1986--2016 NASA contractor, proposal writer, data analyst, instrument builder.
2016--Secret Clearance received.
2016--2019 Set up the Advanced Projector Test Lab (APTL) at AMRDEC.
2016--2019 Researched, wrote whitepapers on advanced photonic technology.
2016--2018 Designed, operated, diagnosed, repaired 3D printer for optical hardware.
2017--2018 Researched, calibrated, modelled 100kHz laser steering technology.
2017--2018 Calibrated, displayed, wrote software for Quanergy Lidar sensor in ROS.
2019--Now Calibrated, modelled, optimized Lidar advanced sensors: linear APD and SPD (GMAPD).
Experience in Satellite Hardware and Space Physics
NASA/WIND/MASS: Invention, Simulation, Design, Testing and Flight
Calibration of High Resolution Electrostatic Mass Spectrometer for Space
Research UMD92.
NASA/WIND/SWICS & ESA/SOHO/MTOF: Characterization of
Scattering, Energy Loss, and Final Charge State of Ion Beams Penetrating
Carbon Foil as a Function of Energy, Charge State and Foil Thickness
UMD87 & UBe95.
NASA/AMPTE/CHEM: Model Development and Data Analysis of the Quiet Terrestrial Ring Current Ions; PhD Thesis, UMD90.
NASA: Development of Novel Algorithms for Magnetopheric Convection Modelling, and Application to ISEE and AMPTE Data; UMD92.
NASA/WIND/MTOF: First Analysis of Solar Wind Isotopes (other than noble gases), UBe95.
ESA/PHOENIX/RAPID: Calibration and Analysis of the IES Sensor @ GSFC facilities) BU96.
NASA/POLAR: Investigator on instrumentation, BU95-present.
NASA/POLAR/CEPPAD: Energetic Neutral Atom Discoveries including 1st global snapshot
of a substorm injection and 1st storm-time ring current injection. BU96.
NASA/POLAR/CAMMICE: Discovery/Theory of the Greater Cusp Accelerator, the source of MeV
"killer" electrons. BU96/UAH01.
NASA: Proposal and business plan for nanosat communication network using lasers UAH00.
NASA/SEDSAT 1: Faculty advisor and lead on the science recovery effort. UAH01.
NASA/BITSY: Faculty advisor and lead on the ground station development of microsatellite. UAH02.
NASA/MagCon: Proposal and Whitepaper on the use of nanosatellite clusters for tail research. BU00.
A Theory of Ring Current Convective + Diffusive Transport using a
Hamiltonian formalism with ionospheric fluctuation power input. BU96.
Theory/Experiment of Magnetic Storms and Ring Current Injections. BU96/UAH00.
Theory/Experiment of Young Stellar Object (YSO) and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) jets. BU97/UAH01.
Invention of the HELIX Ultra High Resolution Mass Spectrometer, UAH99.
Experiment on Dusty Plasma Solar Sails, UAH01
Co-Inventor of Dusty Plasma Fission Fragment Nuclear Rocket, NSSTC05
NASA/RBSP: Proposal for low-cost monitoring of the radiation belt flux. NSSTC05.
Wet Comet Theory for structure and dynamics of short-period comets, NSSTC05
Theory of Polar Mesospheric Clouds as Dusty Plasmas, NSSTC06
Theory of the diffusion of life throughout the galaxy, NSSTC07
Theory of the origin of life as an addition of information, NSSTC10
Demonstration and theory of electrostatic dust confinement in quadrupole magnetic field, NSSTC11
NASA/NIAC: Design of a fission fragment nuclear rocket, Grassmere 2012
NASA/CIF: Design of a nuclear rocket variable thrust "afterburner", Grassmere 2013
NASA/NIAC: Proposal+design of a fission-fusion stardrive rocket, Grassmere 2013
NASA/NIAC: Proposal+design of a 3rd generation electric "plasma laser" propulsion, Grassmere 2013
Theory of Magnetized Big Bang Nucleosynthesis & cometary dark matter, Grassmere 2014
Invention of Gravity-Stabilized Paul trap for Dusty Plasma Levitation, Grassmere 2014
Discovery of Eden in dry Med bed with references in ancient mythology, Grassmere 2014.
Design of a Cubesat Gravity Gradiometer for Planetary Missions, Grassmere 2015.
HELIX patent applied for in 2003. This patent is for a very compact
mass spectrometer with applications for space exploration instrumentation,
as well as mass market "digital nose" technology.
