Planetary Science at Kent 2019 - 2022
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Kent
Department Name: Sch of Physical Sciences
Abstract
The Solar System intrigues many people, but there are many questions that remain to be answered about it: What is in it? How has this changed over time? How did it evolve into its current state? Is there currently, or has there ever been, life elsewhere in the solar system? Our work cannot hope to definitively answer such big questions, but will play an important part in improving our understanding of these issues.
One area in which we work extensively is the study of impacts - these are a major process that has affected all of the bodies in our solar system, throughout their existence. By using our own special gun we can recreate on a small scale what goes on in the Solar System. But we do so under controlled conditions, using well known starting materials, so that we can gain insights into the impact process and the changes that these events drive. Our proposed work will tackle issues such as how complex organic molecules needed for life, can form naturally on icy bodies during impacts. We will also look at how well we can measure what is in the water ejected naturally from Enceladus in plumes emerging from near its South pole.
Further, when spacecraft fly past Solar System bodies or collect space dust (from comets or asteroids), high speed impacts occur as samples are collected. The high speed impacts can distort what the instruments on spacecraft record, or change the impacting particle quite dramatically. Our gun can also help here too - by reproducing this process in the laboratory. We can work out what happens to dust particles when they impact these spacecraft and therefore make it possible to interpret details of the impacting particle from the impact feature they create. This can then be used to interpret details about the body they came from, since the content of particles will depend on the conditions formed in. For example, some minerals only form in the presence of liquid water, so if they are present in a sample it means that liquid water was available for some time on the body they came from.
The other focus of our work is the study of internal, surface and atmospheric properties of Solar System Small Bodies, in order to help understand how these bodies formed and what processes have been acting on them since, and continue to do so today. We are particularly interested in how sunlight influences the physical properties and dynamics of asteroids. To help with this we will use radar. Measurements of the strength of the radar echo can reveal many features on asteroids, which are usually only achieved by a spacecraft visit, and can allow us to determine a detailed 3D shape. However, the analysis process is extremely time-consuming and can take months to complete for a single asteroid. We will develop a new technique for analysing asteroid radar echo's that will utilize machine learning approaches, specifically 'Neural Networks'. We train the system to make many of the decisions for the researcher, currently vital for any 3D shape construction. We will also conduct a programme of radar observations, using this new technique.
One area in which we work extensively is the study of impacts - these are a major process that has affected all of the bodies in our solar system, throughout their existence. By using our own special gun we can recreate on a small scale what goes on in the Solar System. But we do so under controlled conditions, using well known starting materials, so that we can gain insights into the impact process and the changes that these events drive. Our proposed work will tackle issues such as how complex organic molecules needed for life, can form naturally on icy bodies during impacts. We will also look at how well we can measure what is in the water ejected naturally from Enceladus in plumes emerging from near its South pole.
Further, when spacecraft fly past Solar System bodies or collect space dust (from comets or asteroids), high speed impacts occur as samples are collected. The high speed impacts can distort what the instruments on spacecraft record, or change the impacting particle quite dramatically. Our gun can also help here too - by reproducing this process in the laboratory. We can work out what happens to dust particles when they impact these spacecraft and therefore make it possible to interpret details of the impacting particle from the impact feature they create. This can then be used to interpret details about the body they came from, since the content of particles will depend on the conditions formed in. For example, some minerals only form in the presence of liquid water, so if they are present in a sample it means that liquid water was available for some time on the body they came from.
The other focus of our work is the study of internal, surface and atmospheric properties of Solar System Small Bodies, in order to help understand how these bodies formed and what processes have been acting on them since, and continue to do so today. We are particularly interested in how sunlight influences the physical properties and dynamics of asteroids. To help with this we will use radar. Measurements of the strength of the radar echo can reveal many features on asteroids, which are usually only achieved by a spacecraft visit, and can allow us to determine a detailed 3D shape. However, the analysis process is extremely time-consuming and can take months to complete for a single asteroid. We will develop a new technique for analysing asteroid radar echo's that will utilize machine learning approaches, specifically 'Neural Networks'. We train the system to make many of the decisions for the researcher, currently vital for any 3D shape construction. We will also conduct a programme of radar observations, using this new technique.
Planned Impact
As well as our traditional academic peer group (reached via journals and conference papers) we also have a multi-layered approach to impact. In REF2014, the Physics submission in which we were returned was rated 60% 4* and 40% 3* for Impact.
As well as conducting research, we also teach, and bring our research directly to the attention of our UG students. The number of new Physics students entering our department each year has increased 6 fold in the last decade. This is a significant contribution to the national objective of rebalancing our economy towards science and engineering.
Externally, we collaborate directly with other Universities world-wide. Our work thus enables them to conduct research they would otherwise be unable to undertake. We also undertake occasional contract work, providing expertise to external bodies.
Our department conducts extensive outreach programmes to school children, seeing over 15,000 a year. As part of this we give talks and host a residential summer school each year devoted to planetary science. We also get involved in major public outreach events (Astrofest). We reach a wider audience by publicising our work by media such as twitter, on-line news groups, print media, radio (e.g. on "In our Time" hosted by Lord Bragg). Our work has been broadcast on TV several times in the three few years including Horizon, Sky at Night, etc., and is shown overseas, reaching a worldwide audience of millions. We give press interviews to print and on-line media.
Beyond school Outreach activities we also work with Industry and the Public Sector who, indirectly, benefit for our research, and whom we receive benefit from, e.g.,
1) Commercial private sector companies such as supplied our Raman spectrometer and SEM's.
2) The public sector: We have a solid, long term, collaboration with researchers at the Natural History Museum, (Wozniakiewicz is a Scientific Associate of the NHM).
