Cassini co-investigator Dr. Tobias C. Owen studies the origin and composition of planetary atmospheres and comets. An alumnus of the University of Chicago and professor of astronomy at the University of Hawaii, Owen uses ground-based telescopes and spectrometers as well as remote sensing and in situ instruments on spacecraft. He was a member of the lander molecular analysis team on NASA's Viking Mission to Mars from 1969 to 1978. He also worked on NASA's Galileo mission to Jupiter before joining Cassini as an interdisciplinary scientist and member of several instrument teams for the Cassini-Huygens mission. Owen was the American team leader for the ESA-NASA study that developed the Cassini-Huygens mission. A recipient of the NASA honour medal for exceptional scientific achievement, Owen has conducted published research on a number of topics including atmospheric studies of Venus and comets. He has also participated in international space efforts with Europe and Japan. Source