Operating systems: DOS, DEC VAX; Windows 95,98,2k,XP,Vista,7,8; Linux SCO,RedHat,Fedora,Mandrake,Ubuntu; Mac OS X, Robot Operating System
Programming Languages: BASIC, FORTRAN, Cobol, Pascal, C, C++, VRML, Forth, LaTeX, BibTeX
Packages: Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Corel, Wordperfect, IDL, Linux-lookalikes, Maple, Maxima, Geant4
Selected Publications
D. C. Hamilton, G. Gloeckler, F.M. Ipavich, R.A. Lundgren, R.B. Sheldon
and D. Hovestadt, "A new high resolution electrostatic ion mass analyzer
using time of flight", Rev. Sci. Instrum., 61, 3104-3106, (Oct 1990).
P. Bochsler, R. Sheldon, M. Gonin, Th. Zurbuchen, A.B. Galvin, G. Gloeckler,
D.C. Hamilton and D. Hovestadt, "Abundances of Solar Wind Magnesium Isotopes
Determined with WIND/MASS", Solar Wind Eight, Pergamom Press, 1996.
C. M. S. Cohen, M.R. Collier, D.C. Hamilton, G. Gloeckler, R.B. Sheldon,
R. von Steiger, B. Wilken, "Kinetic Temperature Ratios of O6+ and He2+:
Observations from Wind/MASS and Ulysses/SWICS," Geophys.Res.Lett.,
23, 1187-1190, 1996.
M. R. Collier, D.C. Hamilton, G. Gloeckler, P. Bochsler, R.B. Sheldon,
"Neon-20, Oxygen-16, and Helium-4 Densities Temperatures, and
Suprathermal Tails in the Solar Wind Determined with WIND/MASS,"
Geophys. Res.Lett., 23, 1191-1194, 1996.
A. B. Galvin, C.M.S. Cohen, F.M. Ipavich, G. Gloeckler, D.C. Hamilton,
K. Chotoo, H. Balsiger, R. Sheldon, "Iron Charge States in the Solar
Wind as Measured by SMS on WIND," Solar Wind Eight,
Pergamom Press, 1996.
J. Fennell, B. Blake, J. Roeder, R. Sheldon and H. Spence, "Tail lobe
and open field line region entries at mid to high latitudes"
Advances in Space Research, 20, 431-435, 1997.
D. N. Baker et al. "Recurrent Geomagnetic Storms and Relativistic
Electron Enhancements in the Outer Magnetosphere: ISTP Coordinated
Measurements", J. Geophys. Res., 102, 14,141-14,148, 1997.
J. Chen, T. Fritz, R. Sheldon, H. Spence, W. Spjeldvik, J. Fennell,
S. Livi, "A New Temporarily Confined Population in the Polar Cap"
Geophys.Res.Lett., 24, 1447-1450, 1997.
J. Chen, T. Fritz, R. Sheldon, H. Spence, W. Spjeldvik, J. Fennell,
S. Livi, C. Russell, and D. Gurnett, "Cusp Energetic Particle
Events: Implications for a Major Acceleration Region of the
Magnetosphere" J. Geophys. Res., 103, 69-78, 1998.
M. R. Collier, D.C. Hamilton, G. Gloeckler, G. Ho, P. Bochsler,
R. Bodmer, and R. Sheldon, "Oxygen 16 to oxygen 18 abundance ratio in
the solar wind observed by Wind/MASS", J. Geophys. Res., 103,
7-14, 1998.
E. Whipple, J. Halekas, J. Scudder, W. Paterson, L. Frank, R. Sheldon,
N. Maynard, D. Weimer, C. Russell, K. Tsuruda, H. Hayakawa,
T. Yamamoto, "Identification of magnetospheric particles that travel
between spacecraft and their use to help obtain magnetospheric
potential distributions", J. Geophys. Res., 103, 93-102, 1998.
"
J. F. Fennel, M. W. Chen, J., L. Roeder, W. K. Peterson,
K. J. Trattner, R. Friedel, S. Livi, M. Grande, C. Perry,
T. A. Fritz, and R. Sheldon,
"Multiple Discrete-Energy Ion Features in the Inner
Magnetosphere: Polar Observations", in
Physics of Space Plasmas, No. 15, pp 395-400,
MIT Center for Theoretical Geo/Cosmo Plasma Physics, Cambridge, MA, 1998.
R. B. Sheldon, and H. E. Spence,
"A new magnetic storm model", in
Geospace Mass and Energy Flow: Results from the International
Solar-Terrestrial Physics Program, AGU Geophysical Monograph 104,
pp. 349-354, 1998.
H. E. Petschek, C. Rayburn, R. Sheldon, J. Vickers,
M. Bellino, G. Bevis, and H. E. Spence,
The Kilo-Satellite Constellation Concept, in
Science Closure and Enabling Technologies
for Constellation Class Missions,
V. Angelopoulos and P. Panetta, eds.,
Univ. of California, Berkeley
Press, pp. 51-57, 1998.
