Justin Atchison

Education History

• B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Louisiana Tech University
• M.S., Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University
• Ph.D, Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University

Work Experience

Principal Professional Staff, JHU Applied Physics Laboratory

Publications

J.A. Atchison, Rylie Bull, Gael Cascioli, Erwan Mazarico, Jay McMahon, Anivid Pedros-Faura, Evan Smith, (2025). Mass Measurement Techniques fro High-Speed Flyby Reconnaissance Missions of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids. IAA Planetary Defense Conference, Stellenbosch South Africa, May.

N.L. Chabot, J.A. Atchison, R. Bull, A.S. Rivkin, R.T. Daly, R.L. Ballouz, O.S. Barnouin, A.F. Cheng, C.M. Ernst, A.M. Stickle, E.J. Smith, J.J. Linden, B.F. Villac, J.R. Berdis, D.M. Graninger, S. Hefter, (2024). A Mission to Demonstrate Rapid-Response Flyby Reconnaissance for Planetary Defense. IAC, Milan, Italy, October.

Daly, R.T., J.A. Atchison, B.W. Barbee, N.L. Chabot, P.W. Chodas, K.E. Fast, D.M. Graninger, R. Guglietta, L.N. Johnson, R. Kofler, D.V. Koschny, L.A. Lewis, J.A. Rendon, A.B. Roberts-Smith, D.K. Srinivasen, M.B. Toms, L.S. Turner, R.A. Vogel, S.J. Weinberg, L.F. Wheeler, (2024). Key Takeaways from the 5th Planetary Defense Interagency Tabletop Exercise. IAC, Milan, Italy, October.

A. Stickle, A.S. Rivkin, J.A. Atchison , J. Berdis, R. Bull, A. Cheng, R.T. Daly, C.M. Ernst, P. King, M. Leary, E. Rainey, R.J. Vervack, N. Chabot. (2024). Tour of Asteroids for Characterization Observations: A Planetary Defense Asteroid Tour Concept.

J.A. Atchison, L. Anderson, B. Bierhaus, L. Fesq, T. Kremic, P. Mane, C. Sunday. (2024). Technology Priorities to Support Goals and Objectives for the Exploration and Investigation of the Solar System’s Small Bodies.

Berdis, Jodi, Nair, Hari, Martin, Anna, Daly, Terik, Stickle, Angela, Ernst, Carolyn, Barnouin, Olivier, Atchison, Justin, Rivkin, Andrew, Bull, Ry. (2023). Assessing the Capabilities and Limitations of Flyby Missions for Planetary Defense Characterization.

Bull, Ry, Atchison, Justin, Bradfield, Justin, Woodburn, James. (2023). Hypothetical Asteroid 2023 PDC Mass Measurement via Doppler Gravimetry in a Reconaissance Flyby.

Bellerose, Julie, Bhaskaran, Shyam, Rush, Brian, Tarzi, Zahi, Velez, Dianna, Mages, Declan, Vaughan, Andrew, Laipert, Frank, Atchison, Justin, McQuaide, Maria. (2023). DART: Navigating to Oblivion.

Atchison, Justin, Bellerose, Julie, Bhaskaran, Shyam, Laipert, Frank, Mages, Declan, McElrath, Tim, McQuaide, Maria, Mottinger, Neil, Rush, Brian, Tarzi, Zahi, Vaughan, Andrew, Velez, Dianna. (2023). DART Mission Design and Navigation Lessons Learned for Future Planetary Defense Missions.

Atchison, Justin, Laipert, Frank, McQuaide, Maria. (2023). DART Final Mission Design and Flight Path Control.

Terik Daly, R, Ernst, Carolyn M, Barnouin, Olivier S, Chabot, Nancy L, Rivkin, Andrew S, Cheng, Andrew F, Adams, Elena Y, Agrusa, Harrison F, Abel, Elisabeth D, Alford, Amy L, others, (2023). Successful Kinetic Impact into an Asteroid for Planetary Defense. 616. pp. 443-447.

Kubota, Sanae, Rogers, Gabe, Ernst, Carolyn M, Chabot, Nancy, Klima, Rachel, Atchison, Justin, Bushman, Stewart, Ercol, Jack, Fuller, Derick, Gallagher, Daniel, others, (2021). Mercury Lander: A New-Frontiers-Class Planetary Mission Concept Design. 2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference (50100). pp. 1–16.

Schlei, Wayne, Atchison, Justin, Gomez-Cano, Ricardo, Lathrop, Brian, Villac, Benjamin, (2021). Pragmatic Trajectory Options Applicable to an Interstellar Probe Mission. 2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference (50100). pp. 1–15.

Rivkin, Andrew S, Chabot, Nancy L, Stickle, Angela M, Thomas, Cristina A, Richardson, Derek C, Barnouin, Olivier, Fahnestock, Eugene G, Ernst, Carolyn M, Cheng, Andrew F, Chesley, Steven, others, (2021). The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART): Planetary Defense Investigations and Requirements. The Planetary Science Journal, 2. pp. 173.

