Nicholas Castle is a geologist and space enthusiast. He is a member of the Mars Science Laboratory mission operations team where he helps coordinate activities for the CheMin instrument. His research focuses on meteorites, especially those from Mars. A life-long instrumentation junkie, he has expertise with electron and optical microscopes, mass spectrometers, x-ray diffractometers, high-temperature furnaces, and the occasional laser. He graduated from Lehigh, Washington, and Alberta, and presently works for the Planetary Science Institute. He resides in the Arizona desert with his wife and infant daughter when they’re not driving to explore the geology in the national parks.