usgs_staff_profile:
meta: status_code: 200 timestamp: '2023-09-30T16:57:25.816149' url: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/randolph-l-kirk profile: abstracts: [] affiliations: [] education: [] email: rkirk@usgs.gov expertise_terms: - Planetary science - Geophysics - Photogrammetry - Cartography - Remote Sensing honors: [] intro_statements: - "Randolph Kirk\u2019s research interests span both geoscience and mapping of\ \ planetary bodies. He has participated in many missions to the Moon, Venus,\ \ Mars, asteroids, comets, and icy satellites. He helped direct planetary mapping\ \ at the USGS since the early 1990s, and has developed practical methods for\ \ topomapping by shape from shading and by adapting commercial stereo workstations\ \ to planetary use." name: Randolph L Kirk, Ph.D. name_qualifier: null orcid: 0000-0003-0842-9226 organization_link: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/astrogeology-science-center organization_name: Astrogeology Science Center personal_statement: "Recent AccomplishmentsIn 2020, NASA's Mars 2020 roverPerseverancelanded\ \ in Jezero crater at a site mapped by the Astrogeology Science Center.Perseverencewas\ \ the ninth Mars lander or rover to go to a site we mapped, all of which landed\ \ successfully. (Starting in 1962, 10 Mars landings attempted without USGS\ \ mapping failed for a variety of reasons. Just days beforePerseverencethe Chinese\ \ landerTianwen-1 became the first such mission to succeed.)Perseverancealso\ \ carried our maps onboard and used them to guide its final descent, a technological\ \ first.We are helping to design and caibrate the Europa Imaging System (EIS)\ \ cameras for NASA's Europa Clipper mission and to develop software and procedures\ \ for making controlled image and topographic maps. As part of this task, we\ \ invented and demonstrated a new technique for correcting distortions in frame\ \ images that are read out line-by-line so that they can be used for precision\ \ mapping.We have used stereo images of Mars obtained by different cameras with\ \ pixel scales differing up to 50x to assess the resolution and precision of\ \ digital topographic models obtained under real-world (Mars) conditions. We\ \ are currently using similar techniques with images of Earth\u2019s Moon to\ \ quantify how topographic models can be improved by photoclinometry (shape\ \ from shading) techniques using one or multiple images.EducationPh.D., Planetary\ \ Science, Minor in Physics, California Institute of Technology, January 1987M.S.,\ \ Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, June 1984B.S., Physics,\ \ Stanford University, June 1981Space Mission ParticipationMember, Europa Imaging\ \ System Science Team, May 2015\u2013PresentMember, ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter\ \ CaSSIS Science Team, August 2010\u2013PresentMember, LRO and Chandrayaan-1\ \ Mini-RF Science Teams, July 2006\u2013PresentMember, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter\ \ HiRISE Science Team, December 2001\u2013PresentMember, Mars Exploration Rovers\ \ Science Team, August 2000\u2013June 2018Associate, Deep Space 1 MICAS Science\ \ Team, March 2000\u2013December 2002Participating Scientist, NEAR MSI/NIS Team,\ \ August 1999\u2013July 2001Associate, Imager for Mars Pathfinder Science Team,\ \ July 1996\u2013August 1998Member, Mars Express HRSC Science Team, January\ \ 2000\u2013March 2020Associate, Mars 96 HRSC/WAOSS Science Team, March 1993\u2013\ December 1996Member, Cassini RADAR Instrument Team, December 1990\u2013September\ \ 2018Magellan Guest Investigator, October 1990\u2013September 1994Associate,\ \ Voyager Imaging Science Team, 1989Working GroupsMember, IAU Working Group\ \ on Cartographic Coords & Rotational Elements, August 2012\u2013presentMember,\ \ NASA Lunar Geodesy/Cartography Working Group, December 2007\u2013presentMember,\ \ NASA Mars Geodesy/Cartography Working Group, June 1998\u2013presentMember,\ \ ISPRS Working Group \u201CPlanetary Mapping & Remote Sensing\u201D, November\ \ 1996\u2013presentChair, November 2000-October 2004, Co-Chair, Nove" professional_experience: [] title: Scientist Emeritus