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James Shirley's Picture
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory
M/S 183-601
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109
Phone:
818.393.0997
Fax:
818.393.3218
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James Shirley

Education
  • M.S., Interdisciplinary Studies (Physics and Geosciences), California State University, Northridge (1995)
Research Interests
  • Remote sensing and compositional mapping of icy outer solar system satellites
  • Structure, composition and dynamics of the Mars atmosphere
  • Solar inertial motion, solar rotation, and solar activity
  • Lunar and terrestrial seismology
  • Concepts for small landers and in-situ science instrumentation
Projects

MRO - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Icon MRO - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launched in 2005 and is on a search for evidence that water persisted on the surface of Mars for a long period of time.

Professional Experience
  • NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (1993-Present)
    • Co-Investigator, “Investigations into the Compositions of the Icy Galilean Satellites,” NASA Outer Planets Research Program (2008-Present)
    • Science Manager, Mars Climate Sounder Experiment, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission (2005-present)
    • Science Co-Investigator, Jupiter Icy Moons Lander Study, Research and Technology Development Program (2003-2005)
    • Science Lead, Project Prometheus Small Radioisotope Power Systems Studies (2004-2005)
    • Science Lead for NASA Nuclear Science Initiative Jovian Icy Moons Tour Design Study (On-Orbit Assembly Option) (2002-2003)
    • Galileo Europa Mission and Galileo Millenium Mission NIMS Science Coordinator for Europa (1995-2002)
  • Principal Editor, Chapman & Hall Encyclopedia of Planetary Sciences (456 articles, 214 authors, 990 pages) (1991-1996)
Selected Awards
  • NASA Group Achievement Award, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission Operations and Ground System Development Team (2006)
  • JPL Award for Technical Excellence, Galileo SPOT Team (2002)
  • Six NASA Group Achievement Awards, Galileo Flight Team (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003)
  • Geological Society of America/Geoscience Information Society "Mary B. Ansari Best Reference Work Award," for the Encyclopedia of Planetary Sciences, with Rhodes W. Fairbridge (1999)
Selected Publications
  1. Shirley, J. H. (2009). Have We Entered a 21st Century Prolonged minimum of Solar Activity? Updated Implications of a 1987 Prediction, Am. Aston. Soc. Solar Phys. Division 2009 Meeting, # 09-D-306-SPD40.
  2. Shirley, J. H. (2009). Great Shallow Earthquakes and the Solar Sunspot Cycle: Statistical Correlation and Physical Hypothesis, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. (submitted).
  3. Dalton, J. B. and J. H. Shirley (2009). Compositional Gradients of Anti-Jovian Surface Units on Europa from Galileo NIMS Observations, Lunar and Plan. Sci. Conf. 40th, #2511.
  4. Kleinboehl, A., J. T. Schofield, D. M. Kass, W. A. Abdou, C. R. Backus, B. Sen, J. H. Shirley, W. G. Lawson, M. I. Richardson, F. W. Taylor, N. A. Teanby, and D. J. McCleese (2009), Mars Climate Sounder limb profile retrieval of atmospheric temperature, pressure, dust and water ice opacity, J. Geophys. Res. (submitted).
  5. Shirley, J. H. (2008). Strong Sunspot cycle Correlation of Large Shallow Earthquakes, Seismol. Res. Lett. 79, 293.
  6. Shirley, J. H. (2007). The Distribution of Great Earthquakes in Time. EOS Trans. AGU 88 (52), Fall Meet. Suppl. Abstract S33C-1473.
  7. Shirley, J. H., (2006). Axial rotation, orbital revolution, and solar spin-orbit coupling. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 368, 280-282.
  8. Sabahi, D., T. Rivellini, E. Slimko, and J. Shirley, (2006). Europa Landers: Architectures and Options. JPL D-35345 (33 pps).
  9. Shirley, J. H., Carlson, R. W., Zimmerman, W. F., Rivellini, T. P., Sabahi, D., and Anderson, M. S. (2006). Challenges and Rewards of Landing on Europa. (Abscicon 2006). Astrobiology 6, Number 1, 134-135.
  10. Smythe, W. D, Nelson, R. M., Shirley, J. H., and Boryta, M. C. (2006). A Search for Ammonia on Titan. (Abscicon 2006). Astrobiology 6, Number 1, 208.
  11. Shirley, J. and Spilker, T. (2006). Architecture options for lander-based science at Europa. (European Geophysical Union General Assembly 2006).
  12. Balint, T., Schreiner, T., and Shirley, J. (2006). ARPS Enabled Titan Rover Concept with Inflatable Wheels. STAIF-2006, AIP Conference Proceedings Volume 813, CD-ROM ISBN 0-7354-0306-6, Book ISBN 0-7354-0305-8, American Institute of Physics.
