Planetary scientists sharing ideas and discoveries.

Planetary Science and Resources Discoveries (PSRD) is an educational site sharing the latest research on the nature and origin of the Moon, meteorites, asteroids, planets, and other materials in our Solar System, and on identifying potential resources on those bodies that could be tapped for the benefit of people on Earth. Original support came from the Planetary Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate and Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium. This site is a vital link for what's new in planetary and space sciences, space resources exploration, and learning how science works.

Archive of Origins Articles

Articles listed by publication date.

DATE POSTED	HEADLINE ARTICLES	PDF VERSIONS
03 MAY 2021	Seeing What We Have Never Seen Before: Low-Frequency Radio Astronomy from the Moon by G. Jeffrey Taylor Low-frequency radio observations from the radio-quiet lunar farside will allow astronomers to probe the universe from its mysterious dark ages after the Big Bang, to the nature of the magnetospheres of planets around other stars and the outer planets in our Solar System, and to better understand the causes of explosive release of plasma from the Sun's corona.
MAY 2020	Applying Machine Learning to Giant-Impact Studies of Planet Formation by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Combining giant-impact studies with machine learning builds on the long-standing aspiration to better understand the long chain of events, collisions, mergers, and accretions that formed planets.
JAN 2019	The Primordial Chemistry of Phosphorus by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Research suggests volatile forms of phosphorus were not abundant or persistent in the early history of our Solar System, even in the colder regions.
20 DEC 2018	The Complicated Origin of Earth's Water by G. Jeffrey Taylor Water delivery and redistribution to Earth was a complicated business with hydrogen coming from chondritic and solar nebular sources.
OCT 2018	Water Delivery by Impact During Planetary Accretion... and Even Now by G. Jeffrey Taylor CosmoSparks Report - Experiments show products of hypervelocity impacts, by carbonaceous chondrite-like projectiles, can retain water.
10 AUG 2018	The Oldest Volcanic Meteorite: A Silica-Rich Lava on a Geologically Complex Planetesimal by G. Jeffrey Taylor A volcanic meteorite is the oldest igneous meteorite identified so far, erupting onto its parent body only about 3 million years after the Solar System began to form.
18 JULY 2018	Minerals Track Chemical Reactions in Interstellar Space and in the Protoplanetary Disk by G. Jeffrey Taylor Mineral intergrowths in cosmic dust and primitive meteorites reveal processes that operated in interstellar space and in the protoplanetary disk surrounding the Sun before the planets formed.
14 JUNE 2018	Meteorite Evidence for a Complicated Protoplanetary Disk by G. Jeffrey Taylor A striking dichotomy in isotopic compositions of meteorite groups appears to be consistent with Jupiter and Saturn migrating to and fro during planet formation.
JAN 2018	Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta—Astrophysical Implications of Extraterrestrial Materials: A Special Issue for Ernst K. Zinner by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - A scientific tribute to Ernst K. Zinner.
9 OCT 2017	Accretional Layers Preserved in a Meteorite by Linda M. V. Martel Visible sequence of layers in the Isheyevo meteorite tells a story of impact debris deposited, layer by layer, onto the surface of the surviving planetesimal.
OCT 2017	Hafnium-tungsten Isotopes by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - The elements hafnium and tungsten are marvels when it comes to studying the timescales of planetary accretion, differentiation, and core formation.
30 AUG 2017	Meteorite Formation Times and the Age of Jupiter by G. Jeffrey Taylor Isotopic analyses of meteorites and models of planetary accretion indicate that Jupiter's solid core had accreted only one million years after the Solar System began to form.
17 APRIL 2017	Chondrules: Important, but Possibly Unfathomable by G. Jeffrey Taylor Studies of chondrules in meteorites have revealed much about them, except how they formed and if they played a role in forming planets.
APRIL 2017	Life Span of the Solar Nebula by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Researchers mark the end of the solar nebula by studying remanent magnetism preserved in angrite meteorites.
MARCH 2017	Ceres Has Organics by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Scientists make the first unambiguous detection of organic compounds on a main asteroid belt body from Dawn orbital data.
