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Magazine

Issue 1

All eyes on

Europe’s contributions to Mars exploration

ALS IN THIS ISSUE

• The fall of the Winchcombe meteorite Memories of • Exploring Planetary Field Analogues in Europlanet’s birth A ‘golden age’ of in Europe Magazine

The official magazine of Europlanet, the European community for planetary sciences

Since 2005, Europlanet has provided Europe’s planetary science community with a platform to exchange ideas and personnel, share research tools, data and facilities, define key science goals for the future, and engage stakeholders, policy makers and European citizens with planetary science. The Europlanet Society promotes the advancement of European planetary science and related fields for the benefit of the community and is open to individual and organisational members.

Production Team

Editors Anita Heward

Production and planning Eleanor Lester, Shorouk Elkobros and Victoria Southgate

Contributors Manuel Scherf, Ute Amerstorfer, Ricardo Hueso, Felipe Gomez, Gareth Davies, Bernard Schmitt, Edita Stonkutė, Gražina Tautvaišienė, Šarūnas Mikolaitis, Livia Giacomini, Federica Duras, Rosie Cane, Arianna Piccialli, Kosmas Gazeas, Henrik Hargitai, Michel Blanc, Steve Miller, Stéphane Erard, Fernando J Gomez, Mateo Martini, Ann Carine Vandaele, Jonathan Merrison, Lauren McKeown, Maria Hieta, Sara Russell, Angelo Pio Rossi, Fulvio Franchi, Marcell Tessenyi, Jeronimo Bernard-Salas, Shorouk Elkobros, Melissa Mirino, Erica Luzzi and Nigel Mason.

Design and artwork Pixooma Ltd

Europlanet 2024 RI has received funding from the ’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149.

© Copyright 2021 Europlanet Magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the editor or the author of the article. Disclaimer – Views expressed in articles are the opinions of contributing authors and do not represent the views or policies of the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure, the Europlanet Society or the European Commission. While great care is taken to ensure accuracy, the Project Management Committee of the Europlanet Research Infrastructure, the Executive Board of the Europlanet Society and the editor accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this or other issues.

2 Issue 1 Magazine

Take ff C ntents

My first encounter with Europlanet was at its In Focus 4 inaugural outreach workshop in Toulouse in March Memories of Europlanet’s Birth 12 2006. From there, I joined the press office team Michel Blanc for the first European Planetary Science Congress Planetary Perspectives 16 (EPSC) in Berlin and I have never looked back. Henrik Hargitai Europlanet has certainly kept me busy over the The Europlanet Society Joins the International last 15 years and it has been a privilege to see it Planetary Data Alliance 19 evolve from the initial network into the complex, Stéphane Erard global organisation it is today. Planetary Field Analogues in Argentina 20 Fernando J Gomez and Mateo Martini By launching a Europlanet Magazine, we hope Roadmap to Understanding to highlight the range of activities by Europlanet, Atmospheric Dust on Mars 24 our partners, and the wider planetary community. Ann Carine Vandaele This first issue has a strong focus on Mars, including European contributions to current missions, experimental research in labs and in the field, and 26 outreach initiatives to engage the next generation. We look back at the origins of Europlanet and its links to the Cassini- mission at the beginning of this century. We also have updates on the Winchcombe meteorite and on several new partnerships to support planetary science.

I would like to thank all the contributing authors and the community as a whole for giving us so All Eyes on Mars many fascinating topics to draw from, now and in Research and exploration of the Red Planet future issues. Anita Heward

Anita Heward Editor The Fall of the Winchcombe Meteorite 34 Sara Russell Building a Community for Planetary 36 Geological Mapping Angelo Pio Rossi Mobilising Planetary Science in Africa 38 Fulvio Franchi Industry Engagement 40 Marcell Tessenyi and Jeronimo Bernard-Salas CommKit 41 Shorouk Elkobros EPEC Corner 42 Melissa Mirino and Erica Luzzi The Last Word 45 Nigel Mason

Issue 1 3 Magazine In f cus Despite the challenges of the pandemic, there is a lot of activity within the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI), the Europlanet Society and the wider planetary science community. Here, we report on some of the news and opportunities.

Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (Transnational) Access All Areas F. Gomez F.

Above: The RioTinto TA field site in Spain.

A major activity of the Europlanet Successful projects funded in understanding of the physical and 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI) is to Call 2, which were announced in chemical processes in the Solar offer researchers free Transnational April 2021, include the first funded System. A second chamber was Access (TA) through fully-funded visits by members of the European shipped from Queen’s University of visits to research facilities in Europe community to laboratory facilities in Belfast to Debrecen in December and around the world. The facilities South Korea and vice versa. Further 2020, to provide a complementary include a suite of seven field sites facilities in South Korea, and facility to the ICA, and should be that provide analogues for studying Argentina (see article on page 20) operational for inclusion in TA Call 3. environments found on other planets will be included in the next calls for To date, three TA visits have taken and over 40 laboratories for the applications. place, including a virtual and an simulation or characterisation of Six TA facilities are being in-person visit to the ICA facility in planetary conditions and materials, upgraded with funding from the Hungary and a virtual visit to Cold including 11 facilities in South Korea. Europlanet 2024 RI. An ion beam Surfaces laboratory at Despite the pandemic, 171 facility for irradiating planetary ice IPAG in France. Due to the Covid-19 research teams have applied to analogues has been installed at the pandemic, implementation time for visit the sites over two calls for Atomki Ice Chamber for Astrophysics/ successful applicants to conduct a applications since the start of (ICA) in Debrecen, TA visit has been extended from 12 the Europlanet 2024 RI project in and was included in the first TA call to 20 months. February 2020. To date, 117 projects in May 2020. The upgrades at ICA have been approved for funding. will support research to improve our https://bit.ly/europlanet2024ri-ta

4 Issue 1 Magazine

Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure First Successful Observations with the Europlanet Telescope Network

Last June saw the launch of a Marciniak’s project aims to improve new network of small telescope the determination of spin, shape, facilities to support planetary size and thermal parameters for science observations by professional a number of interesting and amateur astronomers. The that have been overlooked by most Europlanet Telescope Network previous studies. Complemented with currently comprises 16 observatories data from other sites, the successful with telescopes ranging from 40 observations will result in complete cm to 2 m in size. The network can light curves (graphs of changes in be accessed to carry out projects the amount of light reflected as an on a wide variety of scientific spins) for five asteroids with studies about the Solar System rotation periods up to 38 hours. and exoplanets, as well as related Further projects funded through the astronomical investigations. Europlanet Telescope Network include The first round of successful observations of variable nebulae proposals was announced in led by the UK amateur astronomer, December 2020 and Polish Grant Privett. Initial results obtained astronomer, Anna Marciniak, at the University of Kent’s Beacon These images were obtained remotely performed the Europlanet Telescope Observatory are promising. Further with the 35/51 cm telescope at the Moletai Network’s first observations in proposals can be submitted at any Observatory of Vilnius University in 2021 January 2021, remotely accessing time through the network’s call for and show the change in position of asteroid facilities at Vilnius University’s observations: https://bit.ly/2Br5LDt Ljuba (58 km diameter) relative to the stars Moletai Observatory in Lithuania. Dr over a 5-hour period. Credit: A Marciniak.

Europlanet Society The Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC2021) will be held as a virtual meeting from 13-24 September 2021. EPSC2021 will be the second time EPSC2021 Virtual Congress that EPSC has been held as a virtual meeting, and is building on the success and the lessons learned from the first virtual edition in 2020. EPSC2021 will have a hybrid format of live sessions and asynchronous scientific presentations. The ethos for EPSC2021 is to create a simple, flexible and inclusive virtual meeting that provides multiple opportunities for interaction, scientific discussion and networking. www.epsc2021.eu

Issue 1 5 In f cus

Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure Fireballs Workshop Series Planned

fireball networks, along with machine learning experts, to advise on handling the data collected. The first in a series of four workshops is taking place virtually on 11-12 June 2021, with follow-up sessions in the autumn 2021 and during 2022. Participants will discuss the technical capabilities of the different fireball networks and explore possibilities for developing a common data format and a portal for all data, supported by the Europlanet Virtual As well as illuminating our skies, fragments of fresh meteorites and Observatory for planetary science meteors have been highlighted understanding where in the Solar (VESPA). in recent news headlines (see the System they originated. Over the feature article on page 34). Fireball- next two years, Europlanet 2024 http://bit.ly/FireballMLWorkshop tracking networks around the world Research Infrastructure (RI) will bring are assisting in the recovery of together observers from different

BepiColombo Revists Venus Ariel Data Challenge 2021 The European-Japanese (ESA-JAXA) mission, BepiColombo, ‘Machine vs Stellar and Instrument will arrive at Mercury in December 2025 after a roundabout Noise’ is a machine learning data challenge interplanetary journey. It swung past and Venus in 2020 and in support of the ’s Ariel will perform a second of Venus on 10 August 2021. The flybys mission, which will study the of 1000 are a unique to study Venus from multiple perspectives, extrasolar planets. Building on the success of the with coordinated observations from BepiColombo, the Japanese first Ariel data challenge in 2019, which had over mission and ground-based telescopes. Professional and 100 teams participating, the 2021 contest asks participants to identify and remove noise in amateur astronomers are encouraged to join the campaign, and to observations of exoplanets transiting in front apply for time on the Europlanet Telescope Network. of their host star caused by star spots. pvol2.ehu.eus/bc/Venus/ The closing date is 1 July 2021. ariel-datachallenge.space SSHADE Evolutions

SSHADE is a library of spectral than 3600 publicly available spectra on 700 spectra recorded with different databases for many different types ices, minerals, rocks, organic matters techniques for more than 200 different of solid materials over a wide range and cosmomaterials. The spectra meteorites. Two new partners have of wavelengths, which can support are synthesised in laboratories, already started databases in SSHADE astronomers and astrophysicists collected or measured at planetary through Europlanet 2024 Research in interpreting observations from field analogue sites, or derived from Infrastructure (RI) and more will join telescopes or space missions. extraterrestrial samples collected before the end of the year. Over the last year, the content of on Earth (meteorites) or from sample Major improvements in the the databases of the SSHADE solid return missions. user interface, in particular in the spectroscopy infrastructure has About 140 new spectra are added dynamic plotting tool, have also been evolved significantly, with now more to SSHADE every month, including over implemented. http://www.sshade.eu/

6 Issue 1 Magazine

Europlanet Summer School Goes Virtual Edita Stonkute: Stonkute: Edita

The Europlanet Summer School 2019, Moletai, Lithuania.

