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Planetary Magnetospheres Laboratory


Picture of William Farrell

Dr. William M. Farrell

Planetary Magnetospheres Laboratory
NASA/GSFC, Code 695
Greenbelt, MD 20771

Phone: (301) 286-4446

FAX: (301) 286-1433

Email: William.M.Farrell@nasa.gov

Current Position

Planetary Scientist, Planetary Magnetospheres Laboratory
Solar System Exploration Division
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Education

1982 - B.S., Physics, University of Iowa
1984 - M.S., Physics, University of Iowa
1987 - Ph.D., Physics, University of Iowa

Awards and Distinctions

NASA/GSFC Special Act Award (2009)
Robert H. Goddard Award for Exceptional Achievement in Science (2008)
Principal Investigator of DREAM Lunar Science Institute team
Participating Scientist on MEX/MARSIS Ground Penetrating Radar
Lead Investigator of the search coil build on USAF/DSX mission
Co-investigator on CASSINI Radio and Plasma Wave Instrument
Co-investigator on WIND magnetometer and radio instruments
Co-investigator on Sporadic-E, PULSAUR II and SVALVARD/CUSP rockets
Guest investigator on VOYAGER planetary radio astronomy experiment (1987-90)
Principal Investigator of numerous NASA ROSES and GSFC IRAD/DDF awards
A NASA Graduate Student Research Fellow (1986-1987)
NASA Public Service Group Achievement Awards (9 times)
NASA Certificates of Recognition for Technology Innovation (for 3 innovations)
Patent on metglas search coil design

Professional Experience

Dr. Farrell specializes in the study of the electrodynamics and plasma environments within planetary atmospheres, magnetospheres, and on primitive bodies via both direct experimentation and analytical modeling. As an NRC post-doc, he had the very good fortune of supporting the Voyager/Neptune encounter in 1989, and later was a Co-Investigator on the Cassini mission to Saturn where he emphasized the study of Saturn.s lightning, dusty-plasma rings, and Enceladus plasma torus. He is a Participating Scientist on the Mars Express MARSIS radar examining the stratigraphy underneath the polar ice caps, and was deputy PI of the MATADOR Mars dusty-atmosphere electrodynamics package that was selected for flight on the now-defunct Mars03 Surveyor mission. His lab team has successfully delivered instrumentation for 8 sub-orbital and orbital missions and he regularly performs desert analog studies in pursuit of the understanding of the electrification within dust devils and storms. He continues to be a scientific reviewer on AGU, EGS, and IEEE journals and he regularly sits on Mars and Moon science definition teams. He has published over 150 articles in planetary and space sciences.

Web Articles

Lunar dust
http://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/2820

Mars dust devil electrification
"http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2006/mars_soil_chem.h tml
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2004/0420marsdust.html
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/14jul_dustdevils.html

Desert Studies
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/2005_dust_devil.html

Enceladus torus
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/media/saturn_sponge.html

Selected Publications

Concerning the dissipation of electrically charged objects in the shadowed lunar polar regions, Author(s): Farrell WM, Stubbs TJ, Delory GT, et al., Source: GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, Volume: 35, Issue: 19 Article Number: L19104, Published: OCT 4 2008.

Effect of dust absorption on the electron avalanche process occurring within Martian dust storms, Author(s): Jackson TL, Farrell WM, Delory GT, et al., Source: GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, Volume: 35 Issue: 16 Article Number: L16201, Published: AUG 21 2008.

MARSIS subsurface radar investigations of the South Polar reentrant Chasma Australe, Author(s): Farrell WM, Clifford SM, Milkovich SM, et al. Source: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS, Volume: 113, Issue: E4 Article Number: E04002, Published: APR 11 2008.

Loss of solar wind plasma neutrality and affect on surface potentials near the lunar terminator and shadowed polar regions, Author(s): Farrell WM, Stubbs TJ, Halekas JS, et al., Source: GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, Volume: 35, Issue: 5, Article Number: L05105, Published: MAR 13 2008.

Mass unloading along the inner edge of the Enceladus plasma torus, Author(s): Farrell WM, Kaiser ML, Gurnett DA, et al., Source: GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, Volume: 35, Issue: 2 Article Number: L02203, Published: JAN 23 2008.

Magnetospheric emissions from the planet orbiting tau Bootis: A multiepoch search, Author(s): Lazio TJW, Farrell WM, Source: ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, Volume: 668, Issue: 2 Pages: 1182-1188 Part: Part 1, Published: OCT 20 2007.