NOV 2016	Modeling the Effects of a Giant Planet Instability in the Early Solar System by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Numerical model shows how primordial planetesimals that once existed beyond the orbit of Neptune may be found in the inner asteroid belt. Could the Tagish Lake meteorite be such a sample?
18 MAR 2016	Primordial Molecular Cloud Material in Metal-Rich Carbonaceous Chondrites by G. Jeffrey Taylor Dust from the molecular cloud that gave birth to the Sun may be preserved in objects formed in the outer reaches of the Solar System.
30 NOV 2015	Primeval Water in the Earth by G. Jeffrey Taylor Hydrogen isotopes in lavas derived from the deep mantle suggest the presence of a component inside the Earth that came directly from the primordial solar nebula.
31 JULY 2015	Making and Differentiating Planets by G. Jeffrey Taylor A detailed study forming Earth and differentiating it into core and mantle shows that it accreted heterogeneously and most water is added after 60% of the Earth had formed.
29 JUNE 2015	Chondritic Asteroids–When Did Aqueous Alteration Happen? by Patricia M. Doyle New dates determined for aqueous alteration on chondritic parent bodies, based on a new mineral standard, have big implications on the timing and location of accretion.
MAY 2015	Modeling Water Adsorption on Olivine Crystals in the Solar Nebula by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Modeling results suggest a pathway for the formation of phyllosilicates, which could have been accreted into Earth.
10 APRIL 2015	Ancient Jets of Fiery Rain by G. Jeffrey Taylor A new idea suggests that chondrules could have formed as the result of impact jetting caused when large planetesimals collided during planet formation.
NOV 2014	Extraordinary View of a Star and its Protoplanetary Disk by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array image captures protoplanetary disk.
OCT 2014	Presolar Graphite Grain Isolated from a Carbonaceous Chondrite by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Isotopic and microstructural investigations of a unique low-density supernova graphite grain.
JULY 2014	Investigating Particle Clumping in Microgravity by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Educational demonstrations on the International Space Station are relevant to studies of the growth of asteroids and planets.
APRIL 2014	Investigating Q and Noble Gases in Meteorites by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Nano-scale analyses on a carbon-rich, acid-resistant residue of the Saratov (L4) meteorite.
APRIL 2014	Laboratory Experiments to Understand the Chemical Origin of the Solar System by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Looking at lithium concentration and isotope fractionation in augite grains.	$pdf link, Lithium isotope fractionation$
FEB 2014	Presolar Oxide Grains: A Study of Spinels by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Measurements of elemental and isotopic compositions and microstructural properties of presolar grains.
JULY 2013	Dmisteinbergite: Refractory Mineral in Allende FUN CAI by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Hexagonal CaAl₂Si₂O₈ likely crystallized from a silicate melt at high temperature by rapid cooling.
MARCH 2013	Studying the Most Primitive Extraterrestrial Dust by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Isotopic compositions and presolar grain abundances from interplanetary dust particles.
JAN 2013	Chondrule Formation by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Data from oxygen-isotopic compositions and oxidation states of chondrule olivines in CR chondrites.
16 NOV 2012	Dating Transient Heating Events in the Solar Protoplanetary Disk by G. Jeffrey Taylor Startlingly precise dating of components in primitive meteorites indicate contemporaneous formation of calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) and chondrules.
JUNE 2012	Olympic-caliber Mineral Finder by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - A new mineral, panguite, formed during the birth of our Solar System has been found in the Allende meteorite.
21 FEB 2012	Chronicle of a Chondrule's Travels by Linda M. V. Martel Isotopic measurements of a chondrule in a Comet Wild 2 grain tell the story of outward migration of solar nebula solids, helping to set the formation age of Jupiter.
JAN 2012	Soluble Organics of the Bells Meteorite by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - An inventory of prebiotic, soluble organic compounds in an anomalous CM chondrite.
30 NOV 2011	Festival on the Formation of the First Solids in the Solar System by G. Jeffrey Taylor and Linda M. V. Martel Cosmochemists, astronomers, and astrophysical modelers shared data and ideas about the formation of the materials making up the Solar System.
