Present PositionAstrophysicist,Hubble Space Telescope Operations Project Scientist, and Principal Investigator for Stellar Imager (SI) Vision Mission. Brief BioDr. Kenneth Carpenter is currently the Hubble Space Telescope Operations Project Scientist and splits his time between those duties, leading the Stellar Imager Vision Mission concept development, and scientific research. His scientific interests include studies of the chromospheres, transition regions, winds and circumstellar shells of cool stars, as well as the calculation of model atmospheres and synthetic spectra and investigations of line fluorescence processes; hardware interests include development and operations of UV spectroscopic instruments and large baseline space interferometers. He is currently a member of the "Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory" at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.Educational BackgroundB.A. (Astronomy) Wesleyan University - 1976 Cum laudeM.A. (Astronomy) Wesleyan university - 1977 Ph.D. (Astronomy) Ohio State University - 1983 Ph.D. Thesis: "A Study of Magnetic, Line-Blanketed, Model Atmospheres" Research InterestsUltraviolet spectroscopy. Chromospheres, transition regions and winds of cool stars. Stellar activity. Model atmospheres and synthetic spectra. Line fluorescence processes. Chemically peculiar stars. Instrument development, in particular development and calibration of UV spectrographs. Long-Baseline Imaging Interferometry.Carpenter is the lead scientist/architect for a long-term study of the outer atmospheres and winds of stars cooler than the sun, utilizing IUE, HST, ground-based and other space-based facilities. Core HST/GHRS results, based on combined GTO and GO programs, have been published in an ApJ series: ``GHRS Observations of Cool, Low-Gravity Stars. I-V''. He has collaborated in studies of stellar activity/chromospheric heating in Hyades F stars and of the origin of Ba-star abundances anomalies with E. Bohm-Vitense (U. Washington) and shared leadership (with H. Johnson/Univ. of Indiana) of large, international consortium study of carbon stars with HST. He has been involved in a multiple-cycle HST program to determine masses of Cepheid variables, published frequently-cited UV reference spectra for cool stars, obtained first measurements of turbulence and plasma downflows in the chromosphere of a cool giant star, and published a definitive summary of fluorescence in cool giant atmospheres (in collaboration with C. Jordan/Oxford U., England and S. Johansson/U. Lund, Sweden). He has also computed detailed, line-blanketed model atmospheres, including magnetic pressure, for upper main sequence stars to study effect of magnetic-field on structure and emergent spectrum and the degree to which line strength peculiarities in chemically peculiar stars can be explained without recourse to anomalous abundances. Further details on Dr. Carpenter's research can be found here. Current ProjectsCarpenter is currently the Operations Project Scientist for Hubble Space Telescope and provides scientific leadership, advice, guidance, and oversight to the Operations Project Manager and Staff, monitors budgeting activities as related to HST mission scientific requirements and participates in tradeoff decisions, monitors in-orbit performance of flight instruments & other spacecraft systems, provides scientific guidance in the assessment and resolution of spacecraft anomalies, supports preparations for and execution of HST Servicing Missions, supports the development of future science instruments operations, and oversees current STScI science operations.He is the Principal Investigator of the Stellar Imager (SI) Vision Mission Study - a concept for a large, space-based UV-optical interferometer designed to image the surfaces of nearby stars, probe their subsurface layers through asteroseismology (acoustic imaging), and improve our understanding of solar and stellar dynamos and thus our ability to predict solar/stellar activity and its effect on the habitability of planets, planetary climates, and life. Carpenter also leads the Fizeau Interferometer Testbed (FIT) experiment, a ground-based laboratory testbed located in the GSFC Instrument Development Lab. This testbed is developing and testing algorithms for closed-loop control of actuated multi-element (7-20) sparse aperture systems, using feedback from Phase Diversity analysis of the combined beams - a critical technology for future long-baseline Fizeau Interferometers and Sparse Aperture Telescopes. Prior to this, Carpenter was GHRS Investigation Team Co-Investigator for Science Operations and guided GHRS Operations Development, Science Verification/Guaranteed Time Observer science program implementation, and helped ensure the high science productivity of the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph. Selected PublicationsPublications: 70 Refereed papers, 93 Other Major Publications and Review Talks, and 80 abstracts of meeting presentations. Selected publications include:F.M. 1991,”First Results from the GHRS: The Chromosphere of Alpha Tau”, ApJ (Letters), 377, L45. Low-Gravity Stars. I. The Far-UV Spectrum of alpha Ori (M2 Iab)”, Ap.J., 428, 329. Flow and Turbulent Velocities in the Outer Atmosphere of gamma Cru (M3.4 III)”, Ap.J., 444, 424. and Turbulence in the Outer Atmosphere of Alpha Ori (M2 Iab)”, Ap.J., 479, 970. Querci, M, 1997, ‘HST Spectroscopy of the Carbon Star TX Psc’, ApJ, 486, 457. Observations of Cool, Low-Gravity Stars. V. The Outer Atmosphere and Wind of the Nearby K-Supergiant Lambda Velorum”, ApJ, 521, 382. Publications at the ADS website.
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