Planetary scientist Paul Hayne—a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics and an associate professor in the Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Department—has been selected by NASA to join the agency’s first Artemis lunar surface science team as a participating scientist. Hayne is one of ten scientists selected from a highly competitive pool.
“I’m thrilled to have been selected and looking forward to this opportunity to contribute to achieving the science goals of the Artemis surface missions as humans return to the Moon,” said Hayne, who specializes in the study of the surfaces and atmospheres of terrestrial planets, moons, and asteroids, with a focus on ice stability and temperatures in extreme thermal environments on these bodies.
Artemis IV, which is planned to launch in 2028, will be the first mission to put humans on the Moon since the Apollo 17 crew departed in 1972, with a landing site near the Moon’s South Pole. (Artemis II, expected to launch in April, will send astronauts to fly by the Moon. The Artemis III mission, now planned for 2027, will test systems and operational capabilities in low Earth orbit to prepare for future crewed landings on the Moon.)
“We are delighted and proud that Prof. Hayne will contribute to this chapter of Artemis,” said LASP Director Bethany Ehlmann. “As NASA advances toward increasingly ambitious lunar missions—driving scientific discovery, identifying lunar resources, and laying the groundwork for the first crewed journeys to Mars—this work carries profound importance for humanity’s future in space, and it marks an exciting moment for LASP’s growing engagement with Artemis.”
On the Moon’s surface, Artemis astronauts will deploy instruments, carry out field geology investigations, and return samples addressing the four major Artemis geology goals, which are to: understand the early history of the Moon as a model for rocky planet evolution; determine the lunar record of inner solar system impact history; determine the physical nature of regolith in the Moon’s unexplored polar region; and investigate the age, origin, and evolution of solar system volatiles. Hayne’s expertise in thermal modeling of airless bodies and in the detection, mapping, and transport modeling of volatiles, including water ice, directly addresses two high-priority goals for the Artemis surface missions.
The newly named participating scientists will join the first Artemis lunar surface science team, supporting geology activities. The team will characterize candidate landing regions and the eventual selected landing site, identify science targets for surface operations, analyze data, and plan orbital observations and imaging. During the mission, they may provide tactical and strategic science guidance to ensure science objectives are met.
One of the team’s goals is to study lunar ice, which could provide a record of water delivery by comets, asteroids, and lunar volcanic eruptions over the eons. Water could also provide hydrogen and oxygen for both fuel and life support for astronauts. Artemis crew will collect rock and dust samples that will be returned to Earth for further study. After the mission, the team will contribute to documenting scientific results and lessons learned.
Hayne’s lunar experience includes his role as principal investigator for NASA’s Lunar Compact Infrared Imaging System (L-CIRiS), a heat-sensing camera that will be deployed on the Moon ahead of Artemis to look for conditions where ice might exist. He is also a co-investigator on other NASA missions, including the Lunar-Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Europa Clipper, Janus, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and Lunar Flashlight.
Hayne came to CU Boulder/LASP from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2018 and was promoted to tenured associate professor in 2024. He received his doctorate in geophysics and space physics from the University of California Los Angeles in 2010 and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in geophysics from Stanford in 2005 and 2003, respectively. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles and several book chapters across diverse areas of planetary science and instrumentation.
Other scientists named to the Artemis team include Kristen Bennett, Northern Arizona University; Aleksandra Gawronska, The Catholic University of America; Timothy Glotch, State University of New York, Stony Brook; Erica Jawin, Smithsonian Institution; Jeannette Luna, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville; Sabrina Martinez, NASA Johnson Space Center; and Jamie Molaro, Hanna Sizemore and Catherine Weitz from the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson.
By Sara Pratt, LASP Sr. Communications Specialist
Founded a decade before NASA, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder (LASP) is revolutionizing human understanding of the cosmos. LASP is deeply committed to inspiring and educating the next generation of space explorers. From the first exploratory rocket measurements of Earth’s upper atmosphere to trailblazing observations of every planet in the solar system, LASP continues to build on its remarkable history with a nearly $1 billion portfolio of new research and engineering programs.