3) The University of Kent and the local community Open Lectures and Open Days are always well attended by local residents (and local media), and talks about advances in Space Science (particularly if it has links to NASA and ESA) are especially well received. The research proposed here would be an ideal topic for such events. This will aid in attracting new undergraduates.
4) Staff give public talks (e.g. to U3A, Rotary Society, IoP sponsored evening lectures at other Universities, amateur Astronomy Societies, etc.
With University money (£100k) we opened in 2015, and now run, an on-campus small observatory, used by our UG students under guidance of staff and PhD students. This includes observing the moon and other solar system bodies. We are currently exploring holding joint sessions with local (non-University) observers.
Broader examples of potential impact include:
- The potential identification of new mineral phases produced under extreme conditions unique to impacts (Projects A, C and D).
- The development of better active and passive dust detectors for use in low Earth orbit based on results from Project A and D
- The development of machine learning techniques to produce 3D shape models (see Project B) in particular has wider benefits outside of asteroid science and planetary science in general. This project is multidisciplinary, involving collaborators not only from the asteroid research community but also computing experts. This can facilitate wider use of our techniques that are well outside astronomy. Examples already being considered include constructing 3D models of coral reefs using radar images, and robot guidance using machine vision techniques in industrial environments.
- Other benefits of asteroid radar science (again Project B) include identification of potential new Near-Earth Asteroid targets for future spacecraft missions. Considerable investment is made in developing spacecraft components and instruments for such missions, including within the UK space industr
As well as conducting research, we also teach, and bring our research directly to the attention of our UG students. The number of new Physics students entering our department each year has increased 6 fold in the last decade. This is a significant contribution to the national objective of rebalancing our economy towards science and engineering.
Externally, we collaborate directly with other Universities world-wide. Our work thus enables them to conduct research they would otherwise be unable to undertake. We also undertake occasional contract work, providing expertise to external bodies.
Our department conducts extensive outreach programmes to school children, seeing over 15,000 a year. As part of this we give talks and host a residential summer school each year devoted to planetary science. We also get involved in major public outreach events (Astrofest). We reach a wider audience by publicising our work by media such as twitter, on-line news groups, print media, radio (e.g. on "In our Time" hosted by Lord Bragg). Our work has been broadcast on TV several times in the three few years including Horizon, Sky at Night, etc., and is shown overseas, reaching a worldwide audience of millions. We give press interviews to print and on-line media.
Beyond school Outreach activities we also work with Industry and the Public Sector who, indirectly, benefit for our research, and whom we receive benefit from, e.g.,
1) Commercial private sector companies such as supplied our Raman spectrometer and SEM's.
2) The public sector: We have a solid, long term, collaboration with researchers at the Natural History Museum, (Wozniakiewicz is a Scientific Associate of the NHM).
3) The University of Kent and the local community Open Lectures and Open Days are always well attended by local residents (and local media), and talks about advances in Space Science (particularly if it has links to NASA and ESA) are especially well received. The research proposed here would be an ideal topic for such events. This will aid in attracting new undergraduates.
4) Staff give public talks (e.g. to U3A, Rotary Society, IoP sponsored evening lectures at other Universities, amateur Astronomy Societies, etc.
With University money (£100k) we opened in 2015, and now run, an on-campus small observatory, used by our UG students under guidance of staff and PhD students. This includes observing the moon and other solar system bodies. We are currently exploring holding joint sessions with local (non-University) observers.
Broader examples of potential impact include:
- The potential identification of new mineral phases produced under extreme conditions unique to impacts (Projects A, C and D).
- The development of better active and passive dust detectors for use in low Earth orbit based on results from Project A and D
- The development of machine learning techniques to produce 3D shape models (see Project B) in particular has wider benefits outside of asteroid science and planetary science in general. This project is multidisciplinary, involving collaborators not only from the asteroid research community but also computing experts. This can facilitate wider use of our techniques that are well outside astronomy. Examples already being considered include constructing 3D models of coral reefs using radar images, and robot guidance using machine vision techniques in industrial environments.
- Other benefits of asteroid radar science (again Project B) include identification of potential new Near-Earth Asteroid targets for future spacecraft missions. Considerable investment is made in developing spacecraft components and instruments for such missions, including within the UK space industr
Organisations
Publications
Avdellidou C
(2020)
Very weak carbonaceous asteroid simulants I: Mechanical properties and response to hypervelocity impacts
in Icarus
Chan DH
(2021)
Synthesis and Characterization of Polypyrrole-Coated Anthracene Microparticles: A New Synthetic Mimic for Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon-Based Cosmic Dust.
in ACS applied materials & interfaces
Cornwell L
(2022)
A study on the capabilities and accuracy of Kapton based TOF space dust and debris detectors
in Advances in Space Research
Della Corte V
(2023)
DISC - the dust impact sensor and counter on-board Comet Interceptor: Characterization of the dust coma of a dynamically new comet
in Advances in Space Research
Dignam A
(2022)
Palladium-coated kapton for use on dust detectors in low earth orbit: Performance under hypervelocity impact and atomic oxygen exposure
in Frontiers in Space Technologies
Fisher C
(2021)
Salt grains in hypervelocity impacts in the laboratory: Methods to sample plumes from the ice worlds Enceladus and Europa
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Genge M
(2023)
The fusion crust of the Winchcombe meteorite: A preserved record of atmospheric entry processes
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Jackson S
(2022)
The effect of aspect changes on Near-Earth Asteroid phase curves
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Jaeger L
(2021)
Automatic detection of impact craters on Al foils from the Stardust interstellar dust collector using convolutional neural networks
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science