Planetary Science
Planetary Science News
Advancing Space Exploration at Purdue: Not Afraid to Go First
03-12-2025
The College of Science in combination with the College of Engineering held the first of many collaborative conventions at Purdue University to help the world boldly explore the vast universe around us. We call "dibs" in being the first to go, and we plan to stay the course. At Purdue, we'd like to play a part in every mission. The Advancing Space Exploration at Purdue convention was set up to help faculty and staff collaborate on our next giant leaps.
Unburied treasure: Rover researchers find unexpected minerals on Mars
03-05-2025
Pale rocks on the red planet tell stories of a watery history and hint at possibilities of life. EAPS's own Mars expert Roger Wiens and his team, including the rover Perseverance, discovered fascinating rocks incorporating kaolinite and spinel on Mars’ surface that form in warm, wet environments but the origin of the rocks remains a mystery.
Why scientists say this stunning ancient lake in Turkey might as well be on Mars
03-04-2025
CNN — With its vivid turquoise, green and blue waters, it’s no surprise Lake Salda is often promoted as the “Maldives of Turkey.” But there’s so much more to this gorgeous body of water and its white-sand beaches than just beauty to get tourists excited. According to scientists, Lake Salda is the only place on Earth that's analogous to the Jezero Crater on Mars. EAPS's Briony Horgan was interviewed in this article.
Purdue professor explains change in odds of asteroid hitting Earth
03-03-2025
Network Indiana — The odds of the 2024 YR4 asteroid hitting Earth in 2032 have gone from a little more than 3% to now 0.0004%. Brandon Johnson with EAPS talks about why there has been a change in the odds of the asteroid hitting Earth.
Purdue Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series - Robert Braun
03-03-2025
The School of Aeronautics and Astronautics with the College of Engineering will be hosting Dr. Robert Braun, Head of Space Exploration Sector, at John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab on Tuesday, March 11th. EAPS's Dr. Ben Pearce will be serving on the Panel for the seminar.
New research upends theory about why Mars is red, scientists say
02-25-2025
CNN — With its iconic rusty hue, Mars has long been called the red planet. Now, scientists may have discovered the potential source of that distinctive coloring, overturning a popular theory in the process. Scientists have wondered about the exact composition of the iron oxide in Martian dust, because understanding how it formed would enable them to essentially look back in time at what the environment and climate were like on ancient Mars. However, even though dust covers everything on Mars, it’s difficult to study and presents an enigma, said Briony Horgan, co-investigator on the Perseverance rover mission and professor of planetary science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Advancing Space Exploration at Purdue University
02-18-2025
Purdue University is the Cradle of Astronauts and Boilermakers have a long history with space exploration and research. The Purdue College of Science and College of Engineering recently hosted a collaborative convention to help faculty and staff collaborate on our next giant leaps.
Evidence of ancient frozen ocean found on dwarf planet Ceres
02-17-2025
StudyFinds — EAPS researchers discovered that Ceres has a crust containing about 90% ice near its surface, three times more than previously thought, by showing that impurities mixed with ice can prevent it from flowing and deforming over time.
How NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission may help us understand the origins of life on Earth
02-10-2025
PBS News — The origins of life on our planet remains one of science’s great mysteries. Now, a NASA mission that brought a piece of an ancient asteroid back to Earth has revealed that the building blocks of life may have been scattered throughout the solar system billions of years ago. Purdue EAPS Associate Professor Michelle Thompson is interviewed in the PBS News video.
Why we must investigate Phobos, the solar system's strangest object
02-07-2025
NewScientist — Mars's moon Phobos is so strange that no one knows how it formed. But a forthcoming mission could solve this mystery - and a host of other puzzles connected to the solar system's deep past. Associate Professor of Purdue EAPS David Minton is cited in this article. Subscription is required for viewing.
The mystery of the Lafayette meteorite
02-07-2025
Journal Review — EAPS Professor Anthony Freed and Assistant Professor Marissa Tremblay talk about a meteorite found in a drawer at Purdue University.
A piece of the dawn: Asteroid sample science hints at an ancient salt lake and conditions in the early solar system
01-30-2025
Asteroid expert and associate professor in EAPS Michelle Thompson was one of the first six humans to examine the OSIRIS-REx sample from asteroid Bennu. Researchers have found evidence of the building blocks of life as well as hints to how Earth got its water.
Advancing Space Exploration at Purdue Symposium
01-27-2025
Join the College of Science with faculty and experts as they discuss leading the next giant leap in human and robotic exploration.
