Session 4

Dr. Jonathon Hill is a mission planner at ASU's Mars Space Flight Facility where he operates the THEMIS camera currently orbiting Mars on NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. He previously operated the Mini-TES instruments on the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity for over five years, and supported mission operations for the OTES instrument on the OSIRIS-REx sample return mission to the asteroid Bennu. He is also the lead mission planner for the E-THEMIS instrument on NASA's Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's icy moon Europa, which will launch in 2024. He graduated from Arizona State University with degrees in Aerospace Engineering, Geological Sciences and Russian, and defended his PhD in Geological Sciences in Spring 2022, with a dissertation focused on automatically identifying and analyzing salt deposits in the southern highlands of Mars.
Before being assigned to Headquarters, Rick worked at Johnson Space Center and held numerous positions in the Flight Operations Directorate. He has extensive international experience with the International Space Station (ISS). Rick has chaired multiple international panels/working groups, and was selected as a Space Station Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) in 2003. In that capacity, he served as the primary interface between Mission Control and the crews onboard the ISS. He was the Lead CAPCOM for the Expedition 13 mission and Space Shuttle Mission, STS 119, and also managed all non-astronaut CAPCOMs. He led the International Crew Training Integration Group, which was responsible for integrating the content of ISS crew training with the International Partners, as well as providing on-orbit training and psychological support content for crews onboard the Space Station. Prior to this, Rick worked as the Deputy Director of NASA Operations in Star City, Russia. He lived and worked in Russia altogether for over three years.

Rick holds a BA in History, a BS in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia and a MS in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He is fluent in Russian and Spanish. He has received numerous awards, including the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for work as an ISS CAPCOM. He enjoys running, hiking, SCUBA diving and flying.