J.-P. Williams
@jpwilliams0.bsky.social
Planetary scientist, Science journal editor (JGR Planets), Musician
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera found the crater formed on August 5th when a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage impacted the Moon. lroc.im-ldi.com/images/1499
August 19, 2026 at 6:19 PM
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera found the crater formed on August 5th when a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage impacted the Moon. lroc.im-ldi.com/images/1499
Reposted by J.-P. Williams
Who should decide what science gets funded: scientists or political appointees? Right now, it's scientists. A new OMB rule would hand that power to political appointees instead. Comment by July 13 to stop it. ⬇️
www.planetary.org/ombgrantrules
www.planetary.org/ombgrantrules
Advocacy Action Center
The Planetary Society is organizing a new space constituency that is educated, empowered, and loud.
www.planetary.org
July 10, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Who should decide what science gets funded: scientists or political appointees? Right now, it's scientists. A new OMB rule would hand that power to political appointees instead. Comment by July 13 to stop it. ⬇️
www.planetary.org/ombgrantrules
www.planetary.org/ombgrantrules
Reposted by J.-P. Williams
How do you pick a landing site before you know how you’re going to land? The scientists behind NASA’s latest Moon missions are working on just that. aasnova.org/2026/07/10/p... 🔭🧪
Putting the Landing Site Before the Lander
How do you pick a landing site before you know how you're going to land? The scientists behind NASA's latest Moon missions are working on just that.
aasnova.org
July 10, 2026 at 4:48 PM
How do you pick a landing site before you know how you’re going to land? The scientists behind NASA’s latest Moon missions are working on just that. aasnova.org/2026/07/10/p... 🔭🧪
Our paper on the Lunar-VISE/Blue Ghost Mission 3 landing site is out today in the Planetary Science Journal! This has been a long time in the making, So glad to finally get this one published. doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/...
July 3, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Our paper on the Lunar-VISE/Blue Ghost Mission 3 landing site is out today in the Planetary Science Journal! This has been a long time in the making, So glad to finally get this one published. doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/...
Reposted by J.-P. Williams
Russell Vought is the director of the Office of Management & Budget. He is promulgating a new rule to install political control over ALL federal grant-making. Forget the experts. Russ is the decider-in-chief now. Write your members of Congress today. And share this. actionnetwork.org/letters/oppo...
Oppose OMB Proposal to Put ALL Federal Government Funding Decisions in the Hands of Political Appointees
On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), OMB-2026-0034, Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance. The scope of this proposed regulation is...
actionnetwork.org
June 20, 2026 at 9:06 AM
Russell Vought is the director of the Office of Management & Budget. He is promulgating a new rule to install political control over ALL federal grant-making. Forget the experts. Russ is the decider-in-chief now. Write your members of Congress today. And share this. actionnetwork.org/letters/oppo...
Members of LRO Diviner & NEO Surveyor teams from UCLA had a great time participating at the NASA JPL x Los Angeles Dodgers event this week! Student groups and game attendees got to see science demos and meet scientists/engineers from UCLA/JPL/Caltech before the game.
June 19, 2026 at 10:21 PM
Members of LRO Diviner & NEO Surveyor teams from UCLA had a great time participating at the NASA JPL x Los Angeles Dodgers event this week! Student groups and game attendees got to see science demos and meet scientists/engineers from UCLA/JPL/Caltech before the game.
@standupforscience.net Proposal by OMB would make political interference a formal part of the federal grant process. Stand Up For Science has made it easy to submit a comment so that you can add your voice and tell OMB to keep U.S. science grounded in scientific merit.
www.standupforscience.net
www.standupforscience.net
STAND UP FOR SCIENCE
Science activists and allies mobilizing to save science, health and democracy itself from the Trump administration's dismantlement and privatization.
www.standupforscience.net
June 8, 2026 at 11:47 PM
@standupforscience.net Proposal by OMB would make political interference a formal part of the federal grant process. Stand Up For Science has made it easy to submit a comment so that you can add your voice and tell OMB to keep U.S. science grounded in scientific merit.
www.standupforscience.net
www.standupforscience.net
Another paper out in the Planetary Science Journal this month! 🌙
This paper explores several parameters that can be used to characterize surface roughness for assessing safety for landing and conducting surface operations on the Moon.
doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/...
This paper explores several parameters that can be used to characterize surface roughness for assessing safety for landing and conducting surface operations on the Moon.
doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/...
April 14, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Another paper out in the Planetary Science Journal this month! 🌙
This paper explores several parameters that can be used to characterize surface roughness for assessing safety for landing and conducting surface operations on the Moon.
doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/...
