PRESENT POSITION

Astrophysicist, Space Sciences
Planetary Systems Branch
Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

EDUCATION

B.S. Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1967
Ph.D. Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1972

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Dr. Flasar's primary research is the meteorology and dynamics of planetary. He was a co-investigator on the Voyager infrared spectroscopy experiment (IRIS). He has extensively analyzed and interpreted Voyager observations of the atmospheres of the outer planets and Titan, not only from IRIS but also from the imaging and radio occultation experiments. Currently, he is a member of the Galileo Radio Propagation team, a Participating Scientist on the Mars Global Surveyor Radio Science team, a co-investigator on the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectroscopy investigation (CIRS), and a member on the Cassini Radio Science team (RSS).

EXPERIENCE

1977-present-Astrophysicist, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
1988-present-Research Professor, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University
1975-1977-NRC Resident Research Associate, Laboratory for Planetary Atmospheres, Goddard Space Flight Center
1971-1975-Research Fellow, Center for Earth and Planetary Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

1. 1976 "Diurnal Behavior of Water on Mars," F. M. Flasar and R. M. Goody, Planet. Space Sci. 24, 161-181.
2. 1983 "Oceans on Titan?," F. M. Flasar, Science 221, 55-57.
3. 1986 "Mesoscale Waves as a Probe of Jupiter's Deep Atmosphere," F. M. Flasar and P. J. Gierasch, J. Atmos. Sci. 43, 2683-2707.
4. 1987 "Voyager Infrared Observations of Uranus' Atmosphere: Thermal Structure and Dynamics," F. M. Flasar, B. J. Conrath, P. J. Gierasch, and J. A. Pirraglia, J. Geophys. Res. 92, 15011-15018.
5. 1990 "Titan's Stratospheric Temperatures: A Case for Dynamical Inertia?" F. M. Flasar and B. J. Conrath, Icarus 85, 346-354.
6. 1991 "Thermal Structure and Dynamics of Neptune's Atmosphere from Voyager Infrared Observations," B. Conrath, F. M. Flasar, and P. Gierasch, J. Geophys. Res. (suppl.) 96, 18931-18940.
7. 1996 "Microwave Sounding of the Giant Planets," R. M. Killen and F. M. Flasar, Icarus 119, 67-89.
8. 1996 "Planetary-Scale Thermal Waves in Saturn's Upper Troposphere," R. K. Archterberg and F. M. Flasar., Icarus 119, 350-369.
9. 1998 "The Composition of Titan's Atmosphere: A Meteorological Perspective," F. M. Flasar, Planet. Space Sci., in press.
10. 1998 "The Dynamic Meteorology of Titan," F. M. Flasar, Planet. Space Sci.., in press.

Last Modified: 9 April 1998

Curator: Jennifer Kalb, Raytheon STX
Email: Jennifer.Kalb@gsfc.nasa.gov

Responsible NASA Representative: Dr. Drake Deming
E-mail: Drake.Deming@gsfc.nasa.gov