Pluto May Have Captured Its Biggest Moon After an Ancient Dance and Kiss
01-09-2025
The New York Times — Some 4.5 billion years ago, the dwarf planet Pluto was suddenly joined by a companion, which resulted in Pluto and its quintet of moons orbiting the sun together today. A former Purdue PhD, Adeene Denton, weighs in about how this is comparable to Earth and its moon. (Subscription required)
Kelsey Prissel joins the College of Science Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science Department as assistant professor
01-08-2025
The College of Science EAPS Department welcomes Kelsey Prissel to the faculty in the fall of 2024. Prissel received an honors undergraduate degree in Geology-Chemistry from Brown University. She obtained her PhD from Washington University in St. Louis and held a post-doc at the Carnegie Institution for Science Earth and Planets Laboratory. Before making the transition to Purdue, she worked at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston as a Research Scientist for three years.
Surprisingly thick ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa complicates hunt for life
01-06-2025
AAAS — For decades, planetary scientists have thought that Jupiter’s moon Europa, which hides an ocean of salty water beneath its icy crust, might provide a rare harbor for extraterrestrial life. However, the ice is surprisingly thick, suggesting the ocean may lack the heat and chemical reactions needed for life to evolve, researchers reported last week at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Professor Brandon Johnson was quoted in this article.
Cauê Borlina joins the College of Science Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science Department as assistant professor
12-20-2024
The College of Science EAPS Department welcomes Cauê Borlina to the faculty in the fall of 2024. Borlina completed his undergraduate work in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan. He then attended MIT for his PhD in Planetary Science. After MIT, Borlina was at Johns Hopkins University as a Blaustein Postdoctoral Fellow.
A legacy etched in the red planet: Mars crater named for planetary expert Jay Melosh
12-19-2024
A leading world expert in impact crater physics, Jay Melosh, has permanently left his mark on Mars, the red planet. According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature website, a crater on Mars has been named “Melosh.” Jay Melosh, a distinguished professor with Purdue’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) and professor with the Department of Physics and Astronomy, was known for his work on impact cratering, planetary tectonics and the physics of earthquakes and landslides.
Dr. Ben K. D. Pearce joins the College of Science Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science Department
12-19-2024
The College of Science EAPS Department welcomes Dr. Ben K. D. Pearce to the faculty in the fall of 2024. Dr. Pearce’s research investigates the chemical processes that give rise to life on planets.
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences faculty celebrate anniversaries at Purdue
12-17-2024
Purdue University honored over 300 faculty members for their years of service during a celebratory luncheon Dec. 3. Faculty members were celebrated for service anniversaries ranging from 10 years to a remarkable 55. Two members of the Purdue EAPS department were recognized.
Perseverance Rover Escapes Its Giant Martian Crater. Here’s What Happens Next
12-17-2024
GIZMODO — In a session held yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, Perseverance project scientists discussed Perseverance’s new environment, and what’s in store for the rover as it continues its trek across the rusty terrain. Briony Horgan, a planetary scientist at Purdue University and co-investigator on the Perseverance mission, hopped on the phone with Gizmodo to discuss what’s next.
Magnetic Meteorites May Explain How the Solar System Assembled
12-16-2024
Eos — Faint magnetic properties in primitive asteroid fragments suggest an early magnetic field strong enough to shepherd the growth of the outer planets. Cauê Borlina, a planetary scientist at Purdue University is quoted in the article by Eos.
Perseverance rover will uncover mysterious Martian history after a monthslong challenging trek
12-16-2024
CNN — After a steep monthslong trek, the Perseverance rover has reached the top of Jezero Crater on Mars. The site is a region unlike anything Perseverance has encountered during its 3 ½-year journey on the red planet. Candice Bedford, a Perseverance scientist from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, is quoted in article by CNN.
Shattered Genesis spacecraft yields scientific discoveries 20 years after crash landing
12-11-2024
SPACE NEWS — In September 2004, NASA’s Genesis return sample capsule tumbled from the sky and slammed into the Utah desert in a remote part of the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground, shattering the delicate solar wind collectors it carried. The upshot of that downfall: new scientific insights following over 20 years of painstaking work by researchers sorting through the spacecraft’s contaminated remains. “Genesis occupied a special place in the history of robotic space exploration as the first mission to return to Earth from beyond the moon, and the first return in a series of robotic sample-return missions,” said Roger Wiens, who runs the Wiens Planetary Spectroscopy Lab in Purdue University’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.