This paper explores several parameters that can be used to characterize surface roughness for assessing safety for landing and conducting surface operations on the Moon.
doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/...
I spent a couple of days prior to the Artemis II flyby of the Moon generating temperature data sets from LRO Diviner to support the flyby. Here’s a figure from the data showing the temperatures of Orientale basin at the time of the flyby.
April 10, 2026 at 10:17 PM
I spent a couple of days prior to the Artemis II flyby of the Moon generating temperature data sets from LRO Diviner to support the flyby. Here’s a figure from the data showing the temperatures of Orientale basin at the time of the flyby.
Nice interview by my colleague and former graduate advisor on the Artemis II mission CBS
www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/v...
www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/v...
UCLA professor discusses next steps for Artemis II as mission enters day 3
David Paige, a professor of planetary science at UCLA, talks about the next steps in Artemis II mission as it enters its third day.
www.cbsnews.com
April 9, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Nice interview by my colleague and former graduate advisor on the Artemis II mission CBS
www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/v...
www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/v...
New paper out in The Planetary Science Journal! 🌙
We show that lunar crater populations are strongly influenced by target properties. This has implications for how we use impact craters to estimate planetary surface ages.
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
We show that lunar crater populations are strongly influenced by target properties. This has implications for how we use impact craters to estimate planetary surface ages.
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
Variations in Lunar Crater Populations due to Target Properties and Secondary Craters
Variations in Lunar Crater Populations due to Target Properties and Secondary Craters, Williams, Jean-Pierre, Pathare, Asmin, Costello, Emily
iopscience.iop.org
March 18, 2026 at 3:56 PM
New paper out in The Planetary Science Journal! 🌙
We show that lunar crater populations are strongly influenced by target properties. This has implications for how we use impact craters to estimate planetary surface ages.
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
We show that lunar crater populations are strongly influenced by target properties. This has implications for how we use impact craters to estimate planetary surface ages.
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
It was a pleasure to participate in the Ices in the Solar System Workshop in Montreal last month and to close the meeting with a panel discussion alongside three outstanding colleagues.
February 13, 2026 at 10:25 PM
It was a pleasure to participate in the Ices in the Solar System Workshop in Montreal last month and to close the meeting with a panel discussion alongside three outstanding colleagues.
Another Editor’s Highlight published today for the Journal of Geophysical Research – Planets. Nice work by Aussel et al. using machine learning to create a global map of boulders on the Moon.
eos.org/editor-highl...
eos.org/editor-highl...
Nearly 94 Million Boulders Mapped on the Moon Using Deep Learning - Eos
Scientists used a deep learning algorithm to map the size and location of nearly 94 million boulders on the lunar surface, highlighting differences in boulder densities and size distributions.
eos.org
August 6, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Another Editor’s Highlight published today for the Journal of Geophysical Research – Planets. Nice work by Aussel et al. using machine learning to create a global map of boulders on the Moon.
eos.org/editor-highl...
eos.org/editor-highl...
I had the opportunity to do some fieldwork in the Canadian Arctic in 2023 with a group of colleagues to study permafrost and other periglacial features as analogues to features observed on Mars. The first paper from the fieldwork was just published (authors.elsevier.com/c/1lRTd4L-Yq...)
July 20, 2025 at 4:49 AM
I had the opportunity to do some fieldwork in the Canadian Arctic in 2023 with a group of colleagues to study permafrost and other periglacial features as analogues to features observed on Mars. The first paper from the fieldwork was just published (authors.elsevier.com/c/1lRTd4L-Yq...)
The President’s Budget Request has been released and proposes the largest cut to NASA’s budget in US history. This will trigger immediate and irreparable damage to American space science. The Planetary Society has made it easy to contact your members of congress:
www.planetary.org/save-nasa-sc...
www.planetary.org/save-nasa-sc...
Save NASA Science - Action Hub
NASA science faces record cuts. Take action to stop it—we'll show you how.
www.planetary.org
May 4, 2025 at 5:56 PM
The President’s Budget Request has been released and proposes the largest cut to NASA’s budget in US history. This will trigger immediate and irreparable damage to American space science. The Planetary Society has made it easy to contact your members of congress:
www.planetary.org/save-nasa-sc...
www.planetary.org/save-nasa-sc...
Reposted by J.-P. Williams
Assuming NASA can fund this work, of course.
Got a peek at this at Sundance. It's awesome.
Meet NASA scientists working to track and monitor near-Earth asteroids, and protect our planet from potential impacts. Our newest film, "Planetary Defenders," debuts on NASA+ and YouTube on Wednesday, April 16. plus.nasa.gov/video/planet...
