Planetary Science Research Articles

Electrical conductivity of warm dense hydrogen from Ohm’s law and time-dependent density functional theory

Abstract Understanding the electrical conductivity of warm dense hydrogen is critical for both fundamental physics and applications in planetary science and inertial confinement fusion. We demonstrate how to calculate the electrical conductivity using the continuum form of Ohm’s law, with the current density obtained from real-time time-dependent density functional theory. This approach simulates the dynamic response of hydrogen under warm dense matter conditions, with temperatures around 30,000 K and mass densities ranging from 0.02 to 0.98 g/cm³. We systematically address finite-size errors in real-time time-dependent density functional theory, demonstrating that our calculations are both numerically feasible and reliable. Our results show good agreement with other approaches, highlighting the effectiveness of this method for modeling electronic transport properties from ambient to extreme conditions.

A super-resolution coded aperture miniature mass spectrometer proof-of-concept for planetary science

A super-resolution coded aperture miniature mass spectrometer proof-of-concept for planetary science

Stellar Wind Contribution to the Origin of Water on the Surface of Oxygen-containing Minerals

The origin of water and volatile compounds on planets including Earth is a hotly debated topic in planetary science. For example, many dynamic models suggest that the majority of Earth’s water and volatile elements were added from an external source. The stellar wind irradiation of rocky oxygen-containing minerals results in a reaction between H+ ions and silicate minerals to produce water and OH, which could explain the presence of water in the regoliths of airless worlds such as the Moon, as well as the water abundances in asteroids. Here, we used the method of high-resolution infrared spectrometry and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) with mass detection to observe and for the first time quantify water formation on the surfaces of oxygen-bearing minerals. We tested 14 different mineral and natural samples and observed the formation of water on their surfaces upon exposure to H+ or D+ irradiation. The samples, including two meteorite samples (RAS 445 and SAU 567), were shown to have a water adsorption capacity between 0.09 and 0.7 wt%. The adsorbed water (likely dissociatively adsorbed) remains on the surface at pressures as low as 10−9 mbar (in the TPD experiment) and temperatures as high as 600 K, which suggests a possible transfer over long distances and timescales. Our article has a general character and demonstrates that any interaction of oxygen-containing minerals with stellar radiation (H+ ions) leads to the generation of water adsorbed on the surface of the minerals. The case of the origin of water on Earth is taken as a prime example.

Measurements of K-edge and L-edge extended x-ray absorption fine structure at the national ignition facility (invited).

High-energy-density laser facilities and advances in dynamic compression techniques have expanded access to material states in the Terapascal regime relevant to inertial confinement fusion, planetary science, and geophysics. However, experimentally determining the material temperature in these extreme conditions has remained a difficult challenge. Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS), referring to the modulations in x-ray absorption above an absorption edge from photoelectrons' interactions with neighboring atoms, has proven to be a versatile and robust technique for probing material temperature and density for mid-to-high Z elements under dynamic compression. The current platform at the National Ignition Facility has developed six configurations for EXAFS measurements between 7 and 18keV for different absorption edges (Fe K, Co K, Cu K, Ta L3, Pb L3, and Zr K) using a curved-crystal spectrometer and a bright, continuum foil x-ray source. In this work, we describe the platform geometry, x-ray source performance, spectrometer resolution and throughput, design considerations, and data in ambient and dynamic-compression conditions.

Space travel across the decades and beyond: A brief history of NASA’s space programme

Abstract The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) journey into the cosmos is a captivating tapestry of milestones that have revolutionised our understanding of space. The intense competition in the early part of the Space Race between the US and Soviet space programmes fuelled rapid advancements in spacecraft technology, space science and interplanetary exploration strategies as both countries tried to be the first to put humans on the Moon. For NASA, human exploration began with the Mercury missions, followed by the Gemini missions proving humans could travel and work in space. The early pinnacle of NASA’s human space explorations came with the Apollo programme, which triumphantly made six historic lunar landings bringing back 382 kg of lunar material and leaving many important instruments on the Moon. Following the human Moon landings, NASA embraced space station missions with the marvel of engineering known as the Space Shuttle. This led to the assembly and maintenance of the International Space Station (ISS), a colossal orbiting laboratory hosting countless scientific experiments in microgravity. Now, NASA’s future human space exploration sets its sights on going back to the Moon, then onto Mars, aiming to establish a long-term human presence in the Solar System. Additionally, NASA’s science missions encompass Astrophysics, Earth Science, Heliophysics, Planetary Science, and Biological and Physical Sciences, yielding groundbreaking discoveries about our Sun, climate change, the Solar System and the Universe beyond and how life survives in the harshness of space. NASA’s extraordinary odyssey has left an indelible mark on human history, unlocking the secrets of the cosmos and igniting the dreams for past and future generations to come.

