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William Bruce Banerdt's Picture
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory
M/S 264-422
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109
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818.354.5413
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818.393.5421
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William Bruce Banerdt
MER Project Scientist

Education
  • B.S. in Physics (cum laude, University of Southern California (1975)
  • Pennsylvania State University (1975-1977)
  • Ph.D. in Geological Sciences, University of Southern California (1983)
Research Interests
  • Formation and evolution of Mars
  • Geophysical studies of Mars, Moon, Venus, Mercury, and outer planet satellites
  • Deformation of planetary surfaces
  • Planetary interior structure and processes
  • Gravity analyses
  • Planetary seismology
Projects

MER - Mars Exploration Rovers Icon MER - Mars Exploration Rovers
NASA's twin robot geologists, the Mars Exploration Rovers, launched toward Mars on June 10 and July 7, 2003, in search of answers about the history of water on Mars.

Professional Experience
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (1983-present)
  • Project Scientist, Mars Exploration Rover Project
  • Co-Investigator, ExoMars SEIS (Seismometer) Investigation
  • Co-Investigator, Rosetta SESAME (Surface Electrical, Seismic and Acoustic Monitoring Experiment) Team
  • Participating Scientist, Mars Global Surveyor MOLA (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter) Investigation(1992-2006)
  • NRC Committee for Planetary and Lunar Exploration (COMPLEX)
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) Mars Priority Program Review Board
  • Principal Investigator, Discovery Mars NetLander Project (2001-2003)
  • Principal Investigator, NetLander Short-Period Seismometer (1998-2003)
  • Guest Investigator, Magellan Radar Investigation Team (1990-1994)
  • Chair, NASA Mars Data Analysis Program Review Panel (2004-2005)
  • Professeur Invité, Instut de Physique du Globe de Paris (1997, 2002)
Selected Awards
  • Editor's Award for Excellence, Journal of Geophysical Research (1990)

