Lindley Johnson
Papers
2
Total Citations
5
H-Index
2
About
Dr. Lindley Johnson is a pioneering figure in planetary defense, best known for his leadership in identifying and mitigating asteroid threats to Earth. As NASA’s first Planetary Defense Officer, he has shaped the agency’s strategy for detecting and characterizing near-Earth objects (NEOs). His most cited works, including the 2014 and 2015 papers on NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission, outline the conceptual framework for redirecting potentially hazardous asteroids—a cornerstone of modern planetary defense. Though these papers have modest citation counts (3 and 2, respectively), their influence is profound, underpinning NASA’s broader NEO observation and mitigation programs. Johnson’s contributions extend to the development of the Sentry impact monitoring system and the coordination of international efforts through the International Asteroid Warning Network. His work has directly informed missions like the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), the first-ever demonstration of asteroid deflection. With decades of service, Johnson remains a central voice in safeguarding our planet, inspiring a new generation of researchers to tackle the cosmic challenge of asteroid hazards.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission3 citations · 2014
- 2NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission2 citations · 2015