Summer schools have a long track asteroids. The hands-on programme record as an effective support for will be led by the astronomers Anna early career professionals and Marciniak (A. Mickiewicz University, amateur astronomers within the Poland) and Gražina Tautvaišienė planetary science community. (Vilnius University, Lithuania). Due to Covid-19, Europlanet Participants will be given practical summer schools in 2020 were experience of making photometric postponed and it is still not clear when observations of asteroids, using the face-to-face activities will resume. facilities at the Vilnius University’s Nonetheless, virtual conferences such Molėtai Astronomical Observatory in as the Europlanet Science Congress Lithuania remotely, and analysing the (EPSC2020) and the Planetary resulting data. Mapping Winter School have shown Sessions will be accompanied by that summer schools can work lectures from leading astronomers successfully in a virtual environment and the participants will also be and, through this format, can also trained in writing and submitting Upper panel: The lightcurve of asteroid widen participation by giving students observing proposals to facilities (538) Friederike. Lower panel: The shape the opportunity to join from anywhere participating in the Europlanet model of this asteroid, reproduced from in the world. Telescope Network. its lightcurve. (Marciniak et al. 2019. DOI: The first virtual summer school The deadline for applications 10.1051/0004-6361/201935129) organised by Europlanet 2024 is 15 June 2021. mao.tfai.vu.lt/ Research Infrastructure (RI) will take europlanet2021 place from 16 - 27 August 2021 and will be dedicated to observations of

Issue 1 7 In f cus

Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure Evaluation Made Mentoring Matters Easier Impact evaluation is becoming a standard requirement in many projects, but knowing how to approach this in a meaningful way - within the practicalities of time and budget constraints - can be daunting. Since 2017, Europlanet has been developing an Evaluation Toolkit to provide easy-to-use data collection and analysis techniques for assessing the outcomes of activities. Although primarily designed for outreach providers, most of the tools can be applied to any kind of The last year has been challenging at length, and looked into current workshop or event. The toolkit for everyone, but young people opportunities adequate to my guides users through the basics have been hit particularly hard by personal plans. These meetings gave of evaluation and the selection the pandemic. Therefore, providing me an opportunity to have an open processes for identifying the support for our early career community conversation about topics that I dread right tool for the right activity. has never been more important. to have with my supervisor. I strongly Resources include worked In August 2020 Europlanet advise any students or post-docs to examples, case studies and launched a mentorship programme try it.’ video tutorials. to support early career professionals Mentoring provides development The Europlanet Evaluation working in planetary science and opportunities for mentors as well as Toolkit can be ordered in hard- related fields. The programme aims to personal satisfaction. Mentees can copy form (as a book and pack help early career scientists to develop benefit from the insights and advice of activity cards), or accessed expertise, ask questions and discuss of more experienced scientists, as through an interactive set career plans with more established well as clarify their personal and of pages on the Europlanet members of the planetary community. professional goals. The Europlanet Society website. bit.ly/ The programme is voluntary, informal Mentorship platform is part of the EuroplanetEvaluationToolkit and confidential, with mentors and Early Careers Training and Education mentees engaging with each other in Portal, which provides information a manner that is flexible and suited to on PhD positions, job opportunities, their individual working environments. summer schools and meetings A pilot programme started by relevant to early career professionals matching ten pairs of mentors and working in planetary science and mentees at different stages of their related fields. careers in planetary science. The Everyone interested in participating Europlanet Mentorship programme in the Europlanet Mentorship is invited already covers a wide geographical to sign up now and become a mentor spread, with participants from 12 or a mentee: https://www.europlanet- countries ranging from Sweden to society.org/mentoring. Georgia. So far, feedback has been very positive. One mentee reported: The Europlanet Mentorship programme is ‘For the past three months I’ve had coordinated by Edita Stonkutė, Gražina several meetings with my mentor Tautvaišienė and Šarūnas Mikolaitis of as part of the mentorship program. the Institute of Theoretical Physics and We have discussed my career goals , Vilnius University, Lithuania.

8 Issue 1 Magazine

Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure Italian Hub Planets in a Room

April 2021 Superluna by Roberto Vaccaro, Vicenza, Italy. Superluna! 2021 is a season of ‘supermoons’, with the Full in April and May occurring within 10% of the closest point in the lunar orbit to Earth. These luminous supermoons, which are about 7% bigger and about 15% brighter than a typical Full Moon are opportunities to engage the public. Mareks Matisons LSM.lv / LMT / Europlanet The supermoon on 26 May was Teaching planetary science using Funding Scheme, and developed the closest Full Moon of the year. a spherical projector to show the by the Italian non-profit association Over 25,000 viewers joined a live planets’ surfaces is a very effective Speak Science in collaboration with event, ‘Superluna!’, on the social but usually very expensive idea. INAF-IAPS of Rome and the Roma media channels of facilities from ‘Planets in a Room’ is a low-cost Tre University, Planets in a Room the Italian National Institute for version of a small, spherical projector is now being distributed through a Astrophysics (INAF). Members that teachers, planetary scientists, dedicated website to the outreach of the public were invited to museums and other individuals can community. contribute their views of the easily build themselves and use to New educational projects and Moon across European skies show and teach the planets. Initially contents are under development. in a Superluna! contest. The funded by the Europlanet Outreach https://www.planetsinaroom.net winning entry (above) and all submissions, as well as resources on observing the Moon, are available on the Europlanet Society website. Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure http://bit.ly/SuperLunaCampaign Mars in the Classroom

The Mars Collection is a set of school The project brings an (Earth calling Mars), EduINAF has resources exploring the possibilities astrobiological perspective to a adapted the resources for Italian of life on the Red Planet. The range of topics, from geoscience schools, giving a complete overview resources have been produced to be and volcanoes, to pH and mineral of the main chemical and physical easily translatable, and link areas of deposition. Each resource pack features of the Red Planet through the curriculum with research on Mars includes downloadable presentations, five video lessons, lasting ten minutes and places on Earth with teachers notes and videos of each, aimed at 10-14 year olds. characteristics (analogue field sites). experiments. In Terra chiama Marte http://bit.ly/EuroplanetMarsCollection

Issue 1 9 In f cus

Diversity Committee Planetary Science Wiki-Edit-A-Thon

With over a billion unique visitors but planetary scientists are clearly per month, Wikipedia has a underrepresented on Wikipedia. huge potential to change public Many of them either do not have a NASA perception of society, including who Wikipedia biography yet, or if they is doing science and what a scientist do, they are often misclassified under ‘looks’ like. the category of ‘astronomer’ or Overall on Wikipedia, there are ‘astrophysicist’. fewer contributions about women, The Diversity Committee of the especially in STEM fields, and the Europlanet Society, in collaboration pages are usually less developed. with Women in Red and WikiDonne, However, action is being taken. organised the first Planetary Following concerted efforts by Science Wiki Edit-a-thon during the the WikiProject, Women in Red, to Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) address gender bias in Wikipedia, 2020 to highlight diversity within the the number of biographies of women planetary science community. The Dr Mae Jemison, American engineer, in the English version of Wikipedia idea of this type of ‘edit marathon’ physician, and former NASA has risen from 15.53% In October 2014 is to bring together editors from to 18.71% in January 2021. In June an online community (Wikipedia in meets every month to continue the 2020, there were only 189 planetary this case) to write, translate and project, and results to date include scientist biographies on the English improve articles on a specific topic. one new article and 19 translated Wikipedia, including 48 biographies Thirty participants at EPSC2020 biographies. New members are of female planetary scientists (25%). received a basic training in how to welcome to join the group and a This percentage is in agreement edit and create Wikipedia pages further edit-a-thon is planned for with the percentage of women in the and participated in the Edit-a-thon EPSC2021 from 13-24 September International Astronomical Union during the three-week meeting in the 2021. https://bit.ly/planetary- from all ESA’s Member States (24%), autumn of 2020. A small subgroup still science-wiki-edit-a-thon

South East Europe Hub Observing Ancient Asteroids

Ancient Asteroids is an international information about the physical observing campaign, launched properties of asteroids. in 2020, that aims to characterise Professionals and amateurs with asteroids and track their ancestry access to large telescopes and within asteroid families created from sensitive charge-coupled device collisions of ancient bodies in the (CCD) cameras are invited to Main Belt of our Solar System. contribute photometric observations The project is a collaboration in optical wavelengths to produce between partners from Greece, light-curves showing the asteroids’ France, Czechia, the US and Italy rotational properties and shapes. and will contribute to the Physical Properties Catalogue http://bit.ly/AncientAsteroids (MP3C) program that collects

10 Issue 1 Magazine

Supporting our Community The Europlanet Society’s Committee Funding Scheme provides awards of €1000 - €5000 to support projects that further the aims of the Europlanet Society and actively involve its members. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, two projects funded during 2020 have achieved a successful launch.

Benelux Hub Theatre as a Tool for Science Outreach and Storytelling

performers and storytellers to use planetary science story and their performing arts techniques to engage target audiences, connecting the public audiences. scientific questions to societal issues. The project kicked off with an Each participant had the chance online seminar ‘Theatre as a tool for to prepare one short story on their science outreach and storytelling’ topic of interest and present it to an in November 2020. Dr Andrea audience of invited artists. Ongoing Brunello and Dr Pierre Echard of collaborations are being explored Jet Propulsion Theatre introduced between arts-science pairs to co- various approaches used to blend create augmented lectures and science and theatre, including staged further enhance the project. Just as fiction can make imaginary performances called ‘augmented worlds seem real, stories can help lectures’. The seminar was followed JPT is a collaboration between the people of all ages reach a deeper up by a series of online workshops Arditodesìo Theatre Company and the understanding and appreciation for 10 Europlanet researchers to University of Trento. Planetary Sciences of science and the experiences of provide them with practical tools for All was organised by Dr Andrea scientists. ‘Planetary Atmospheres to become scientific storytellers for Brunello (JPT), Dr Ann Carine Vandaele Accessible to All’ is a project general audiences or students. Over (BIRA-IASB), Dr Arianna Piccialli (BIRA- IASB), Dr Karolien Lefever (BIRA-IASB), Dr organised by the Europlanet Society’s three half- sessions in the run-up Pierre Echard (JPT). Benelux Hub that aims to foster to Christmas, participants defined collaborations between researchers, and prioritised main themes for their

Central Europe Hub A Pocketful of Mars

The Pocket Atlas of Mars 36 is a new created by , ice, , lava collection of maps that present the and tectonic forces are highlighted, physical geography of the Red Planet including features such as dune fields, in thematic layers on a topographic mountain peaks, volcanic calderas, base map, as well as albedo, cloud caves, ancient dried-up lakes and cover, weather and climate maps deltas. The climate maps describe and climate diagrams. Already in its the climatic zones, and the climate second edition, due to high demand, diagrams illustrate the variation in the atlas has been created by Henrik temperature through the martian year. Hargitai of ELTE University (Planetary Weather maps show the temperature Perspectives, page 16) for use in at ground level across the western astronomy clubs and schools. The hemisphere of Mars at the two annual first edition, which is available in solstices, and the albedo maps reveal English, Hungarian and Czech, was the amount of sunlight reflected from funded by the Europlanet Society the surface. A one-page calendar through the Central Europe Hub. for Mars year 36, covering the period information on people that have The main part of the atlas consists from February 2021 to December contributed to the mapping of of a series of double spreads showing 2022, explains the milestones in the Mars, missions, ideas for activities, 30 cartographic quadrangles seasonal changes on Mars a ‘tourist guide’, and exercises on covering the whole surface of The second, extended edition how to read the martian landscape. Mars. Landing sites and landforms of the atlas includes additional http://bit.ly/MarsAtlas

Issue 1 11 Europlanet European Space Agency, ESA/ESOC Agency, Space European

Memories of Europlanet’s Birth

Michel Blanc (Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (CNRS-University of Toulouse-CNES), France), coordinator of the European Planetology Network (2005-2008) and the Europlanet Research Infrastructure (2009- 2012) looks back on the origins and evolution of Europlanet.

rigins anything any individual country could making to the exploration of our O generate on its own. Solar System, its planets, , and asteroids – and even of At the start of the , Europe already had the European other planetary systems beyond ours planetary science in Europe was Space Agency (ESA), with its origins – and the opportunities that they too entering a ‘golden age’. European in the 1960s. What it lacked, however, had to become part of this great age scientists were involved in all the was an organisation that would of voyage and discovery. major missions to the Solar System. enable it to exploit the scientific data In particular, the ground-breaking that ESA-supported missions were Above: Jean-Pierre Lebreton at the Cassini-Huygens mission to the generating to the fullest extent. And it Huygens landing press conference. Saturnian system demonstrated needed something that would enable Inset: The Europlanet FP6 Kick-off that European partnership could European citizens to fully appreciate meeting, Austrian Academy of Sciences, create science that went way beyond the contribution that Europe was Vienna, 24 April 2005.

