Craig J. Hardgrove is an assistant professor at Arizona State University (from 2016) and an adjunct assistant professor at University of Tennessee from 2019. He is also the director of projects for the ASU NewSpace Initiative (from 2016) and honors faculty in the ASU Barrett Honors College (from 2017). His expertise areas are planetary geosciences and instrument development and he has published several works contributing to these fields. He is known for his work on the LunaH-Map mission as a Principal Investigator, development of new planetary neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer instrumentation, and as a participating scientist on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover Dynamic Albedo of Neutron team. He is also known for his remake of the soundtrack to the 1994 video game Marathon by Bungie Studios, which were included in the iOS version of Marathon released in the 2000’s. He has also participated and produced podcasts related to the Bungie video game Destiny, and has consulted with Bungie on the design and art within their planetary environments.
Career
Craig J. Hardgrove studied physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology where he received his B.S in Physics. Then he got his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee in Geology while completing a NASA graduate research program fellowship. After he got his Ph.D. he was a postdoctoral researcher at Stony Brook University from 2011-2012. After that, he was an assistant staff scientist in Malin Space Science Systems from 2012-2013. From 2013-2016, he was a research scientist at Arizona State University. He currently works at Arizona State University as an Assistant professor for the School of Earth and Space Exploration. He also currently holds a position at the University of Tennessee’s Department of Earth and Planetary Science as an Adjunct Assistant Professor.
Notable Work
Dr. Hardgrove is the Principal Investigator for the LunaH-Map mission. This involves the launch of a small satellite that will map hydrogen enrichments within permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole. The satellite will use a compact neutron spectrometer orbiting from a low altitude over the lunar south pole to take the neutron measurements necessary to spatially resolve hydrogen enrichments. The mission will produce maps of the lunar South Pole that can identify hydrogen enrichments within regions of 10-20 square-km. The small satellite, the size of a shoebox or cereal box, contains only one science instrument, a neutron detector developed for the LunaH-Map mission. Hardgrove led the spacecraft and mission development, including the new neutron detector. The spacecraft includes a solar array, batteries, heaters, antennas, star tracker, reaction wheels and more. All components were tested for durability in vibration and thermal vacuum tests to ensure it could survive the extremes of the launch, space, and the Moon. The LunaH-Map mission was in development for approximately 6 years and Hardgrove delivered the spacecraft to NASA Kennedy Space Center in July of 2021 to be integrated into the Space Launch System Artemis-1 Orion Stage Adapter, for launch (currently scheduled) in early 2022.
The goal of Dr. Hardgrove’s research is to find resources on the moon, specifically water-ice. In his field, he is known for being an expert in planetary neutron spectroscopy and neutron detection. In fact he is one of only a handful of people in the world who is involved and knowledgeable about this topic.
One interesting note about Dr. Hardgrove is that he was originally studying engineering in undergrad, but he decided to switch to physics, and stick with it as well as pick up geology through grad school and post grad school.
Dr. Hardgrove has mainly been involved with the development of cubesats, and his most notable research is his ongoing work with the LunaH-Map mission.
While he continues working on the LunaH Map mission, he is also looking to the future, hoping to work on other missions to send cubesats or other probes to places with more extreme conditions on mars, europa, titan, and other places. He would also like to help students and graduated scientists get opportunities in neutron spectroscopy. Help mentor them as he didn’t really have a mentor in this field.
Honors & Awards
NASA Group Achievement Awards (2), MSL/Curiosity Science Team, 2015-2017 NASA Early Career Fellowship Award, 2016
Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, EPS Department, University of Tennessee, 2016
NASA Group Achievement Award, MSL/Curiosity Operations Team, 2013
NASA Graduate Student Researcher's Program Fellowship, 2008-2011
Interdisciplinary Research Award, EPS Department, University of Tennessee, 2010
Professional Promise Award, EPS Department, University of Tennessee, 2008
NASA Group Achievement Awards (2), MER 3rd & 4th Extended Missions, 2008
Excellence in Graduate Coursework, EPS Department, University of Ten., 2006 and 2007
NASA Group Achievement Awards (2), MER 1st, 2nd Extended Missions, 2004-2005
References
T. Gabriel*, C. Hardgrove, C. Achilles, E. Rampe, W. Rapin, S. Nowicki, S. Czarnecki, L. Thompson, S. Nikiforo, M. Litvak, I. Mitrofanov, D. Lisov, J. Frydenvang, A. Yen, R. Wiens, A. Treiman, A. McAdam. On an extensive late groundwater event in Gale crater as indicated by water-rich fracture halos. JGR - Planets, submitted.
