Larry PAXTON

JHU · Applied Physics Laboratory • PhD Astrophysical, Planetary and Atmospheric Sciences

Dr. Larry J. Paxton is a member of the Principal Professional Staff of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) since joining APL in 1990. JHU/APL has been an IAF Member since 2006. Dr. Paxton has been a Member of the IAA since 2000.

Dr. Paxton has filled a variety of volunteer roles in support of IAF, IAC and IAA activities since first attending the IAA Small Satellite Conference in Berlin in 1999. His involvement with the organizations came about through the Small Satellites for Earth Observations activity in the IAA. This Symposium began in 1996. The activity evolved into a regular series of sessions at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) meetings. His first paper and chaired session was at IAC 2000. His first IAC was in 1992. His involvement with the activity grew with time; he chaired IAA Commission 4: Space Operations and Utilization for 2004-2009 an activity that later became the IAC B.4 Small Satellites. He has been the Chair of the IAC B4.4 Small Satellites for Earth Observations activity since 2008. Amnon Ginati and he started the IAA activities on D5 Integrated Applications, IAC D5.1 and 5.2 which he chaired with Amnon for many years (2008 until 2019). In addition, he chairs IAC B4.2 Small Satellites for Space Science since 2015.

Larry has been member of the Science Organizing Committee for the Biennial IAA Small Satellites for Earth Observations conference in Berlin since 2005. He was coauthor on the Best Paper – 7th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation 2009. In addition, he has served as IAA Symposium on Small Satellites rapporteur, session chair and student competition judge.

In addition to these activities, he has been President of the American Geophysical Unions Section for Space Physics and Aeronomy (2015-2017) and Vice President (2013-2015) which has about 9,000 members and affiliates and is the world’s largest association of space scientists. He is well known in the space weather community and has published over 350 refereed scientific and technical publications cited nearly 10,000 times (Google Scholar) with an h-index of 51. He served on the US National Academies of Science Space Studies Board (for 6 years) and many other National Academies panels and boards. He is currently the Principal Investigator on the NASA TIMED/GUVI instrument and the DMSP SSUSI instruments that he designed and led to flight and operation. Four are still in operation. Nearly 2300 papers cited more than 26,000 times have been written using data from these instruments. He holds a patent related to these novel hyperspectral imagers.

Dr. Paxton received a PhD for the University of Colorado at Boulder’s (then) Department of Astrophysical, Planetary, and Atmospheric Sciences and an undergraduate B.S. Physics magna cum laude from Santa Clara University in California, USA.

Dr. Paxton has regularly attended the IAC since 2000 (first meeting was in 1992). He has chaired and organized sessions since that time. He was a regular attendee of the in-person Spring Meetings before COVID (2000 until 2019). He has regularly attended the IAA Small Satellite Symposium in Berlin since 1999. His attendance at these events involved volunteer activities as member of Technical Committees, Chair, Rapporteur, Student Competition Judge, etc.

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