EAPS News

06-08-2026

NASA declares MAVEN, its Mars atmosphere orbiter, dead

ScienceNews — A veteran spacecraft has sniffed the Martian atmosphere for the last time. More than a decade after the MAVEN orbiter arrived at Mars and six months after it unexpectedly went quiet, NASA has officially declared the mission over. EAPS's Briony Horgan was quoted in the article.

06-08-2026

Hidden hundreds of kilometers deep, two rivers of molten rock are devouring the ancient base of the North American Continent

Click Oil and Gas — Hidden hundreds of kilometers deep, what scientists describe as two rivers of molten rock are slowly devouring the ancient base of the North American continent towards the Black Hills, overturning the old certainty that this core was an untouchable and immovable anchor of the planet. The research was conducted by a team led by EAPS geophysicist Xiaotao Yang, a professor at Purdue University and published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

06-08-2026

Deep-Earth channels may help explain western U.S. uplift, volcanism and mineral pathways

Far below the mountains, plains and deserts of the western United States, ancient continental rock extends deep into Earth, forming a cold, rigid foundation that has helped stabilize the continent for billions of years. Scientists call these ancient continental cores cratons, and their deep roots can plunge more than 100 miles beneath the surface. But a new Purdue University-led study suggests those roots may not be as permanent as once thought.

05-28-2026

Meteorite collection gives Purdue students a hands-on path to planetary science

Undergraduate EAPS researchers Trent Sample, Benjamin Kenworthy and Brianna Petruccelli are studying meteorite samples from a collection on loan to EAPS from Purdue alumni and donors Paul and Florence Stahura. The students are learning how planetary scientists classify meteorites and use them to better understand the earliest history of the solar system.

05-27-2026

Imagination Station teaching families about disaster and emergency preparedness up close

Imagination Station is helping kids and their families explore the world of disaster and emergency preparedness. The free event will showcase all kinds of different emergency response and preparedness groups. EAPS's Robin Tanamachi was interviewed for this news article.

05-26-2026

Moon's largest scar may put its deepest secrets within reach of Artemis astronauts

Billions of years ago, something enormous slammed into the far side of the Moon and left behind a scar so large it stretches more than 1,200 miles across the lunar surface. That ancient feature, known as the South Pole-Aitken basin, is the oldest and largest known impact basin on the Moon. It also may hold some of the best clues to what lies deep inside Earth's nearest neighbor.