Member Since 2001
Thomas H. Prettyman
Senior Scientist, Planetary Science Institute
Tom Prettyman (Ph.D., Nuclear Engineering) is a Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. His research focus is the application of nuclear instrumentation and methods to planetary geology. Mission experience includes Lunar Prospector, 2001 Mars Odyssey, and Dawn. For Dawn, he was the lead for the Dawn Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector investigation and is actively involved in studies of Vesta and Ceres. He is currently a Co-I for the Psyche, LunaH-Map, and Lunar-VISE missions.
Professional Experience
Planetary Science Institute
Senior Scientist
2008 - Present
Education
North Carolina State University Raleigh
Doctorate
1991
Honors & Awards
Fred Whipple Award and Lecture
Received 2023
Dr. Thomas H.
Prettyman has done repeated seminal work in the application of neutron and
gamma ray spectroscopy to determine the elemental composition of planetary
surfaces. He has been instrumental in the success
of a number of flight
instruments th...
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Publications
Fundamental Science and Engineering Questions in Planetary Cave Exploration
Nearly half a century ago, two papers postulated the likelihood of lunar lava tube caves using mathematical models. Today, armed with an array of o...
November 02, 2022
A Probabilistic Approach to Determination of Ceres' Average ...
December 14, 2020
AGU Abstracts
Assessment of Lunar Equatorial Volatiles through Radon Using KPLO Gamma-Ray Data
FIRST SCIENCE RESULTS FROM THE KOREA PATHFINDER LUNAR ORBITER (DANURI) II ORAL
planetary sciences | 12 december 2023
Naoyuki Yamashita, Thomas H. Prettyman, Suyeon Kim...
The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO, nicknamed Danuri) was launched on Aug. 4, 2022 and inserted to the lunar orbit on Dec. 28, 2022 to investiga...
View Abstract
OVERVIEWS ON MAJOR SCIENTIFIC RESULTS OF KPLO GAMMA-RAY SPECTROMETER (KGRS)
FIRST SCIENCE RESULTS FROM THE KOREA PATHFINDER LUNAR ORBITER (DANURI) II ORAL
planetary sciences | 12 december 2023
Kyeong J. Kim, Suyeon Kim, Yire Choi, Jung Hun Par...
The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO or Danuri) was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on August 5, 2022...
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Mobile Instrument Suites for Autonomous Characterization of Lunar Polar Volatiles
TO THE MOON: A NEW ERA OF LUNAR SCIENCE —CURRENT AND FUTURE MISSIONS I POSTER
planetary sciences | 11 december 2023
Craig J. Hardgrove, Charles Hibbitts, AJ Gemer, Sa...
With several surface missions to the Moon actively in development, and future missions being planned, it is critical that human and robotic explorers ...
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Check out all of Thomas H. Prettyman’s AGU Research!
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