Main Focus
My expertise is the development of scientific instrumentation (VIS-NIR spectrometers/cameras) for interplanetary space probs as well as data analyses of these instruments. My favored study objects have been NEAs, various main-belt asteroids (including Vesta and Ceres), and the Moon. Venus and Ganymede to come.
Curriculum Vitae
Employment:
Since 2023: Project lead VenSpec DHU on EnVision (ESA) at MPS, Instrument Co-I
Since 2010: Project lead Framing Camera on Dawn (NASA) at MPS, Mission Co-I
2004 – 2009: Project Manager SIR- 2 on Chandrayaan-1 (ISRO) at MPS, Instrument Co-PI
1999 – 2006: Project Manager SIR on SMART-1 (ESA) at MPS, Instrument Co-I
Education:
2000: Dr. rer nat., FU Berlin
1995 – 1999: DLR, Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin (PhD Student)
1995: Diploma in Geophysics, WWU Münster
1987 – 1995: Studies of Geophysics at WWU Münster, Institute for Geophysics & Institute for Astronomy
Selected Awards:
2019: NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal
2016: NASA Group Achievement Award Dawn FC
Selected Publications:
(1) Nathues, A., Hoffmann, M., Schmedemann, N., R. Sarkar, G. Thangjam, K. Mengel, J. Hernandez, H. Hiesinger and J. H. Pasckert (2022) Brine residues and organics in the Urvara basin on Ceres. Nat Commun 13, 92
(2) Nathues, A., Schmedemann N., Thangjam G., Pasckert J., Mengel, K., Castillo-Rogez J., Cloutis E.A., Hiesinger, H., Hoffmann M., Le Corre, L., Li J.-Y., Pieters C., Raymond C.A., Reddy, V., Ruesch, O., and Williams D.A., (2020) Recent cryovolcanic activity at Occator crater on Ceres, Nature Astronomy, Volume 4, p. 794-801
(3) Nathues A., Hoffmann M., Ripken J., Thangjam G., Platz T., Schmedemann N., and Takir D. (2019) Unique light scattering at Occator’s faculae on (1) Ceres, Astronomical Journal, Volume 158, Issue 2, article id. 85, 13 pp.
(4) Pieters, C. M., Nathues, A., Thangjam, G., Hoffmann, M., Platz, T., de Sanctis, M. C., Ammannito, E., Tosi, F., Zambon, F., Pasckert, J. H., Hiesinger, H., Schröder, S. E., Jaumann, R., Matz, K.-D., Castillo-Rogez, J. C., Ruesch, O., McFadden, L. A., O'Brien, D. P., Sykes, M., Raymond, C. A., Russell, C. T., Geologic constraints on the origin of red organic-rich material on Ceres (2018), Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 53, Issue 9, pp. 1983-1998
(5) Nathues, A., Platz, T., Thangjam, G., Hoffmann, M., Mengel, K., Cloutis, E. A., Le Corre, L., Reddy, V., Kallisch, J., & Crown, D. A. (2017). Evolution of Occator Crater on (1) Ceres. Astronomical Journal, 153(3)
(6) Platz, T., Nathues, A., Schorghofer, N., Preusker, F., Mazarico, E., Schröder, S. E., Byrne, S., Kneissl, T., Schmedemann, N., Combe, J.-P., Schäfer, M., Thangjam, G. S., Hoffmann, M., Gutierrez-Marques, P., Landis, M. E., Dietrich, W., Ripken, J., Matz, K.-D., & Russell, C. T. (2017). Surface water-ice deposits in the northern shadowed regions of Ceres. Nature Astronomy, 1, 0007
(7) Nathues, A., Hoffmann, M., Schäfer, M., Thangjam, G., Le Corre, L., Reddy, V., Christensen, U., Mengel, K., Sierks, H., Vincent, J.-B., Cloutis, E. A., Russell, C. T., Schäfer, T., Gutierrez-Marques, P., Hall, I., Ripken, J., & Büttner, I. (2015). Exogenic olivine on Vesta from Dawn Framing Camera color data. Icarus, 258, 467-482
(8) Nathues, A., Hoffmann, M., Schaefer, M., Le Corre, L., Reddy, V., Platz, T., Cloutis, E. A., Christensen, U., Kneissl, T., Li, J.-Y., Mengel, K., Schmedemann, N., Schaefer, T., Russell, C. T., Applin, D. M., Buczkowski, D. L., Izawa, M. R. M., Keller, H. U., OBrien, D. P., Pieters, C. M., Raymond, C. A., Ripken, J., Schenk, P. M., Schmidt, B. E., Sierks, H., Sykes, M. V., Thangjam, G. S., & Vincent, J.-B. (2015). Sublimation in bright spots on Ceres. Nature, 528, 237-240
(9) Reddy, V., Nathues, A., Le Corre, L., Sierks, H., Li, J.-Y., Gaskell, R., McCoy, T., Beck, A. W., Schröder, S. E., Pieters, C. M., Becker, K. J., Buratti, B. J., Denevi, B., Blewett, D. T., Christensen, U., Gaffey, M. J., Gutierrez-Marques, P., Hicks, M., Keller, H. U., Maue, T., Mottola, S., McFadden, L. A., McSween, H. Y., Mittlefehldt, D., O'Brien, D. P., Raymond, C., & Russell, C. (2012). Color and Albedo Heterogeneity of Vesta from Dawn. Science, 336, 700-704
(10) Nathues, A., Boehnhardt, H., Harris, A. W., Jentsch, C., Schaeff, S., Weischede, F., Wiegand, A., Schmitz, N., Goetz, W., Kachri, Z. (2010): ASTEX: An in-situ exploration mission to two near-Earth asteroids, Advances in Space Research, 45, Issue 1, pp. 169-182