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Dr. Stephen Rinehart
TESS Project Scientist
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
Dr. Stephen Rinehart is the Project Scientist for TESS. Dr. Rinehart was awarded his Ph.D. in physics from Cornell University in 1999. In 2001, he came to the Goddard Space Flight Center as a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow, becoming a permanent staff member of the Laboratory for Observational Cosmology in 2004. He served as the Associate Project Scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope, serving as a leader in the repair of the Advanced Camera for Surveys during Servicing Mission 4. He is currently the Associate Chief of the Laboratory for Observational Cosmology, as well as the Principal Investigator for the Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII), an 8-meter baseline far-infrared interferometer to fly on a high altitude scientific balloon. Scientifically, Dr. Rinehart is interested in the formation and evolution of stars and of planetary systems, and continues to work on new concepts for future experiments that will help unravel the mysteries of the lives of stars and planets.