Dr. Peter Tsou is a principal science staff at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology, where he has worked for the past 27 years. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in 1966 from the University of California (Berkeley), and his Ph.D. from University of California (Los Angeles). His research interests for the past two decades have concentrated on achieving a sample return of cometary coma material. He invented the technique of intact capture of hypervelocity particles for just such a mission as STARDUST, the 13th proposal for a comet flyby sample return mission. He also introduced the use of aerogel as one of the capture media and flight qualified variable density aerogel for space flight. He is the PI for a series of Shuttle Sample Return Experiments and Mir Sample Return Experiment with silica aerogel he made at JPL. He continues to develop improved techniques to identify, remove and study particles captured in aerogel.

Stardust Interview: January 18, 2006

Peter Tsou, Stardust Deputy Principal Investigator +QuickTime (download with Caption 29 MB) +QuickTime (download with no Caption 29 MB)

Stardust Interview: Earth Return - Ensuring Success

Peter Tsou, Stardust Deputy Principal Investigator Why was it decided that aerogel worked best for collecting comet particles? +QuickTime (download with Caption 3.7 MB) +QuickTime (download with no Caption 3.7 MB) What are you most hopeful for once the Sample Return Capsule is returned? +QuickTime (download with Caption 5.7 MB) +QuickTime (download with no Caption 5.7 MB)