This fall, the LPL graduate students had the opportunity to travel to Florida and participate in the launch of OSIRIS-REx from Cape Canaveral as part of their “Planetary Geology Field Studies” course (PTYS 594A). In total, twenty-one students, led by Dr. Christopher Hamilton and Dr. Joe Spitale, toured the Kennedy Space Center on September 8 and watched the flawless launch of the spacecraft onboard an Atlas V rocket. It was an extraordinary experience that will stay with everyone for a lifetime.

After the launch, the group focused on exploring the local geology by examining coastal processes along the Cape Canaveral National Seashore and at the Sebastian Inlet. In addition to studying shorelines and dunes, the group examined a series of freshwater springs located along the Chassahowitzka River. These sites are not accessible on foot and so the students explored the river by kayak. On the final day of the field trip, the group visited the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, which included grasslands, dense forests, baby alligators and their protective mother. Overall, Florida’s geologic history records the evolution of a passive continental margin and its sedimentary sequences have been strongly influenced by relative sea level changes. As such, Florida provides a stark contrast to the tectonically modified geology of the Southwest, and the field trip helped LPL graduate students to broaden their exposure to a wide range of planetary surface processes and experience a historic moment with the successful launch of OSIRIS-REx.

LPL graduate students kayaking on the Chassahowitzka River as part of their 2016 field trip to Florida.

LPL graduate students at Kennedy Space Center.