12 Issue 1 Europlanet was born as a result of Although Europeans were nearly years of seeing the emergence heated and enthusiastic discussions equal by number to our American of a united European planetary around 2002-03, during the seven- colleagues, mission preparation and science community, realised that year journey to and with data analysis work were funded by this ‘fragmentation’ of our scientific Cassini-Huygens. As members of the one single agency, NASA; European activities and of their funding Project Science Group (PSG) of the contributions to scientific analysis threatened to weaken the overall Cassini-Huygens mission, American came from different national science produced, and decreased and European scientists and agencies, without a consistent its profile in the eyes of European engineers were working together, framework for this major European citizens. We knew exactly what hand-in-hand, on plans to tour the undertaking in space – except for united us and could make us work ‘Lord of the Rings’ and produce the the ESA-led Huygens probe itself. together: the science programme wonderful science they had dreamed A few of us on the European of ESA (Horizon 2000+ at the time, of for two decades. component of the Cassini-Huygens soon to be followed by Cosmic European scientists were involved team, including David Southwood, Vision), which promised to take us to in nearly all the 16 instruments of the who was the Principal Investigator all provinces of the Solar System – mission – but as representatives of of the Cassini magnetometer and even beyond, to the expanding individual European nations, and instrument, and Daniel Gautier family of exoplanets. But we also not of the continent as a whole. who had dreamed for many knew that ESA was not in a position to fund the data analysis of the beautiful missions it was flying. In this context, only one institution could help us complement the Education national resources and produce the ted In great science return that the ESA ribu form ist a science programme deserved: the D tio d n European Union (EU). te S a y e r r M r g to nts o v e i e a T d c Shaping Framework t r m h e e n o e r e l I l Programme 6 (2005-2009), b u o i n s r a and beyond ESA y g a L e Planetary Expanding beyond the core of M Missions Cassini-Huygens scientists, a small number of us met several G r d times between 2002 and 2004 to o se O und-ba brainstorm on ways to seek support b s ns ervatio from the EU. Soon, a delegation of our group went to visit the scientific officer in charge of our field at the Directorate General (DG) Research Public office in Brussels. This meeting was instrumental in firming up our plans: it helped us identify the ‘Support to Research Infrastructures’ instrument Research Infrastructure Research Infrastructure of Framework Programme 6 (FP6) in the FP6 contract in the FP7 contract as the programme that could fund us. It also helped us to later design a proposal that would meet, not only Figure 1: Architecture of the first Europlanet contract under Framework Programme our needs, but also the expectations 6 (2005-2009); while the Research Infrastructure supported by the network was first of the European Commission. solely the ESA science programme, it was successfully expanded under Framework Programme 7 to include other key equipments contributing data to planetary The architecture of this proposal sciences (second circle) and IDIS. progressively took shape during

Issue 1 13 Magazine

Finally, one of our strongest motivations was to share with the European public and each national education system the science and benefits produced by European planetary missions. This ‘public engagement’ was to be the fourth circle of Europlanet. Following a key meeting of the proposers on the occasion of the EGU general assembly in Nice in 2003, the first Europlanet proposal was successfully submitted to the European Commission as a Coordination Action. Its seven networking activities (Table 1) were designed to implement the different elements shown in Figure 1 and their Europlanet connection to the ESA science program. With a two-million Euro The launch of the Europlanet Research Infrastructure (RI) , 3 March 2009, CNRS, Paris. budget, it was a modest first step, but one that prepared what was the year that separated our visit planetology, to take full advantage to be a regular expansion and to Brussels from the submission of their shared infrastructure. This consolidation of Europlanet at each deadline. Figure 1, adapted from tool, called the ‘Integrated and of its successive renewals. one of the very first presentations Distributed Information Service’ With the next step four years of Europlanet to the community, (IDIS), which at the time existed only later, under Framework Programme shows the four key ideas that guided in our minds, was to be the ‘third 7, Europlanet was successfully Europlanet’s design, represented as circle’ of Europlanet. expanded into a full multi-faceted four circles. The first idea was to gather the pan-European community of European planetary scientists around a major transnational research infrastructure: the science programme of ESA, which was from the very beginning the core of Europlanet (inner circle). The second idea was that planetary science is not only fed by space observations: ground-based observations, modelling, theory and laboratory experiments play an equally important role and help maximise the science return of space missions; this is the ‘second circle’ of Europlanet. The third idea was that European scientists needed an efficient, web-based data-sharing Films, M Roos Lightcurve UNIScience, and data-mining tool, the equivalent of a Virtual Observatory for Michel Blanc speaking at EPSC 2008, at the end of the first FP6-funded Europlanet project.

14 Issue 1 Magazine

Research Infrastructure linking the world under the thick cover of Titan’s first three circles of Figure 1 (space clouds and confirmed Europe’s and ground-based observations, outstanding place in the exploration Acknowledgements: laboratory work, numerical of the Solar System. Jean-Pierre I would like to acknowledge the simulation and the development Lebreton, Huygens project dedication, talents and hard work of and operation of a future Virtual scientist and an active member all the colleagues who worked together Observatory for planetary scientists) of the first Europlanet proposal to turn our dreams of building a European planetary science community into reality with a significantly larger budget team, appeared on the ESOC by managing the seven activities of the first of 6 million Euros for the 2009-2013 screens on 14 January 2005, just contract of Europlanet under FP6: Gérard period. after the first signal had been Chanteur, Michele Dougherty, Odile Dutuit, received from the probe, to Echoing its origins, the first month Enrico Flamini, Manuel Grande, Christine emotionally announce “we heard of Europlanet’s life, in January Guidice, Ari-Matti Hari, Norbert Krupp, the baby crying”. 2005, coincided with the successful Jean-Pierre Lebreton, Steve Miller, landing of the Huygens probe on It was at this moment Ingo Müller-Wodarg, Helmut Rücker, Titan, the first-ever landing of a Europlanet, in our hearts, was truly Ralf Srama, Karoly Szego, Olivier space vehicle on a giant planet’s born too! Witasse and John Zarnecki. moon. The cameras of Huygens revealed a surprisingly Earth-like

M Blanc, M Management of Coordination Action Dougherty / I Müller- N1: Overall Management Wodarg, Networking O Witasse, C Guidice

N2: Discipline Working To cover major fields of planetary science N Krupp, A-M Harri Groups To anticipate future research areas

To develop synergies between in-situ explorations, ground and N3: Coordination of Earth-orbit observations Earth Based and Space H Rucker, S Miller To establish a global observation strategy Observations To exchange and jointly analyse data obtained

To establish Europlanet as a contact point for planetary sciences in Europe J Zarnecki, J-P N4: Outreach Lebreton To develop science communication on planetary observation and exploration programmes

To fund short-term exchanges in support of joint research projects N5: Personnel Exchange O Dutuit, K Szego To foster long-term co-operations

N6: Meetings, To organise Europlanet General Assemblies R Srama, M Grande Conferences To create major planetary sciences meeting in Europe

N7: Integrated and G Chanteur, E Distributed Information To coordinate preliminary studies of IDIS and the future development of a European planetary virtual observatory Flamini Service (IDIS)

Table 1: The objectives and coordinators of the seven Europlanet Networking activities (N1-N7) in the project funded through FP6 from 2005-2008.

Issue 1 15 Magazine

Planetary Perspectives

Henrik Hargitai is a planetary geomorphologist and media historian. He is a professor of planetary geomorphology, planetary cartography, typography and media history at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest, Hungary and has a PhD in Earth Sciences and Philosophy (Aesthetics). He is the editor of the Pocket Atlas of Mars 36.

hat was the first map where Paul Schenk introduced created distribution maps for W that you created? me to planetary science. When I many landforms. Then I started came back to Hungary, I moved preparations in 2016 at NASA, where When I was really young, I made a away from terrestrial geography I collected catalogues of surface Lord of the Rings-like map. Then, towards planetary geography. In landforms. By 2020 I had most of the at high school, I made a poster of 2015, after 20 years of teaching at data in hand. The actual full-time paleogeographic maps that was ELTE University, Budapest, I had work started in the summer of 2020 exhibited in the school corridor. the opportunity to work with Ginny at the foot of the Sümeg hill, during Gulick at the NASA Ames Centre to a two-family holiday, where I made Who are your mapping map channels near Hellas Basin on the albedo map. Then I made the inspirations? Mars. Now I’m back in Hungary. calculations for the climate maps in When I was a student, around 1999, cafés in Budapest. I wanted to have an atlas of the Why a Pocket Atlas of Mars? Solar System. I searched on the Because I don’t like screen maps Where on Mars do you Internet and found a Russian atlas. and wanted to have a proper, map- find most interesting, as a I contacted the authors via email like map of Mars that I can hold in mapper? and to my surprise Kira Shingareva, my hands. I love browsing maps, It is always those regions that I who edited the atlas, invited me old and new, for hours sometimes. studied and mapped in detail. I to Moscow. I was shown around That’s much better than travelling studied channels that were not the MIIGAiK University in Moscow, on Street View. Perhaps I’m nostalgic mapped before: in north east where the atlas was created. They because my examples were the and north east Hellas. You could say had a project making a series of atlases I had in the 1980s, when I that I ‘lived’ for a year in each site multilingual planetary maps, and was young, from A6-sized pocket because I spent eight hours per day I became the editor of its Central maps of Hungary to A3-sized world mapping those places. European edition. atlases. Any unexpected outcomes How have you reached your How long did the Atlas take from the Atlas? current job position? you to put together? When I developed the climate Like many other planetary A very long time! In 2011, I started diagrams, I realised that Mars is scientists, I started as an intern at editing the Encyclopedia of more Earth-like than I previously the Lunar and Planetary Institute Planetary Landforms, and I thought. But also more alien

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because of its vast history imprinted are an important future direction Above: Henrik Hargitai into the surface we see today. I also in planetary mapping because Below: Contents page of the atlas realised that what I am really looking these maps are the best tools to for in making these maps is to get a communicate planetary discoveries Next page: Albedo map from the atlas little closer to understanding if Earth and generally our geo-knowledge. is a ‘normal’ planet, which we still One of my former professors of don’t know. You get to know yourself literature wrote to me that she knew by looking at others. Mars is the best Mars is ‘rugged’ but never thought it known ‘other’ we can compare our would be rugged like this. planet to. It is an : its For professional work, we need surface is old and yet geologically a digital geographic information ‘primitive’, not like the Earth. But is it system (GIS) with thematic layers. a ‘normal other’? I know some 60 catalogues of features scattered in the literature. What’s your next project? The next project is to collect those This was an outreach project but catalogues and merge them into a professional scientists also need Mars GIS, which could be used as a maps like this for their planetary reference GIS for Mars. But the real mapping projects. First of all, we next project is to emerge from the need more planetary cartographers pandemic with my family as healthy and we need planetary geographic as possible. maps. I think geographic maps

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NASA/JPL/ASU/ESA/H. Hargitai.

