Tara Polsgrove
Papers
2
Total Citations
35
H-Index
2
About
Tara Polsgrove is a leading aerospace engineer whose research focuses on human spaceflight architectures, particularly for missions to Mars and the Moon. Her key contributions lie in optimizing propulsion systems for deep-space travel, where she has pioneered the integration of Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) with chemical propulsion to enable crewed Mars missions. Her 2015 paper on this topic (20 citations) demonstrated how combining these technologies, alongside infrastructure from NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission, could reduce mission risk and cost. Polsgrove also played a pivotal role in shaping NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) strategy, as detailed in her 2020 work (15 citations), which outlined the agency’s plan for a sustainable lunar return by 2024. This research directly supported the Artemis program, highlighting her impact on real-world mission design. With her work influencing both near-term lunar exploration and long-term Mars ambitions, Polsgrove’s contributions are essential for advancing human presence beyond Earth. Her ability to bridge theoretical propulsion concepts with practical mission architectures makes her a key figure in the future of space exploration.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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