Dr. Vivian Z. Sun
Systems Engineer, Co-Campaign Science Lead

At JPL, Dr. Sun wears two hats, one as a Systems Engineer on the science operations team and the other as a Campaign Science Lead. As a Systems Engineer, for which she spends the majority of her time, she helps to put together the rover’s daily plans and acts as a liaison between the engineering team at JPL and the science teams which are all over the world. She advocates for the scientists by ensuring their concepts get translated to the engineering plan and that they have the right tools and necessary resources for their studies. As a Co-Campaign Science Lead for Perseverance’s first science campaign on the crater floor, she works to consolidate science objectives, establish campaign priorities, and motivate the team to stay on schedule so that they can maximize productivity.

The unprecedented goal of the Perseverance mission is to bring samples back to Earth, but it is equally important to understand the geological history of Mars. Mastcam-Z is a multi-spectral instrument that gives the big-picture information. “Understanding the context helps you choose the samples to target,” says Dr. Sun. A sample that contains interesting features is further studied using SuperCam. Both Mastcam-Z and SuperCam, referred to as the bread and butter spectral instruments, have remote sensing capabilities and are routinely employed.

When asked what features make a rock or soil sample ideal for further studies by SHERLOC and PIXL, Dr. Sun says, “It depends on the sample.” For example, looking at the crater floor, where the rocks have been altered, the ideal samples would be representative of a major geological unit and prototypical in terms of composition, texture and morphology. In contrast, from the delta, a region believed to potentially have once harbored ancient life, the ideal samples would be materials that have a better chance of preserving biosignatures, like those with high silica and carbonate content.

Many questions are constantly being asked during the Perseverance mission. “Which rock types do we need more data on, and what information do we want our instruments to clarify? Is it the contact between two rocks that we’re interested in? Are these rock samples sedimentary or igneous?” To decide what takes priority, meetings are held with various teams on a daily basis. Despite the hundreds of scientists and engineers involved in the work, they always manage to come to a decision.

To maximize the efficiency of the rover, which includes minimizing travel and sustaining resources, a set time is allocated for each of the major units on Jezero: crater floor, the fan-shaped delta and marginal deposits, which are just outside the delta, lining the sides of the crater wall. The order of exploration for the rover would be from the landing site on the crater floor, moving next to the delta and then making its way to the marginal deposits before exiting Jezero.

Early on in the mission, conglomerates and cross-bedding were observed in the delta, which was expected for this type of environment, but Dr. Sun said it was still amazing to see it from the rover’s point of view since they cannot be viewed from orbital images. They also observed continuous layers in the crater floor rocks which are not visible by orbital means due to the scale and viewing angle. “We didn’t expect to see such extensive layers on the crater floor, which was surprising and exciting.” More recently, scientists have confirmed the presence of igneous rocks on the crater floor. The next step is to figure out the mechanism of their formation and to determine whether they represent a cumulate, lava flow or something else.

Dr. Sun’s biggest challenge is balancing work and life. Because she enjoys her job and her coworkers, she doesn’t mind the challenge. She feels fortunate that the people she works with are kind, intelligent, and always willing to help each other. Despite her limited time, Dr. Sun enjoys many hobbies. She is an avid fan of the NFL and Tom Brady, and not surprisingly, her favorite teams are the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She also cooks, bakes and likes to experiment with new recipes, rarely making repeat dishes. To satisfy her fidgeting fingers and to learn new techniques, she knits.

Her advice for early scientists is to follow your interests. Numerous times Dr. Sun had thought that something would be an interesting topic to research, but was reluctant because she’d assume that someone had already done it. She says, “In reality, the planetary science field is so large that you’ll almost always find something new. Take advantage of the opportunity you have as a student to explore what really interests you.” She mentions that an internship in that field is worth pursuing because it gives you a better understanding of what you’re getting into. From her own internship, she learned about her strengths, became familiar with the environment and built long-lasting relationships with her mentors and coworkers, which have all helped her along her career path.

Dr. Sun would travel to Mars if the round-trip was not so time-consuming. One of the first things she would do is pick up a rock and flip it over to see what’s on the other side. To learn more about Dr. Vivian Z. Sun, check out: https://vivianzsun.com/.