Planetary Science Directorate

Boulder, Colorado

The Planetary Science Directorate conducts basic observational, modeling and theoretical research in a wide range of solar system and astrophysical topics, and it is active in the scientific and instrumentation and operational components of several space missions. The Boulder office also hosts a steady stream of international visiting scientists and is involved in organizing workshops and meetings with focused scientific topics. Research is funded primarily by NASA and the National Science Foundation.

Technical Strengths in the Section Include:

• Radiative transfer modeling of the atmosphere and clouds of Venus; modeling of volcanic processes and the surface history of Venus; near-infrared telescopic studies of the clouds of Venus; evolutionary climate modeling; experimental studies of brines and evaporites on Mars
  Dr. Mark Bullock

• Formation of the Moon and Earth; hydrocode simulations of impacts between planet-sized objects; theoretical and numerical dynamical models; planet formation; formation and dynamics of satellite and ring systems
  Dr. Robin Canup

• Asteroids and small bodies; cratering of planets and satellites; spectrophotometry of planetary surfaces; planetary imaging by spacecraft; planet Mercury; impact hazard and role of impacts in origin and destiny of life; interdisciplinary communication and public outreach
  Dr. Clark R. Chapman

• Solar physics; solar magnetic field modeling techniques; "fluxon relaxation"; relationship between solar surface magnetic field and the million degree corona; instrument development
  Dr. Craig DeForest

• Collisional and dynamical evolution of asteroids, comets, and interplanetary dust; regolith emplacement and redistribution on asteroids; formation of asteroid satellites
  Dr. Dan Durda

• Solar system dynamics; planetary rings; dynamics of comets and asteroids; impact history of the solar system; origin of planetary satellites; planetary imaging by spacecraft
  Dr. Luke Dones

• Solar physics; dynamics of the solar atmosphere; acceleration of the solar wind; ultraviolet spectroscopy and instrument development
  Dr. Donald Hassler

• Large-scale numerical simulations; celestial mechanics; the structure of the Kuiper Belt; formation of comets; solar system formation and evolution
  Dr. Harold F. Levison

• Detection of asteroid satellites; Hubble Space Telescope imaging of asteroids
  Dr. William J. Merline

• Kuiper Belt; Centaurs; Pluto; Luna; massive stars; extragalactic stellar clusters; data reduction and analysis techniques
  Dr. Joel Parker

• Hydrogeology and tectonics of Mars; theory and instrument development for geophysical detection of groundwater on Mars; thermal histories and hydrogeology of meteorite parent bodies; tectonics of Venus; interdisciplinary geophysical surveying.
  Dr. Robert E. Grimm

• Interacting binary stars: modeling, observation, and analysis; hydrodynamics and radiative transfer modeling of circumstellar matter; binary stars in clusters; data reduction and analysis techniques; distributed computing
  Dr. Dirk Terrell

• Formation of planetary systems; disk-planet interactions; theoretical dynamics; planetary obliquities; planetesimals; formation of the Moon
  Dr. William Ward

• Albedo maps and volatile transport models for Pluto; distribution of haze and albedo maps for Triton; NASA applied information systems; navigational tools for NASA mission data sets
  Dr. Eliot Young

For more information about the SwRI Space Studies Department visit: www.boulder.swri.edu.

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March 31, 2009