Item talk:Q47229

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