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About

Risaku Toda is a robotics and space exploration engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, specializing in the development of sampling and verification systems for planetary and small-body sample return missions. His research focuses on creating robust, end-to-end chains for acquiring and verifying extraterrestrial samples, with particular emphasis on comet surface sampling and lunar operations. Toda’s most notable contributions include the BiBlade sampling chain, a novel system designed for touch-and-go comet surface sample return missions, which he validated through full-scale dynamic testing. He also developed the Fiberscope Sample Imaging (FiSI) system for in-situ sample verification, and a proof-of-concept sample verification system (SVS) for mass measurement of planetary rock and soil. His work on the Lunar Surface Operation Testbed (LSOT) provided a high-fidelity infrastructure for demonstrating end-to-end surface operations. While his citation counts are modest (ranging from 3 to 8), Toda’s contributions are highly specialized and critical to advancing NASA’s sample return capabilities. His research directly supports future missions to comets, the Moon, and other small bodies, making him a key figure in the practical engineering of space exploration technologies.