Amy Fagan
Assistant Professor | Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC, UNITED STATES
Amy Fagan studies NASA’s planetary geology, with a focus on petrology, mineralogy, and lunar geology.
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Areas of Expertise (4)
Petrology
Minerology
Planetary Geology
Lunar Geology
Accomplishments (1)
Susan Mahan Niebur Early Career Award, NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute
2020
Education (2)
University of Notre Dame: Ph.D.
Washington and Lee University: B.S.
Links (3)
Media Appearances (9)
Perplexing side of the moon: WCU prof works with NASA to help solve longtime lunar mystery
Asheville Citizen-Times online
2024-01-23
Amy Fagan, associate professor of geology at Western Carolina University, has worked at the college for nearly a decade. Over the course of her career, Fagan has also loaned her skills to several NASA initiatives, the latest of which aims to finally date an unusual region of the moon that has stumped scientists since its discovery in 1971.
WCU prof Amy Fagan works with NASA to help solve lunar mystery
Italy 24 online
2024-01-23
Amy Fagan, associate professor of geology at Western Carolina University, has worked at the college for nearly a decade. Over the course of her career, Fagan has also loaned her skills to several NASA initiatives, the latest of which aims to finally date an unusual region of the moon that has stumped scientists since its discovery in 1971.
WCU professor collaborates with NASA using $50M DIMPLE to explore moon mysteries
WLOS online
2024-01-03
Amy Fagan is working on the organization's latest lunar land/rover instrument suite. Fagan and fellow scientists, along with leading principal investigator Scott Anderson from the Southwest Research Institute’s Solar System Science and Exploration Division, are part of a team working on NASA’s new DIMPLE instrument suite.
WCU faculty member part of NASA moonwalking test mission
The Mountaineer online
2023-01-24
Western Carolina University Professor Amy Fagan recently had the opportunity of a lifetime — serving on the NASA moonwalking test mission team for Artemis III, which is part of the Artemis missions. This will be the first human-landing mission in 50 years and the first to include a woman and a person of color. For this mission, astronauts will explore the lunar South Pole region, which has never been touched by humans before.
'Space is for everyone': WCU faculty member helps plan 2025 Artemis 3 moon mission
ABC 13 News online
2023-01-19
The Artemis project will take humans to the far side of the moon where no one has yet gone. So, information collected by an associate professor at Western Carolina University is vital, as she is providing insight into moonwalking. “It’s not going to be like when we were on Apollo,” Amy Fagan, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at WCU, shared with News 13 on Thursday, Jan. 19.
Walking on the moon: WCU geology professor helps prepare for NASA test mission
WUNC 91.5 radio
2023-01-12
More than five decades have passed since Neil Armstrong took his “giant leap for mankind” by setting foot on the moon. Now a NASA test team, including a Western Carolina University professor, is working to prepare the Artemis III mission to put astronauts back on the moon’s surface. Geology associate professor Amy Fagan is part of a team prepping for the first human-landing mission in 50 years.
Faculty member part of NASA moonwalking test mission
WCU Stories online
2023-01-09
Amy Fagan, associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at Western Carolina University, recently had the opportunity of a lifetime, serving on the NASA moonwalking test mission team for Artemis III which is part of the Artemis missions. This will be the first human-landing mission in 50 years and the first to include a woman and a person of color.
A New Private Moon Race Kicks Off Soon
Scientific American online
2022-08-01
Community leaders are trying to prepare their colleagues for the opportunities CLPS poses while remaining aware of possible pitfalls, says Amy Fagan, chair of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group and a lunar scientist at Western Carolina University. Some lunar scientists are thinking a few steps ahead of CLPS, either because they’re concerned about hurting their chances for a NASA Discovery mission or because they’re just eager to do more.
NASA institute honors geology faculty member for early career accomplishments
WCU Stories online
2020-07-28
Amy Fagan, associate professor of geology at Western Carolina University, is one of two winners of a NASA award given annually to scientists from around the world who make significant contributions to the science or exploration communities early in their careers. Fagan is a recipient of NASA’s Susan Mahan Niebur Early Career Award presented by NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, created by the national space agency in 2013.
Articles (3)
Maximizing Crew Performance/Productivity For Missions To The Moon And Mars
44th COSPAR Scientific Assembly2022 The eighth in the series of Community Workshops for Achievability and Sustainability of Human Exploration of Mars (AM VIII), hosted by Explore Mars Inc., was held virtually due to COVID-19 constraints on June 1-3, 2021. The workshop engaged a multi-disciplinary team of subject matter experts to investigate challenges and opportunities for human exploration of Mars, including how lunar activities can be maximally leveraged.
The Scientific Value of Lunar Sample Exchange
Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group2021 As we consider the future of lunar science and exploration, we emphasize the benefit of sample exchange and sample sharing between all nations. Here we draw attention to the past exchange of Apollo and Luna samples between different countries.
The Importance of Human Exploration in Accomplishing High Priority Lunar Science Objectives
Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 White Paper2021 The value of astronauts in accomplishing high priority lunar science cannot be overstated. While lander, robotic, and orbital missions have a long history of achieving Solar System science, human cognition, dexterity, and mobility all greatly increase the science value of in situ astronauts doing scientific exploration on another planetary body.
