Richard Leis, Jr.
Operations Specialist, Downlink/Validation Lead
HiRISE Operations Center
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ
The Mission
The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera is taking images of the Martian surface from its location on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). These images include details as small as a meter across. The mission is currently in the "Extended Science Phase" following the successful "Primary Science Phase" from November 2006 through November 2008. During that time the HiRISE camera captured thousands of multi-gigapixel-sized images. Although this has resulted in many terabytes of data, the surface area of Mars is enormous and we have imaged less than one percent of the surface. As long as the HiRISE camera and MRO continue to function properly, we will continue to build up our high resolution view of Mars over many years. Check out http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ and our blog at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/HiBlog/ for the latest images and information. We are also on Twitter and Facebook!
Bio
Richard Leis, Jr. is an Operations Specialist and Downlink Lead at the HiRISE Operations Center (HiROC) located on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson, Arizona, USA. His team focuses on downlink activities, which includes downloading, processing, and validating the images HiRISE takes of the Martian surface. He also participates in education and public outreach (EPO) events such as HiROC tours and speaking engagements. He is working on an undergraduate degree at UA and is interested in emerging technologies and their impact on humanity.
EPO Participation
Upcoming Events
2009
Past Events
2005
- August 2005: Mars Mania I - HiRISE presentation for visitors to the Charles P. Sonett Space Sciences Building
2006
- March 10, 2006 (Friday), 1:00 - 4:00 pm: Mars Orbital Insertion (MOI) - helped describe events as they unfolded live for a public audience at UA's Kuiper Space Sciences Building, Room 308 | Article
- April 08, 2006 (Saturday): Mars Mania II - HiRISE presentation for visitors to the Charles P. Sonett Space Sciences Building. Answered visitor questions in our lobby.
- May 26, 2006 (Friday): Yuma Fourth Graders - My sister taught fourth grade in Yuma, Arizona during the 2005/2006 school year. She invited me to speak to her students and three other fourth grade classes on the last day of their week-long study of the planets. I showed each class a presentation about HiRISE and Mars, conducted a "What is a Pixel?" hands-on activity, and answered their (many) questions.
- October 04, 2006 (Wednesday): h+ Tucson Meeting - Latest HiRISE Images and "Augmenting Humans Instead of Terraforming Mars"
- October 21, 2006 (Saturday): Phoenix Mars Mission Open House
- November 02, 2006 (Thursday): HiROC Tour - Prescott Tour
- December 10, 2006 (Sunday): Congregation Anshei Israel - HiRISE presentation
2007
- January 20, 2007 (Saturday): HiROC Tour - UA Science Recruiting Event
- February 09, 2007 (Friday): University of Arizona Students for the Exploration and Development of Space - HiRISE presentation
- February 14, 2007 (Wednesday): HiROC Tour - UA Elder Hostel Program
- April 19, 2007 (Thursday), 6:30-8:00 pm: Prescott Public Library and Prescott Astronomy Club's Thursday Night Star Talk - "HiRISE: The People's Camera" | HiBlog entry | Presentation (22MB PowerPoint) | Event images
- May 05, 2007 (Saturday): Phoenix Mars Mission Open House II
- May 11, 2007 (Friday) - 2007-05-13 (Sunday): Leprecon 33
- June 06, 2007 (Wednesday): HiROC Tour - GEAR UP Hands-On Optics Camp
- June 13, 2007 (Wednesday): HiROC Tour - GEAR UP Hands-On Optics Camp
- June 20, 2007 (Wednesday): HiROC Tour - GEAR UP Hands-On Optics Camp
- July 09, 2007 (Monday), 2 PM: HiROC Tour - Kitt Peak students
- October 04, 2007 (Thursday), 7 pm: HiRISE presentation at Western Photographic Historical Society October meeting
- October 20, 2007 (Saturday): LPL at Family Weekend 2007
- October 26-28, 2007: HiRISE at the X PRIZE Cup
2008
- February 08, 2007 (Friday): HiROC Tour - UA Elder Hostel Program
- April 11, 2008 (Friday): HiROC Tour - UA Elder Hostel Program
- May 25, 2008 (Sunday): University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory Event: Phoenix Mars Lander Landing Celebration
- December 05, 2008 (Friday): HiROC Tour - PCC Space/Stars/Mars Study Tour
- December 09, 2008 (Tuesday): HiROC Tour - Planetary Image Librarians
2009
- March 13, 2009 (Friday): HiROC Tour - PCC Space/Stars/Mars Study Tour