Planetary Science Institute

PRESS RELEASE: https://buff.ly/3XXdSzg Flowing wind and water once shaped the sand and sediment of Mars into dunes, ripples and other landscape patterns. Over billions of years, some of these landforms hardened into rock, called paleo-bedforms. Frozen in time, change only comes in the form of the slow erosion by dusty winds, burial by ancient lava flows or the occasional meteorite impact. Researchers mapped and characterized paleo-bedforms across the red planet to better understand their diversity and Mars' ancient climate. Their research turned up paleo-bedforms across landscapes of varying age, latitude and geologic context, including craters, canyons and basins. They can be classified into groups called paleo-dunes and paleo-megaripples, which were shaped by wind; fluvial paleo-dunes, which were shaped by water; and dune cast pits, which were paleo-dunes so eroded that only a shallow depression is left behind. Paleo-bedforms were found all around the planet. “The most compelling and unambiguous paleo-bedforms were the dunes,” said PSI's Matthew Chojnacki. “A lot of these paleo-dunes are dead ringers for the modern dunes, they just look more decrepit.” The most widespread paleo-bedforms were paleo-megaripples, which look like large fields of parallel ridges. The rarest and most heavily degraded paleo-bedforms were likely shaped by ancient water, called fluvial paleo-bedforms. The team only found these in what are thought to be the remnants of ancient megafloods. The team estimates that most of the paleo-bedforms were cemented into the geological record about 2 billion years ago or more recently. Most bedforms were likely buried by volcanic activity like lava flows or ash fall, until erosion revealed them again, while others cemented into rock without ever being buried. Next, the team hopes to identify modern dune fields which may be headed in a similar direction. IMAGE: Paleo-megaripples – captured by #HiRISE – have consistent crest wavelengths, numerous fractures and craters, and can be partially covered by ancient lava flows. CREDIT: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

https://buff.ly/4dHmSgq Scientists are tracking what they are calling Earth's "second moon" this week. It's an asteroid 37 feet wide, sailing outside the orbit of the original, larger Moon. Planetary Science Institute's Mark Sykes says the Earth's gravity captured the object, called 2024 PT5, and put it in a temporary orbit. "But it only goes partway around that orbit. It's called a horseshoe orbit and the reason why it does this is because the moon is messing everything up. The moon helps to capture it and it will help kick it out." Sykes notes many similar objects are in the Earth's general neighborhood but have avoided detection and tracking. "If you are moving slowly enough, then you might get captured into an orbit or a captured flyby situation."

https://buff.ly/3BDSNkQ According to a new analysis of maps of the near and far sides of the Moon, there are multiple sources of water and hydroxyl in the sunlit rocks and soils, including water-rich rocks excavated by meteor impacts at all latitudes. “Future astronauts may be able to find water even near the equator by exploiting these water-rich areas. Previously, it was thought that only the polar region, and in particular, the deeply shadowed craters at the poles were where water could be found in abundance,” said Roger Clark, Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute and lead author of “The Global Distribution of Water and Hydroxyl on the Moon as Seen by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)” that appears in the Planetary Science Journal. “Knowing where water is located not only helps to understand lunar geologic history but also where astronauts may find water in the future.”

https://buff.ly/3zSkuWA Mars' ancient landscape was shaped by wind and water, with these forces sculpting the planet's sand and sediment into patterns such as dunes and ripples, known as bedforms. Over billions of years, many of these formations hardened into rock, becoming what scientists call paleo-bedforms. These features, largely frozen in time, have only been altered by slow erosion from wind, ancient lava flows, or meteorite impacts. Led by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Matthew Chojnacki, a research team recently mapped and characterized these paleo-bedforms to better understand the diversity of Mars' ancient climate. The results were published in the journal 'Geomorphology'. Chojnacki, who has been working with the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) since 2013, explained: "I pulled together a collection of HiRISE images that had these weird features that looked like bedforms, but they were cratered and covered in rocks. They looked decrepit and fossilized. We wanted to investigate further." The team's research revealed paleo-bedforms scattered across Mars, ranging from craters and basins to canyons and more. These formations were grouped into categories such as wind-shaped paleo-dunes and paleo-megaripples, water-formed fluvial paleo-dunes, and heavily eroded dune cast pits. The paleo-bedforms were concentrated in regions like Valles Marineris, Athabasca Valles, Arcadia Planitia, Hellas Planitia, and the highland-lowland transition areas between Arabia Terra and Apollinaris Mons.