Fierce Planets

Exploring the cosmos through fiber art and planetary science.

Deterministic and stochastic geometric mechanics for Hall magnetohydrodynamics

We derive new models of stochastic Hall magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) by applying Lie group symmetry reduction in a stochastic Euler–Poincaré variational principle. The resulting new theory of stochastic Hall MHD has potential applications for uncertainty quantification and data assimilation in space plasma (space weather), planetary science and solar physics. The stochastic geometric mechanics approach we take here produces coordinate-free results that may then be applied in a variety of spatial configurations.

Inconsistencies in Simple Thermal Model Results for Near-Earth Asteroids between Infrared Telescope Facility SpeX and NEOWISE Data

Understanding the properties of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) is key for many aspects of planetary science, particularly planetary defense. Our current knowledge of NEA sizes and regolith properties is heavily dependent on simple thermal models. These models are often used to analyze data from missions such as NEOWISE because they are well suited to deal with large volumes of data. However, simple model results based on NEOWISE data may be inconsistent with results based on other types of observation in some cases. In this work, we seek to better understand these potential inconsistencies, as well as the situations for which they are most prevalent. We do this by comparing simple model results based on Infrared Telescope Facility SpeX data to similar results based on NEOWISE data. This is carried out for six NEAs that represent a range of spectral types, shapes, and rotation states. We find that models based on SpeX and NEOWISE data for these six objects are inconsistent in some cases, even though the SpeX results are consistent with other methods and observations. We find that objects observed at fainter magnitudes and objects with more primitive compositions are more likely to produce inconsistent fits. These results highlight the importance of better understanding the limitations of simple models as applied to large survey data sets like NEOWISE. This is particularly true as we move into an era where our understanding of the NEA population will be dominated by future large surveys such as NEO Surveyor.

British Planetary Science Conference 2024

Abstract The fourth British Planetary Science Conference set down at the mighty National Space Centre in Leicester in June

LunaIcy: Exploring Europa’s Icy Surface Microstructure through Multiphysics Simulations

Abstract A multiphysics simulation model incorporating a sintering model coupled with the MultIHeaTS thermal solver was developed to study the evolution of icy moons’ microstructure. The sintering process is highly dependent on temperature, and this study represents the first attempt in planetary science to examine the coupled interaction between heat transfer and sintering. Our approach to ice sintering is based upon the literature while offering a refined description of the matter exchange between grains, bonds, and the pore space. By running the numerical framework, we simulate the evolution of ice microstructure on Galilean satellites, specifically tracking the changes in the ice grain and bond radii over time. LunaIcy, our multiphysics model, was applied to study the evolution of Europa’s ice microstructure over 1 million yr along its orbit, with a parameter exploration to investigate the diverse configurations of the icy surface. Our results indicate that effective sintering can take place in regions where daily temperatures briefly surpass 115 K, even during short intervals of the day. Such sintering could not have been detected without the diurnal thermal coupling of LunaIcy due to the cold daily mean temperature. In these regions, sintering occurs within timescales shorter than Europa’s ice crust age, suggesting that, in present times, their surface is made of an interconnected ice structure.

A descriptive overview of English-language publications in the field of Astronomy Education Research, 1898 to 2022

Discipline-based education research (DBER) takes the theories and methodologies of education research and applies them in the context of a specific discipline, in this example, astronomy. Research in the teaching and learning of astronomy has an extensive history; astronomy education research (AER), as its own separately defined field, is relatively new, stemming from the early to mid-1990s, as a separate track from physics education research (PER). By using a mixed-methods approach to textual analysis considering 2085 English language publications in the field, an order of magnitude larger than the previous largest overviews of the field, this study paints a rich picture of the landscape of AER over the timespan of a century from 1898 to 2022. This paper finds that AER authors started regularly publishing around 1970 and took off significantly in the 1990s with journal articles (~50%) and conference proceedings (~30%) being the most common method of publication. AER, in its early era, was largely a USA endeavour dominated by ASTRO101. This has changed over time and in recent years, the USA has dropped below 50\% of the worldwide AER publication production. “Celestial Motion”, “Instrumentation/Techniques”, and “Planetary Sciences (not Exoplanets)” are the most common content foci while a significant lack of local galactic and extragalactic education research is identified. AER has been heavily focussed on “Content Knowledge”, “Affective”, and “Engagement”. It is found that most articles tend to be general reporting of approaches or results (~43%) rather than full empirical research (~36%) while there is very little theoretical or historical research in AER yet. This overview, based on results input to an online database (istardb.org), provides a resource to researchers, educators, and other interested stakeholders allowing efficient ascertainment of previous research. This supports both researchers, allowing them to develop research questions at the cutting edge of the field, as well as practitioners, to inform their pragmatic approach based on latest research findings. We also present a set of recommendations and future outlook of the field of Astronomy Education Research.