  13. Abelson, R., Spilker, T., and Shirley, J. (2006). A Conceptual Titan Orbiter with Probe Mission Using Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems. STAIF-2006, AIP Conference Proceedings Volume 813, CD-ROM ISBN 0-7354-0306-6, Book ISBN 0-7354-0305-8, American Institute of Physics.
  14. Abelson, R., Spilker, T., and Shirley, J. (2006). A Saturn Ring Observer Mission Using Multi-Mission Radioisotope Power Systems. STAIF-2006, AIP Conference Proceedings Volume 813, CD-ROM ISBN 0-7354-0306-6, Book ISBN 0-7354-0305-8, American Institute of Physics.
  15. Evans, M., Shirley, J., and Abelson, R. (2006). A Conceptual Venus Rover Mission Using Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems. STAIF-2006, AIP Conference Proceedings Volume 813, CD-ROM ISBN 0-7354-0306-6, Book ISBN 0-7354-0305-8, American Institute of Physics.
  16. Abelson, R., Balint, T., Evans, M., Schreiner, T., Shirley, J., and Spilker, T. (2005). Extending Exploration with Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems. JPL D-28903 (PP-266 0333).
  17. Abelson, R., Balint, T., Coste, K., Elliott, J., Randolph, J., Schmidt, G., Schreiner, T., Shirley, J., and Spilker, T. (2005). Expanding Frontiers with Standard Radioisotope Power Systems. JPL D-28902 (PP-266 0332).
  18. Randolph, J., Abelson, R., Oxnevad, K., and Shirley, J. (2005). Searching for Subsurface Lunar Water Ice using a Nuclear-Powered Rover. AIP Conf. Proc. 746, 354.
  19. Abelson, R. and Shirley, J. (2005). Exploring Europa with a Surface Lander Powered by a Small Radioisotope Power System. AIP Conf. Proc. 746, 303.
  20. Shirley, J. H., R. W. Carlson, W. F. Zimmerman, T. P. Rivellini, D. Sabahi, 2005. To Land on Europa. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) 36th, #2197.
  21. Shirley, J. H. (2005). Solar Activity. In The Encyclopedia of World Climatology, J. E. Oliver Ed., Springer Publishing (Dordrecht, Netherlands), pp. 663-666.
  22. Shirley, J. H. (2005). Solar Constant. In The Encyclopedia of World Climatology, J. E. Oliver Ed., Springer Publishing (Dordrecht, Netherlands), pp. 666-667.
  23. Shirley, J. H. (2005). Solar Flare. In The Encyclopedia of World Climatology, J. E. Oliver Ed., Springer Publishing (Dordrecht, Netherlands), p. 667.
  24. Abelson, R., Balint, T., Marshall, K., Noravian, H., Randolph, J., Satter, C., Schmidt, G., and Shirley, J. (2004). Enabling Exploration with Small Radioisotope Power Systems. JPL Pub 04-10.
  25. Shirley, J. H., W. F. Zimmerman, et al., 2003. Icy Satellites Impactor Probes for the Jovian Icy Moons Orbiter. In Forum on concepts and Approaches for Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, LPI Conference Abstracts, LPI Contribution 1163.
  26. Shirley, J. H., R. N. Clark, L. A. Soderblom, R. W. Carlson, and L. W. Kamp, 2001. Io: Near-Infrared Absorptions not attributable to S02. Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. 33, #3, p. 1063.
  27. Shirley, J. H., and R. Carlson, 2000. Water Ice Grain Size Variations on Europa. EOS Trans. Am. Geophys. Union 81, #48, F793.
  28. Shirley, J. H., A. C. Ocampo, and R. Carlson, 2000. Galileo NIMS Observations of Europa. Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. 32, #3, 1068.
  29. Fanale, F. P., J. C. Granahan, R. Greeley, R. Pappalardo, J. Head III, J. Shirley, et al., 2000. Tyre and Pwyll: Galileo orbital remote sensing of mineralogy versus morphology at two selected sites on Europa. J. Geophys. Res. 105, 22,647-22,655.
  30. Shirley, J. H. and R. W. Fairbridge, Editors, 1997. The Encyclopedia of Planetary Sciences. Chapman & Hall, New York, 990 pps.
  31. Shirley, J. H., and J. Beck, 1997. NIMS: The Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (Video presentation with animation). JPL AVC 97-211.
  32. Shirley, J. H., K. R. Sperber, and R. W. Fairbridge (1990). Sun’s Inertial Motion and Luminosity, Sol. Phys. 127, 379-392.
  33. Shirley, J. H. (1988). Lunar and Solar Periodicities of Large Earthquakes: Southern California and the Alaska-Aleutian Islands Seismic Regions, Geophys. J. Int. 92 403-420.
  34. Shirley, J. H. (1987). Prolonged Minima and the 179-yr Cycle of the Solar Inertial Motion, Sol. Phys. 110, 191-210.
  35. Shirley, J. H. (1986a). Lunar Periodicity in Great Earthquakes, Gerl. Beitr. zur Geophysik 95 509-515.
  36. Shirley, J. H. (1986b). Shallow Moonquakes and Large Shallow Earthquakes: A Temporal Correlation, Earth. Plan. Sci. Lett. 76 241-253.

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