Melissa Rice
Dr. Melissa S. Rice is Professor of Planetary Science at Western Washington University, where she has held joint appointments in the Physics & Astronomy and Geology departments since 2014. Her research focuses on understanding the history of water on the surface of Mars and the planet’s ancient habitability, using laboratory reflectance spectroscopy, spacecraft remote sensing, and Mars rover data. She has worked with NASA’s Mars rover missions for over two decades, first as a collaborator on the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, then as a Participating Scientist on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, and currently as a Mastcam-Z Co-Investigator and Long-Term Planner on the Mars-2020 Perseverance rover. She is also a science team collaborator for ESA’s ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover. When she’s not exploring Mars with rovers, she enjoys exploring new parts of her other favorite planet: Earth!
Recent writing about Mastcam-Z and Perseverance:
Sep. 2025 blog post for NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission Updates: “The Ancient Mars Variety Show”: https://science.nasa.gov/blog/the-ancient-mars-variety-show/
Jul. 2025 blog post for NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission Updates: “Feeling the Heat”: https://science.nasa.gov/blog/feeling-the-heat-perseverance-looks-for-evidence-of-contact-metamorphism/
Mar. 2025 blog post for NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission Updates: “Sealing the Deal”: https://science.nasa.gov/blog/sealing-the-deal/
Apr. 2023 article in Astronomy Magazine: “The Many Personalities of Martian Rovers”: https://astronomy.com/issues/2023/april-2023
Oct. 2021 article in The Conversation: “Perseverance’s First Major Successes on Mars”: https://theconversation.com/perseverances-first-major-successes-on-mars-an-update-from-mission-scientists-168730
Feb. 2021 Op-Ed in the Seattle Times: “A Wright Brothers Moment on Mars Will Expand Our Cosmic Perspective”: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/a-wright-brothers-moment-on-mars-will-expand-our-cosmic-perspective
Feb. 2021 blog post for Mastcam-Z (co-written with Emily Lakdawalla): “How Perseverance Will See the Colors of Mars”: https://mastcamz.asu.edu/the-mastcam-z-filter-set-how-perseverance-will-see-the-colors-of-mars/
Jul. 2020 article in The Conversation (co-written with Briony Horgan): “NASA’s Big Move to Search for Life on Mars and to Bring Rocks Home”: https://theconversation.com/nasas-big-move-to-search-for-life-on-mars-and-to-bring-rocks-home-142705