David Grinspoon Planetary Science Institute 2014 Report

I. Report on research and education activities

My research activities in 2014 included contributing to several Venus Express investigations as Interdisciplinary Scientist. I presented several invited talks on this work and am lead author on a major review of evolution of Venus, in light of the recently completed Venus Express mission, which will be published as part of the coming Venus III book in the Space Science Series. I also contributed to the final year of the NASA Astrobiology Institute Titan Chemistry Team, co-authoring a paper, currently under preparation, on exogenous sources of biologically interesting trace elements into the atmosphere of Titan from the E-ring and from IDPs. I have contributed to the Radiation Assessment Detector experiment on the Mars Science Laboratory, and co-authored two papers on this work this year. I have also been contributing as Co-I to a Discovery Mission proposal in collaboration with NASA Goddard.

I gave talks at Goddard Spaceflight Center, The Space Telescope Science Institute, Georgetown University, and MIT.

I have participated in numerous public outreach activities including magazine writing, hosting and appearing as a guest on radio shows, moderating public discussions, giving lectures and performing planetarium shows.

II. Publications

S. C. R. Rafkin, C. Zeitlin, B. Ehresmann, D. Hassler, J. Guo, J. Köhler, R. Wimmer- Schweingruber, J. Gomez-Elvira, H. Kahanpää, D. E. Brinza, G. Weigle, S. Böttcher, E.Böhm, S. Burmeister, C. Martin, G.Reitz, F. A. Cucinotta, M-H. Kim, D. H. Grinspoon, M.A. Bullock, and A. Posner. (2014) Diurnal Variations of Energetic Particle Radiation at the Surface of Mars as Observed by the Mars Science Laboratory Radiation Assessment Detector. Journal of Geophysical Research. 119, 1345-1358.

K. Yu, J. DeMarines and D.H. Grinspoon (2014) Life Out There: An Astrobiological Multimedia Experience for the Digital Planetarium, The Planetarian, December, 2014.

D. M. Hassler, C. Zeitlin, R. F. Wimmer-Schweingruber, B. Ehresmann, S. Rafkin, J.L. Eigenbrode, D. E. Brinza, G. Weigle, S. Böttcher, E. Böhm, S. Burmeister, J.Guo, J. Köhler, C. Martin, G. Reitz, F. A. Cucinotta, M-H. Kim, D.H. Grinspoon, M. A. Bullock, A. Posner, J. Gómez-Elvira, A. Vasavada, and J. P. Grotzinger (2104) Mars’ Surface Radiation Environment Measured with the Mars Science Laboratory’s Curiosity Rover. Science, 343, DOI: 10.1126/science.1244797

M.A. Bullock and D.H. Grinspoon (2014) The Atmosphere and Climate of Venus in Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets edited by S. Mackwell, A. Simon-Miller, J.W. Harder, and M. Bullock. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.

K.H. Baines, S.K. Atreya, M.A. Bullock, D.H. Grinspoon, P. Mahaffy, C.T. Russell, G. Schubert, and K. Zahnle (2014) The Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets: Clues to the Origins and Early Evolution of Venus, Earth, and Mars in Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets edited by S. Mackwell, A. Simon-Miller, J.W. Harder, and M. Bullock. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.

Invited Conference Talks:

Grinspoon, D.H. (2014) Visions of Life: The Fruitful Feedback between Science Fiction and Astrobiology. Invited talk at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 13-17 February, Chicago.

Grinspoon, D.H. (2014) Venus and Mars as Failed Biospheres, Invited talk at the Symposium on Habitable Worlds Across Space and Time at the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore Maryland, April 29-May 2, 2013.

Grinspoon, D.H. and M.A. Bullock (2014) Evolution of the Atmosphere and Climate of Venus, Invited talk at the European Planetary Science Congress, 07 – 12 September 2014. Cascais, Portugal.

III. Awards and Honors

2014 NASA Group Achievement Award for Mars Science Laboratory RAD Instrument Development and Science Team.

IV. Service to the Science Community

This year I joined the Senior Advisory Board of the International Association for Geoethics.

Convener and Chair, Session on Global Disasters, June 2014 Goldschmidt Geochemistry Conference, Sacramento California.

Convener, Symposium on the Longevity of Human Civilization, Library of Congress, Washington DC.

