Research
April 17, 2023
Research
April 6, 2020
Research at the Center for Planetary Systems Habitability spans astronomy, geosciences, biology, chemistry, physics, engineering and liberal arts. Proposed, or currently active research efforts include:
- Biosignatures based on Earth analogues including carbon-13 as a biomarker [participants from CNS and JSG]
- Drivers for life on the Earth’s seafloor and subseafloor biosphere [CNS and JSG]
- Caves and bugs – testing coevolution of life and geology [JSG and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI, external)]
- Co-evolution of exosphere and interior dynamics including volatile/carbon transport [JSG and CNS]
- Geo-signatures of nearby supernovae- testing effects on habitability [CNS and JSG]
- Methods of impact crater dating on Earth and neighboring planets for impact flux and comparative geologic timescale [JSG, CNS, and Johnson Space Center (JSC, external)]
- Co-evolution of habitable impact hydrothermal systems and planetary systems [JSG and Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI, external)]
- Thermal evolution & interior composition of rocky planets to ascertain habitability [CNS and JSG]
- Energy provided by reactions between water and deep planetary materials [CNS, CSE and JSG]
- Thermal and shock experiments on meteorites to test panspermia [CNS and JSG]
- Testing the plausibility of Mars tsunami deposits [JSG]
- Mars stratigraphy statistics in the search for biosignatures [JSG and SwRI]
- Internal heating by free giant planets [CNS and JSG]
- Experimental analogs for an Enceladus cryo-geyser plume [CNS, CSE and JSG]
- Brine dynamics of icy worlds [CNS, CSE, JSG, and SwRI]
- Circumplanetary disks as source of ExoMoons [CNS]
- Astrodynamics tool development to enable future habitability-related space missions [CSE, JSG]
- Habitability related questions that could be answered with small satellite platforms [CSE, JSG, CNS]
- Social implications of astrobiology search and discovery [CLA, CNS, and JSG]