Department News

The 2017 Lunar and Planetary Laboratory Conference (LPLC) took place on August 18. The organizing committee (Margaret Landis, Joshua Lothringer, Maria Steinrueck, Cassandra Lejoly, Nathanial Hendler and Jess Vriesema) kept the one-day format that debuted last year. The August 21 solar eclipse (just three days after the conference) could not keep most people from attending LPLC: in total, 46 participants registered. A broad range of participants, including undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and staff scientists from LPL, Steward Observatory, and the Department of Geosciences, as well as members of the local community, presented a total of 32 talks.

Associate Professor Joellen Russell gave a lively keynote address titled Remote Discovery in Earth's Fiercest Ocean, which presented her research group’s efforts to understand the Southern Ocean with a combination of innovative profiling floats, remote sensing and computer modeling. In addition to the keynote, there were six invited talks, with topics ranging from a seismometer terrestrial analog mission presented by Daniella DellaGiustina to hot Jupiter exoplanets by Vivien Parmentier to analysis of Calcium-Aluminum Inclusions in meteorites by Prajkta Mane. Another LPLC highlight was the invited talk by Gabriella Cázares-Kelly from Indivisible Tohono O’odham. She gave the audience a short introduction to Tohono O’odham culture and provided some cultural and historic context about the region around Kitt Peak, which lies on Tohono O’odham land that has been leased to the observatory.

As in previous years, LPLC also hosted a graduate student talk competition. The judges, Alfred McEwen, Joe Giacalone, and Matt Chojnacki, evaluated ten talks from graduate students in the first session. This year’s winner was Shane Stone and his talk on the Temperature Structure of the Martian Upper Atmosphere from MAVEN NGIMS. The conference concluded with a reception for the attendees. The LPLC organizing committee would like to extend thanks to all who participated and attended. Abstracts and registration for next year’s LPLC will open summer 2018.

The 2017 LPLC Organizing Committee, from left to right: Joshua Lothringer, Jess Vriesema, Nathanial Hendler, Maria Steinrueck, Margaret Landis, Cassandra Lejoly.

Alex Evans joined LPL in January 2017 as a Postdoctoral Research Associate with Associate Professor Jeff Andrews-Hanna. Before staring at LPL, Alex held postdoctoral research positions at the Southwest Research Institute and at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. Alex is interested in understanding the evolutionary, tectonic, geodynamic, and geophysical processes of rocky planets. His work includes analyses of altimetry, gravity, geomorphology, and tectonics to determine the structure, surface, and internal evolution of these rocky bodies. Thus far, his research has focused on the investigation of the Earth, Moon, Mercury and Mars. He has also been involved in the design, development, and implementation of planetary exploration missions.

Alex is originally from the midwest region of the United States. He earned his B.S.E. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2006 and subsequently a M.S. in Geobiology and a Ph.D. in Planetary Geophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2013. His thesis research covered investigations of Martian crustal evolution, lava-flooded craters on the Moon, and the influence of water in the early thermal history of the Moon using data from past and current NASA missions. Prior to pursuing his Ph.D., Alex worked for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on mission concept design and analyses at the Moon and Mars.

In addition to his research, Alex has demonstrated a strong commitment to public service and legislative advocacy. He has held leadership roles in student government and nonprofit organizations, including as the President and CEO of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students. Through these roles, Alex has garnered significant experience in non-profit management as well as legislative policy and advocacy at the state and federal levels.

Gijs Mulders joined LPL in August 2013 to work with Ilaria Pascucci and Daniel Apai. He specializes in statistical studies of exoplanets discovered with Kepler, numerical simulations of terrestrial planet formation, and the structure of protoplanetary disks. In 2015, he also joined the Earth in Other Solar Systems team (EOS) to further study how exoplanets could obtain biocritical ingredients. Gijs was born in the Netherlands, growing up near the city of Utrecht. He studied at the University of Amsterdam, where he obtained a Ph.D. on radiative transfer modeling of protoplanetary disks. True to his Dutch genes, he is an avid cyclist ("who needs a car in Tucson?"). He enjoys running, listening to obscure music, and growing his collection of festival wrist bands.