SEPT 2011	Cosmochemical Building Blocks called GEMS by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - The unfolding story of grains of Glass with Embedded Metal and Sulfides found in interplanetary dust particles.
22 JUNE 2011	A Traveling CAI by G. Jeffrey Taylor Oxygen isotopes show that a calcium-aluminum-rich inclusion wandered throughout the inner Solar System before being incorporated into an asteroid.
JUNE 2011	Looking After and Preserving NASA's Extraterrestrial Samples by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - The work of NASA's Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office.
MAY 2011	Discovery of New Mineral, Krotite, in a CAI by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - CaAl₂O₄ named after Alexander N. Krot.
30 NOV 2010	Supernova Confetti in Meteorites by G. Jeffrey Taylor Pre-solar grains carrying anomalous chromium-54 show evidence for formation in a supernova.
OCT 2010	Stardust--Snapshots of Stars by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Automated NanoSIMS Measurements of Spinel Stardust.
SEPT 2010	Brownleeite: The First New Mineral Identified From a Comet by Linda M. V. Martel CosmoSparks Report - Manganese silicide discovered in an IDP named after Dr. Donald E. Brownlee.
25 AUG 2010	New View of Gas and Dust in the Solar Nebula by G. Jeffrey Taylor 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.
10 JUNE 2010	Formation of Stony-Iron Meteorites in Early Giant Impacts by Edward Scott, Joseph Goldstein, and Jijin Yang Cosmochemical studies and dynamical models of hit-and-run planetary collisions suggest a new origin for the stony-iron meteorites called pallasites.
31 MAR 2010	Dynamics and Chemistry of Planet Construction by G. Jeffrey Taylor Planetary compositions allow us to test computer models of planet formation.
21 JAN 2010	A Complication in Determining the Precise Age of the Solar System by Gregory A. Brennecka The presence of short-lived isotope Curium-247 in the early Solar System complicates the job of dating the earliest events in the solar nebula.
6 JAN 2010	Violent Adolescent Planet Caught Infrared Handed by David Trang and Eric Gaidos Infrared telescopic observations may have observed dust from an impact between protoplanets in the disk surrounding young star HD172555.
13 NOV 09	An Even More Precise View of Aluminum-26 in the Solar Nebula by G. Jeffrey Taylor New, precise analyses of the short-lived isotope aluminum-26 indicate it was distributed uniformly throughout the early solar system, an important clue to its origin.
14 DEC 08	Wee Rocky Droplets in Comet Dust by G. Jeffrey Taylor and Linda M. V. Martel Tiny flash-melted objects in dust collected from comet Wild 2 were transported from the inner Solar System to the outer reaches where comets formed.
20 NOV 08	Tiny Molten Droplets, Dusty Clouds, and Planet Formation by G. Jeffrey Taylor Roughly constant sodium concentration during chondrule crystallization suggests that these molten droplets formed in regions of the solar nebula that were enriched in rocky dust.
6 JULY 07	The Sun's Crowded Delivery Room by G. Jeffrey Taylor Isotopes in meteorites suggest that the Sun formed in a dense cluster of stars.
18 APRIL 07	When Worlds Really Did Collide by Edward Scott, Jijin Yang, and Joseph Goldstein Cosmochemical studies and dynamical models of protoplanetary collisions suggest a new origin for iron meteorites.
25 JAN 07	Organic Globules from the Cold Far Reaches of the Proto-Solar Disk by G. Jeffrey Taylor Hollow organic globules in the Tagish Lake meteorite probably formed far from the proto-Sun, maybe even in interstellar space before our Solar System formed.
27 NOV 06	Hit-and-Run as Planets Formed by G. Jeffrey Taylor Collisions between large protoplanets as the planets formed may have ripped some of them to shreds, producing molten asteroid-sized bodies, driving off water and other volatiles, and scrambling partially molten protoplanets.
24 AUG 06	Wandering Gas Giants and Lunar Bombardment by G. Jeffrey Taylor Outward migration of Saturn might have triggered a dramatic increase in the bombardment rate on the Moon 3.9 billion years ago, an idea testable with lunar samples.
