Planetary Science Research Discoveries

Planetary scientists sharing ideas and discoveries.

Planetary Science Research Discoveries (PSRD) is an educational site sharing the latest research by NASA-sponsored scientists on meteorites, asteroids, planets, moons, and other materials in our Solar System. The website is supported by the Cosmochemistry Program of NASA's Science Mission Directorate and by Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium and is a vital link for planetary and space sciences, and for learning how science works.

Supported by NASA's SMD Cosmochemistry Program and Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium. RSS feed Share

» Formation of Carbonate Minerals in Martian Meteorite ALH 84001 from Cool Water Near the Surface of Mars

(posted December 15, 2011)

Photo of carbonate globules in ALH 84001.

A new approach to thermometry using isotopic compositions of carbon and oxygen indicates that carbonate minerals in Martian meteorite ALH 84001 formed at 18 ± 4 ^oC. » Full article.
You can also download a pdf version.

PSRD-ALH84001_Carb.pdf

10 MOST RECENT HEADLINE ARTICLES. [ V I E W A L L ]

» Festival on the Formation of the First Solids in the Solar System
Cosmochemists, astronomers, and astrophysical modelers shared data and ideas about the formation of the materials making up the Solar System.

» Samples from Asteroid Itokawa
Samples returned from asteroid Itokawa by the Hayabusa mission provide ground truth for astronomical observations and reveal that the little asteroid is eroding at a rate of tens of centimeters per million years.

» Crystallizing the Lunar Magma Ocean
Lab experiments help test ideas for the Moon's chemical composition and how its crust formed.

» A Traveling CAI
Oxygen isotopes show that a calcium-aluminum-rich inclusion wandered throughout the inner Solar System before being incorporated into an asteroid.

» Timeline of Martian Volcanism
High-resolution images allow a larger range of crater sizes to date calderas and the last major periods of volcanic activity on Mars.

» Wet, Carbonaceous Asteroids: Altering Minerals, Changing Amino Acids
Aqueous alteration in asteroids containing organic compounds leads to formation of hydrous minerals and changes in the mix of amino acids.

» Mineral Abundances in Martian Soils
Mineral abundances calculated from a trio of datasets reveal mixtures of unrelated igneous and alteration minerals in Martian dark soils.

» Supernova Confetti in Meteorites
Pre-solar grains carrying anomalous chromium-54 show evidence for formation in a supernova.

» Unraveling the Origin of the Lunar Highlands Crust
Lunar meteorites contain clasts that may plausibly be samples of post-magma-ocean plutons that helped build the highlands crust.

» New View of Gas and Dust in the Solar Nebula
The current view holds that gas and dust in the solar nebula began with the same oxygen isotopic composition, then changed by processes in the nebula. A new view suggests that dust and gas had vastly different mixtures of oxygen isotopes in the first place.

In this series of reports PSRD gives quick views of big advances in cosmochemistry, with links to further details.

» A Summer Fall -- Martian meteorite, Tissint, fell in Morocco in July, 2011.

» Soluble Organics of the Bells Meteorite -- An inventory of prebiotic, soluble organic compounds in an anomalous CM chondrite.

LINKS OPEN IN A NEW WINDOW.

Congratulations to Harry (Hap) Y. McSween Jr., recipient of the 2012 J. Lawrence Smith Medal awarded by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Hap, Chancellor's Professor and Distinguished Professor of Science at the University of Tennessee, is being honored for his pioneering studies of the igneous and metamorphic histories of the parent planets of the chondritic and achondritic meteorites, with particular emphasis on his work on the geological history of Mars based on studies of Martian meteorites and spacecraft missions to the planet. The medal and prize of $25,000 are awarded every three years for original and meritorious investigations of meteoric bodies. This award was established as a gift from Sarah Julia Smith in memory of her husband and has been presented since 1888. Hap, along with 16 others who have made major contributions to science, will be recognized in a ceremony on April 30, during the National Academy of Sciences' 149th annual meeting. Read more from NAS. [Posted 23 Jan 2012.]

Asteroid Vesta is likely cold and dark enough for water ice to exist beneath the surface, according to new reports in the January 2012 issue of the journal Icarus. Read more from NASA's Dawn Mission News. [Posted 26 Jan 2012.]

In this series of articles PSRD highlights the essential tools and amazing technology used by talented scientists seeking to unravel how the solar system formed.

This section of PSRD contains annotated slide sets that are associated with our articles. We hope you find the slides useful for your own talks and presentations.

This section of PSRD contains links to further information about meteorites, planetary science, and classroom activities.

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