Complex electric fields near the lunar terminator: The near-surface wake and accelerated dust, Author(s): Farrell WM, Stubbs TJ, Vondrak RR, et al., Source: GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, Volume: 34, Issue: 14 Article Number: L14201, Published: JUL 18 2007.

Absorption of MARSIS radar signals: Solar energetic particles and the daytime ionosphere, Author(s): Espley JR, Farrell WM, Brain DA, et al., Source: GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, Volume: 34, Issue: 9 Article Number: L09101, Published: MAY 2 2007.

Are Saturn electrostatic discharges really superbolts? A temporal dilemma, Author(s): Farrell WM, Kaiser ML, Fischer G, et al., Source: GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, Volume: 34, Issue: 6 Article Number: L06202, Published: MAR 27 2007.

Subsurface radar sounding of the south polar layered deposits of Mars, Auth or(s): Plaut JJ, Picardi G, Safaeinili A, et al., Source: SCIENCE, Volume: 316, Issue: 5821 Pages: 92-95, Published: APR 6 2007.

Martian dust storms as a possible sink of atmospheric methane, Author(s): Farrell WM, Delory GT, Atreya SK, Source: GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, Volume: 33, Issue: 21 Article Number: L21203, Published: NOV 10 2006.

Electrostatic fields in dust devils: An analog to mars, Author(s): Jackson TL, Farrell WM, Source: IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING, Volume: 44, Issue: 10 Pages: 2942-2949 Part: Part 2, Published: OCT 2006.

Oxidant enhancement in martian dust devils and storms: Implications for life and habitability, Author(s): Atreya SK, Wong AS, Renno NO, et al., Source: ASTROBIOLOGY, Volume: 6, Issue: 3 Pages: 439-450, Published: JUN 2006.

A dynamic fountain model for lunar dust, Author(s): Stubbs TJ, Vondrak RR, Farrell WM, Conference Information: 35th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, JUL 18-25, 2004 Paris, FRANCE, Source: MOON AND NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS, Book Series: ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH, Volume: 37, Issue: 1 Pages: 59-66, Published: 2006.

Radar soundings of the subsurface of Mars, Author(s): Picardi G, Plaut JJ, Biccari D, et al., Source: SCIENCE, Volume: 310, Issue: 5756 Pages: 1925-1928, Published: DEC 23 2005.

Electric and magnetic signatures of dust devils from the 2000-2001 MATADOR desert tests, Author(s): Farrell WM, Smith PH, Delory GT, et al., Source: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS, Volume: 109, Issue: E3 Article Number: E03004, Published: MAR 5 2004.

On the possibility of coherent cyclotron emission from extrasolar planets, Author(s): Farrell WM, Desch MD, Zarka P, Source: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS, Volume: 104, Issue: E6 Pages: 14025-14032, Published: JUN 25 1999.

Detecting electrical activity from Martian dust storms, Author(s): Farrell WM, Kaiser ML, Desch MD, et al., Source: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS , Volume: 104, Issue: E2 Pages: 3795-3801, Published: FEB 25 1999.

A simple simulation of a plasma void: Applications to wind observations of the lunar wake, Author(s): Farrell WM, Kaiser ML, Steinberg JT, et al., Source: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS, Volume: 103, Issue: A10 Pages: 23653-23660, Published: OCT 1 1998.

OBSERVATIONS OF THE EARTHS POLAR CLEFT AT LARGE RADIAL DISTANCES WITH THE H AWKEYE-1 MAGNETOMETER, Author(s): FARRELL WM, VANALLEN JA, Source: JOURNAL OF GE OPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS, Volume: 95, Issue: A12 Pages: 20945-20958, Pub lished: DEC 1 1990.

COHERENT CERENKOV RADIATION FROM THE SPACELAB-2 ELECTRON-BEAM, Author(s): F ARRELL WM, GURNETT DA, GOERTZ CK, Source: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS, Volume: 94, Issue: A1 Pages: 443-452, Published: JAN 1 1989.

AN ANALYSIS OF WHISTLER MODE RADIATION FROM THE SPACELAB-2 ELECTRON-BEAM, Author(s): FARRELL WM, GURNETT DA, BANKS PM, et al., Source: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSIC AL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS, Volume: 93, Issue: A1 Pages: 153-161, Published: JAN 1, 1988.

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