David Blake

Contact Information

Title:

Senior Staff Scientist

Phone:

(650)604-4816

Email :

David.F.Blake@nasa.gov

Affiliation:

Exobiology Branch (Code SSX)

Professional Background

Professional Biography:

PI Exobiology Program, 1991-2002; PI Cosmochemistry Program, 1992-2002; PI PIDDP, 1994-1998; PI High Speed Research Program, 1995-1998; PI Upper Atmosphere Research Program, 1997-1999; PI Ancient Mars Meteorite Program, 1997-2000. PI ASTID Program, 2002-present; PI Mars Instrument Development Program, 2002-present.

2003-present; Senior Research Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
1999-2003; Chief, Exobiology Branch NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
1989-1999; Research Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
1986-1989; NRC Fellow, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
1985-1986: Analyst, Surface Science Laboratories, Mountain View, CA
1978-1984: Research Assistant, Electron Microprobe Laboratory, Univ. of Michigan
1973-1977; Officer, unrestricted line, US Navy.

Education:

PhD, 1984; Mineralogy; The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
MS, 1980; Geological Sciences; The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
BS, 1973; Biological Sciences; Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Select Publications:

Blank, J., S.J. Green, D. Blake, J.W. Valley, N.T. Kita, A. Treiman and PF. Dobson (2009). “An Alkaline Spring System within the Del Puerto Ophiolite (California USA): A Mars Analog site.” Planetary and Space Science, in press, doi: 10.1016/j.pss.2008.11.018.

Hausrath, E.M., A. Treiman, E. Vincenzi, T.M. Hoehler, I. Midtkandal, A. Steele, S. Brantley and D.F. Blake (2008). “Short and long-term olivine weathering in Svalbard: Implications for Mars. J. Astrobiology, Vol 8 No. 6, 1079-1092.

Schulte, M., D. Blake, T. Hoehler and T. McCollom. 2006. “Serpentinization and its implications for life on the early Earth and Mars.” J. Astrobiology 6(2), 364-376.

Sarrazin, P., D. Blake, S. Feldman, S. Chipera, D. Vaniman and D. Bish. 2005. “Field deployment of a portable XRD/XRF instrument on Mara analog terrain.” Powder Diffraction 20(2), 128-134.

Sarrazin, P., S. Chipera, D. Bish, D. Blake and D. Vaniman. 2004. “Vibrating sample holder for XRD analysis with minimal sample preparation.” IN: Advances in X-ray Analysis, (47).

Sarrazin, P., D. Blake, L. Delzeit, M. Meyyappan, B. Boyer, S. Snyder and B. Espinosa. 2003. “Carbon nanotube field emission X-ray tube for space exploration XRD/XRF instrument.” IN: Advances in X-ray Analysis, Vol. 46.

Treiman, A.H., H.E.F. Amundsen, David F. Blake and Ted Bunch. 2002. “Hydrothermal origin for carbonate globules in Martian meteorite ALH84001: A terrestrial analogue from Spitsbergen (Norway).” Earth and Planetary Science Letters 204, 323–332.

Sarrazin, P., D. Blake, D. Bish, D. Vaniman, S. Chipera, S.A. Collins and S.T. Elliott. 2002. “Robotic search for ices and hydrous minerals at the lunar poles using a combined X-ray diffraction and fluorescence instrument.” Planetary and Space Science, 50, 1361–1368.

Blake, D.F. and Peter Jenniskens. “The Ice of Life.” Scientific American, 285 No. 2, 45–51, Aug. 2001.

Sarrazin, P., D. Blake, D. Bish, D. Vaniman, S. Chipera, S.A. Collins and S.T. Elliott. 2000. “In situ investigation of ices and hydrous minerals at the lunar poles using a combined X-ray fluorescence and diffraction instrument. J. Phys. IV France 10, Pr10–343 to Pr10–352.

Blake, David F. 2000. “"Remote X-ray Diffraction and X-ray Fluorescence analysis on planetary surfaces" IN: Advances in X-ray Analysis, (43), 487–496.

Vaniman, D., D. Bish, G. Guthrie, S. Chipera, P. Sarrazin, D. Blake, and S. A. Collins, S.T. Elliott and P. Sarrazin. 1999. "Process monitoring and control with CHEMIN, a miniaturized CCD-based instrument for simultaneous XRD/XRF analysis" Proc. 44th SPIE, Denver, CO.

Vaniman, D., D. Bish, D.F. Blake, S.T. Elliott, P. Sarrazin, S.A. Collins and S. Chipera. 1998. “Landed XRD/XRF analysis of prime targets in the search for past or present Martian life,” J. Geophys. Res. 103(E13):31,477–31,489.

Sarrazin, P., D.F. Blake, D. Bish, D. Vaniman and S. Collins. 1998. “A miniature XRD/XRF Instrument for in-situ characterization of Martian soils and rocks,” J. Phys. IV France 8: 465–470.

Jenniskens, P., D.F. Blake and A. Kouchi. 1998. “Amorphous Water Ice: A Solar System Material,” 139–155, IN: Solar System Ices (B. Schmitt et al., eds.) Kluwer Academic Publishers, the Netherlands.

Blake, D.F. and Katharine Kato. 1995."Latitudinal distribution of carbon soot in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere." Journal of Geophysical Research 100(D4):7195–7202

Jenniskens, P. and David F. Blake. 1994. "Structural transitions in amorphous water ice and astrophysical implications." Science 265:753–756.

Banin, A., T. Ben-Shlomo, L. Margulies, D.F. Blake, R.L. Mancinelli and A.U. Gehring. 1993. “The Nanophase Iron Mineral(s) in Mars Soil.” JGR-Planets, 98:20,831–20,853.

Blake, D., L. Allamandola, S. Sandford, D. Hudgins and F. Freund. 1991. "Clathrate hydrate formation in amorphous cometary ice analogs in vacuo. " Science, 254:548–552.
Blake, D.F., F. Freund, K.M. Krishnan, C.E. Echer, R. Shipp, T.E. Bunch, A. Tielens and S. Chang. 1988. "The Nature and Origin of Interstellar Diamond." Nature, 332:6165, 611–613.

Other Information

Awards and Other:

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, Far-West Region, Outstanding Commercialization Success (2011)
NASA Exceptional Space Act Award (2011)
NASA Commercial Invention of the Year Award (2010)
Patent No. 7,113,265,"Powder handling device for analytical instruments" awarded to NASA (Blake, co-inventor) 2006
NASA Group Achievement Award, Ames IPT on Devices and Nanotechnology, 2000
R&D 100 award for innovative technology, 1999 (CHEMIN XRD/XRF instrument)
NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, 1998 (elucidating structure of interstellar ice)
Outstanding Poster, Denver X-ray Conference, 1998 (CHEMIN XRD/XRF instrument)
Jack Nielsen Award for outstanding research proposal, 1997 (for work on ALH84001 meteorite)
Patent No. 5,491,738 "X-ray Diffraction Apparatus” awarded to NASA (Blake, inventor) 1996
NASA Special Act / Service Awards, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 (twice).