Planetary Science at the Open University 2017-2020

Our proposed research programme addresses the origin and evolution of the Solar System, including surfaces, atmospheres and physical, geological, chemical and biological processes on the terrestrial planets, the Moon, asteroids, comets, icy satellites and extraterrestrial materials, in a range of projects which address the STFC Science Roadmap challenge B: "How do stars and planetary systems develop and is life unique to our planet?"

The inner rocky bodies of the Solar System are of particular importance in understanding planetary system evolution, because of their common origin but subsequent divergent histories. Lunar samples will be used to determine the abundance and composition of volatile elements on the Moon, their source(s) in the lunar interior, and processes influencing their evolution over lunar geological history. Oxygen isotope analysis will be used to determine the conditions and processes that shape the formation of materials during the earliest stages of Solar System formation. Mars is the focus of international Solar System exploration programmes, with the ultimate aim of Mars Sample Return. We will: investigate the martian water cycle on global and local scales through a synthesis of atmospheric modeling, space mission data and surface geology; assess potential changes in the composition of Mars' atmosphere over time through measurement of tracers trapped in martian meteorites of different ages; and determine whether carbon dioxide, rather than water flow, is able to account for recently active surface features on Mars. Mercury is an end-member in the planet-formation spectrum and we plan to exploit NASA MESSENGER data to study its origin and crustal evolution, and prepare for ESA's BepiColombo mission.
The cold outer regions of the Solar System, and particularly comets, are believed to have retained some of the most pristine primitive material from their formation. We plan to probe the composition and origins of cometary material and understand the processes that drive cometary activity through: laboratory analysis of the most primitive Interplanetary Dust Particles; and direct measurements of a comet by our instruments on the Rosetta mission, together with laboratory simulations. We will conduct laboratory ultraviolet observations of irradiated ices to provide new insights into the composition of Solar System ices and how they may create atmospheres around their parent bodies. We will also investigate the role volatiles can play in the cohesion ("making") of Solar System minor bodies, and the fragmentation that can be achieved by thermal cycling (a candidate process that "breaks" them).
The question of whether Earth is a unique location for life in the Solar System remains one of the most enduring questions of our time. We plan to investigate how the geochemistry of potentially habitable environments on Mars, Europa and Enceladus would change over geological timescales if life was present, producing distinguishable biomarkers that could be used as evidence of life in the Solar System. We will study the role of hypervelocity impacts in: the processing of compounds of critical interest to habitability (water, sulfur-species, organic species) during crater formation; and the hydrothermal system of the 100 km diameter Manicouagan impact structure in Canada to assess the astrobiological implications of hydrothermal systems for early Mars.

In addition to satisfying humanity's innate desire to explore and understand the Universe around us, our research has more tangible benefits. We use the analytical techniques involved from development of space and laboratory instrumentation for applications with companies in fields as diverse as medicine, security, tourism and cosmetics. One of the most important benefits of our research is that it helps to train and inspire students - the next generation of scientists and engineers - through training within the University and public outreach and schools programmes.

Knowledge Exchange:
During the grant period, staff expect to pursue the impact agenda through collaborations with the public (UK Space Agency, European Space Agency, etc.) and private (e.g., AirBus, RAL-Space, etc.) sectors. Our well-established collaboration with the technology company e2v is based on a training programme of research projects co-funded by STFC CASE awards. The programme has trained around 30 engineers, who have studied sensor damage through space irradiation, developed new sensor testing techniques and improved sensor design, adding to the capabilities of e2v. Around 10 SME have been established in the planetary and space science area involving staff covered by this grant. These are working closely with OU staff to develop spin-offs from our space instrumentation programme, including the design of a vacuum valve, technology for detecting bed bugs in hotel rooms and detecting bladder cancer in patients. A further spin-off from our Rosetta work is a method measure the properties of porous samples of volatile material - i.e., snow, being used for real-time in situ monitoring of the quality of artificial snow for winter sports.

Our plans for future exploitation of our research build on areas where our expertise and instrument development capabilities are securing funding. For example, through our membership of ESA's ELIPS programme, we are attempting to advance the instrument that was deployed on the Philae lander into a version that could be used for astronaut monitoring. We have also been invited to contribute to an ESA/Roscosmos mission, Luna-27, that is currently under consideration. If this goes ahead, it will see instrumentation from Rosetta developed to explore the southern lunar pole, part of the vision of the current ESA DG for an eventual "lunar village". We continue to offer analytical services based on our laboratory instrumentation. Whilst we take on contractual work at commercial rates, the excellence of our laboratories, combined with staff expertise, enabled us to win the lead role in the EU-funded Horizon 2020 EuroPlanet Research Infrastructure programme (http://www.europlanet-2020-ri.eu/), one of the largest projects funded at 10M Euro.

Public engagement:
The Open University (OU) has a mission to be "open as to people, places, methods and ideas" and our research holds closely to this ideal.
The OU has a unique (amongst HEIs) agreement with the BBC, in which the it co-produces up to 20 television and 7 radio series a year on the BBC, about a third of which support STEM subjects. The OU also works with other broadcasters to produce curriculum-related programmes. Series in which planetary science staff have had input include Inside Science (weekly on Radio 4) and Stargazing Live (annually on TV). The OU has four YouTube channels with around 30 million views to date. One of the channels is dedicated to research at the OU.

The OU is one of the leading worldwide providers of free online educational resources and founded FutureLearn, the UK's MOOC (Massive Open On-line Courses) provider. Two of these free short-courses have been written by Co-Is on this proposal: Moons and In the Night Sky with around 25000 students to date.

Planetary science and exploration are subjects that elicit great public interest (as witnessed by the media coverage of Rosetta and the Philae landing). We regularly engage with schools (at all levels of the curriculum), amateur societies and the general public, through: visits and lectures; radio and TV interviews; the daily news blog The Conversation (61 articles, read 1.5 million times, from applicants in the past two years); exhibitions, including Royal Society Summer shows. Examples of forthcoming events that will attract media attention are the total solar eclipse in August 2017 and the solar transit of Mercury in November 2019. We will use these as vehicles for informing the public about the Moon and Mercury.