Troy Hudson head shot

Troy Hudson

Troy Hudson is a Planetary Geologist and Instrument Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Troy Hudson is a Planetary Geologist and an Instrument Engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He has worked on the Mars Phoenix Lander mission as an instrument downlink engineer, and is currently an Instrument Engineer on the Insight mission. Troy holds B.S. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering and Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Planetary Science from Caltech. His research interests include the simulation of physical and chemical properties of planetary surfaces (including asteroids and comets) for in-situ interactions such as direct measurement, sample handling, and sample preparation, and the study of water/Ice/Soil/Atmosphere interactions on planetary surfaces (emplacement, evolution, and loss of subsurface ice and hydrated minerals).

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Latest Planetary Radio Appearances

InSight’s Mole: A Martian Science Odyssey

NASA engineer and scientist Troy Hudson shares the sad but ultimately inspiring story of a two-year attempt to dig deep beneath the surface of Mars.

We’re Sending a Flying Machine to Titan

NASA has given the go-ahead for Dragonfly, a flying rotorcraft that will explore Saturn’s mysterious moon Titan. Mission Principal Investigator Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle helps us celebrate.

A Great Day for Space Explorers: The Landing of InSight

Join 1,000 anxious yet thrilled space fans at Caltech for our live InSight landing party. You’ll meet Mat Kaplan’s onstage experts and check in with Bill Nye and Emily Lakdawalla at the Jet Propulsion Lab.