Scott McMichael

Ames Research Center, Case Western Reserve University

Papers

Total Citations

514

H-Index

About

Scott McMichael is a leading figure in planetary science and autonomous robotics, best known for his transformative work in open-source geospatial data processing and rover simulation. As the principal developer of the NASA Ames Stereo Pipeline (ASP), McMichael created a suite of free, open-source tools that revolutionized how researchers derive high-resolution terrain models from stereo images captured by satellites, rovers, and aerial cameras. This flagship work, published in 2018, has garnered over 447 citations, underscoring its critical role in enabling precise topographic mapping of Earth, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. McMichael’s contributions extend to planetary exploration planning, where his 2019 paper on rover simulation for lunar missions (62 citations) provides a framework for training operators in realistic, high-fidelity environments before costly deployments. Earlier in his career, he contributed to autonomous driving with lane detection algorithms for the DARPA Urban Challenge. By merging open-source accessibility with rigorous stereogrammetry, McMichael has empowered a global community of scientists and engineers to explore alien terrains from their desktops, making him a pivotal architect of modern planetary robotics.