W. N. Spjeldvik, T. A. Fritz, J. Chen and R. B. Sheldon,
"POLAR Spacecraft Observations of Helium Ion Angular
Anisotropy in the Earth's Radiation Belts",
Annales Geophysicae, 17, 723-733, 1999.
V. Jordanova, C. Farrugia, J. Quinn, R. Torbert, J. Borovsky,
R. Sheldon, and W. Peterson, ``Simulation of off-equatorial ring
current ion spectra measured by Polar for a moderate storm at
solar minimum'', J. Geophys. Res. 104, 429--436, 1999.
J. Chen, T.A. Fritz, R.B. Sheldon, J.S. Pickett, and C.T. Russell,
"The Discovery of a New Acceleration and Possible Trapping Region of the Magnetosphere",
Adv. Space Res., 27,8, pp.1417-1422, 2001.
M. M. Abbas, P. D. Craven, J. F. Spann, W. K. Witherow, E. A. West,
D. L. Gallagher, M. L. Adrian, G. J. Fishman, D. Tankosic, A. LeClair,
R. B. Sheldon, and E. Thomas Jr.
"Radiation pressure measurements on micron-size individual dust grains",
J. Geophys. Res., 108(A6), 1229, doi:10.1029/2002JA009744, 2003.
R. B. Hoover, E. V. Pikuta, N. C. Wickramasinghe, M. K. Wallis, R. B. Sheldon, "Astrobiology of Comets"
in Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology VII, Hoover, Levin and Rozanov eds, Proc. Of SPIE Vol. 5555 (Bellingham, WA) pp 93-106, 2004.
R. B. Sheldon and R. B. Hoover "Evidence for Liquid Water on Comets"
in Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology VIII, Hoover, Levin, Rozanov, eds. Proc. Of SPIE Vol 5906A (Bellingham, WA) pp. 196-206, 2005.
R. B. Sheldon and R. B. Hoover,
"The Cometary Biosphere"
in Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology X, Hoover, Levin, Rosanov eds. Proc. of SPIE Vol. 6694 (Bellingham, WA) pp 6694-0H, 2007.
R. B. Sheldon, "Space Sciences" in Mass Spectrometry: Instrumentation, Interpretation, and Applications Ekman, Silberring, Brinkmalm, and Kraj eds., Wiley & Sons, pp. 253-266, 2009.
R. B. Sheldon and R. B. Hoover,
"Cometary Biosphere and the Origin of Life"
in Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology XIV, Hoover, Levin, Rosanov eds. Proc. of SPIE Vol. 8152 (Bellingham, WA) pp 8152-42, 2011.
R. B. Sheldon and R. B. Hoover,
"More Evidence for Liquid Water on Comets"
in Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology XIV, Hoover, Levin, Rosanov eds. Proc. of SPIE Vol. 8152 (Bellingham, WA) pp 8152-12, 2011.
R. B. Sheldon, "Comets, Information, and the Origin of Life"
in Genesis - In The Beginning: Precursors of Life, Chemical Models and Early Biological Evolution, Vol 22 in Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology,
DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-2941-4_21, 2012.
R. B. Sheldon and R. B. Hoover,
"Carbonaceous Chondrites as Bioengineered Comets"
in Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology XV, Hoover, Levin, Rosanov eds. Proc. of SPIE Vol. 8521 (Bellingham, WA) pp 8521-21, 2012.
R. B. Sheldon,
"Wet Comet Model: ROSETTA Redux"
in, Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology XVII, Hoover, Levin, Rosanov and Wickramasinghe eds. Proc. of SPIE Vol. 9606 (Bellingham, WA) pp 9606-41, 2015.
UMd Ralph D. Myers Teaching Award for Graduate Laboratory Teaching Assistant (1986)
Significant Contracts and Grants
Global Electric Field Determination in the Earth's Outer Magnetosphere
using Charged Particles.
NASA grant for $123k from Jan 1991-1994
Real PI: R. Sheldon,
Co-I's: T. Eastman*, D. Hamilton, and C. McIlwain
High Resolution Mass Spectrometer for Lunar Rover
NASA/MSFC internal grant in 2005
Radioactive Dust Levitation Experiment
NASA/MSFC internal grant in 2011-2013
Fission Fragment Dusty Plasma Rocket
NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts grant for $100k, from 2011-2012
PI: Bob Werka,
Co-I's: Rob Sheldon and Rod Clark
Afterburner for Fission Fragment Dusty Plasma Rocket
NASA/MSFC Center Innovation Fund grant for $100k, 2013
PI: Bob Werka,
Co-I's: Rob Sheldon and Rod Clark