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Peter Tsou's Picture
Address:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
M/S 183-501
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109
Phone:
818.354.8094
Fax:
818.354.0966
Email:

Peter Tsou

Education
  • B.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (1965)
  • M.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (1966)
  • Ph.D. in Large Scale Engineering Systems, University of California, Los Angeles (1972)
Research Interests
  • Exobiological implications of extraterrestrial bodies
  • Methods to sample extraterrestrial materials
  • Development of sample return missions
Projects

Stardust Icon Stardust
Stardust was the first U.S. space mission dedicated solely to the exploration of a comet, and the first robotic mission designed to return extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the Moon.

Professional Experience
  • Jet Propulsion Laboratory (1974 - present)
    • Deputy Principal Investigator, STARDUST (1994-present)
    • PI, Mir Sample Return Experiment (1994-1997)
    • PI, Spacehab II Sample Return Experiment (1992-1994)
    • STARDUST Proposal Manager (1992-1994)
    • PI, Get Away Special Sample Return Experiment (1989 - present)
    • Instrument Definition Manager (1984-1990)
    • Spacecraft System Engineer (1982-1990)
    • Task Manager, Low Cost Solar Array Program (1975-1980)
    • System Engineer, (1974-1975)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (1970-1974)
    • Project Manager, Climatic Impact Assessment Program, Super Sonic Transport
  • TRW (1966-1968)
    • Member of the Technical Staff, Digital Device Design
    • Minuteman I & II Review Board
Selected Awards
  • NASA Patent: Large Field of View 3-D Hologram Display System (2000)
  • NASA Group Achievement Award - STARDUST Project Team (2000)
  • NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal (1997)
  • JPL Inaugural Award for Excellence - Exceptional Technical Excellence (1996)
  • NASA Group Achievement Award - Low Cost Solar Array Project (1985)
Selected Publications
  1. Tsou, P., D. Brownlee and A. Albee, "Comet Flyby Sample Return Experiment," International Conference on Cometary Exploration, Vol. II, 1983, pp. 215-224.
  2. Tsou P., Brownlee D. E., & Albee A. L., "Comet Coma Sample Return via Giotto II", JBIS Vol. 38, 1985, pp. 232-239.
  3. Tsou P., "Intact Capture of Hypervelocity Projectiles", Int. J. Impact Engng Vol. 10, pp 615-627, 1990.
  4. Tsou P. & D. J. Griffiths, "Exploratory Investigations of Hypervelocity Intact Capture Spectroscopy," Int. J. Impact Engng, 1993,
  5. Tsou, P., "Silica Aerogel Captures Cosmic Dust Intact", J. Non-Cryst. Solids 186, 415-427, 1995.
  6. Tsou, P., "Hypervelocity Capture of Meteoroids in Aerogel", ASPCS Vol 104, 237-242, 1996.
  7. Tsou, P., "Aerogel Captures Cometary and Interstellar Sample via STARDUST", J. Non-Cryst. Solids.
  8. Tsou P., D.E. Brownlee, F. Hörz, S. A. Sandford, and M. E. Zolensky, Wild 2 and interstellar sample collection and Earth return, JGR Vol. 108 No. E10, SRD 3-1-21, 2003.
  9. Tsou P., D.E. Brownlee, F. Hörz, R. L. Newburn Jr., S. A. Sandford, Z. Sekanina, and M. E. Zolensky, STARDUST Sample Collection at Wild 2 and its Preliminary Examination, LPSC 35, 2004.
