Phillip P. Jenkins

Ohio Aerospace Institute, Glenn Research Center

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Phillip P. Jenkins is a pioneering aerospace engineer whose work has been instrumental in advancing the feasibility of sustained human and robotic exploration of Mars. His primary research areas center on spacecraft power systems and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), with a specific focus on overcoming the unique environmental challenges of the Red Planet. Jenkins’s most influential contribution is his seminal 2004 paper, "Mars Solar Power," which has garnered 32 citations and remains a foundational reference for mission designers. In this work, he meticulously analyzed how Mars’s dusty atmosphere alters solar spectrum and intensity, providing critical data for optimizing solar array performance. Furthermore, Jenkins was a key contributor to the 2001 Mars In-Situ-Propellant-Production Precursor (MIP) Flight Demonstration, a landmark study that identified ISPP as an enabling technology for human missions. This collaborative effort, involving NASA’s Johnson Space Center, JPL, and Glenn Research Center, laid the groundwork for producing propellant from Martian resources, drastically reducing mission mass and cost. Jenkins’s research directly addresses two of the most pressing hurdles for Mars exploration: reliable power generation and sustainable fuel production, marking him as a vital figure in humanity’s journey to the stars.