Stanley G. Love

Expertise: Planetary Science, Human Space Exploration
Affiliation: NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
Certification/Education:
Ph.D. Astronomy (1993) University of Washington
M.S. Astronomy (1989) University of Washington
B.S. Physics (1987) Harvey Mudd College

FINESSE Research Objectives

Develop and refine tools and techniques for efficient exploration of the Moon, asteroids, and other solar system bodies, supporting scientific goals within the constraints of engineering capabilities and operational considerations.

Biography

Stanley G. Love is a planetary scientist and NASA astronaut with 25 years of experience in the fields of impact physics, interplanetary dust, and chondrule formation. He is first or contributing author on 90+ peer-reviewed technical articles and abstracts, including two each in Science and Nature. He has maintained a record of peer-reviewed publication in planetary science while training to fly in space and serving as a crew member aboard Space Shuttle mission STS-122. His career has included over 1,200 hours of aviation time, including zero- and reduced-gravity aircraft missions, and 15 hours of Extra-Vehicular Activity (spacewalking) time. He has been involved in many NASA “spaceflight analog” activities, which simulate geological exploration missions on the Moon, asteroids, and other solar system bodies in remote or extreme environments on Earth. His analog work has included the development of tools for collecting geological samples in microgravity. He is a veteran of two 6-week Antarctic meteorite hunting expeditions. He is a co-inventor of the “gravity tractor” concept for modifying asteroid orbits. Dr. Love frequently appears in telecasts and in public, explaining space science and space exploration to general audiences. He has a pending patent on a novel manual control system for spacecraft and holds a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo.