PRESENT POSITION:

Radio Astronomer
Planetary Magnetospheres Branch
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

EDUCATION:

1976 -- BS, Physics, Providence College
1969 -- PhD, Astronomy, University of Florida

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Planetary Radio and Plasma Wave EmissionsAtmospheric Lightning

EXPERIENCE:

1996 - present -- WIND Deputy Project Scientist
1980 - present -- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
1989 -- Deputy Project Scientist, Small Explorer Program
1988 -- Discipline Scientist, NASA/HQ, Space Physics
1986 -- Detailee, NASA/HQ
1978 -1980 -- NAS/NRC Resident Research Associate

MISSION INVOLVEMENT:

Co-Investigator, WIND/WAVES
Co-Investigator, Voyager Planetary Radio Astronomy
Co-Investigator, Ulysses Radio & Plasma Waves Exp.
Co-Investigator, Search coil team, NASA sounding rockets

HONORS:

1981 -- NASA/GSFC Exceptional Performance Award
1981 -- Special Achievement Award
1983 -- Special Achievement Award
1986 -- Voyager Group Achievement Award
1990 -- Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

1. Desch, M. D., et al., Uranus as a Radio Source, review chapter in the book Uranus, ed. J. Bergstralh, University of Arizona Press, in press.
2. Desch, M. D., Jovian radio bursts and particle acceleration, Astrophys. J. Supplement Series, in press, 1993.
3. Desch, M. D., et al., The role of solar wind reconnection in driving the Neptune radio emission, J. Geophys. Res., 96, 19111, 1991.
4. Desch, M. D., Farrell, M. L., and Farrell, W. M., An anomalous component of Neptune Radio emission,: Implications for the auroral zone, J. Geophys. Res., 96, 1401, 1991.
5. Desch, M. D., and Kaiser, M. L., Upper limit set for level of lightning activity on Titan, Nature, 343, 442, 1990.
6. Desch, M. D., Neptune radio emission: Predictions based on planetary scaling laws, Geophys. Res. Lett., 15, 114, 1988.
7. Desch, M. D., Connerney, J. E. P., and Kaiser, M. L., The rotation period of Uranus, Nature, 322, 42, 1986.
8. Desch, M. D., and Kaiser, M. L., A radiometric Bode's law: Predictions for Uranus, Nature, 310, 755, 1984.
9. Desch, M. D., Radio emission signature of Saturn immersion in Jupiter's magnetic tail, J. Geophys. Res., 88, 6904, 1983.
10. Desch, M. D., Evidence for solar wind control of Saturn radio emission, J. Geophys. Res., 87, 4549, 1982.

Last Modified: 2 March 1998

Curator: Jennifer Kalb, Raytheon STX
Email: Jennifer.Kalb@gsfc.nasa.gov

Responsible NASA Representative: Dr. Steven Curtis
E-mail: Steven.Curtis@gsfc.nasa.gov