Dr. Kelly Snook

Lunar Program Scientist

Dr. Kelly Snook serves as the Lunar Program Scientist in the Planetary Systems Division of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. She is responsible for the Lunar Sortie Science Opportunity (LSSO) and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Participating Scientist Programs. She has backgrounds in both aerospace engineering and planetary science, with a Ph.D. from Stanford University in Aeronautics and Astronautics. Her scientific expertise is in the area of lunar and Mars science, having worked as a planetary scientist at both NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and NASA Johnson Space Center on the investigation of the optical properties and radiative heating effects of suspended dust. She has been working for ten years in the area of lunar and Mars analog field work, organizing and leading expeditions to field sites in the Candian Arctic, Chile, the US desert southwest, Australia, and the deep ocean hydrothermal vents. She served as the Project Manager for the NASA Haughton Mars Project during her tour of duty at NASA Ames Research Center. Her analogs work has been featured in documentaries and films including the 3-D IMAX film, "Aliens of the Deep," produced by James Cameron. At NASA Headquarters, she leads several lunar research programs and provides scientific input into the ongoing strategic development of NASA's lunar and Mars exploration initiatives.

Dr. Snook is also a musician, audio engineer, and music producer. She owns and operates a recording studio, "it's not rocket science studios," in downtown Washington. She has produced numerous CDs and has worked for 7 years at the intersection of music and science, inspired by giants like Copernicus, Kepler, and Pythagoras. An early incarnation of a space-outreach art installation she co-designed with George Whitesides is on display at the NASA Goddard visitor's center. She enjoys creating new sounds, finding new ways to represent scientific data as music, and also good old-fashioned songwriting.