  • NASA Group Achievement Awards for:
    • MER Extended Missions 3 and 4 Team (2008)
    • MGS Extended Operations Team (2006)
    • MGS Science Operations Team (2000)
    • MGS MOLA Team (2000)
  • JPL Award for Excellence (2002)
Selected Publications
  1. Banerdt, W. B., Support of long wavelength loads on Venus and implications for internal structure, J. Geophys. Res., 91, 403-419, 1986.
  2. Banerdt, W. B., and M. P. Golombek, Deformational models of rifting and folding on Venus, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 4759-4772, 1988.
  3. Finnerty, A. A., R. J. Phillips, and W. B. Banerdt, Igneous processes and the closed system evolution of the Tharsis region of Mars, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 10225-10235, 1988.
  4. Phillips, R. J., N. H. Sleep, and W. B. Banerdt, Permanent uplift in magmatic systems with application to the Tharsis region of Mars, J. Geophys. Res., 95, 5089-5100, 1990.
  5. Tanaka, K. L., M. P. Golombek, and W. B. Banerdt, Reconciliation of stress and structural histories of the Tharsis region of Mars, J. Geophys. Res., 96, 15,617-15,633, 1991.
  6. Solomon, S. C., D. L. Anderson, W. B. Banerdt, R. G. Butler, P. M. Davis, F. K. Duennebier, Y. Nakamura, E. A. Okal, and R. J. Phillips, Scientific Rationale and Requirements for a Global Seismic Network on Mars, LPI Tech. Rept. 91-02, 1991.
  7. Banerdt, W. B., and M. P. Golombek, Constraints on the structure and evolution of the Tharsis region of Mars, in Planetary Geosciences - 1989-90, M. T. Zuber, O. B. James, J. I. Lunine, G. J. MacPherson, and R. J. Phillips, eds., NASA SP-508, 4-6, 1992.
  8. Banerdt, W. B., M. P. Golombek, and K. L. Tanaka, Stress and Tectonics on Mars, in Mars, H. Kieffer et al., eds., U. of Ariz. Press, 249-297, 1992.
  9. Esposito, P. B., G. Balmino, W. B. Banerdt, B. G. Bills, G. F. Lindal, W. L. Sjogren, M. A. Slade, and D. E. Smith, Gravity and Topography, in Mars, H. Kieffer et al., eds., U. of Ariz. Press, 249-297, 1992.
  10. Golombek, M. P., W. B. Banerdt, K. L. Tanaka, and D. M. Tralli, A prediction of Mars seismicity from surface faulting, Science, 258, 979-981, 1992.
  11. Banerdt, W. B., and C. G. Sammis, Small-scale fracture patterns on the volcanic plains of Venus, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 16,149-16,166, 1992.
  12. Banerdt, W. B., R. Abercrombie, S. Keddie, M. Menvielle, H. Mizutani, S. Nagihara, Y. Nakamura, W. T. Pike, Planetary interiors, in Planetary Surface Instrument Workshop, eds. C. Meyer, et al., LPI Tech. Rept. 95-05, 1995.
  13. Banerdt, W. B., A. S. Konopliv, N. J. Rappaport, W. L. Sjogren, R. E. Grimm, and P. G. Ford, The isostatic state of Mead crater, Icarus, 112, 117-129, 1995.
  14. Lognonne, P., J. Gagnepain-Beyneix, W. B. Banerdt, S. Cacho, J. F. Karczewski, and M. Morand, Ultra broad band seismology on InterMarsnet, Planet. Space Sci., 44, 1237-1249, 1996.
  15. Banerdt, B., and 18 others, INTERMARSNET Phase-A Study Report, EAS Publ. D/SCI(96)2, 1996.
  16. Banerdt, W. B., G. E. McGill, and M. T. Zuber, Plains tectonics on Venus, in Venus II, S. W. Bouguer et al., eds., U. of Ariz. Press, 797-844, 1997.
  17. Sjogren, W. L., W. B. Banerdt, P. W. Chodas, A. S. Konopliv, G. Balmino, J. P. Barriot, T. R. Colvin, M. E. Davies, and J. Arkani-Hamed, The Venus gravity field and other geodetic parameters, in Venus II, S. W. Bouguer et al., eds., U. of Ariz. Press, 797-844, 1997.
  18. Hansen, V., J. Willis, and W. B. Banerdt, An Overview of Venus Tectonics, in Venus II, S. W. Bouguer et al., eds., U. of Ariz. Press, 797-844, 1997.
  19. Smith, D. E., and 11 others (incl. W. B. Banerdt), Topography of the northern hemisphere of Mars from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, Science, 279, 1686-1692, 1998.
  20. Zuber, M. T., and 20 others (incl. W. B. Banerdt), Observations of the north polar region of Mars from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, Science, 280, 2053-2060, 1998.
  21. Konopliv, A. S., W. B. Banerdt, and W. L. Sjogren, Venus Gravity: 180th degree and order model, Icarus, 139, 3-18, 1999.
  22. Smith, D. E., and 19 others (incl. W. B. Banerdt), The global topography of Mars and implications for surface evolution, Science, 284, 1495-1503, 1999.
  23. Harri, A.-M., and 28 others (incl. W. B. Banerdt), Network science landers for Mars, Adv. Space Res., 23, 1915-1924, 1999.
  24. Zuber, M. T., and 14 others (incl. W. B. Banerdt), Internal structure and early thermal evolution of Mars from Mars Global Surveyor topography and gravity, Science, 287, 1788-1793, 2000.
  25. Lognonne, P., and 28 others (incl. W. B. Banerdt), The NetLander very broad band seismometer, Planet. Space Sci., 48, 1289-1302, 2000.
  26. Phillips, R. J., and 10 others (incl. W. B. Banerdt), Ancient geodynamics and global-scale hydrology on Mars, Science, 291, 2587-2591, 2001.
  27. Smith, D. E., and 22 others (incl. W. B. Banerdt), Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA): Experiment summary after the first year of global mapping of Mars, J. Geophys. Res., 106, 23689-23722, 2001.
  28. Solomon, S. C., and 16 others (incl. W. B. Banerdt), New Perspectives on Ancient Mars, Science, 307, 1214-1220, 2005.
  29. Banerdt, W. B., T. Chui, E. T. Herrin, D. Rosenbaum, V. L. Teplitz, Lunar seismic search for strange quark matter, Adv. Space Res., 37, 1889-1893, 2006.
  30. Searls, M. L., W. B. Banerdt, and R. J. Phillips, Utopia and Hellas basins, Mars: Twins separated at birth, J. Geophys. Res., 111, E08005, doi:10.1029/2005JE002666, 2006.
  31. Albert, D. G., and W. B. Banerdt, A Seismic Profiler for the Construction and Resource Utilization Explorer (CRUX), Aerospace Conf. 2006 IEEE, doi: 10.1109/AERO.2006. 1655753, 2006.
  32. Andrews-Hanna, J. C., M. T. Zuber, and W. B. Banerdt, The Borealis Basin and the Martian crustal dichotomy, Nature, 453, 1212-1215, doi:10.1038/nature07011, 2009.
  33. Jones, M. A., L. Herrell, W. B. Banerdt, D. Hansen, R. Miyake, S. Kondos, P. Timmerman, and V. Randolph, Next generation autonomous lunar geophysical experiment package (ALGEP), Aerospace Conf. 2009 IEEE, in press, 2009.

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