and recommendations for a Mars sample return mission

   17 citations · 2001
3. 3
   Analysis of science team activities during the 1999 Marsokhod Rover Field Experiment: Implications for automated planetary surface exploration

   14 citations · 2001

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links