ROBERT ALAN BROWN
Education:
College:
Graduate:
Princeton U., 1965, A.B. in Physics, High Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi
Harvard U., 1971, Ph.D. in Physics
Professional History:
1971-1979
Research Fellow/Associate, Center for Earth & Planetary Physics, Harvard U.
1979-1982
Research Fellow, Lunar & Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona
1983-1985
NASA Project Scientist for Hubble Space Telescope
1982-present Astronomer, Space Telescope Science Institute
Professional Service (selected):
1983–1985 Chairman, Hubble Space Telescope Science Working Group
1986-1987
Planetary Astronomy Committee NASA/EL
1985-1988
Space and Earth Science Advisory Committee NASA/E
1986-1988
Astrophysics Council NASA/EZ
1987-1988
Chairman, Division for Planetary Sciences AAS
1989
Chairman, Goals, Objectives, and Strategy Study Group of SSES NASA/SL
1986-1990
SETI Science Working Group NASA/EB
1988-1990
Division Scientist, Solar System Exploration Division NASA/SL
1989-1990
Chairman (founding), Discovery Program Science Working Group NASA/SL
1989-1990
Policy & Planetary Panels of Astronomy & Astrophysics Survey Committee NAS
1987-1995
Planetary Systems Science Working Group
1988-1994
Executive Committee, Solar System Exploration Subcommittee NASA/S
1988-1990
Exploration Science Working Group NASA/S, R
1990
Co-Chairman, Hubble Space Telescope Strategy Panel NASA/STScI
1992
Chairman, “Frontiers of Space Imaging” committee NASA/SZ
1996
Chairman, Science Definition Team, HST Advanced Camera NASA/SZ
1994-1995
“HST and Beyond” committee AURA.
1994-1999
Chairman, SIM SWG subcommittee on planet detection NASA
1996-1999
TOPS Science Working Group NASA/SL
1996-2000
Chairman, “HST Second Decade” strategic planning committee NASA
1997-2002
Terrestrial Planet Finder Science Working Group NASA
2000-2002
Science Team Leader, TPF Architecture Study JPL/Ball
1997-2004
Terrestrial Planet Finder SWG, Mission Studies Lead Scientist NASA
2005-2006
TPF-C Science & Technology Definition Team NASA
2010-2012
WFIRST Science Definition Team NASA
Principal Investigatorships:
1996-2000
Astrophysical and Interferometry Studies. Contract No. 960506 JPL
1997
CODEX: Coronograph Optimized for Discovery and Exploration
1997-2002
Education and public outreach program of CONTOUR NASA
2000
Planetary Systems Studies for SIM (not selected)
2003-2006
TPF Mission Studies. Contract No. 1254081 JPL
2005
Magnitude 30 Camera instrument concept study for TPF-C
Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications:
R. A. Brown 2004a, “Obscurational completeness,” ApJ, 607, 1003.
R. A. Brown 2004b, “New information from radial-velocity data sets,” ApJ, 610, 1079.
R. A. Brown 2005, “Single-visit photometric and obscurational completeness,” ApJ, 624, 1010
R. A. Brown 2009, “On the completeness of reflex astrometry on extrasolar planets near the
sensitivity limit,” ApJ 699, 711.
R. A. Brown 2009, “Photometric orbits of extrasolar planets,” ApJ 702, 1237.
R. A. Brown & R. Soummer 2010, “New completeness methods for estimating exoplanet
discoveries by direct detection,” ApJ 715, 122
R. A. Brown 2011, “Density estimation for projected exoplanet quantities,” ApJ 733, 128
R. A. Brown 2013, “Energy detection for exoplanet searches by microlensing,” in preparation
Other publications
R. A. Brown, 1990, “Astronomy’s Educational Imperative.” LINK
R. A. Brown (ed.) et al., 1990, “An Education Initiative in Astronomy.” LINK
R. A. Brown & H. C. Ford (eds.), 1990, “Report of the HST Strategy Panel: A Strategy for
Recovery.” LINK
R. A. Brown, 1991, “A Call for an Education Initiative at NASA: Remembering the Road to
Hagerstown,” Leonardo Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 345-350 LINK
R. A. Brown & J. C. Ishee, 1991, “U.S. Presidents and Astronomical Discovery.” LINK
R. A. Brown (ed.) et al., 1992, “The Future of Space Imaging.” LINK
R. A. Brown (ed.) et al., 1995, “HST & Beyond.” LINK
R. A. Brown (ed.) et al., 1999, “TOPS: Towards Other Planetary Systems.” LINK
R. A. Brown (ed.) et al., 2000, “The Hubble Treasury Program: A New Class of Hubble
Observations.” LINK
R. A. Brown (ed.) et al., 2000, “The Hubble Data Archive: Toward the Ultimate Union Archive of
Astronomy.” LINK
Comments
R. A. Brown came to the Institute in 1981 as a tenured Astronomer, and he is now the longestserving member of the scientific staff.
From 1983–5, Brown served as NASA’s Project Scientist for Hubble Space Telescope, at Marshall
Spaceflight Center, under an Interagency Personnel Agreement (IPA).
Brown was head of the Institute’s Special Studies Office under directors R. Giacconi and R.
Williams, and head of the Strategic Communications Office under S. Beckwith. He has been editor
of the Institute Newsletter for 12 years. He was founding editor of the Institute Annual Report in its
“corporate” phase under Beckwith. He was the originator and founding editor of the annual glossy
book “Hubble Science Year in Review.”
Brown led or was a member of several community-based studies, for which he produced attractive
and influential final reports. Brown’s other publications include essays on the American
significance of astronomical discovery and the importance of educational contributions from the
astronomical enterprise.