Shannon, Jackson L, Atchison, Justin A, Villac, Benjamin F, Rogers, Gabe, Ozimek, Martin T, (2021). Mission Design for the 2020 Mercury Lander Decadal Survey. The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences. pp. 1–19.

Ryan Bull, Ryan Mitch, Justin Atchison, Jay McMahon, Andrew Rivkin, Erwan Mazarico, (2021). Optical Gravimetry mass measurement performance for small body flyby missions. 205. (Doi:10.1016/j.pss.2021.105289)

Peck, Mason, Atchison, Justin, (2011). Length Scaling in Spacecraft Dynamics. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 34. pp. 231–246.

Peck, Mason, Atchison, Justin, Streetman, Brett, (2010). Lorentz Accelerations in the Earth Fly-by Anomaly. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 33. pp. 1115–1122.

Atchison, Justin, Peck, Mason, (2010). A Passive Sun-Pointing Millimeter Scale Solar Sail. Acta Astronautica, 67. pp. 108–121.

Atchison, Justin, Peck, Mason, (2009). Lorentz Augmented Jovian Orbit Insertion. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 32. pp. 418–423.

Jensenius, Mark, Atchison, Justin, Chen, Michelle, Nishant, L, Mehta, Christopher, Dong, Andy, Cheng, (2014). Double Asteroid Redirection Test – Mission Design and Navigation. 24th International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics, Laurel MD.

Atchison, Justin. (2014). Mission Design for the Double-Asteroid Redirection Test.

Atchison, Justin, Mitch, R, (2015). Asteroid Flyby gravimetry via target tracking. AAS Space Flight Mechanics Conference. pp. 15–466.

Atchison, J, Stickle, A, Barnouin, O, Cheng, A, Crawford, D, Ernst, C, Fletcher, Z, Rivkin, A, (2014). Modeling momentum transfer from kinetic impacts: Implications for redirecting asteroids. 13th Hypervelocity Impact Symposium.

Siddique, F, Scott, C, Ozimek, M, Atchison, Justin, (2015). Robust highfidelity gravity-assist trajectory generation using forwards/backward multiple shooting. AAS Space Flight Mechanics Conference. pp. 15–249.

Rivkin, A, Kantsiper, B, Atchison, J, Cheng, A, Stickle, A, Reed, C, Galvez, A, Carnelli, I, Michel, P, (2015). Asteroid impact and deflection assessment mission. Acta Astronautica, 115. pp. 262–269.

Cheng, A, Kantsiper, B, Ozimek, M, Atchison, Justin. (2015). Trajectory options for the DART mission.

Siddique, F, Atchison, J, (2015). Extended Mission Trajectory Options for the Van Allen Probes Mission. International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics, Munich Germany.

Ozimek, M, Atchison, Justin, Kantsiper, B, Cheng, A, (2016). Trajectory options for the DART mission. Acta Astronautica, 123.

Kantsiper, B, Ozimek, M, Abrahamson, M, Atchison, J, Adams, E, Cheng, A, Rivkin, A, Reed, C, Bhaskaran, S, Tarzi, Z, Velez, Dianna, Bellerose, J, Laipert, F, Grebow, D. (2018). Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission Design and Navigation for Low Energy Escape.

Mazarico, E, Wortman, J, Rivkin, A, Mitch, R, Kee, C, Harclerode, K, Candela, K, Bryant, M, Apland, C, Atchison, J. (2018). A Hardware Prototype for Optical Gravimetry During Asteroid Flyby.

Gould, J, Atchison, J, Ozimek, M, Englander, J, Knittel, J. (2017). Improved performance modeling for low-thrust trajectory optimization. pp. 17–224.

Hartzell, Christine, Atchison, Justin, Ozimek, Martin, Shannon, Jackson, (2019). Q-Law Aided Direct Trajectory Optimization for the High-Fidelity, Many-Revolution Low-Thrust Orbit Transfer Problem. AIAA. pp. 19–448.

Englander, Jacob, Ozimek, Martin, Atchison, Justin, Sarli, Bruno, Barbee, Brent, (2018). Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission: Heliocentric Phase Trajectory Analysis. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 56.

Atchison, Justin, Ozimek, Martin, (2019). NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test – Phase C Trajectory Analysis. Planetary Defense Conference, 4.

Atchison, J, Shannon, J, Villac, B, Rogers, G, Ozimek, M. (2020). Mission Design for the 2020 Mercury Lander Decadal Survey. pp. 20–624.

Siddique, F, Atchison, J, Bull, R. (2020). Van Allen Probes End-of-Mission Navigation and Mission Design. pp. 20–538.

Atchison, J, Ozimek, M, Shannon, J, Hartzell, C, (2020). Q-Law Aided Direct Trajectory Optimization of Many-Revolution Low-Thrust Transfers. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets.

Hartzell, C, Atchison, J, Ozimek, M, Shannon, J, (2020). Rapid Design and Exploration of High-Fidelity Low-Thrust Transfers to the Moon. IEEE Aerospace Conference.

Honors and Awards

• NASA Institute of Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Fellow (2014)

Professional Organizations

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
American Astronautical Society