Kelly Fast
Kelly E. Fast is an American engineer who works in the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters. She is involved with planetary defence activities across NASA. She is also involved with the Yearly Opportunities for Research in Planetary Defense and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility
Kelly E. Fast | |
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Born | |
Alma mater | University of Maryland, College Park University of California, Los Angeles |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | Goddard Space Flight Center NASA Headquarters |
Early life and education
Fast grew up in California.[1][2] As a child, she could see the Griffith Observatory from her bedroom window.[1] She had a telescope in her window, and spent her evenings exploring the skies above Los Angeles.[1] Fast was an undergraduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles. She moved to the University of Maryland, College Park for graduate studies. Her doctoral research considered measurements of ozone in Martian atmospheres using ground-based telescopes.[1]
Career
Fast worked as a research astronomer at the Goddard Space Flight Center,[1][2] where she developed high-resolution infrared instrumentation, such as the Heterodyne Instrument for Planetary Wind and Composition (HIPWAC). These systems were capable of characterizing planetary atmospheres. She specialized in the atmospheric chemistry of Mars and Titan. She was also interested in how the stratosphere of Jupiter was impacted by small body impacts.[1] During this position she regularly visited the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility.[1] She was eventually appointed to the working group for the IRTF. In 2003 the main belt asteroid 115434 was named Kellyfast in honour of her contributions to science.
Fast moved to the NASA Headquarters in 2011.[3] She was bade in the planetary Science Division, where she was part of the Planetary Atmospheres program. She was also responsible for the MAVEN Mars orbiter.[4]
Fast is responsible for near Earth object observations in the Planetary Defense Coordination Office.[5][6] In this capacity, she searches for near Earth asteroids and comets.[2][5] She is involved with various planetary surveys, including Pan-STARRS and the Catalina Sky Survey.[5] In 2021, she was part of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which looks to redirect potentially hazardous asteroids away from Earth.[7][8]
Selected publications
- Kostiuk, Theodor; Fast, Kelly E.; Livengood, Timothy A.; Hewagama, Tilak; Goldstein, Jeffrey J.; Espenak, Fred; Buhl, David (2001-06-15). "Direct measurement of winds on Titan". Geophysical Research Letters. 28 (12): 2361–2364. Bibcode:2001GeoRL..28.2361K. doi:10.1029/2000gl012617. ISSN 0094-8276.
- Kostiuk, T.; Livengood, T. A.; Hewagama, T.; Sonnabend, G.; Fast, K. E.; Murakawa, K.; Tokunaga, A. T.; Annen, J.; Buhl, D.; Schmülling, F. (2005). "Titan's stratospheric zonal wind, temperature, and ethane abundance a year prior to Huygens insertion". Geophysical Research Letters. 32 (22): n/a. Bibcode:2005GeoRL..3222205K. doi:10.1029/2005gl023897. ISSN 0094-8276.
- Sonnabend, G.; Sornig, M.; Krötz, P. J.; Schieder, R. T.; Fast, K. E. (2006). "High spatial resolution mapping of Mars mesospheric zonal winds by infrared heterodyne spectroscopy of CO2". Geophysical Research Letters. 33 (18): n/a. Bibcode:2006GeoRL..3318201S. doi:10.1029/2006gl026900. ISSN 0094-8276.
Personal life
Fast is a Ham radio operator.[1] She played a small role in the film Asteroid Hunters.[2]
References
- "Kelly Fast". The Planetary Society. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
- "Kelly Fast | Scientist". NASA Solar System Exploration. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
- "Dr. Kelly Fast | The Space Show". www.thespaceshow.com. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
- mars.nasa.gov. "Mars MAVEN Orbiter". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
- "Defenders of Earth on Planetary Radio". The Planetary Society. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
- "NASA forms office to protect Earth from asteroids". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
- Roulette, Joey (2021-11-24). "NASA Launches New Mission: Crash Into Asteroid, Defend Planet Earth". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
- Andrews, Robin George. "NASA's DART Mission Could Help Cancel an Asteroid Apocalypse". Scientific American. Retrieved 2021-12-29.