Pho – a mission mascot created by the ICESat-2/SCAD Collaborative Student Program - is one of trillions of photons working on the ICESat-2 mission to bring back important measurements of Earth.

Phil Luers has worked on ATLAS since 2009, and was responsible for the overall electrical systems design -- defining how parts of the instrument work together to measure photon time-of-flight.

Paige is a mission mascot created by the ICESat-2/SCAD Collaborative Student Program.

As an ATLAS quality and reliability engineer, Orson John works on performing failure mode, fault, and risk analyses for the instrument.

As the systems engineer responsible for ATLAS data products and analysis, Meg creates the tools that help verify whether the instrument is performing as it should.

Matthew Garrison is the thermal lead for the ATLAS instrument – making sure the systems stay steady as the space environment flashes from temperatures hundreds of degrees below freezing to above the point where water boils.

As the Deputy Project Manager for Resources, Mark is responsible for the mission's business, planning and budget execution.

The optics – the mirrors and lenses of the ATLAS instrument – get oversight from Luis, who ensure they work as intended.

Joe Krygiel, ICESat-2’s project schedule manager, is responsible for developing, maintaining and controlling the Integrated Master Schedule – tracking the progress of the mission to ensure a successful launch date. His Goddard career began in 1999, as a mech

Jim Busch, ICESat-2’s ground systems manager, is responsible for the ground systems that will support the satellite when it launches.

Helen Amanda Fricker is a Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, where she also co-leads the Scripps Polar Center.

Erik has been intrigued by aerospace and aviation since he was a kid, watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon.

Ed Sullivan is a contractor from Fibertek in Herndon, Virginia, which is the company that designed, built, and delivered the lasers for the ATLAS instrument.

As the ICESat-2 Project Manager, Doug McLennan is responsible for the entire mission -- he sees it as his job to make sure everyone on the team understands their job and is encouraged to excel at it.

Donya Douglas-Bradshaw joined NASA as a co-op student, and is now the ATLAS instrument project manager. She was always drawn to science and math during her early school years, and had a keen interest in how things worked.

As the mission integration and test (I&T) manager, Chuck plans, conducts and oversees the assembly, integration and testing of the ICESat-2 observatory – the spacecraft plus the instrument.

Carol Lilly

Brian, a former high-school teacher, develops ICESat-2 educational materials, activities and exhibits, building on the work he did for the first ICESat mission, with a goal of educating the world that ice cover in far-off regions like Gre

As the instrument scientist, Tony was responsible for the architecture and high-level design of ATLAS. He now helps run instrument performance tests and computer models to ensure ATLAS will meet the mission’s science requirements.

Alison, the mission's project admin, supports the team's project managers and front office with all things administrative.

Aimee Neeley, ICESat-2’s mission applications lead, studied both marine biology and biological oceanography with research focused on the polar regions.