Meet NASA scientists working to track and monitor near-Earth asteroids, and protect our planet from potential impacts. Our newest film, "Planetary Defenders," debuts on NASA+ and YouTube on Wednesday, April 16. plus.nasa.gov/video/planet...
Planetary Defenders (Official NASA Trailer)
How would humanity respond if we discovered an asteroid headed for Earth? NASA’s upcoming documentary, "Planetary Defenders," takes you inside the high-stakes
plus.nasa.gov
April 15, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Assuming NASA can fund this work, of course.
The White House shared the draft version of its budget request for NASA for the fiscal-year 2026. It calls for a staggering near-50% cut to NASA science. This would seriously jeopardize our national dominance in space while not making a dent in balancing a budget.
arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...
arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...
Trump White House budget proposal eviscerates science funding at NASA
“This would decimate American leadership in space.”…
arstechnica.com
April 12, 2025 at 6:07 PM
The White House shared the draft version of its budget request for NASA for the fiscal-year 2026. It calls for a staggering near-50% cut to NASA science. This would seriously jeopardize our national dominance in space while not making a dent in balancing a budget.
arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...
arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...
Always nice to get a trail run in with the pups and catch a sunset over the mountains.
April 2, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Always nice to get a trail run in with the pups and catch a sunset over the mountains.
LPSC 2025 Poster is up and ready to go for tonight’s poster session! This is part of our work on selecting the Lunar-VISE landing site on the Moon.
March 13, 2025 at 8:43 PM
LPSC 2025 Poster is up and ready to go for tonight’s poster session! This is part of our work on selecting the Lunar-VISE landing site on the Moon.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera captured an image of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander on the surface of the Moon within Mare Crisium. www.lroc.asu.edu/images/1406
Blue Ghost Seen Obliquely
The Firefly Blue Ghost lunar lander set down on 2nd March 2025. The landing site (arrow) is about 4000 meters from the center of Mons Latreille, a large volcanic cone. NAC M1495577008LR [NASA/GSFC/Ari...
www.lroc.asu.edu
March 5, 2025 at 11:31 PM
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera captured an image of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander on the surface of the Moon within Mare Crisium. www.lroc.asu.edu/images/1406
ShadowCam on the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) has been returning amazing images of the permanently shadowed regions near the lunar poles. You can see a presentation on some of the ShadowCam results I gave at the European Lunar Symposium in August.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwqi...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwqi...
European Lunar Symposium 2024 - Jean-Pierre Williams
YouTube video by Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute
www.youtube.com
March 5, 2025 at 12:55 AM
ShadowCam on the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) has been returning amazing images of the permanently shadowed regions near the lunar poles. You can see a presentation on some of the ShadowCam results I gave at the European Lunar Symposium in August.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwqi...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwqi...
Blue Ghost Mission 1 will attempt to land on the surface of the Moon in Mare Crisium this evening. Fingers crossed for a successful landing. Live broadcast starts at 11:30 pm PST.
www.youtube.com/live/ChEuA1A...
www.youtube.com/live/ChEuA1A...
Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 1 Lunar Landing
YouTube video by Firefly Aerospace
www.youtube.com
March 1, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Blue Ghost Mission 1 will attempt to land on the surface of the Moon in Mare Crisium this evening. Fingers crossed for a successful landing. Live broadcast starts at 11:30 pm PST.
www.youtube.com/live/ChEuA1A...
www.youtube.com/live/ChEuA1A...
@firefly-aerospace.bsky.social performed its final orbit maneuver of its Blue Ghost mission today setting it up for its final descent to the lunar surface on March 2. This will be Firefly’s first attempt to land on the Moon and they will be taking our mission, Lunar-VISE, to the Moon in early 2028!
February 24, 2025 at 7:23 PM
@firefly-aerospace.bsky.social performed its final orbit maneuver of its Blue Ghost mission today setting it up for its final descent to the lunar surface on March 2. This will be Firefly’s first attempt to land on the Moon and they will be taking our mission, Lunar-VISE, to the Moon in early 2028!
I had my first Editor’s Highlight for the Journal of Geophysical Research – Planets published in EOS today. Nice work by Deutsch et al. studying a really interesting class of features, called hollows, on the planet Mercury.
eos.org/editor-highl...
eos.org/editor-highl...
Mercury’s Hollows may be Young and Active - Eos
The first machine learning-derived global-scale survey of Mercury’s hollows suggests they are young features that may be active and will continue to evolve.
eos.org
February 21, 2025 at 8:05 PM
I had my first Editor’s Highlight for the Journal of Geophysical Research – Planets published in EOS today. Nice work by Deutsch et al. studying a really interesting class of features, called hollows, on the planet Mercury.
eos.org/editor-highl...
eos.org/editor-highl...