And now for something pedagogically different. In Space Science Reviews, dated 12 March (they’re all-online, no issues at all): Boonstra, S. K. Kretke, K. Garcia, D. et al. Technical STEM Workforce Development Re-Imagined: The Lucy Student Pipeline and Competency Enabler… Read More »Note, Pupils: Lucy L’SPACE Program
There’s one paper I’ll point out in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta for 1 Mar, vol. 392 (and none for 15 Mar, vol. 393): Bermingham, K. R. Tornabene, H. A. Walker, R. J. et al. The non-carbonaceous nature of Earth’s late-stage accretion p.… Read More »Note, Paper: Geo Wet Cosmo Chondrica
…and now Thursday, March 13, 2025 (see also Mon, Tue, Wed) https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2025/technical_program/ Special Session: Interesting Ices of the Solar SystemRole of Natron in Delaying Retreat of Buried Ice Tables on Ceres and Ceres-Like Objects [#2251] Landis M. E. et al.A… Read More »56th LPSC (2025): Thu, Day 4
The launch of the SPHEREx spectrometry mission and PUNCH heliospheric mission, on a single rocket, was successful. All four PUNCHes and SPHEREx deployed from the second stage. SPHEREx, for one, has successfully communicated with the ground; the PUNCH team has… Read More »SPHEREx, PUNCH Up
The LPSC: it’s a bit of a big deal. Arguably, this is the biggest single conference in the whole calendar, if you’re a planetary scientist (the PS in LPSC). I didn’t make it to Houston this year, so here’s my… Read More »56th LPSC (2025): Mon, Day 1
The launch of the Odin asteroid mission, from AstroForge, was successful. Unfortunately, that’s about the only thing we can say for sure just yet. Separation occurred, and the probe appears to be powered and transmitting, but no useful radio link… Read More »AstroForge Odin OK?
Before we get to LPSC, there’s a German conference coming up soon: (deep breath) Towards New Frontiers: The Astrochemical Journey from Young Stellar Nurseries to Exoplanets, in Garching, next week. Yes, this is relevant as comets, (most) asteroids, and transition… Read More »Astrochemical New Frontiers Conference
Missed Meteoritics & Planetary Science for February (vol. 60 #2): Jenkins, L. E. Lee, M. R. Daly, L et al. Petrofabrics in the CM chondrite Kolang: Evidence for non-spherical chondrules in the protoplanetary disk p. 190 .14297 Dionnet, Z. Djouadi,… Read More »Note, Paper: Meteo-squishics
Lots in Icarus for 15 Mar (vol. 429), and this is in a mid-month “extra” issue: Lin, S. Wang, X. Chen, N. Direct solar radiation distribution and driving mechanisms on planetary surfaces – Moon, Mars, Ceres, and Mercury Article 116402 … Read More »Note, Paper: Big-arus
The launch of SPHEREX has been pushed back to Tuesday night. For a quick rundown of (one of) the mission’s primary drivers, see this recent article in Science. Of course, the spacecraft and its spectrometer are useful for multiple investigations,… Read More »SPHEREx science, in Science