Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)
Role:
Spectral Analysis/Nucleus Composition
Address:
SAIC
5180 Parkstone Drive
Chantilly, VA 20151
Bio:
Jessica is an expert in analyzing spectra to remotely infer the composition of asteroids, meteorites, the moon and Mars.
For Deep Impact, Jessica is responsible for reflectance spectroscopy and color imagery to support compositional
interpretation of the nucleus of comet 9/P Tempel-1, before, during, and after our impact experiment. Currently, she is
Chief Scientist for SAIC's Advanced Technology Applications Division, where she has worked since 1996. Jessica is a
Principal Investigator in NASA's Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program researching the composition of asteroids
and meteorites. She is also an advisory board member for NASA's Reflectance Experiment Laboratory (RELAB) and
holds a patent (#6,608,931, Sunshine et al., 2001) for Abacus®: A Method for Selecting Representative Endmember
Components from Spectral Data. Asteroid 3742 was named "Sunshine" in honor of her contributions to planetary
science.