In August, Dr. Erik Asphaug joined LPL as a Professor. Erik obtained his Ph.D. from LPL in 1993; since then, he has had a distinguished career studying the formation and evolution of comets, asteroids and planets. After his postgraduate work at NASA Ames, he became a Professor of Earth Sciences at U.C. Santa Cruz, where he helped start their degree program in Planetary Science, worked on problems of planet formation, and participated in the LCROSS mission detecting water on the Moon. In 2012, he joined the School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU, where his work on planetary physics contributed to the selection of the NASA Discovery mission, Psyche. He leads the Comet Radar Explorer team, who aspire to use reflection radar to image the global interior structure of a comet nucleus. In his new appointment he also plans to work closely with students and faculty to make progress in low cost, high cadence missions of exploration to near-Earth asteroids, and to develop methodologies to extract resources and developing technologies for robotic exploration of these very low gravity worlds. Erik's scientific passion is understanding how the terrestrial planets, especially the Earth, got to be the way they are, and why they are so diverse.

Long-time LPL adjunct instructor Dr. Steve Kortenkamp moved into a new role as an Associate Professor of Practice. Steve's background is in planet formation and the orbital dynamics of interplanetary dust, asteroids, and the moon-forming impactor. He was previously a research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson. Steve’s current research includes an emphasis in science education, with a new NSF project that seeks to use 3D printed planetary terrains to address deficiencies in STEM involvement among students who are blind or visually impaired. At LPL, Steve uses an experimental curriculum to conduct human-subjects research into the effects of student choice on performance and engagement in science education. He is also an accomplished author of children’s science books, recently publishing an interactive “You Choose” book about Mars exploration based on many of the missions that LPL has been a part of over the last few decades.

Dr. Tommi Koskinen joined the faculty at LPL this fall as an Assistant Professor. Tommi is a planetary scientist who specializes in the dynamics, chemistry, escape and evolution of the atmospheres of the planets and satellites in the solar system and extrasolar planets. He earned his Ph.D. in Astrophysics at University College London, U.K. He came to LPL in the fall of 2009 to pursue a post-doctoral associate position and decided to stay on as a Staff Scientist (2014), attracted by the vibrant planetary science and astronomy community at the University of Arizona. Tommi develops numerical models and data analysis techniques to interpret observations of planetary atmospheres, with a current focus on the physics and chemistry of the middle and upper atmosphere. He works on atmospheric models and observations of a diverse array of objects including extrasolar planets, Saturn, Titan, and Pluto. He was a participating scientist on the Cassini mission to the Saturn system and will continue to work on the large archive of observations that remain to be analyzed after the Grand Finale tour. He is also working on developing new models that are required to understand upcoming observations of extrasolar planet atmospheres.

Congratulations to James Keane, Sarah Morrison, and Donna Viola, LPL's most recent grads!

James Keane is currently a postdoctoral associate at the Joint Center for Planetary Astronomy at CalTech. He defended his dissertation (Tidal-Rotational Dynamics of Solar System Worlds, from Mercury to Pluto) on May 12. Isamu Matsuyama was his advisor.  

Sarah Morrison defended The Dynamics and Implications of Gap Clearing via Planets in Planetesimal (Debris) Disks on May 10, and is now a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Pennsylvania. Sarah was advised by Kaitlin Kratter.

Donna Viola defended her Ph.D. dissertation titled, Expanded Craters on Mars: Implications for Shallow, Mid-Latitude Excess Ice, on July 10. Shane Byrne served as Donna's advisor. Donna is currently working with Professor Byrne as a Research Specialist at LPL.

