Sigrid Close (born 1971) is a professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University.[1] Her primary research interest is the space environment with particular focus on meteoroids, meteors, and orbital debris, and their interaction with spacecraft and spacecraft operations.

Career

Professor Close's research involves space weather detection and modeling for improved spacecraft designs, and advanced signal processing and electromagnetic wave interactions with plasma for ground-to-satellite communication systems. These topics fall under the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) umbrella that include environmental remote sensing using satellite systems and ground-based radar. Her current efforts are the MEDUSSA (Meteoroid, Energetics, and Debris Understanding for Space Situational Awareness) program, TALIS (Tomographic Array for Lightning and Ionospheric Studies) using ground-based and space-based RF sensors, and using ground-based radar data to characterize the meteoroid population and its threat to spacecraft. She was a member of two NRC panels, in 2010 examining options for detecting and countering near-Earth objects,[2] and in 2011 assessing NASA's meteoroid and orbital debris programs.[3]

Awards and honors

  • In 2010, she won an NSF Career Award[4] and a Hellman Faculty Fellowship award[5] for her meteor research.
  • In 2013 she was selected for a DoE Early Career Award[6] for her work on hypervelocity impact plasmas, and also awarded a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.[7]
  • She was the inaugural Science Guest of Honor at the ArmadilloCon science fiction and fantasy literary convention in 2014.[8]
  • In 2017 she was recognized by the American Geophysical Union with the Space Physics and Aeronomy Richard Carrington (SPARC) Education and Public Outreach Award.[9] for significant and outstanding impact on students' and the public's understanding of geophysical science through education and outreach activities.
  • Asteroid 11009 Sigridclose, discovered by astronomer Schelte Bus at the Siding Spring Observatory in 1981, was named in her honor.[10] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 13 April 2017 (M.P.C. 103977).[10][11]
  • In 2018 she was selected as a NIAC fellow for her research titled "Meteoroid Impact Detection for Exploration of Asteroids (MIDEA)", and in 2021 she was selected as a NIAC fellow for her research titled "Exploring Uranus through Sustained CubeSat Activity Through Transmitted Electromagnetic Radiation (SCATTER)".

Television

In 2011, Professor Close co-hosted season three of National Geographic Channel's Known Universe documentary series along with David E. Kaplan, Andy Howell, Michael J. Massimino, and Steve Jacobs.[12] She was interviewed on the Nova ScienceNow Can We Make It to Mars? episode in 2011[13] and the Nova Chasing Pluto special in 2015.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Stanford Engineering Faculty Profile - Sigrid Close Archived 2012-11-13 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ National Academies - Report Examines Options for Detecting and Countering Near-Earth Objects
  3. ↑ National Academies - NASA Needs Strategic Plan to Manage Orbital Debris Efforts; Risks Increasing for Satellites, Space Station
  4. ↑ Stanford Engineering - Closing in on a mystery that impedes space exploration Archived 2013-05-08 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Hellman Fellows >> Sigrid Close
  6. ↑ Early Career Research Program - U.S. DOE Office of Science
  7. ↑ President Obama Honors Outstanding Early-Career Scientists
  8. ↑ ArmadilloCon36 - Guests
  9. ↑ 2017 AGU Section and Focus Group Awardees and Named Lecturers
  10. 1 2 "11009 Sigridclose". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  12. ↑ IMDB - Known Universe (TV Series 2009– )
  13. ↑ "Nova ScienceNow" Can We Make It to Mars? (TV Episode)
  14. ↑ IMDB - "NOVA" Chasing Pluto (TV Episode)
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