Michael H. Hecht | |
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Alma mater | Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University |
Known for | Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer, Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment, Event Horizon Telescope |
Awards | NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Planetary Science, Surface Science |
Institutions | Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Haystack Observatory |
Website |
www |
Michael H. Hecht is a research scientist, associate director for research management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Haystack Observatory, [1] and former deputy project director of the Event Horizon Telescope. [2] He served as lead scientist for the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer instrument on the Phoenix Mars lander, [3] and as principal investigator for the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE) instrument on the Mars 2020 rover. [4]
Hecht obtained an A.B. in Physics from Princeton University, an MS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1982. [5]
Hecht joined the staff of California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 1982, [6] where he researched microelectromechanical systems, surface and interface science, scientific instrument development, and planetary science. [5] He co-invented the Ballistic Electron Emission Microscopy system [7] and published several highly-cited papers on metal-semiconductor interfaces, [8] [9] for which he received the newly-renamed Lew Allen Award for Excellence in 1990. [6] [10] At JPL, as the supervisor of the Microdevices Laboratory's In-Situ Exploration Technology Group, [11] he developed the concept for the Deep Space 2 micro-landers, [12] which flew to Mars in 1999. [13] He was later named the project manager, co-investigator, and project scientist for the Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) instrument for the cancelled Mars Surveyor 2001 mission. [5] [14] The MECA instrument was later flown as the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer on the Phoenix mission to Mars in 2007, [15] with Hecht as lead scientist and co-investigator, and was instrumental in the discovery of perchlorate in Martian soil. [16] [17] Based on that work, Hecht published highly-cited papers on the chemistry of Martian soil and the existence of water on Mars, [18] [19] [20] [21] and was awarded the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal in 2010. [22]
After almost 30 years at JPL, Hecht was appointed as an associate director of MIT's Haystack Observatory. [23] In 2014, the MOXIE instrument, for which Hecht is the principal investigator, was selected as one of the instruments on the Perseverance rover for the Mars 2020 mission. [24] [25] [26] In 2019, Hecht was one of the scientists awarded the 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for his work with the Event Horizon Telescope to produce the first image of a supermassive black hole. [27] [28]
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Michael H. Hecht | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Alma mater | Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University |
Known for | Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer, Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment, Event Horizon Telescope |
Awards | NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Planetary Science, Surface Science |
Institutions | Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Haystack Observatory |
Website |
www |
Michael H. Hecht is a research scientist, associate director for research management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Haystack Observatory, [1] and former deputy project director of the Event Horizon Telescope. [2] He served as lead scientist for the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer instrument on the Phoenix Mars lander, [3] and as principal investigator for the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE) instrument on the Mars 2020 rover. [4]
Hecht obtained an A.B. in Physics from Princeton University, an MS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1982. [5]
Hecht joined the staff of California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 1982, [6] where he researched microelectromechanical systems, surface and interface science, scientific instrument development, and planetary science. [5] He co-invented the Ballistic Electron Emission Microscopy system [7] and published several highly-cited papers on metal-semiconductor interfaces, [8] [9] for which he received the newly-renamed Lew Allen Award for Excellence in 1990. [6] [10] At JPL, as the supervisor of the Microdevices Laboratory's In-Situ Exploration Technology Group, [11] he developed the concept for the Deep Space 2 micro-landers, [12] which flew to Mars in 1999. [13] He was later named the project manager, co-investigator, and project scientist for the Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) instrument for the cancelled Mars Surveyor 2001 mission. [5] [14] The MECA instrument was later flown as the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer on the Phoenix mission to Mars in 2007, [15] with Hecht as lead scientist and co-investigator, and was instrumental in the discovery of perchlorate in Martian soil. [16] [17] Based on that work, Hecht published highly-cited papers on the chemistry of Martian soil and the existence of water on Mars, [18] [19] [20] [21] and was awarded the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal in 2010. [22]
After almost 30 years at JPL, Hecht was appointed as an associate director of MIT's Haystack Observatory. [23] In 2014, the MOXIE instrument, for which Hecht is the principal investigator, was selected as one of the instruments on the Perseverance rover for the Mars 2020 mission. [24] [25] [26] In 2019, Hecht was one of the scientists awarded the 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for his work with the Event Horizon Telescope to produce the first image of a supermassive black hole. [27] [28]
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link)