V. Public outreach activities

Public Talk: September 27, 2014, TEDx Gramercy, New York, NY “Terra Sapiens: Planetary Changes of the Fourth Kind” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHIof0xvCA0

Public Talk: September 15, 2014. Planetary Changes from Deep Time to the Fourth Kind, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Public Talk: Astrobiology and the Anthropocene. Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Science, Technology and International Affairs. April 14, 2014.

Public talk: “Can a Human Civilization be Beneficial to the Earth?” Smithsonian American Museum of Natural History. January 23, 2015.

“Kinship and Scholarship: A Librarian and a Scholar Find Books and Each Other”: Profile on the Library of Congress Blog: http://blogs.loc.gov/kluge/2014/12/kinship-and-scholarship-a- librarian-and-scholar-find-books-and-each-other/

“The Science of Interstellar” on the Inquiring Minds podcast: https://soundcloud.com/inquiringminds/59-david-grinspoon-the-science-of-interstellar

“Return Ticket to Mars” Talk given by Skype to students and young professionals in Mumbai, India on approach of the Mars Orbiter Mission: http://iarc.res.in/mars/

Moderated public panel at NASA Headquarters “The Connection between New Horizons and Voyager Missions”. (broadcast on NASA TV) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaUhaVUN3Yc

Moderated public panel at NASA Headquarters “Ancient Earths, Alien Earths”. (broadcast on NASA TV) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwvj9SUUVlo

Guest on Mile High Sanity Project Podcast, August 16, 2014 “Astrobiology and Venus” http://milehighsanityproject.com/podcast/special-guests/2014/03/01/episode-30-aliens- astrobiology-david-grinspoon/#.U-lQOYBdXFt/

Grinspoon, D (2014) An Astrobiologist Asks a Sci-fi Novelist How to Survive the Anthropocene. Nautilus Magazine. http://nautil.us/issue/15/turbulence/an-astrobiologist-asks- a-sci_fi-novelist-how-to-survive-the-anthropocene

“Life Out There” Planetarium performances with Lecture Component, Digital Visuals and Live Music by the House Band of the Universe. (Grinspoon is lecturer, band leader and composer) Washington, DC: July 25 & 26 at the US Navy Memorial Theater.

“Life Out There” Planetarium performances with Lecture Component, Digital Visuals and Live Music by the House Band of the Universe. (Grinspoon is lecturer, band leader and composer) Chicago, IL: July 30 & 31 at the Adler Planetarium.

“When Life Went Global” Interview in Astrobiology Magazine. http://www.astrobio.net/news-exclusive/life-went-global/

June 22, 2014: Guest Host of StarTalk Radio (filling in for Neil deGrasse Tyson) on Human Impact on Earth http://www.startalkradio.net/show/cosmic-queries-human-impact-on-earth- with-dr-funkyspoon/

April 6, 2014: Guest Host of StarTalk Radio (filling in for Neil deGrasse Tyson) on Human Impact on Earth http://www.startalkradio.net/show/cosmic-queries-venus-with-dr- funkyspoon/

April 29: Public Lecture at Space Telescope Science Institute “Terra Sapiens: The Human Chapter in the History of Earth”

April 5: National Geographic: Served as Judge for the National Finals of “FameLab: Science Communication Competition” http://famelab-eeb.arc.nasa.gov/competitions/eeb-finals/

February 10, 2014: Public Discussion at the Library of Congress with Steven J. Dick: “Searching for Life in the Universe: What Does it Mean for Humanity?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FweCQJ80kc&list=PL8FA0A3359E858D1A&feature=s hare

Carl Sagan, Imagination, Science, and Mentorship: An interview with David Grinspoon, Library of Congress Blog: http://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2014/03/carl-sagan- imagination-science-and-mentorship-an-interview-with-david-grinspoon/

Guest host on SLOOH VideoCast: Comet Siding Spring Makes Close Approach to Mars: http://live.slooh.com/stadium/live/comet-siding-spring-swings-by-on-a-close-approach-to- mars

I was an interview guest on the John Batchelor Show (ABC Radio, nationally syndicated) on the following dates: 3/24/12 4/7/14 4/23/14 8/6/14 8/13/14 8/18/14 8/27/14 9/22/14 9/29/14 10/23/14 11/10/14 11/19/14 12/10/14 12/17/14

Grinspoon, D. 2014. So Many Worlds, but is Anybody Home? Sky & Telescope, February, 2014

Grinspoon, D. 2014. Looking Back in Wonder. Sky & Telescope, May, 2014

Grinspoon, D. 2014. In the Days of the Comet. Sky & Telescope, Nov, 2014