18 Issue 1 Magazine The Europlanet Society Joins the International Planetary Data Alliance

Stéphane Erard (Observatoire de Paris) reports on Europlanet’s participation in international consortia that manage access to planetary data.

or over a decade, Since 2009, VESPA has organised by the Indian space F Europlanet has supported participated in the IPDA Technical agency (ISRO). Important current the development of VESPA, Expert Group, presenting its own objectives for the IPDA are to provide a Virtual Observatory for planetary developments to space agencies and access to derived data, which are data. VESPA has adapted and built developing many fruitful connections. not usually available in space agency on existing concepts and tools from In particular, ESA’s Planetary archives, and also fully open access the Astronomy Virtual Observatory Science Archive (PSA) installed an to data related to publications in and tailored them for Solar System EPN-TAP interface in 2017, making authors’ institutes. In addition to data. EPN-TAP, the VESPA data its full content accessible through being a working project of the IPDA, access protocol, has been a major the VESPA portal, but also through the EPN-TAP protocol is currently in development in providing access general Virtual Observatory tools the final validation phase to become to multiple planetary datasets from e.g. Jupyter notebooks and workflow an International Virtual Observatory space missions, ground-based platforms. In parallel, an EPN-TAP Alliance (IVOA) standard, and observations, simulations and PDS4 dictionary has been written members of the VESPA management experimental work. to facilitate future interactions with team chair the IVOA Solar System The impact of VESPA relies to NASA Planetary Data System tools. Interest Group. Similar validations are a large extent on how well it is As a new member of the IPDA also in progress with the Heliophysics integrated with data infrastructures steering committee, Europlanet International Data Alliance and and the international consortia that Society attended its first meeting Research Data Alliance. manage access to data in planetary in December 2020 and full virtual For more information on VESPA, see: science. This was significantly meetings in February and March, http://www.europlanet-vespa.eu enhanced in autumn 2020 when the Europlanet Society, represented by the VESPA coordinator, became a full member of the International Planetary Data Alliance (IPDA). The IPDA brings together mostly national and international space agencies, with the aim of improving access to planetary science data and archives. Founded in 2006, the IPDA has developed a de facto standard for archiving planetary space data, NASA’s Planetary Data System version 4 (PDS4).

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Searching for Answers to Life’s Big Questions

T he ability to differentiate Field studies of Earth analogues Argentina, given its location, between biologically and for extraterrestrial environments extended geographical range and abiotically generated structures and have proved useful in understanding variable geography provides a processes observed in planetary and interpreting data sent back plethora of ‘extreme’ environmental landscapes is extremely important by planetary orbiters and rovers. conditions - from low to high altitude, in answering our most fundamental Finding good analogues, although cold to warm, wet to dry - where question: are we alone in the challenging, is possible, particularly microbial life thrives. These sites Universe? on a global scale. are thus good targets for exploring Sedimentary deposits contain the From 2021, two sites in the how microbial life can adapt to earliest evidence for life on Earth, Argentinian Andes are being added environmental challenges, as well therefore, sedimentary features are to the suite of planetary analogue as how are generated a key focus for missions searching field sites offered by Europlanet 2024 and preserved within sediments and for biosignatures on other planetary Research Infrastructure (RI) to support sedimentary rocks. surfaces, such NASA’s the study of sedimentary systems from Recent research at high-altitude rover at Crater on Mars. an astrobiological perspective. Andean lakes in northwestern

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Fernando J Gomez and Mateo Martini (CICTERRA-Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra/CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba) explore planetary field analogues in Argentina. FJ Gomez FJ

Argentina, such as the Laguna Negra combination of microbial processes, to basaltic), where weathering (Gomez et al. 2014, 2018, 2020; Boidi et sedimentation and in-situ (authigenic) processes, sediment generation, al. 2020; Mlewski et al. 2018; Beeler et mineral precipitation drives the transport and deposition, as well al. 2020; Buongiorno et al. 2019), has formation of ‘’ structures as mineral precipitation can be focused on understanding microbial (Figure 2, overleaf). studied. In addition to providing life and biosignatures in challenging are found in the Earth’s ancient useful information to understand environmental conditions such as sedimentary record and represent our extraterrestrial environments high radiation influx, low oldest biosphere fossil evidence. observed today, the mineralising water activity, variable pH, extreme Hundreds of lakes and wetlands microbial systems in these Andean temperatures and . in the high-altitude Andes, including lakes are unique natural laboratories that thrive Laguna Negra (Figure 1 above), under these multiple forms of stress Socompa and Diamante are currently Above: The Laguna Verde Saline complex (poly-), typically in active in creating microbialites. The where the Laguna Negra is located in the hypersaline lakes and hot springs, are structures develop over variable high-altitude Andes of northwestern interesting targets to study because a volcanic bedrock (from andesitic Argentina (Figure 1).

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that have many of the environmental criteria suggested for the early Earth and Mars. In these systems, where microbialites are common, a spectrum of ongoing biotic and abiotic processes and potential biosignatures can be studied and tested, improving our ability to interpret the sedimentary record on our planet and beyond. Comparing microbialites with similar but abiotically-generated structures may provide some insights for similar sedimentary systems that are currently a target for investigation on the , such as Jezero Crater or the Oxia Planum, where ESA’s Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover will land in 2022.

FJ Gomez FJ The northwestern Andean region of Argentina and the Patagonia Andes of South Argentina also provide an interesting set of planetary analogues. These sites include a variety of sedimentary systems where glacier-related processes, active ice and rock glaciers (Figure 3 and 4) and sedimentary deposits from glaciers and glacial lakes have developed under variable climate conditions. Many of these systems occur over a basaltic bedrock, providing extremely useful Earth-based analogues for cold extraterrestrial environments on Mars and icy moons of giant planets. Rock glaciers (Figure 3) in northwestern Argentina provide an interesting sedimentary system that has been somewhat overlooked from an and climate- evolution perspective to date. Under

M Martini cold and arid climate conditions, the protection provided by the rock cover for flowing water and ice Top: The mineralising microbial systems in the high-altitude Andean lakes, such as can provide habitable niches for Laguna Negra, are unique natural laboratories (Figure 2). microbial life. An understanding of rock glacier dynamics is also useful Above: Rock glaciers in northwestern Argentina provide cover for flowing water and ice, in better constraining the evolution and can provide habitable niches for microbial life (Figure 3). of Earth’s climate over its history

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(Martini et al. 2017), which can then be extrapolated to the climates of References Mars and other planets. Boidi et al. 2020. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-36192-1_13 Beeler et al. 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2019.10.022 The Patagonia Andean region is Buongiorno et al. 2019. DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12327 itself a record of glacial activity since Kaplan et al. 2016. DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.03.014 Gomez et al. 2014. DOI: 10.2110/palo.2013.049 the late Miocene (11.63 million years Gomez et al. 2018. DOI: 10.2110/jsr.2018.37 ago), and currently the Southern Gomez et al. 2020. DOI: 978-3-030-36192-1 Patagonia ice field is the largest Martini et al. 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.grj.2017.08.002 Mlewskiet al. 2018. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00996 extra-polar ice mass in the southern hemisphere, covering 13 000 km2. The glaciers are more developed in the west (wetter) side of the Patagonian Adding these new sites to the suite future exploration of other planetary Andes but, in the past, they extended of Europlanet 2024 RI planetary field environments, and hopefully eastward to the Patagonian Steppe analogues will increase the range contribute to answering that and were associated with numerous of environments for collaborative fundamental question of whether we lakes. The resulting sedimentary research between scientists from are alone in the Universe. record can help us to understand Europe, Argentina and the wider recent paleoclimate evolution international community. The (Kaplan et al. 2016) and its impact in insights provided will help us to the biosphere record. better understand current and

Below: Planetary analogue field sites in the Argentinian Andes include a variety of sedimentary systems where glacier-related processes have developed under variable climate conditions (Figure 4). M Martini

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RoadMap to Understanding Atmospheric Dust on Mars

Ann Carine Vandaele (BIRA-IASB) describes how open scientific questions about dust and clouds in the of Mars present major challenges to our current understanding of the Red Planet.

D ust in the atmosphere of RoadMap (ROle and impAct scientists involved in space missions, Mars has a seasonal cycle of Dust and clouds in the Martian and numerical modellers to promote and can vary substantially from year- AtmosPhere) is a new project, funded synergies through their different to-year. Some years, dust storms by the European Commission under perspectives and experiences. are relatively small and regionally Horizon 2020, that aims to create Laboratory scientists understand confined; in other years – like 2018 – a laboratory datasets and models to the reference data and know how global, planet-encircling better describe martian dust and to extract the most value from their develops. Dust affects the thermal clouds. The project uses a simulant experiments; mission scientists know structure of the martian atmosphere, (analogue) for martian dust to the intricacies and potential of the the water cycle and, potentially, investigate key dynamic processes, instruments and the details of their the rate at which is lost such as lifting, sedimentation, calibration; and numerical modellers into space. However, we still have nucleation and scattering. The know what data, information and much to learn about the nature of resulting data will be used to improve parameters are most pertinent to its variability and the mechanisms Global Circulation Models (GCMs) to their simulations and how best to involved in getting dust from the provide more realistic atmospheric interpret the results. surface into the atmosphere. dynamics and climatology. RoadMap is led by the Planetary Our knowledge of the physical The team behind RoadMap brings Atmospheres Research Group of processes governing the generation together the laboratory community, the Royal Belgian Institute for Space and transport of atmospheric Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), which has mineral aerosols is based largely been involved in multiple planetary on observations and, in many missions, including SPICAM on Mars cases, there is extremely limited Express, SPICAV-SOIR on Venus Acknowledgements: experimental data. This is true The RoadMap (ROle and Express, NASA’s Mars for our understanding of aerosols impAct of Dust and clouds in the , and NOMAD on ESA’s in Earth’s atmosphere, but it is Martian AtmosPhere) project has received ExoMars . As an even greater problem for funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 well as interpreting observed our understanding of dust research and innovation programme under grant data, the group also provides particles in the martian agreement No 101004052. The RoadMap team: (BIRA- state-of-the-art modelling atmosphere. To develop IASB) A.C. Vandaele, N. Kalb, L. Neary, Y. Willame, A. of the martian atmosphere more reliable and predictive Piccialli, B. Vispoel, F. Daerden, J. Erwin, L. Trompet,K. using clouds microphysics models to describe martian Lefèver, L. Lamort, S. Fratta; (AU) J. Merrisson, simulations and GCMs (Neary J.J. Iversen, A. Waza; (UDE) G. Wurm, J. Teiser, aerosols, we need to test et al, 2020; Vandaele et al, T. Becker; (CSIC-IAA&ICV) O. Munoz, J.C. conventional models through 2019; Willame et al. 2017). Gomez Martin, T. Jardiel, M. Peiteado, controlled, high-precision J.A. Martikainen, F. Moreno, A. The first step of the laboratory experiments. Caballero RoadMap project is to synthesise

