Cosmochemistry and Planetary Science at the University of Manchester

Are we alone in the universe, or is life widespread? In what way are the Earth and our own solar system special? To answer these questions sstronomers studying the formation of other solar systems and seek planetary systems around other stars. We tackle them by studying extraterrestrial material. We aim to understand how our solar system formed and evolved; what properties enabled the emergence and of life and the development of complex organisms; and how likely it is that life develops where conditions are favourable.
We will continue to address these questions by studying samples from beyond the Earth, such as interplanetary dust particles (minute grains, mostly from comets, that enter the Earth's atmosphere), meteorites and samples returned by space missions from the Moon, Mars, asteroids and comets. Some of this material contains dust that formed around stars that died long before our own solar system formed, allowing us to understand how these stars formed the elements that make up our planet and our bodies. Other chemical and isotopic tracers reveal the timing of planet formation and evolution, allowing us to understand what the solar system was like as our planet formed.
Our Earth has a metallic iron core, a rocky mantle and crust on which we live, and oceans and an atmosphere that allow us to thrive.. Formation of the Earth was a violent process that eventually shaped the environment that supports us. We will study meteorites from asteroids that went through similar processes to understand how they unfolded. We will also look at where and how carbon-rich material and gases were incorporated into asteroids and comets, what their compositions were and how they were eventually incorporated into the Earth. This will help us understand how the Earth acquired the atmosphere and oceans on which our life depends.
The face of the full Moon is very familiar, but it is sobering to reflect that it is more than 3 billion years old In fact, the Moon's crust dates back to a period when life was getting started on the Earth and few traces are preserved. Studying the Moon gives us an opportunity to understand how the Earth was affected by the cataclysmic asteroid impacts that pounded our planet during this crucial time. Samples from the Apollo mission have given us some information, but lunar meteorites provide material from other areas of the Moon about which little is known, and help to shed new light on this enigmatic period of Earth's history.
Whether there is life on Mars is a fascinating question. Has Mars ever provided an environment hospitable to life? If it does, has, has life ever found a foothold? What basic ingredients for life were present on Mars, how are these cycled around the planet? How much was delivered by meteorites. Were these in a form that life can use and was water present? We will simulate the Martian surface in the laboratory and "fertilise" it by meteorites to see whether life can survive, and what it produces that we could look for on Mars. We will also search for evidence of Martian water and atmospheric gases, in rare meteorites that come from Mars to understand how its environment has evolved over time.
Analysing images is another way of understanding our solar system, but how sure can we be that we have identified features correctly? This is a problem that recurs in many areas, from face recognition systems to MRI scans. We have developed a new approach and will be using it to study the record of impact events on the Moon's surface and the evolution of drainage systems on Mars.
It is an exciting time where our view of our place in the universe is evolving rapidly as we bring new techniques to the problem of understanding our solar system. As part of this funding we will continue to pursue the new developments that will help future generations of planetary scientists gain clearer insights into the history of our solar system and ourselves.

The growing UK Space sector contributes £9.1 billion a year to the UK economy. This project will support the UK's investment in space by providing science underpinning major missions that the UK Space Agency has invested in, now and in the future.

Mining and hydrocarbon exploration added a gross value of £31.5 billion to the UK economy in 2011. However, in times of impending energy- and raw material crisis finding ways of tapping into yet unknown resources will be a game changing advantage over competitors. This proposal uses novel technologies that can be used by UK-based companies for future exploration purposes.

Technology and technological progress are seen as the driving force of economy. Blue-sky research often produces these vital technological impulses. The developments undertaken at the University of Manchester are a vital contribution to this challenge.

In the public awareness, the origin of planets and the source of water are intimately linked to the question of how and when life formed on our planet and whether or not there is life elsewhere in the galaxy. This interest is further enhanced by current space missions looking for evidence of water and organic compounds on Mars and the Moon.


How they will benefit?

Our group has contributed significantly to the science planning of space missions including the ESA mission BepiColumbo to Mercury, the proposed Marco Polo mission for asteroid sample return and the Indian Chandrayaan-1 and 2 missions to the Moon. Our research and expertise will therefore be of great interest to policy makers concerned with the planning of future space science directives and provide advice in the development of new spacecraft instrumentation, which yields downstream technology return to the UK.

Our methods can be applied to the chemical characterisation of very complex samples such as crude oil, shales and ores. This characterisation helps to understand the formation of economically important source rocks within the Earth's crust and can assist UK-based exploration companies in their attempt to identify and exploit future economically viable resources.

Our group has a long history of innovation and spin-off in technology, most recently a cooperation agreement with ThermoScientific Ltd to test a new software platform for mass spectrometers. We are collaborating with UK companies Ionoptika Ltd, Kore Technology and SAI Ltd and the French manufacturer Cameca. The capabilities developed are also being transferred to other areas such as the detection and analysis of radioactive particles released accidentally or deliberately into the environment, which has led to a joint programme with AWE (Aldermaston).

We have a strong commitment to convey our research to the general public and to excite school children in all aspects of planetary science. Over the last two years we have participated in major public events such as Live from Jodrell Bank; BBC Stargazing Live; Manchester Science Festival, Science Spectacular; Girls Nights Out (Under The Stars); as well as key cultural events at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry and Bolton Museum. We visited numerous schools and UK science societies to give talks. We also organised several engaging and interactive exhibitions in order to spark younger people's interest in science and to encourage further study at school and university. Such access pathways to STEM subjects help to increase the UK's potential as a knowledge-driven society.

To reach an even wider audience, group members are also regular expert guests at TV and radio shows including Newsnight, Newsround, BBC Five Live, BBC Manchester and BBC Breakfast. Our research in planetary science is covered by a science blog (http://earthandsolarsystem.wordpress.com/), which has so far recorded more than 55,000 hits. News and information is also posted regularly via twitter (400) and Facebook (300 followers).