C. Hardgrove, R. Starr, A. Babuscia, I. Lazbin, B. Roebuck, J. DuBois, N. Struebel, A. Colaprete, D. Drake, E. Johnson, J. Christian, L. Heffern, S. Stem, S. Parlapiano, M. Wiens, A. Genova, D. Dunham, D. Nelson, B. Williams, J. Bauman, P. Hailey, T. O'Brien, K. Marwah, L. Vlieger, J. Bell, and T. Prettyman. The Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper CubeSat Mission. IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 54-69, 1, doi: 10.1109/MAES.2019.2950747 (2020)
S. Czarnecki*, C. Hardgrove, P. Gasda, T. Gabriel, M. Starr, M. Rice, J. Frydenvang, R. Wiens, W. Rapin, S. Nikiforov, D. Lisov, M. Litvak, F. Calef, H. Gengl, H. E. Newsom, L. Thompson, S. Nowicki. Identification and description of a silicic volcaniclastic layer in Gale crater, Mars using active neutron interrogation. Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets, Volume 125, Issue 3, E2019JE006180 (2020)
H. Kerner*, C. Hardgrove, S. Czarnecki, T. Gabriel, I. Mitrofanov, M. Litvak, A. Sanin, D. Lisov, Analysis of active neutron measurements from the Mars Science Laboratory Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument: Intrinsic variability, outliers, and implications for future investigations. Journal of Geophysical Research – Planets, Volume 125, Issue 5, E2019JE006264 (2020)
W. Rapin, B.L. Ehlmann, G. Dromart, J. Schieber, N.H. Thomas, W.W. Fischer, V.K. Fox, N.T. Stein, M. Nachon, B.C. Clark, L.C. Kah, L. Thompson, H.A. Meyer, T.S.J. Gabriel, C. Hardgrove, N. Mangold, F. Rivera-Hernandez, R.C. Wiens, A.R. Vasavada. An interval of high salinity in ancient Gale crater lake on Mars. Nature Geoscience, Volume 12, Issue 11, p.889-895 (2019)
T. S. J. Gabriel*, C. Hardgrove, S. Czarnecki L. Rampe W. Rapin C. N. Achilles D. Sullivan S. F. Nowicki L. Thompson M. Litvak I. Mitrofanov R. T. Downs, Water abundance of dunes in Gale crater, Mars from active neutron experiments & implications for amorphous phases. Geophysical Research Letters, DOI:10.1029/2018GL079045, (2018).
C.G. Tate, J. Moersch, I. Mitrofanov, M. Litvak, P. Bellutta, W.V. Boynton, D. Drake, B. Ehresmann, F. Fedosov, D. Golovin, C. Hardgrove, K. Harshman, D.M. Hassler, I. Jun, A.S. Kozyrev, D. Lisov, A. Malakhov, D.W. Ming, M. Mischna, M. Mokrousov, S. Nikiforov, A.B. Sanin, R. Starr, A. Vostrukhin, C. Zeitlin. Results from the dynamic albedo of neutrons (DAN) passive mode experiment: Yellowknife Bay to Amargosa Valley (Sols 201-753). Icarus, 299, p.513-537. (2018)
C. Tate, J. Moersch, I. Jun, I. Mitrofanov, M. Litvak, W. Boynton, D. Drake, F. Fedosov, D. Golovin, C. Hardgrove, K. Harshman, A. Kozyrev, R. Kuzmin, D. Lisov, E. Maclennan, A. Malakhov, M. Mischna, M. Mokrousov, S. Nikiforov, A. Sanin, R. Starr, A. Vostrukhin, Observed diurnal variations in Mars Science Laboratory Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons passive mode data. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 892 (2018).
Litvak, Mitrofanov, Hardgrove, Stack, Sanin, Lisov, Boynton, Fedosov, Golovin, Harshman, Jun, Kozyrev, Kuzmin, Malakhov, Milliken, Mischna, Moersch, Mokrousov, Nikiforov, Starr, Tate, Tret'yakov, and Vostrukhin. Hydrogen and Chlorine Abundances in the Kimberley Formation of Gale Crater Measured by the DAN Instrument on Board the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 121, no. 5 (2016).
Wikipedia creator: (Christopher Shank)