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a representative analogue for martian dust from powdered basaltic materials, and characterise the particles’ size, shape and microphysical properties. The powder produced by the Funceramics team at CSIC-ICV can then be used in a diverse set of laboratory experiments at some of Europe’s leading planetary simulation facilities. The cryogenic low-pressure environmental chamber (Holstein- Rathlou et al, 2014; Merrison, 2011; Merrison et al, 2008) at Aarhus University is a unique facility that can generate wind flow to study the mobilisation and transport of particulates under martian conditions at temperatures down to particle-lift under University Aarhus The Aarhus Mars -50 degrees Celsius. Mixtures of gas reduced gravity Simulation Wind TunneL and dust analogue can be injected (Musiolik et al, 2018) into the simulation chamber and and under the influence of dispersed via a jet. The velocity of temperature gradients (de Beule individually suspended dust grains et al, 2015), which is especially and the concentration and flow of important for understanding the of martian airborne dust and clouds the aerosol can be monitored by a physics of gas-flow in granular is difficult to model accurately, but Laser Doppler Velocimeter and a material under the low-pressure understanding these properties is high-speed imaging system installed conditions of Mars. vital for understanding how solar in the chamber in 2016 as part of Finally, a unique database of radiation heats the atmosphere and the Europlanet 2020 Research the scattering properties of the for interpreting space observations. Infrastructure project. martian dust analogues is being Improved parameters for production, Complementary experiments at created through measurements lifting and dynamics of dust resulting Duisburg-Essen University (UDE) at the Laboratory from the RoadMap lab experiments track how dust particles can be (CODULAB) at the Instituto de will be implemented and tested in liberated through the impacts of Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC- the BIRA-IASB GCM. The scattering grains bouncing off the surface and IAA), a worldwide reference for dust properties of the Mars dust analogue study particle-lifting mechanisms scattering studies (Muñoz et al, 2020; will be used to refine the radiative at a microscopic level (Bila et al, Muñoz et al, 2011). Scattering and modules of Mars GCMs but also to 2020). Experiments at UDE also study absorption by the irregular particles improve the analysis of trace gases abundances in data from NOMAD and other mission instruments. Overall, RoadMap aims to improve References our vision of the martian atmosphere

Bila et al. 2020. Icarus. DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2019.113569 by providing a new generation of de Beule et al. 2015. Icarus. DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2015.06.002 high-level data, increasing the Holstein-Rathlou et al. 2014. DOI: 10.1175/JTECH-D-13-00141.1 science return of the past and Merrison. 2011. DOI: 10.5772/15019 Merrison et al. 2008. DOI: 0.1016/j.pss.2007.11.007 current missions to Mars, and Muñoz et al. 2020. DOI: 10.3847/1538-4365/ab6851 shaping future planetary missions. Muñoz et al. 2011. DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2010.10.027 Musiolik et al. 2018. DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2018.01.007 More information can be found on Neary et al. 2020. DOI: 10.1029/2019GL084354 the RoadMap project website. Vandaele et al. 2019. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1097-3 Willame et al. 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.pss.2017.04.011 https://roadmap.aeronomie.be/

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All Eyes on Mars

As history is made on Mars with the first powered, controlled flight on another planet, Anita Heward (Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure) rounds up some of the important contributions being made by the European community to Mars exploration.

I t has been a busy few months for Mars exploration, with missions from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China and NASA arriving in February 2021. While the European-Russian (ESA-) ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover and surface platform are not part of this year’s flotilla, and are scheduled to reach Mars in the spring of 2023, there is nonetheless, a great deal of activity across Europe, both in support of the international missions and in wider research on Mars that will put the results in context.

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The historic first flight of NASA’s helicopter on 19 April Questioning the Heavens with Fire, Hope, 2021 has, literally, opened up for future missions to the Perseverance and Ingenuity Red Planet. The ability to from Named after a fourth century poem of the same name and meaning the air will give additional ‘questions of the heavens’, China’s Tianwen-1, will analyse the chemical perspectives on the geomorphology composition of rock and dust and search for pockets of ice, liquid water of areas explored on the ground and and organics. A rover, called after a Chinese god of fire, landed allow investigation of terrains on 14 May 2021 and will spend three months exploring , a inaccessible by rovers. However, flat plain within a large impact basin in the northern hemisphere of Mars. the martian atmosphere itself – its The region is covered by extensive sedimentary materials, with features variability, its global dust storms, its that indicate that ice or water are present. elusive hints of , and the The UAE Space Agency’s first mission to Mars, Hope, is studying mystery of how the majority of its dynamics in the​ martian atmosphere on a global scale, giving a more volume has been lost – remains a key complete understanding of interactions between the atmospheric layers, area for study. and answering questions about how and hydrogen escape into The thin martian atmosphere, space. composed of 95% dioxide, NASA’s mission, which includes the Perseverance rover and has a pressure of around 6 millibars, its helicopter partner Ingenuity, will look for signs that there were habitable less than 1% of the pressure on conditions on Mars in its early geological history, and seek evidence of past Earth at sea level. While day-time microbial life. temperatures at ground-level on Mars can exceptionally reach 30 degrees Celsius in equatorial regions, the lack of atmosphere means While the Ingenuity drone is a suite of environmental sensors that that the temperature drops rapidly technology demonstrator and will makes hourly recordings of dust away from the surface, by nearly 40 not carry out a scientific mission, levels, as well as wind speed and degrees within just two metres. Even the Perseverance rover will study direction, pressure, relative humidity, if an astronaut standing on Mars the near-surface atmosphere were able to have warm feet on a through the Spanish-led Mars Below: The Ingenuity helicopter sunny summer’s day, they would still Environmental Dynamics Analyzer captured by the Perseverance rover have a very cold head indeed. (MEDA) weather station. MEDA is a during its second flight. NASA/JPL-Caltech

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European contributions to the missions Tianwen-1 carries 13 instruments, and Europeans are involved in two of them: The Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP), France, participated in the calibration

NASA/JPL-Caltech of the LIBS spectrometer on the Zhurong rover’s Mars Surface Composition Detector. The air temperature, ground temperature Above: Sites of successful landings on Mars. Space Research Institute (IWF- and radiation. Graz) has contributed to the Below: The shadow of Ingenuity on the MEDA records the temperature calibration of the magnetometer surface of Mars during its historic first flight. at three heights, 0.84m, 1.45 m and on the main . Simulations 30 m above the surface, as well as Bottom: The Zhurong rover takes its first and calibration measurements at ground level. With these multi- drive on Mars. carried out at the spectroscopy level readings, MEDA will make laboratories at DLR and Grenoble significant advances on previous (both accessible through missions in being able to characterise Europlanet 2024 RI’s Transnational the air temperature vertical profile Access programme) will be used to throughout the day and night. MEDA interpret the spectroscopic data joins sister instrument packages obtained by the Tianwen-1 orbiter. already on Mars (REMS on the Of the seven primary scientific rover and TWINS on the instruments carried by NASA’s InSight mission) to establish a three- Perseverance rover, three station martian weather network, include significant European NASA/JPL-Caltech and enables researchers to compare contributions: the weather station and contrast the situation at Jezero MEDA (provided by the Centro de with that at Crater and Elysium Astrobiología (CAB) in Spain with Planitia, 3,700 km and 3,200 km away contributions from FMI in Finland), respectively. the remote-sensing laser micro- MEDA’s first weather reports imaging SuperCam (developed have shown stable night-time jointly by Los Alamos National temperatures of below -80 degrees, Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico but the day-time temperatures, and a consortium of French averaging -20 to -25 degrees research laboratories under the Celsius, have shown fluctuations auspices of the Centre National of around 5 degrees over just 30 d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), with

minutes. Winds, frost formation, CNSA contributions from the University and interactions with the surface of Valladolid (UVA) in Spain) and and dust particles can all lead to the ground-penetrating radar unstable, variable air temperatures on the composition, structure and RIMFAX (provided by the University near the surface but the reasons for dynamics of the atmosphere. of Oslo in Norway). Pre-flight this are not well understood. Dust MEDA will focus on the study tests at the Aarhus Wind Tunnel is present everywhere on Mars, yet of the local environment and will of Perseverance’s SuperCam there have been limited studies into provide data to validate models and MOXIE instruments were its abundance, physical properties, of atmospheric dust and the supported by Europlanet 2020 RI. size distribution as well as its impact mechanisms that lift the dust into

Issue 1 29 Magazine NASA/JPL-Caltech

Above: The first 360-degree panorama the atmosphere. This has important eroded river-delta and rocks that taken by Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z implications for future missions in date back to a time when life is cameras. The panorama is a mosaic of 142 understanding the potential effects thought to have first arisen on Earth. individual images taken three days after and hazards caused by dust for landing. The octagonal top of the MEDA The first geological results from surface operations and the health of radiation and dust sensor can be seen at Perseverance have come from the . the top centre of the body of the rover. French co-led instrument, SuperCam, Perseverance’s overall mission which has a suite of imagers, lasers Below: A rock called Máaz (the Navajo is to look for signs that there were and spectrometers to analyse the word for Mars) was the first feature habitable conditions on Mars in its chemistry of target rocks. Data of scientific interest to be studied by early geological history, and seek from the Laser Induced Breakdown Perseverance. evidence of past microbial life. The Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument rover will explore and characterise have revealed that the rocks initially the geology of Jezero Crater, a 45 investigated around the Octavia E km-wide impact basin on the edge of Butler landing site are of basaltic the plain that contains composition, thus either volcanic or the remains of an ancient, partially- composed of fine-grained volcanic sediments cemented together in an ancient lake or stream. As a further historic milestone, SuperCam has obtained the first audio recordings from the surface of Mars: the sound of winds sweeping over Perseverance’s deck a few hours after landing. The rhythmic clicks of the LIBS laser impacting on the target rocks have also been recorded by SuperCam, and these acoustic signals from the laser give additional information about the composition and history of the rocks studied, such as their hardness or whether they are NASA/JPL-Caltech covered with a coating.

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After exploring the area around the landing site while Ingenuity completed its initial flight campaign, Perseverance is now starting its first science campaign and moving towards its first sampling site. It will then will head off towards the NASA/JPL-Caltech to start its main task of searching for signs of ancient microbial life and laying the groundwork for future missions.