  10. Tsou P., D. E. Brownlee, J. D. Anderson, S. Bhaskaran, A. R. Cheuvront, B. C. Clark, T. Duxbury, T. Economou, S. F. Green, M. S. Hanner, F. Hörz, J. Kissel, J. A. M. McDonnell, R. L. Newburn Jr., Robert.E.Ryan, S. A. Sandford, Z. Sekanina, J. Silen, A. J. Tuzzolino, J. M.Vellinga, and M. E. Zolensky, STARDUST Encounters Comet 81P/Wild 2, submitted to JGR-Planets, 2004
  11. Brownlee, D, F. Hörz, L. Hrubesh, J. A. M. McDonnell, P. Tsou and J. Williams, "Eruka!! Aerogel Capture of Meteoroids in Space", LPLS 25, 183.
  12. Brownlee D. E., P. Tsou, J. D. Anderson, M. S. Hanner, R. L. Newburn, Z. Sekanina, B. C. Clark, F. Hörz, M. E. Zolensky, J. Kissel, J. A. M. McDonnell, S. A. Sandford, and A. J. Tuzzolino, STARDUST: Comet and interstellar dust sample return mission, JGR Vol. 108 No. E10, SRD 1-1-15, 2003.
  13. Kissel J., A. Glasmachers, E. Grün, H. Henkel, H. Höfner, G. Haerendel, H. von Hoerner, E. K. Hornung, F. R. Frueger, D. Mohlmann, J. M. Greenberg, Y. Langevin, J. Sil'en, D. Brownlee, B. C. Clark, M. S. Hanner, F. Hörz, S. A. Sandford, Z. Sekanina, P. Tsou, N.G. Utterback, M. E. Zolensky, and C. Heiss, Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer for comet Wild 2, JGR Vol. 108 No. E10, SRD 4-1-8, 2003.
  14. Tuzzolino A. J., T. E. Economou, R. B. McKibben, A. J. Simpson, J. A. M. McDonnell, M. J. Burchell, B. A. M. Vaughan, P. Tsou, M. S. Hanner, B. C. Clark, and D. E. Brownlee, Dust Flux Monitor Instrument for the STARDUST mission to comet Wild 2, JGR Vol. 108 No. E10, SRD 5-1-24, 2003.
  15. Newburn R. L. Jr., T. C. Duxbury, M. S. Hanner, B. V. Semenov, E. E. Hirst, R. S. Bhat, S. Bhaskaran, T.-C. M. Wang and P. Tsou, Phase curve and albedo of asteroid 5535 Annefrank, JGR Vol. 108 No. E11, 3-1-7, 2003.
  16. Brownlee D. E., J. D. Anderson, A. K., S. Bhaskaran, A. R. Cheuvront, B. C. Clark, T. C. Duxbury, T.E Economou, M. S. Hanner, F. Hörz, J. Kissel, J. A. M. McDonnell, S. Green, R. L. Newburn Jr., D. E. Perkins, S. Price, R. E. Ryan, S. A. Sandford, Z. Sekanina, P. Tsou, A. J. Tuzzolino, J. M. Villinga, K. E. Williams, and M. E. Zolensky, The STARDUST - A successful Encounter with the Remarkable Comet Wild 2, LPSC 35, 2004.
  17. Zolensky M., S. Sandford, F. Hörz, D. E. Brownlee, P. Tsou, B. C. Clark, Preliminary Sample Analysis Plan For The Cometary and Interstellar Samples being Returned by the Stardust Spacecraft, LPSC 35, 2004.
  18. Brownlee D. E., F. Hörz, R. L. Newburn Jr., M. Zolensky, T. C. Duxbury, S. Sandford, Z. Sekanina, P. Tsou, Geology and Cometology of P81/Wild2: A Young Jupiter Family Comet, submitted to Science, 2004.
  19. Tuzzolino A. J., T. E. Economou, B. C. Clark, P. Tsou, D. E. Brownlee, J. A. M. McDonnell, S. F. Green, N. McBride, M. T. S. H. Colwell, Dust measurements in the coma of comet Wild 2 by the Dust Flux Monitor Instrument, submitted to Science, 2004.
  20. Green S. F., J. A. M. McDonnell, N. McBride, M. T. S. H. Colwell, A. J. Tuzzolino, T. E. Economou, P. Tsou, B. C. Clark, D. E. Brownlee, Comet 81P/Wild 2 dust mass distribution, submitted to Science, 2004.

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