R. Aileen Yingst is an American

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

and senior scientist for the

Planetary Science Institute The Planetary Science Institute (PSI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research institute based in Tucson, Arizona, focusing on planetary science. , its director is Dr. Mark V. Sykes. PSI, along with Space Science Institute (SSI) Southwest Researc ...

as well as an Investigator on the

Perseverance Perseverance most commonly refers to: * ''Perseverance'' (rover), a planetary rover landed on Mars by NASA * Psychological resilience Perseverance may also refer to: Geography * Perseverance, Queensland, a locality in Australia * Perseverance I ...

rover's

SHERLOC Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) is an ultraviolet Raman spectrometer that uses fine-scale imaging and an ultraviolet (UV) laser to determine fine-scale mineralogy, and detect org ...

instrument for

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

. She has contributed to many projects including Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity), and

Mars 2020 Mars 2020 is a NASA mission that includes the rover ''Perseverance (rover), Perseverance'', the now-retired small robotic helicopter ''Ingenuity (helicopter), Ingenuity'', and associated delivery systems, as part of the Mars Exploration Progra ...

, focusing mainly on macro/microtexture of surfaces on Mars.

Education

Yingst attended Andrews Academy. She earned degrees in

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

and

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

and master and doctorate degrees in geological sciences from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

Career

While in graduate school, Yingst was part of a team that received funding to work on NASA's

Clementine A clementine (''Citrus × clementina'') is a tangor, a citrus fruit hybrid between a willowleaf mandarin orange ( ''C.'' × ''deliciosa'') and a sweet orange (''C. × sinensis''), named in honor of Clément Rodier, a French missionary who f ...

lunar project. She also received individual

funding to study rock fragments. Yingst became Director of th
Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium
in 2001. From 2002 to 2006, she held the roles of Secretary Treasurer, Vice-chair and Chair of the Planetary Division of the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hi ...

. She was elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of America in 2015. Yingst has served as Associate Principal Investigator on NASA's

Mars Exploration Rover NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission was a robotic space mission involving two Mars rovers, ''Spirit (rover), Spirit'' and ''Opportunity (rover), Opportunity'', exploring the planet Mars. It began in 2003 with the launch of the two rove ...

program. As of June 6, 2019 R. Aileen Yingst became the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) Chair. The MEPAG is a scientific community-based group that helps to analyze and determine Mars exploration supporting NASA's interplanetary travel initiatives. As of February 2021, she is Principal Investigator for the lunar Heimdall camera system, and Principal Investigator on the

Mars Hand Lens Imager Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) is one of seventeen cameras on the ''Curiosity'' rover on the Mars Science Laboratory mission. Overview The instrument is mounted on the rover's robotic arm. It is primarily used to acquire microscopic images o ...

. She is a geologist and senior scientist at the nonprofit

, an organization that partners with NASA. Her research focuses on the texture of surfaces on Mars, the Moon and other planets.

Personal life

Yingst resides in

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. Brunswick is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part o ...

. She is from Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is married to Ross Nova and together they have two children Joshua and Rebecca. Between 2018 and 2021 R. Aileen Yingst and her husband Ross Nova were donors supporting the Chamberlain Exterior Restoration for Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum.

Honors and awards

* International Space Ops Award for Outstanding Achievement (2010) * AIAA Haley Space Flight Award (2012) *

NASA Group Achievement Award The NASA Group Achievement Award (GAA) is an award given by NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the U ...

for the MER 3rd and 4th, and 5th Extended Missions (2008, 2014) * NASA Group Achievement Award for the Mars Science Laboratory MMM Camera Team (2013) * NASA Group Achievement Award for the Prime Mission Science and Operations Team (2015) * NASA Group Achievement Award for the Desert RATS Team (2011) * National Space Club Distinguished Science Award (2015) * NASA Distinguished Service Award (2014)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yingst, Aileen American women geologists American geologists American planetary scientists Dartmouth College alumni Brown University alumni NASA people Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American women