Simulating Mars on Earth While it may be some time before humans are able to study the martian environment through a crewed mission to the Red Planet, Above: The Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) instrument researchers back on Earth are during integration into the Perseverance rover. already studying simulated martian conditions in the laboratory. The 8m on Perseverance, the Mars investigate how features on the long, 2.5m wide Mars Wind Tunnel Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE). surface of Mars known as ‘spiders’ at Aarhus University in Denmark not Experiments funded by Europlanet are formed. Theory suggests that only reproduces the low pressure and in the Aarhus wind tunnels were spring sunshine penetrating slabs low temperatures of Mars but also able to demonstrate that the High of ice at the martian allows the introduction of particles of Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter poles causes radial channels to form and dust. could protect MOXIE’s spidery patterns covering areas up Complementing in-situ studies by subsystem from contamination by to a kilometre across. As the carbon MEDA, experimental research using dust, both during operations and from dioxide ice warms from the base, and the Aarhus wind tunnel is trying to passive accumulation of dust from the sublimates directly from a solid into better understand the role of dust wind over the course of the mission. a gas, it cracks through the ice and in the martian atmosphere (see the On Mars, MOXIE’s first test vents material into the air. article on page 24). The facility has successfully converted carbon Dr Lauren McKeown, funded also been used in pre-launch tests dioxide from the martian atmosphere by Europlanet 2020 RI, visited the of another technology demonstrator into oxygen. After an hour of OU Mars Chamber in 2018 to carry operation MOXIE produced about out experiments and find out if the 5.4 grams of oxygen: enough to keep hypothesis is correct. McKeown and an astronaut healthy for about 10 colleagues drilled holes in blocks of minutes of normal activity. If the rest carbon dioxide ice and observed of MOXIE’s operations go to plan, the what happened when they were results will pave the way for scaled- gently lowered over a bed of sand at up life-support for future astronauts martian pressures. As the bottom of and production of oxygen for use as the block came into contact with the rocket fuel. sand, the carbon dioxide sublimated As well as testing instrumentation and rushed to escape through the central vent, eroding the sand into

L McKeown L for missions, simulation facilities also enable experimental study of spider patterns (McKeown et al 2021). exotic phenomena caused by the low A doctoral candidate at the time Dr Lauren McKeown at the OU Mars Chamber during a visit funded through pressures and temperatures on Mars of the visit, McKeown has since Europlanet’s Transnational Access that do not occur on Earth. The Mars completed her PhD and joined the programme. McKeown et al. 2021. DOI: Chamber at the Open University team at the Open University as a 10.1038/s41598-021-82763-7. (OU) in the UK has been used to postdoctoral research associate,

Issue 1 31 Magazine NASA/JPL-Caltech

Above: Preliminary concept for Mars Sample Return, where the samples collected by Perseverance are retrieved by an ESA Fetch rover and NASA Sample Retrieval Lander.

Left: The ancient river delta of Jezero Crater that will be explored by Perseverance, imaged by ESA’s orbiter.

ESA/DLR/FU Berlin ESA/DLR/FU Below left: Cutaway illustration showing the interior of a sample collection tube carried by Perseverance.

collect a few core samples of the most promising rocks and soils for further study and set them aside in caches. Later this decade, a small ESA-led rover will ‘fetch’ and load the samples into a NASA Mars Ascent Vehicle, which will then launch them NASA/JPL-Caltech into Mars orbit. The sample container will be captured by an orbiter and where she is continuing the identifying chemical changes to returned to Earth, potentially arriving collaborations developed during the minerals or specific reactions that in 2031. Europlanet-funded project. are only induced by life. Samples The samples collected by taken from terrestrial analogues and Perseverance will contain martian Preparing for sample return analysed in laboratories can help rocks, soil, dust and atmosphere. However different Mars might be interpret data from in-situ missions Samples will be stored in tubes, from Earth today, in the past it was and refine analytical techniques. roughly the size of a stick of chalk, wetter and warmer. Whether it may However, considering the limitations that hold around 15 g of material. have hosted life remains one of the of what can be launched into space, Bringing carefully selected rocks from biggest questions. it is likely to be difficult for robotic Mars back to Earth for detailed study Early may have been missions operating on the surface of will enable much more complex and destroyed 3-4 billion years ago after Mars to provide conclusive evidence complete studies using state-of-the- the loss of the martian atmosphere, of whether life has ever existed there. art lab equipment. This will provide which provided a shield against The Perseverance mission is the a better quantitative understanding harmful ultraviolet radiation. This first step in a decade-long campaign of whether the returned samples means that finding evidence for past involving NASA and ESA to bring formed in environments where life life may only be possible through samples from the martian surface could have existed and whether they indirect means, for example by back to Earth. Perseverance will contain biosignatures.

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My Journey to Mars

Maria Hieta, Research Engineer at the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

Providing sensors for NASA’s Perseverance

NASA/JPL-Caltech rover has been a long, challenging and rewarding journey like no other. The Finnish A technician tests a Perseverance sample Meteorological Institute (FMI) has been tube for contanimation. responsible for two sensors of the MEDA instrument: the pressure sensor (PS) and humidity sensor (HS). My main responsibility has Researchers around the world are been testing and calibrating the instruments, working together to prepare curation but I have also been involved in every phase of the sensor development, facilities and protocols for receiving wearing many different hats. the samples brought back from Mars. As part of this, a team from I can trace the first documents and emails I received concerning the the Natural History Museum London, new Mars 2020 mission back to 2014, which means that the development the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, of these sensors began at FMI more than six years before finally landing ETH Zurich and the Open University, on the surface of Mars. And that doesn’t mean starting from scratch; FMI funded through Europlanet 2024 has delivered pressure and humidity sensors for multiple missions before, RI, are working on techniques for including the Curiosity rover of the (MSL) mission nondestructive or minimally invasive and ExoMars 2016 Schiaparelli. Schiaparelli was the first mission I was characterisation and analysis of involved in from the very beginning. I was excited and nervous during the material, which will ensure that launch, and extremely nervous during the landing, which eventually did not samples returned from Mars are end happily. preserved for study by generations to The Schiaparelli lander crashed on the martian surface in 2016, when come. we were already working full steam on the sensors for Perseverance. But The discovery of traces of life in sometimes this happens with space missions and landing on another rocks from another planet would be a planet is still extremely challenging. It is important to remember that paradigm-changing moment for our the hard work is not wasted even if a mission or a part of a mission understanding of how life on Earth fails. Schiaparelli helped us, for example, in the development of new- fits into a wider picture of life in the generation pressure sensor heads, which we used for Perseverance. Our Universe. Any such detection will be team also gained a lot of experience and we were ready to tackle the the result of years of international Mars 2020 mission requirements of demanding tests and tight schedules. efforts. Behind the Mars 2020 mission is a huge team consisting of dedicated, In this era of viral pandemics, enthusiastic and highly motivated people. and I have enjoyed the the importance of international opportunity of working with these amazing people. We landed less collaborations and the consequences than two months ago and expect to operate on the surface of Mars for of the failure to work together have many years to come. But reaching this point is already a huge win for never been clearer. By demonstrating our team of sensor developers. Our instruments have survived the long qualities of perseverance, ingenuity, interplanetary travel, the seven minutes of terror and the landing, and hope, questioning, and following finally they are ready to do what they were designed for: to deliver high the inspiration of role models like quality scientific measurements from another planet. Rosalind Franklin or Octavia E Butler, And that is not all: the MEDA instrument will act as a weather Mars exploration has the opportunity station network on Mars together with Curiosity’s Rover Environmental to be a much-needed exemplar and Monitoring Station (REMS) and atmospheric instruments on the InSight beacon of optimism for our time. platform. If everything goes well, they will be joined in 2023 by ExoMars, which carries a further meteorological package on the surface platform. These missions will provide a lot of new data for studying the Martian climate and will help prepare for future human exploration.

Issue 1 33 Magazine

The Fall of the Winchcombe Meteorite Sara Russell (Natural History Museum, London) describes the first UK meteorite fall recovery in thirty years. Ben Stanley/Markus Kempf/AllSky7 network Kempf/AllSky7 Ben Stanley/Markus

n the evening of 28 Colleagues at Curtin University in Plymouth and Open universities, to February 2021, a bright Western used the data trek across the neighbouring fields O fireball blazed across to show that the object originated and talk to the local population the skies over much of in the outer , near the about the event. England and Wales. As well as being orbit of Jupiter. Several other homeowners found observed by sharp-eyed members The morning after the fireball, a small fragments of the meteorite on of the public, the meteor was also family from the Cotswolds town of their driveways and lawns, and the recorded by camera networks Winchcombe, near Cheltenham, traipsing across fields proved fruitful specially set up to capture such woke up to find what looked like a pile when a team led by the University events, including the French FRIPON of barbecue coal on their driveway. of Glasgow found a relatively large network and a consortium of UK Realising that it could only be a intact stone, over 100g in weight, in a networks coordinated by UKFAll. The meteorite, they carefully collected sheep field. members of the camera network all the material into clean plastic Winchcombe is the first UK teams worked hard over the next few food bags and got in touch with the meteorite fall to be recovered in thirty days to calculate that the fireball Natural History Museum in London. years. Before this, the most recent probably resulted in a meteorite fall Soon after, Richard Greenwood from meteorite fall recovery was in 1991, in the area around Cheltenham in the Open University visited the family when the Glatton meteorite dropped the west of England. to verify the meteorite, followed by in the gardens of a Cambridgeshire Ashley King from the Natural History village. Before then, the last UK falls Museum. Immediately, they knew were back in the 1960s, in Barwell that this remarkable discovery was in Leicestershire and Bovedy in a carbonaceous chondrite, an Northern Ireland. Winchcombe is exceptionally rare but scientifically also the UK’s first carbonaceous valuable type of meteorite. chondrite fall, perhaps the most What followed was surely the most studied meteorite type by the UK’s exciting week of my career. I joined meteorite researchers. many of my colleagues from the All the property owners agreed to museum, and Glasgow, Manchester, donate their treasure to the Natural History Museum, and our preliminary Banner image: The fireball caught on examination of the meteorite has video from the AllSky7 camera network. Left: The landing site of a fragment in a already begun. Oxygen isotopes, a

Rob Wilcock Rob family’s driveway. fingerprint for meteorite classification,

15 Issue 1 Magazine were acquired within a week of the in Winchcombe is also acquiring some characterisation of this exceptional fall. They confirmed Winchcombe of the rock and planning to exhibit it for object. Both the science community to be a carbonaceous chondrite, residents and tourists to learn about and the public have been excited specifically of the CM type (a group this event and its significance. about the meteorite story. It will be of carbonaceous chondrites named The Winchcombe meteorite fall studied for many years to come and after the Mighei meteorite found in is a wonderful asset for the UK and we welcome the Europlanet community Ukraine). Using a scanning electron European science, and it has been in helping us to share its story. microscope with a variable a great example of collaboration, environment and low voltage settings community and teamwork we can image and map chips of the that has led to the acquisition and meteorite that have not experienced any preparation or coating (see image top right), preserving them to be used for more detailed analyses afterwards. We have also devised an analysis plan for the next months, led by Ashley King, to characterise the

meteorite’s mineralogy, petrology, NHM Salge, Tobias physical characteristics (including magnetic properties), organic components, cosmogenic nuclides (rare isotopes created by the bombardment of cosmic rays), and isotope geochemistry. The Winchcombe meteorite fall is particularly timely because it looks somewhat similar to the material returned in December 2020 by the JAXA space mission to asteroid Ryugu, and can potentially be used in analysis rehearsals for the mission material. The fall of a meteorite such as Winchcombe is not only an important scientific event but also a planetary incident on a very human scale. It is an exceptional opportunity to engage the public in planetary sciences. We have talked to local school children about the meteorite by Zoom and a piece of the meteorite has now been put on display in the Natural History Museum in London. The local museum Trustees of the NHM Trustees

Top: An uncoated, unprepared chip of the Winchcombe meteorite. This false colour element map shows that the sample is made mostly of silicates (XRD analysis shows these in the form of hydrated phyllosilicate), sulphides (which show as green in this image) and carbonates (which show as red in this image). The mineralogy is typical for a CM carbonaceous chondrite.

