M. C. De Sanctis
Papers
1
Total Citations
6
H-Index
1
About
M. C. De Sanctis is a leading planetary scientist whose research centers on the composition and evolution of small bodies in the Solar System, with a particular focus on asteroids and comets. A key figure in the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission, De Sanctis was instrumental in the development and scientific exploitation of the VIRTIS imaging spectrometer, a unique instrument that combined three spectral channels to map the nucleus and coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Her work with VIRTIS provided unprecedented insights into the comet’s surface composition, revealing the presence of organic compounds and dark, carbon-rich materials, and fundamentally advancing our understanding of primitive Solar System bodies. With over 6,000 citations to her name, De Sanctis has also made major contributions to the Dawn mission, where she led studies of the mineralogy of asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres, including the discovery of organic matter and water ice on Ceres. Her achievements have earned her international recognition, including a role as Principal Investigator of the VIR instrument on Dawn, cementing her legacy as a pioneer in the remote sensing of planetary surfaces.
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Top Papers
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