Glen Peterson
Papers
2
Total Citations
243
H-Index
2
About
Dr. Glen Peterson is a key figure in planetary instrumentation, whose work is central to the search for past life on Mars. As a leading scientist on NASA’s Perseverance rover mission, his primary research focuses on the development and operation of advanced spectroscopic instruments for in-situ planetary exploration. Dr. Peterson’s major contribution is his integral role in the SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) investigation. His work on the instrument’s processing electronics and detector, detailed in a 2020 paper, was critical to enabling SHERLOC’s ability to generate spatially resolved chemical maps of the Martian surface using ultraviolet Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy. This technology allows the rover to identify organic compounds and minerals that could be biosignatures. The foundational 2021 paper describing the SHERLOC investigation has garnered over 237 citations, underscoring its profound impact on the field. By helping to build the “eyes” that see Mars’s chemical fingerprint, Dr. Peterson is directly advancing humanity’s quest to understand if we are alone in the universe.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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