BEFORE STRUCTURE. THE RISE OF KUHN’S CONCEPTUAL SCHEME IN THE COPERNICAN REVOLUTION

Thomas S. Kuhn’s intellectual development could be summed up in a two-stage course, first, the transition from physics to the history of science (primarily physics) and then from the history of science to the philosophy of science, a field in which he achieved consecration with The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (SSR) published in 1962. In the 1950s, before SSR, Kuhn dealt with the history of science and, finally, developed a detailed research on the case of the Copernican Revolution, publishing a book with the same name. The Copernican Revolution. Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought (CR). My aim in this paper is to argue that in this case study Kuhn identified all those situations that he will later describe in the terms of the SSR’s vocabulary, from “paradigm” and “incommensurability”, to “normal science” and “scientific revolution.” I think that although the terminological options in CR differ, such as, for example, the use of the expression “conceptual scheme” for what will later be called “paradigm”, a simple conceptual archaeology directs us to claim that CR is the immediate predecessor of SSR.

Landed Planetary Sensor Model Support with the Community Sensor Model

This note describes recent work to develop landed planetary sensor model support conforming to the widely adopted Community Sensor Model (CSM) standard. We describe the CSM specification and its use in the planetary sciences, introduce the test sensors carried aboard the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover, and describe the engineering research requirements fulfilled. Ultimately, we demonstrate use of a CSM framing sensor model for the NavCam and MastCam instruments including stereo terrain extraction and map projection using the NASA Ames Stereo Pipeline over a multi-day traverse and multi-image correspondence identification needed as an input to stereophotogrammetric block bundle adjustment using the USGS-maintained Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers library.

A Chromatographic Approach for High-Precision Eu Isotope Analysis.

Eu isotopes are promising tracers across various scientific domains such as planetary, earth, and marine science, yet their high-precision analysis has been challenging due to the similar geochemical properties of rare earth elements (REEs). In this study, a novel two-column chromatographic approach was developed utilizing AG50W-X12 and TODGA resins to separate Eu effectively from matrix and interfering elements like Ba, Nd, Sm, and Gd, while ensuring high Eu yields (99.4 ± 0.4%, n = 19) and low blanks (<20 pg). The robustness of this method is evidenced by various rock types and different Eu loading masses. The efficient purification of Eu facilitated the establishment of a high-precision calibration technique with standard-sample bracketing (SSB) and internal normalization (Nd). When a Nu Plasma 1700 multicollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) instrument was employed, repeated purification and analysis of various Geological Reference Materials (GRMs) confirmed that the long-term external precision of δ153/151Eu is better than 0.04‰ (2 standard deviation (2SD)), which represents a 2-5-fold increase in precision compared to previously reported methods. Additionally, the high-precision Eu isotopic compositions of five GRMs, including basalts, andesite, syenite, and marine sediment, were measured. The high-precision Eu isotope techniques presented herein open up new avenues for Eu isotope geochemistry.

DNA palette code for time-series archival data storage

Abstract The long-term preservation of large volumes of infrequently accessed cold data poses challenges to the storage community. Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) is considered a promising solution due to its inherent physical stability and significant storage density. The information density and decoding sequence coverage are two important metrics that influence the efficiency of DNA data storage. In this study, we propose a novel coding scheme called DNA Palette code, which is suitable for cold data, especially time-series archival datasets. These datasets are not frequently accessed but necessitate reliable long-term storage for retrospective research. The DNA Palette code employs unordered combinations of index-free oligonucleotides (oligos) to represent binary information. It can achieve high net information density encoding and lossless decoding with low sequencing coverage. When sequencing reads are corrupted, it can still effectively recover partial information, preventing the complete failure of file retrieval. The in vitro testing of clinical brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data storage, as well as simulation validations using large-scale public MRI datasets (10 GB), planetary science datasets, and meteorological datasets, demonstrate the advantages of our coding scheme, including high information density, low decoding sequence coverage, and wide applicability.

