Planetary Science Group, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London: Consolidated Grant Proposal

This application for a Consolidated Grant is to support planetary science research at Birkbeck, University of London. The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Birkbeck hosts a relatively small, but very active, planetary science research group, specialising principally in lunar and Mars research, icy satellites, meteoritics, and astrobiology. Over the last five years our group has led (i.e. has first-authorship of) 25 peer reviewed papers in the international planetary science literature, has made significant contributions (i.e. co-authorship of) 58 additional peer reviewed publications, and contributed over 70 extended abstracts presented at international conferences. The present application is intended to advance our work in these areas by providing support for 3 PDRAs and one PhD student on four planetary science projects, as follows:

(1) "Constraining the source localities of lunar meteorites." We wish to extend this previously awarded three-year PhD studentship by six months to maximise scientific output and exploit synergies with Project (2).

(2) "Determining the Source Locations of Martian Meteorites." The exploration of Mars lies at the heart of the attempt to understand how planetary systems evolve and whether life is unique to Earth. Martian meteorites currently represent the only samples of Mars available for study and have provide a detailed understanding of the geochemistry of the martian crust. However, these meteorites have never been geochemically tied to source locations on Mars, meaning that their geological context is missing and that the information gleaned from them cannot confidently be used in studies of the geological and astrobiological evolution. The aim of this project is to link the geochemical analyses of martian meteorites to the geological evolution of Mars by combining a knowledge of the composition of martian meteorites with hyperspectral data of the surface of Mars to determine the source locations of the meteorites.

(3) "Mercury: Constraints on its internal differentiation and chemical evolution." Mercury is the least well-known terrestrial planet and represents a planetary end-member with respect to its density and proximity to the Sun. It thus provides important constraints on planetary formation and evolution. In order to provide better constraints on suitable building blocks for Mercury and to constrain its thermo-chemical evolution, we aim to: (a) conduct a systematic set of experiments to investigate the partitioning behaviour of trace elements between solid and liquid mineral phases under conditions relevant to the interior of Mercury; (b) conduct detailed analysis of EH and CB chondrites that have been proposed to be the building blocks for Mercury; and (c) model the fractional crystallization trends for the Mercurian mantle based on the major element compositions of partial melts of the Mercurian mantle composition based on the chondrite results.

(4) "Detection of life's biosignatures on Mars guided by Earth-based analogues." The key to identifying past or present life on Mars is an integrated understanding of the geological capabilities for the preservation of biosignatures and the degenerative effects of the environment. Building on cross-disciplinary expertise, this study will combine experimental simulations, fieldwork, and spectroscopic analyses to create a synthesis of geological and biological methods to enable biosignature detection on Mars. The main objectives are to (a) identify characteristic spectroscopic biosignatures in rocks from several distinct Mars analogue environments; (b) catalogue the IR spectroscopic biosignatures of extant life; and (c) quantify the spectral modification of biosignatures within geological materials after exposure to martian UV radiation. The results will inform future Mars exploration activities, and will aid in the interpretation of data collected by ESA's ExoMars rover to be launched towards the end of the Project.

The main (non-academic) impact of our work is expected to be in helping to enhance the public understanding of science, to which our group is strongly committed. The principal applicant is a past president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (the largest public astronomy society in the UK), and one of the co-applicants (Dr Peter Grindrod) and one of the nominated PDRAs (Dr Louisa Preston) are STEMNET ambassadors; all the applicants give a large number of public talks and media appearances. Moreover, Birkbeck College is itself institutionally committed to public education (being that part of the University of London which caters for continuing higher education). Every opportunity will be taken to ensure that the results of this project are used to enhance the public understanding of planetary science in the UK.

During the last three years the three applicants have given over 50 talks to public meetings, schools, and amateur astronomy and geology societies, and have given approximately 25 interviews on planetary science topics with mainstream broadcast media (e.g., BBC TV, BBC Radio, ITN, and CNN). In addition, during the same period the PDRA named on Project #4 (Dr Louisa Preston, who is also a STEMNET ambassador and TED Fellow) has given over 50 school and public talks and has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows (including Stargazing Live and Sky at Night). We envisage that these activities will continue at a similar rate, aided where appropriate by the Birkbeck Press Office which is very proactive in this respect. In addition, we will continue to produce popular articles and podcasts describing our work for the popular scientific press (e.g. New Scientist, Astronomy Now, and Sky at Night magazine), as well as national newspapers. We have contributed extensively to all these publications in the past and will continue to do so, while constantly being on the lookout for new opportunities to engage the public in planetary science and exploration.

In addition we note that Project #2 has the potential to benefit industries and scientists involved in the quantitative analysis of hyperspectral data on Earth, from orbital, aerial and in situ instruments. Specifically, our non-linear unmixing models will be of relevance in attempts to quantify both spectral endmembers and abundances from near-infrared data and may be of value in vegetation analysis, mineral prospecting, and other aspects of field and laboratory material analyses.