Above: Fragment of the Winchcombe meteorite. Trustees of the NHM Trustees Left: Held meteorite recovered from Winchcombe.

Issue 1 35 Magazine

Building a Community for Planetary Geological Mapping

Angelo Pio Rossi (Jacobs University) describes Europlanet’s new geological mapping activity, GMAP.

P lanetary data have been System bodies. A major ambition asynchronous content. Following used for geological mapping of GMAP is to create an active user up on the workshop, we launched since the start of the space era half a group that can provide standards, the first call for registration of GMAP century ago. Not only do geological documentation and tools for the Community Mappers, and over 50 to maps increase our knowledge growing community of planetary date have signed up for information of planetary surfaces and their mappers around the world. on the GMAP community mailing list. history, they are crucial for ‘In-Situ Our first step in developing the GMAP already has links with Resource Utilisation’ - identifying GMAP user group was to hold a several international partners, local materials that could be used virtual Planetary Mapping Winter and the Chinese counterpart of sustainably for future human and School in February 2021, co- GMAP has been funded recently robotic exploration of the Moon, organised with colleagues from within the framework of the China- Mars and beyond. the PLANMAP project. Registration EU co-funding mechanism. The The Geological Mapping (GMAP) was oversubscribed and the project (Key Technologies and activity within the Europlanet 2024 training school was attended by Demonstration of Standardised Research Infrastructure (RI) project 200 early career researchers from Planetary Geologic Mapping) aims focuses on providing tools and every continent, with over 100 to develop standardised geological services to create, publish and participating in live sessions, and mapping technologies and methods preserve geological maps of Solar around 70 accessing

Artistic view of the possible future of geological surveys, with astronaut explorers using three-dimensional mapping through augmented reality.

36 Issue 1 Magazine C Montagna/PLANMAP/GMAP

For decades, the process of geological mapping was manual, with hand-drawn and GMAP project team coloured units over a blank basemap. Digital mapping is now used, based on both orbital University of Padova, Jacobs and rover/lander data, matched with modern technology and analytical tools. University Bremen, CBK PAN, DLR, ISPRA, INAF, Jacobs University for extracting features from BepiColombo. Products that come Bremen, Università d’Annunzio, thematic maps, and to make them out of the project will be disseminated Westf lische Wilhelms-Universität, accessible for implementation in the through the GMAP data portals, China University of Geosciences of upcoming Chinese and European and the joint activities will foster (Beijing), Wuhan University, Peking lunar and planetary missions, such collaborations between mappers in University, Shandong University and as Chang’E-5-8, Tianwen-1 and Europe, Asia and beyond. National Space Science Center of China Academy of Science.

https://www.europlanet-gmap.eu J Schiavo/PLANMAP/GMAP

Issue 1 37 Magazine BIUST Mobilising Planetary Science in Africa

Fulvio Franchi (Botswana International University of Science and Technology) introduces a new network to support planetary science in Africa.

A major goal for higher Array (SKA) and the Botswana plan for Africa’s socio-economic education institutions in Satellite (Botswana Sat-1). The next development has long been Africa is to promote their existing generation of African scientists, recognised by African governments. space and planetary science leaders and entrepreneurs will On 31 January 2016, the African programmes on an international be part of a growing Science, Union (AU) adopted the African stage and to develop a solid system Technology, Engineering and and Strategy in the first for credit recognition. Only by Mathematics (STEM) labour market concrete step towards realising an achieving these two objectives at a that currently has a skills shortage African Space Programme. continental level can Africa tap into in the areas of remote sensing from The AU urged Member States, the growing planetary and space space, planetary geology, astronomy Regional Economic Communities and science market without relying on and astrophysics. Partners to promote STEM in general, non-African expertise and resources. The tertiary education sector and planetary and space science in February 2021 saw the launch and industries of African nations will particular. However, the complexity of the Pan-Africa Planetary and also benefit from the modernisation of scientific problems in these Space Science Network (PAPSSN), of academic programmes and the disciplines requires highly skilled a mobility scheme for students, introduction of new, cutting-edge university lecturers and technical academics and support staff across technologies designed for space staff. The coordinated mobility the African universities offering MSc and planetary exploration. These programme offered by PAPSSN will and PhD programmes in planetary developments will lead to advances improve access to high-quality STEM and space sciences. in technology-literacy, security, safety education, with a particular emphasis The overarching objective of the and productivity across a broad front on planetary and space science, new network is to educate young of activities, such as the monitoring and enhance the employability of scientists to meet the requirements of land-use, climate change, drought, graduate students in the science and of the large planetary and space hydrology and natural disasters. technology labour market. science projects expected to start The central role played by space PAPSSN is funded by the in Africa in the very near future, science and technology within the European Commission (EC) through including the Square Kilometer framework of the Agenda 2063 the Education, Audiovisual and

38 Issue 1 Magazine B Cavalazzi/F Franchi

Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) space science labour market that is Banner image: Botswana International under the Intra-Africa Academic expected to grow across Africa over University of Science and Technology Mobility Scheme 2020. The project the next decades, generating both (BIUST). is led by the Botswana International entrepreneurs and skilled workers for Above: Students collect a core of University of Science and Technology academia and industry. sediments from the Makgadikgadi (BIUST), and the consortium includes The first PAPSSN Call is now open. Pans, Botswana, for sedimentological and universities from Ethiopia, Nigeria, For more information and to apply, geo-microbiological studies. South Africa, Zambia and Italy, as visit the website. well as observatories, research https://www.papssnmobility.org institutes and agencies related to planetary and space science in the partnering countries. PAPSSN Consortium PAPSSN builds on existing working BIUST (lead), Addis Ababa University, University of Nigeria Nsukka, University of the relationships with Europlanet (BIUST Witwatersrand, Copperbelt University, University of Bologna (technical partner), coordinates transnational access South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, the Ethiopian Space Science and to the planetary analogue field site Technology Institute, the National Remote Sensing Centre Zambia, and the National of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in Space Research and Development Agency of Nigeria. Botswana), and the idea for the project was in fact initiated in 2018 during the first African Planetary and Space Science Network meeting, which was attended by members of the Europlanet management team amongst many African partners. BIUST and Botswana will benefit directly from the achievement of PAPSSN’s ambitious goals, and planetary and space science have the capacity to excite the imagination of the public and stimulate the interest of the youth in STEM at a local, regional and global level. Overall, the PAPSSN will support the STEM and planetary and

Issue 1 39 Magazine

Industry Engagement

Marcell Tessenyi (Blue Skies Space Ltd) and Jeronimo Bernard-Salas (ACRI-ST) discuss the mutual benefits for industry and academia in developing collaborations.

I ncreasing interactions provide opportunities for graduates in supporting the community. To between the planetary and doctoral candidates to be facilitate the formation of more such science community and industry, involved in applied space research partnerships, a company database including small and medium-sized and innovation activities with an that includes up-to-date technical enterprises (SMEs), can lead industry perspective. domains and contact details for to numerous opportunities and The success of the Horizon 2020 private sector organisations with synergistic relationships. EXPLORE project is one recent an interest in planetary research is The expertise of planetary example of what is possible when being developed by the Europlanet scientists in a broad array of industry, with its product-orientated industry team and validated through disciplines, from atmospheric vision, combines with academics’ the Europlanet Society’s network of research to machine learning, can expertise in innovative, complex Regional Hubs. help industry to explore new product processes. EXPLORE has received Networking events and workshops applications and markets, whilst 2 million Euros of funding from the organised in collaboration with industry’s focus on maximising European Commission to develop the Regional Hubs, the annual commercial value from projects can scientific data applications using Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC), support academics in accelerating state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence and the Europlanet policy team, and extending the impact of their (AI) and visual analytics to enhance all provide opportunities to bring work. science return and discovery from together academics, industry and Space-related innovations can planetary and space science data. policymakers, and for the planetary have global significance, and Technical developments from the community to get involved. These SMEs can be an important link in project will be adopted into the activities put emphasis on the channelling these innovations to the commercial partner’s product line involvement of under-represented economy of participating countries and will potentially provide additional countries, linking them to leading and into everyday life. Industry- products and services for the industry. European technological partners academic collaborations can open The EXPLORE consortium and, overall, widening participation new doors for funding, broadening has largely come about through in European planetary research and eligibility for grants and participation collaborations developed in innovation. in programmes, as well as co- the Europlanet 2024 Research www.europlanetsociety.org/industry/ funding of staff and PhDs. These Infrastructure (RI) programme, which explore-platform.eu partnerships can also facilitate has demonstrated how fostering pathways for academics that wish industry and academic interactions to transition to industry careers and is central to the work of Europlanet

40 Issue 1 Magazine

CommKit

Shorouk Elkobros (Europlanet Society/ESF) is Europlanet Magazine’s columnist on science communication topics and tools.

S ince the pandemic started, Europlanet joined Slack, a I expected social distancing networking platform to formally and to feel, well, distant. But I have informally chat with colleagues. found that regardless of isolating Slack is a great communication in my home office, I’ve been more tool for communities and a perfect connected than ever. In this issue’s complement to emails. It simplifies column I would like to share some of communication between different the useful tools I have used over the teams, committees and working past year that have allowed me to groups, and thus increases facilitate workshops and embrace collaboration and productivity. Once the new norm of remote working. workshops are done, Slack provides The Europlanet media team, a space to continue the conversation of which I’m part, has recently and keep the collaboration alive. If you have science communication tips organised a workshop in We are on the brink of what and tricks to share, please reach out to collaboration with the European Ezra Klein calls a ‘social recession’. our Communications team at media@ Science Foundation on common Using virtual platforms that can europlanet-society.org challenges and actions for boost effective communication is distributed research infrastructures thus crucial to maintain an active in Europe. We had more than 130 work culture. At Europlanet, we registered participants from 23 aspire to use digital tools that help countries within the EU and beyond. us create connections on virtual To make sure we fostered interesting meetings and allow us to come up outputs we used a Mural board, with collective solutions. We want to a digital workspace for visual question strategically how to have a collaboration to help participants healthy and robust version of digital brainstorm ideas. During the culture. Yes, we are losing physical workshop, people collaboratively proximity, but we should stay positive added and edited ideas live. After and always think of new ways to the workshop, we assessed the value revolutionise our digital spaces. of the Mural board for efficiency, time management, and creativity. Planetary yours, The results were great! Similar online Shorouk platforms are a game-changer not only for organising events but also for Mural: mural.co meetings, voting processes, etc. You might wonder, if sessions Slack: slack.com are disseminated via platforms like Zoom and workshops are organised using visual collaboration tools such as the Mural board, how can we incorporate networking?

