Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

M. Bourassa is a planetary scientist whose work centers on the design and execution of analogue missions and advanced instrumentation for solar system exploration. Their most significant contribution is the CanMars Mars Sample Return analogue mission, a highly cited (33 citations) field campaign that simulated the end-to-end process of selecting, documenting, and caching geological samples for future return to Earth. This work directly informs operational strategies for NASA’s and ESA’s upcoming Mars Sample Return campaign. Bourassa also led the development of TEMMI, a Three-dimensional Exploration Multispectral Microscope Imager, a novel instrument capable of providing high-resolution 3D mineralogical and textural data for planetary rovers. Further extending their impact to lunar science, Bourassa conducted detailed morphologic mapping and traverse planning for a rover-based sample return mission to Schrödinger Basin, a high-priority landing site near the lunar south pole identified by NASA for a potential 2024 mission. Through these integrated efforts in analogue field studies, instrument design, and mission planning, Bourassa has established a strong record of advancing the practical capabilities needed for the next generation of robotic planetary exploration.