On May 11, LPL had the pleasure of hosting the University of Arizona Press reception celebrating the release of Mars: Pristine Beauty of the Red Planet. With explanatory captions in 24 languages and a gallery of more than 200 images, this distinctive volume brings a timely and clear look at the work of an active NASA mission and HiRISE. Through vivid and beautiful images, this book underscores the need for such a camera on future orbiters, especially as more landing missions are planned. 

by Eric Christensen

The Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) operates two survey telescopes on Mt. Lemmon (Tucson, Arizona) in search of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), or asteroids and comets that can approach the orbit of the Earth to less than 45 million kilometers. In 2016, CSS deployed new cameras at both survey telescopes: the 1.5-m prime focus reflector (figure 1) and the 0.7-m Schmidt (figure 2). These cameras, built locally in Tucson by Spectral Instruments Inc., increased the fields of view of each telescope by factors of 4x and 2.4x, respectively. These upgrades have allowed CSS telescopes to survey significantly larger areas of sky, leading to an uptick in the discovery rate.  

2016 was a record year for NEO discovery: CSS led the league with 930 discoveries (a factor of 1.5x better than CSS’s previous best year), and together with other surveys, found a total of 1,889 NEOs (a factor of 1.2x more than the previous best year). The first four months of 2017 show similarly encouraging results. CSS is a long-term leader in the NEO discovery effort, accounting for over 45% of the known catalog of NEOs (figure 3).

At CSS we continue to work to optimize our workflow, modify our survey strategies, and tune our systems to maximum sensitivity. The recent instrumentation upgrades have provided a significant boost in discovery capacity, leading to new opportunities and challenges for the survey.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

by Margaret Landis

This semester’s fieldtrip, led by Joe Spitale, was to southwestern Utah, with major stops at Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, to explore the geology of the Colorado Plateau, especially the series of sedimentary layers that form the Grand Staircase. The faulting, stratigraphy, and uplift all contribute to the area's unique geological features.

While making the drive up to Utah, the group stopped at Walnut Canyon and the East Kaibab monocline to discuss the National Parks system/federal land management policy and the formation of monoclines, synclines, and anticlines. Once in Utah, we spent some time in Zion National Park, discussing the overall geology (including landslide deposits near the Springdale entrance to the park), cross bedding (spectacular examples were on the road through the park), and erosional/fluvial processes. One spectacular example was Weeping Rock, where groundwater has started to carve part of an amphitheater-shaped feature while it also cascaded over the side of the formation.

The stratigraphy and erosion observed in Zion was also showcased at Bryce Canyon National Park, where the limestone and other sedimentary rocks of the park had been modified by frost heave processes into hoodoos. After discussing the overall geology, formation of faults and joints, and hoodoos, we hiked down into the formation on the Navajo Loop trail. The sedimentary layers in these parks are part of the Grand Staircase formation, a classic example of a sedimentary sequence with the most recent layers exposed in Bryce Canyon, descending all the way to the Grand Canyon.

In addition to Bryce and Zion National Parks, the LPL field trippers made stops at points of interest including Mammoth Cave (a lava tube created during one of the sporadic periods of volcanism in the area) and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. As formations like the Vermillion Cliffs continue to erode, the spectacularly colored sediment can concentrate in dune formations, like the Coral Pink dunes. We also stopped to see dinosaur tracks, an interesting feature of the Jurassic aged Kayenta and Moenave layers of the Grand Staircase. 

Donna Viola gives a talk on the formation of dinosaur tracks in the Grand Staircase.

Kyle Pearson speaking about the formation of Weeping Rock and sapping channels. Water can be seen cascading from the formation in the background.

Spring 2017 field trip group at Brian Head, a vantage point where many layers of the upper Grand Staircase can be observed.

The papers of Ewen Whitaker, who passed away last October (2016), have been added to the University of Arizona Libraries History of Science (Pioneers of Planetary Science) collection. The Whitaker materials are indexed along with documents from Gerard P. Kuiper, Charles P. Sonett, Donald M. Hunten, Tom Gehrels, Michael J. Drake, and Peter Smith.