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Project Reports

• Star and Planet Formation

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1

• Climate Model for Extrasolar Terrestrial Planets

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 7.2

• Planetary Biology, Evolution and Intelligence

  Chris Chyba, Cynthia Phillips, Kevin Hand- The project has two components. The first, an overview of the astrobiological potential of various geological features on Europa, is proceeding well — we are continuing study of various proposed formation mechanisms for different features types such as ridges, bands, and chaotic terrain. The second, a search for current geological activity by comparing Galileo images taken on different orbits, is also in progress. We have performed a first-stage search of the Galileo Europa images to find overlapping images, and are currently working on an automated search method to make sure that we find all possible comparison images. We are also working on automated processing techniques.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2

• Project 2. Extraterrestrial Materials: Origin and Evolution of Organic Matter and Water in the Solar System

  The abundant organic compounds in primitive meteorites and interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) are thought to originate largely in the interstellar medium. However, this material may have been modified in the protoplanetary disk and has been modified to varying extents in the asteroidal parent bodies.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 3.1

• The History of Evolution of the Martian Surface and Water on Mars

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 4.1

• An Astronomical Search for the Essential Ingredients for Life: Placing Our Habitable System in Context.

  Module 1: The Building Blocks of Life

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 3.1 3.2 4.3

• Chemistry Models for Extrasolar Planets

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 6.1 7.1 7.2

• Delivery of Organic Materials to Planets

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 7.2

• Prebiotic Organics From Space

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 3.1 3.4 4.3 7.1 7.2

• Database of Stellar Spectra to Support Extrasolar Planet Modeling

  M. Cohen has developed complete far-UV to far-IR spectra of a variety of potential host stars from solar analogs to M-dwarfs in their quiescent phase (non-flaring).

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 7.2

• Extrasolar Planetary Systems and the Potential for Terrestrial Planets

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 3.1

• Chemical Models of Nebular Processes

  The goal of this task is to determine the chemical composition of icy bodies and establish their potential for delivering pre-biotic organic materials and water to the young Earth and other planets.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 3.1

• Relationship Between Hydrogeology and Microbiology at Active Springs

  This project examines relationship between hydrological and biological diversity within a mesophilic, sufide-rich spring system

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 5.2 7.2

• Dynamics of Comets, Asteroids, and Planets

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2

• Database of Molecular Spectroscopy to Support Extrasolar Planet Modeling

  The database of molecular spectroscopic parameters at http://vpl.ipac.caltech.edu/spectra/ contains a compilation of calculated and experimental linelists combined with a collection of empirical absorption cross-sections for specific molecules of interest to the VPL

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 7.2

• Modeling Early Atmospheric Composition and Climate

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1

• Re-Tracing Steps Towards a Habitable World: The Biogeochemical Evolution of Sulfur on the Early Earth.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 3.1 4.1 4.2 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1

• Model Synthesis and Architecture

  The Virtual Planetary Laboratory interface and integration team has developed the proto-type VPL Online Community Tool.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 7.2

• Origin and Evloution of Organics in Planetary Systems

  This progress report summarizes astrobiology research done during the first year of funding from the NASA Astrobiology Institute at Washington University in St. Louis under the direction of Professor Bruce Fegley, Jr

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 3.1

• Evolution of a Habitable Planet (Capo)

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 6.1

• Habitable Planets

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 4.1 4.3

• Evolution of a Habitable Planet (Stewart)

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 6.1

• Project 1. From Molecular Clouds to Habitable Planetary Systems

  Chambers developed a new semi-analytic model for the oligarchic growth stage of planet formation.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 3.1 7.2

• From Stars to Genes: Addition to Extrasolar Planetary Systems

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 4.2 4.3 5.1 5.2

• The Abiotic Planetary Model: The Upper and Lower Boundary Condition on the Atmosphere

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 3.1 4.1 7.2

• Numerical Simulations of Planetary Dynamics

  First, he completed simulations from his thesis work on the mechanism of giant planet migration in a gaseous circumstellar disk. His results agree partially with previous simulations using a different numerical technique, suggesting that giant planets should migrate quickly toward their parent star, possibly creating a gap in the gas disk.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1

• Electrochemical Isotope Effects With Applications to Stable Isotope Fractionation in Transition Metals

  We have successfully begun a research program examining how electrochemical processes (e.g. electroplating, corrosion, biological metabolism) act on stable isotopes of transition metals, starting with Fe.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 4.2 4.3

• The Astrochemistry of Protoplanetary Systems and the Meteorite rRecord – Part of the Extrasolar Planetary Systems Project

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1

• The Impact of Atmospheric Particles on Life

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 2.2 3.1 4.1 4.3 7.1

• Geochemical and Geochemistry of Early Earth – Isotope Stratigraphy

  C and O isotope analyses of carbonates from the Proterozoic/Phanerozoic transition of the Siberian Platform: proxy for early life evolution?

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.2 6.1

• Lee Kump

  This year we published a paper in Geology which proposed that episodic release of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S ) from the ocean caused the end-Permian mass extinction. Moreover, we suggested that the underlying environmental driver, euxinic deep waters (enriched in H₂S), may have been the norm during a billion years of Earth history (from 1.8 Ga to 0.8 Ga), and that H₂S eruptions may have delayed colonization of the land surface

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 4.3 5.2 6.1

• Causes of Mass Extinctions: Testing Impact Models_Kring

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 4.3

• The Evolution of a Habitable Planet (Sigurdsson)

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2

• From Stars to Genes

  Thermal evolution of Io: The thermal equilibrium of a silicate body subject to tidal heating has been studied and applied to the thermal state of Io. The results of this work demonstrate that heat transport in Io is accomplished predominantly by melt segregation and not by convection as previously assumed.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.2

• Formation of Planetesimals in a Dynamically Evolving Nebula

  Work on the dynamics of dust grains in the neighborhood of density-enhanced structures in a planet-forming nebula has been continuing. In particular, a new project on the dynamics and coagulations of dust particles in a dynamically evolving nebula has been launched. In such and environment, the physical properties of the nebula, such as its temperature and pressure, constantly vary.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1

• Plate Tectonics on the Terrestrial Planets

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1

• Origin and Evolution of Organics in Planetary Systems

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2 3.1

• The Organic Volatile Composition of Comets: A Window on the Early Solar System

  Our long-range objective is to establish a taxonomy for comets based on chemistry, rather than orbital dynamics. The formation temperature of a given comet can be constrained by measures of the ortho-para ratios in H₂O and by the isotopic enhancements (e.g., in deuterium) in selected volatile species.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 3.1 4.1 4.3

• Habitability and Water Delivery in Binary-Planetary Systems

  Study of habitability and water-delivery in binary star systems requires an expansive study of the dynamical evolution of these systems. While habitability requires identifying regions within the habitable zone of the system where a life-harboring planet (such as an Earth-size body) can have a long-term stable orbit, water-delivery requires identifying regions where water-carrying objects such as comets, and water-rich planetesimals and protoplanets, can be unstable.

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1

• Kuiper Belt Orbital Studies

  ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.2