Juergen Mueller

Dr. Juergen Mueller has 35 years of experience in space propulsion. He received a Diploma in Physics at the University of Giessen, Germany in 1987 and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State University in 1993 under a Fulbright scholarship. Since joining JPL in 1991, Dr. Mueller has worked in a large variety of fields, including microwave thrusters, ion engines, Hall thrusters, electrospray thrusters, fluid systems components, chemical propulsion, and propulsion support on JPL's Team X mission study team. Beginning in 1995, he established JPL in the emerging field of micropropulsion, and its application to microspacecraft. He led JPL's micro-inspector spacecraft effort as principal investigator for the NASA Engineering Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) beginning in 2004. More recently, he has supported various lunar & outer plan-etary lander mission studies as the propulsion lead, studies of ice probes to reach oceans of outer planet icy worlds, and advanced mission studies, including a feasibility study of missions into near interstellar space. He is currently supporting the propulsion system design for the Mars Sample Return mission/Sample Return Lander. Dr. Mueller has published in excess of 40 technical, journal papers, and book chapters in these areas. He was awarded the 2001 JPL Lew Allen Award of Excellence for his work in micropropulsion, has received JPL Mariner & Discovery awards, and several JPL team awards.