21 JULY 06	Iron Meteorites as the Not-So-Distant Cousins of Earth by William F. Bottke and Linda M. V. Martel Numerical simulations suggest that some iron meteorites are fragments of the long lost precursor material that formed the Earth and other terrestrial planets.
31 JAN 06	Cosmochemistry from Nanometers to Light-Years by G. Jeffrey Taylor Cosmochemists and astronomers test theories on the formation of stars and planets.
31 MAY 05	Making Sense of Droplets Inside Droplets by G. Jeffrey Taylor The vexing presence of chondrules inside supposedly older calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) in chondrites makes sense if the CAIs were remelted.
1 JUNE 04	Silicate Stardust in Meteorites by G. Jeffrey Taylor Silicates are the most abundant solids in disks around growing stars, but presolar silicates have not been found in even the most primitive meteorite--until now.
29 AUG 03	A New Type of Stardust by G. Jeffrey Taylor Interplanetary dust particles contain rare grains that formed in stars older than the Sun.
21 MAY 03	Triggering the Formation of the Solar System by G. Jeffrey Taylor New data from meteorites indicates that formation of the Solar System was triggered by a supernova.
12 DEC 02	Tagish Lake -- A Meteorite from the Far Reaches of the Asteroid Belt by David W. Mittlefehldt A new type of primitive meteorite with much to tell us about the formation of the solar system.
24 OCT 02	The First Rock in the Solar System by Steven B. Simon An aggregate of corundum, hibonite, and perovskite may be among the first rocks to form in the Solar System.
30 SEPT 02	Using Aluminum-26 as a Clock for Early Solar System Events by Ernst Zinner Correspondence between ²⁶Al and Pb-Pb ages shows that ²⁶Al records a detailed record of events in the early solar system.
25 SEPT 02	Dating the Earliest Solids in our Solar System by Alexander N. Krot Lead isotopic analyses give absolute formation ages of Ca-Al-rich inclusions and chondrules.
3 DEC 01	Oxygen Isotopes Give Clues to the Formation of Planets, Moons, and Asteroids by Edward R. D. Scott As they formed from gas and dust near the Sun, grains in some meteorites acquired oxygen that originated in numerous other stars that shone long before our solar system was born.
21 AUG 01	Uranus, Neptune, and the Mountains of the Moon by G. Jeffrey Taylor The tardy formation of Uranus and Neptune might have caused the intense bombardment of the Moon 3.9 billion years ago.
2 MAR 01	Relicts from the Birth of the Solar System by G. Jeffrey Taylor Rapidly cooled silicate droplets found in unusual meteorites may have formed directly from the cloud of gas and dust surrounding the young Sun.
30 SEPT 00	The Oldest Metal in the Solar System by G. Jeffrey Taylor Grains of metallic iron in some chondritic meteorites condensed from hot clouds of gas and dust while the Sun was forming.
28 MAR 00	Supernova Debris in the Solar System by G. Jeffrey Taylor Calculations suggest that a supernova explosion would distribute its debris uniformly throughout the cloud of gas and dust from which the Solar System formed.
24 AUG 99	Honeycombed Asteroids by G. Jeffrey Taylor Asteroids have lower densities than expected, probably because they have been disrupted and then reassembled into porous rubble piles.
8 FEB 99	From a Cloud of Gas and Dust to an Asteroid with Percolating Hot Water by G. Jeffrey Taylor Isotopes of manganese and chromium indicate that chemical reactions involving hot water altered minerals on water-bearing asteroids during the same time interval that other asteroids were melted, between 7 and 16 million years after the first solids formed in the Solar System.
12 NOV 98	Dry Droplets of Fiery Rain by G. Jeffrey Taylor Experiments test an idea for the origin of droplets of rocky material melted before the planets formed.
8 JULY 97	Moving Stars and Shifting Sands of Presolar History by Donald D. Clayton Meteorites contain tiny grains of minerals cast off from ancient stars before the birth of our own Solar System. These grains tell a story of element formation, motions inside stars, and migration of stars in the Galaxy.

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