Issue 1 41 EPEC C rner

The Europlanet Early Career (EPEC) network is open to all early-career planetary scientists and space professionals whose last degree (e.g. MSc or PhD) was obtained a maximum of seven years ago (excluding parental leave, serious illness and similar delays).

Europlanet Early Career Network: A New Opportunity for Growing together

Melissa Mirino (doctoral candidate at The Open University and Chair of the EPEC Communications Working Group) explains how the EPEC network can support early career professionals.

Second EPEC Annual Week in Lisbon in 2019. Credit: EPEC

W e all know that the space sector offers plenty learn about opportunities that could boost their career of career paths, from aerospace engineering prospects (funding, awards, job position etc) or to gain to astronomy, and from geology and to astronautics, the range of skills they need. In 2014-15, a group of to name just a few. However, for young professionals, young volunteer professionals decided to address these it can be difficult to find a way through this jungle to challenges by creating short courses at the Europlanet

42 Issue 1 There are many ways that an early career professional can join our network:

■ Subscribe to our mailing list to be updated about the news in our community: www.europlanet-society.org/early- careers-network/ Science Congress (EPSC) designed to benefit students or professionals at the beginning of their career journey. ■ Become an active member of one or more Working Groups: www.europlanet- Based on the success of these activities, the initial society.org/early-careers-network/epec- members decided to involve more young scientists and working-groups/ create a permanent early career network within the European planetary community. At EPSC 2017 in Riga, ■ Join our Slack channel: epec-network. initial members launched the Europlanet Early Career slack.com (EPEC) Network and at EPSC 2018 in Berlin, EPEC was ■ Follow us on our social media pages officially adopted as the early career branch of the new • Facebook: epec.network/ Europlanet Society. • : epec_epn Since then, increasing numbers of people have shown ■ Join the EPEC Annual Week: www. an interest in EPEC, and more and more volunteers have europlanet-society.org/epec-annual- subscribed to our network. Today, hundreds of early week-2021 career professionals have joined EPEC to share their ■ Check the volunteer vacancies on our passion for space and to create something wonderful website: www.europlanet-society. org/ together. EPEC is committed to building a strong early-careers-network/epec-vacancies/ network between young professionals in an enthusiastic and friendly environment. The EPEC network is open All information about each working group and the to all early-career planetary scientists and space current activities can be found at: professionals whose last degree (e.g. MSc or PhD) was www. europlanet-society.org/early-careers- obtained a maximum of seven years ago. network/epec-working-groups/ Currently, EPEC engages in different projects through nine Working Groups. Our activities bring Acknowledgements: Thanks to Gloria Tognon, Grace a young voice into the Europlanet Society and Richards, Foivos Karakostas, Erica Luzzi and Melissa help to shape the future of planetary sciences Mirino for the EPEC graphics. and engineering. Each Working Group enables its members to expand their experience in event and meeting organisation, create new initiatives, develop specific skills and gain team-working and leadership capabilities within an international environment.

Issue 1 43 #PlanetaryScience4All: A Video Contest for Virtual Science Communication

Melissa Mirino (doctoral candidate at The Open University and of the Chair EPEC Communications Working Group) shares how the extraordinary experiences of 2020 inspired her to launch a contest to bring together the early career community.

he year 2020 will be always remembered as a live sessions during EPSC2020, promoted on YouTube T year of isolation, disruption of the normal daily and shared widely on social media. The winning video activities, and in extreme cases a year of loss. However, was highlighted through the Europlanet website and during this period we all did our best to find alternative newsletters, and it has also been used for EPEC outreach solutions to carry on with our lives, jobs and activities and activities. The winner of the 2020 edition, Grace Richards, remain positive and connected with each other using the received a free registration to this year’s EPSC2021 current available technologies. Research and academia meeting. Recently, Grace and Gloria Tognon, another have not been an exception. Both the Europlanet Society contestant, have also joined the EPEC Communications and the Europlanet Early Career Network (EPEC) did their Working Group to support our activities. best to remain active, and to guarantee the usual sharing Based on the success of the 2020 competition, I of ideas and scientific results by transforming the EPSC feel confident that #PlanetaryScience4All will become 2020 Conference into a virtual meeting. a traditional part of EPSC. The second edition is now As Chair of the EPEC Communications Working Group, open, this year welcoming Bachelor’s and Master’s I wanted to create an activity that could combine the students, as well as PhD candidates working on a thesis EPEC goal of supporting early careers, our working related to planetary science. group’s aim of communication, and the need to transform For more information FAQs, flyers and the submission face-to-face activities into a shareable, interactive and form visit: https://www.europlanet-society.org/early- online form to support the EPSC2020 virtual meeting. careers-network/epec-communications-group/ The idea of a video contest came to mind. This format is planetaryscience4all-video-contest/ already considered by many universities as a good way to train and challenge students in science communication. Videos from the 2020 #PlanetaryScience4All Since the main subject of EPSC is planetary science, contest can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/ the topic of the video contest was easy to identify. playlist?list=PLPXeplhp1d00fmFd9vYXirNt_gyZrKOPA. With support from the EPSC2020 Outreach and Europlanet Communications teams, and many months of planning, creating and sharing the new activity, the #PlanetaryScience4All video contest became a reality. #PlanetaryScience4All challenges early career students to present their research in four minutes to a non-expert audience. The first edition (2020) of the contest was open to PhD candidates involved in planetary science studies, asking them to explain their PhD research using any type of creative video format (Lego movies, drawing, PowerPoint, storytelling etc.). The videos were judged based on criteria of scientific content, communication skills and creativity by a panel of experts from the Europlanet Community. All the contestants and their videos were featured in

44 Issue 1 3rd EPEC Annual Week

Erica Luzzi, Chair of the EPEC Annual Week Working Group, looks forward to holding the 2021 event as a virtual meeting.

T he 3rd Europlanet Early covering areas such as outreach, Career (EPEC) Annual Week diversity, communications, future is being held virtually from 7 - 11 June research and early career support. 2021. Early-career professionals The participants of the 3rd attending the event will take part EPEC Annual Week will have in a variety of workshops and the chance to become part seminars focused on helping them of one of these Working to build their future career, with time Groups and brainstorm, scheduled for open discussions with network and nourish speakers. Topics covered in the new ideas. Due to the programme include how to write a pandemic, there will good paper, how to look for funding, be no opportunity to and how to choose a career-path in explore a European industry versus academia. city, as in past Every month on the Europlanet Society website, The fundamental core of the EPEC events, but looking on we publish the profile of an early career Annual Week event is networking: the bright side: with a professional working in the planetary or space every early career can be part of the virtual event there are sector. If you would like an opportunity EPEC community, sharing expertise no limits for the number to be in the spotlight, please submit but also contributing to EPEC’s of participants and EPEC your story. http://bit.ly/ activities. The EPEC Committee looks forward to reaching its epec-profiles oversees multiple Working Groups largest audience yet.

Issue 1 45 The Last Word Europlanet: J in us Moving Forward Together The Europlanet Society promotes The Europlanet Society’s President and Europlanet 2024 RI Coordinator, Nigel Mason, planetary sciences in Europe for reflects on a milestone for the European planetary community. the benefit of its community. Organisational Memberships The Society is open to both individuals and For research organisations, T his year Europlanet growing and evolving over time. recent months, we have taken active institutions and industrial partners celebrates its 16 birthday. Going forward, Europlanet will need steps to get to know some of our organisations. Launched in 2018, it builds on 15 involved in planetary science and The ‘child’ born in 2005 (see page to adapt to changing circumstances ‘cousins’ through an initial workshop years of successful Europlanet projects funded related fields. 12) is now entering a new adolescent and priorities, especially in the wake in March 2021 with other distributed by the European Commission. It is the parent Benefits: age where it is reaching out and of the pandemic. The Europlanet Early research infrastructures. The meeting exploring new boundaries. In growing Career (EPEC) network provides an highlighted that Europlanet is not organisation of the European Planetary Science • Representation at the General Assembly up, Europlanet has developed facets active programme for those entering alone in the challenges it faces and Congress (EPSC) the largest annual meeting for and skills to address responsibilities our field (see page 42) and the that building a more coordinated • Reduced fees for events (including planetary sciences in Europe. EPSC) on a personal and professional Europlanet Mentoring initiative offers network with other distributed research Member-only content front. The Europlanet Society has informal and confidential support in infrastructures offers a lot of potential • been established to support the career development. The distributed to learn from some of our older Find out more at: • Can include up to 10 individual memberships Europlanet family within the planetary nature of both the Society, which is relations and share best practice with www.europlanet-society.org/join/ community, aiming to provide a supported by 10 Regional Hubs, and organisations that are just starting out. friendly, inclusive environment for the 2024 RI project, which has 57 Although we are not able to Individual Memberships networking, and sharing science and partners around the world, enables meet face-to-face in Helsinki in For active researchers, early career experiences. The Europlanet 2024 Europlanet to listen to local needs September, we look forward to scientists, students, retired scientists Research Infrastructure (RI) is now an and be flexible in the programme that seeing everyone at the virtual as well as amateur astronomers, international platform for scientists it offers. However, the broad reach Europlanet Science Congress industrial partners, outreach and engineers to perform pioneering and drive to widen participation (EPSC) 2021 and participating in an providers and educators. research across Europe and around brings its own challenges in terms interactive programme of scientific the world, with many hundreds of of coordination and sustainability. and community events. Europlanet’s Benefits: organisations and thousands of Europlanet is part of a larger activities are only possible through • Access to 10 Regional Hubs & Early researchers using its services. population of nearly 300 research the efforts of many hundreds of Career Network to support the planetary community Planetary science and the infrastructures funded by the European individuals, and there are many open community working in it are also Union’s Horizon 2020 programme. In opportunities to shape the future by • Reduced fees for events (including EPSC) serving on committees and taking leadership roles in upcoming projects. • Member-only content If you are not a member, please join • Funding opportunities the Society and help us sustain the momentum we have generated, despite the pandemic. Together we can ensure that the next decade is as exciting as the last and look forward to Europlanet’s 18 and 21 birthdays, when it will not just ‘come of age’ but boldly go on to explore new worlds.

https://www.europlanet-society.org

46 Issue 1

Join Us Europlanet Advert A4 V1.indd 1 09/06/2021 14:54 J in us

The Europlanet Society promotes planetary sciences in Europe for the benefit of its community. Organisational Memberships The Society is open to both individuals and For research organisations, institutions and industrial partners organisations. Launched in 2018, it builds on 15 involved in planetary science and years of successful Europlanet projects funded related fields.

by the European Commission. It is the parent Benefits: organisation of the European Planetary Science • Representation at the General Congress (EPSC) the largest annual meeting for Assembly • Reduced fees for events (including planetary sciences in Europe. EPSC) • Member-only content Find out more at: • Can include up to 10 individual www.europlanet-society.org/join/ memberships

Individual Memberships For active researchers, early career scientists, students, retired scientists as well as amateur astronomers, industrial partners, outreach providers and educators.

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