#JunoCam: Folded Filamentary Region Taken during NASA Juno's 65th perijove - closest approach to Jupiter - this image of the gas giant has been reprojected, cleaned of digital artifacts, and white balanced to show the details of a folded filamentary region. Look at those stunning, swirling storms! Credit: NASA / JPL / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstädt

https://buff.ly/3XT9Xng The Moon might be a bit of a dark horse when it comes to water. According to a new analysis of mineralogy maps, water and hydroxyl – another molecule made up of hydrogen and oxygen – can be found in multiple locations across all lunar latitudes and terrains, even where the Sun shines down most powerfully. It's a discovery that has multiple implications. It can help us understand the Moon's geological history and ongoing processes, and inform future crewed missions to Earth's satellite. "Future astronauts may be able to find water even near the equator by exploiting these water-rich areas. Previously, it was thought that only the polar region, and in particular, the deeply shadowed craters at the poles were where water could be found in abundance," says planetary scientist Roger Clark of the Planetary Science Institute. "Knowing where water is located not only helps to understand lunar geologic history, but also where astronauts may find water in the future."

https://buff.ly/3BgmTKV Long ago, flowing wind and water shaped Mars's malleable sand and sediment into dunes, ripples and other landscape patterns, called bedforms. Over billions of years, some of these landforms hardened into rock—scientists then call them paleo-bedforms. Frozen in time, change only comes in the form of the slow erosion by dusty winds, burial by ancient lava flows or the occasional meteorite impact. A team of researchers led by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Matthew Chojnacki mapped and characterized paleo-bedforms across the red planet to better understand their diversity and Mars's ancient climate. The paper was published in the journal Geomorphology. Since 2013 Chojnacki has worked on HiRISE, the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, or MRO. "I pulled together a collection of HiRISE images that had these weird features that looked like bedforms, but they were cratered and covered in rocks. They looked decrepit and fossilized," Chojnacki said. "We wanted to investigate further." Their research turned up paleo-bedforms across landscapes of varying age, latitude and geologic context, including craters, canyons and basins. They can be classified into groups called paleo-dunes and paleo-megaripples, which were shaped by wind; fluvial paleo-dunes, which were shaped by water; and dune cast pits, which were paleo-dunes so eroded that only a shallow depression is left behind.

Planetary Science Institute researchers will lend their expertise to four instruments onboard NASA's Europa Clipper, which could launch as early as Oct. 10 to begin its long journey to Jupiter. There, it will orbit the gas giant while searching for signs of life on one of the planet’s moons, Europa – an ocean world encapsulated in ice. The spacecraft will reach Jupiter in April of 2030, carrying nine science instruments to understand the nature of the ice shell and the ocean beneath it, as well as Europa’s composition and geology. The mission will also help scientists better understand the potential for life on other worlds. Read more about PSI's involvement: https://buff.ly/4dvIpZx Photo: An illustration of NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft above the surface of Europa and in front of Jupiter. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Please join us online at the NAC Science Committee meeting, Tues-Thurs this week! 🪐🌍☀️🛰️📡 NASA ADVISORY COUNCIL SCIENCE COMMITTEE (NAC-SCIENCE), Oct 8-10, 2024, public attendance virtual only https://lnkd.in/gQnX8rQ3

https://buff.ly/3BgdBP8 In a new analysis, scientists have found evidence of water basically all over the Moon. Researchers from the Planetary Science Institute arrived at this fascinating new finding by taking a fresh look at lunar mineralogy maps, which they say show that water molecules are far more widespread than previously thought on our planet's natural satellite. These mineral maps, which were taken from both the near and far sides of the Moon by India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft between 2008 and 2009, show that even the sunniest parts of our planet's orbiter seem to contain water that wasn't expected to be there. "Future astronauts may be able to find water even near the equator by exploiting these water-rich areas," Roger Clark, the institute's senior scientist and the lead author of a new paper about the findings published in the Planetary Science Journal, said in a press release. "Previously, it was thought that only the polar region, and in particular, the deeply shadowed craters at the poles were where water could be found in abundance."