Planetary radio interferometry and Doppler experiment as an operational component of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission

AbstractWe present an overview of the operations and engineering interface for Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment (PRIDE) radio astronomy observations as a scientific component of the ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission, as well as other prospective planetary and space science missions. The article discusses advanced scheduling and planning methods that make it possible to create observing schedules for observations of specific spacecraft in concurrence with observations of natural radio sources. In order to put this into practice and find suitable natural background calibrator sources for PRIDE of JUICE mission, we developed planning and scheduling software. The conventional scheduling software for natural celestial radio sources is not set up to include spacecraft as observation targets in the necessary control files. Therefore, difficulties already arise during observation planning. We report on the development of new and the adaptation of existing routines used in astrophysical and geodetic VLBI for satellite scheduling and planning. The analysis of the PRIDE science observations led to improved observational planning, and the mission’s scheduling methodologies were studied using a systems engineering approach. In addition, we highlighted the new procedures, like finding charts for selecting calibrator radio sources over a range of frequency bands and the outcomes of those strategies for science operation planning. A simulation of the flyby of Venus during the cruise phase of the JUICE spacecraft, based on the Tudat software, is also presented, resulting in a promising opportunity to test PRIDE techniques and evaluate the improvements that PRIDE observables can make to natural bodies’ ephemerides. The first $$\hbox {K}_{a}$$ K a -band (32 GHz) observations of the ESA’s BepiColombo by a radio telescope in the VLBI network, which employs a similar radio communications system as JUICE, were also demonstrated as a test case. The primary objective of these activities is to serve as a practice run for the upcoming operational PRIDE JUICE operations. We showcase the capabilities of the planning and scheduling software for other space missions.

Unveiling deep Earth's hidden potential: insights from a new high-pressure phase discovered in a shocked meteorite

In this study, we report the discovery of a novel high-pressure phase within the Suizhou shocked meteorite, shedding light on the extreme conditions encountered during meteorite impacts. Utilizing advanced analytical techniques including electron microprobe and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, we identified a previously unknown crystalline structure formed under high pressures and temperatures. The new mineral, ideally Mg3(Si0.5[]0.5)Si2O8 (the symbol [] stands for structural vacancy), was approved by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA 2024–012) and named ohtaniite in honour of Eiji Ohtani. The phase, a new mineral with the pyroxene chemistry but with wadsleyite structure, was characterized by its distinct crystal lattice and unique physical properties, suggesting a transformation induced by shock compression. This finding expands our understanding of shock-induced mineralogical transformations in extraterrestrial materials and offers insights into the dynamic processes shaping meteorite evolution. Further investigations into these high-pressure phases are crucial for unraveling the geological history of meteorites and their significance in planetary science.

A bibliometric examination of global port facility research propagation (1975 - 2023)

Seaports play a crucial role in international trade and economic development. This study aims to analyze the existing literature on port facilities to identify research patterns and emerging areas of interest. Using the Scopus database, the researchers searched for publications related to port facilities and found a total of 178 scholarly articles. The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel, Publish or Perish and VOS viewer. The study examined subject areas, keywords, citations, and Journal/publishers metrics, to understand the key contributors and collaborative efforts in this field. The findings revealed a lack of scholarly evaluation of port facilities literature until 1975. From 1975 to 2003, there were 57 publications with very few citations. However, interest in this field grew significantly between 2004 and 2023, with 114 publications and 496 citations. Most of the documents were written in English, and there was concentration of research efforts in specific areas. International collaboration was observed among 12 countries. The study suggests the need for more research, collaborations, and citations in the field of port facilities, particularly in areas beyond engineering and earth and planetary sciences. Logistics management, computing, and maritime should be further explored to address gaps in the current literature.

Italian Contributions to Planetary Astron-omy: From the Discovery of Ceres to Pluto's Orbit, edited by Ileana Chinnici

Italian Contributions to Planetary Astron-omy: From the Discovery of Ceres to Pluto's Orbit, edited by Ileana Chinnici

Advances In Celestial Mechanics And Dynamical Astronomy: A Literature Review

This research paper provides a comprehensive examination of recent developments within the realm of celestial mechanics and dynamical astronomy. By conducting an in-depth analysis of existing literature, this study aims to elucidate the pivotal advancements and contributions that have significantly enhanced our understanding of celestial body motion and dynamics. Through a meticulous evaluation of scholarly articles, books, and conference proceedings, this literature review delves into the fundamental concepts and methodologies that underpin celestial mechanics and dynamical astronomy. The paper explores a wide array of topics, encompassing orbital dynamics, dynamical systems, asterodynamics, planetary science, and explanatory systems. By synthesizing the findings of esteemed researchers and scientists, this study reveals the profound impact of novel numerical methods, analytical techniques, and observational discoveries on the field. Furthermore, it identifies areas ripe for future investigation, underscoring the vast potential for continued exploration and innovation within celestial mechanics and dynamical astronomy. Ultimately, this literature review seeks to provide a valuable resource for scholars, researchers, and students seeking insight into the latest advancements and emerging trends in celestial mechanics and dynamical astronomy, while also highlighting the boundless opportunities for future research and discovery.