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About

J. Carsten is a leading figure in planetary robotics, whose work has been instrumental in advancing the in-situ exploration of Mars. Their primary research focuses on the design, testing, and operational deployment of robotic arms for extraterrestrial environments, specifically for sample acquisition and contact science. Carsten’s major contributions are defined by their hands-on role in two landmark NASA missions. Their most cited work (132 citations) details the Mars Phoenix Lander’s Robotic Arm experiment, where they helped develop an icy soil acquisition device capable of trenching and rasping the Martian arctic permafrost. This was followed by critical contributions to the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, where Carsten led the test and validation of Curiosity’s robotic arm (15 citations) and documented its first 200 sols of in-situ operations (10 citations). By ensuring the arm could precisely position a scoop or percussive drill, Carsten directly enabled the rover’s primary goal of analyzing ancient organic material. Their combined work has set the operational standard for robotic sample handling on Mars, proving that complex, multi-tool arms can survive and perform in extreme conditions.