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Sservi Annual Report SSERVI ANNUAL REPORT YEAR TWO Table of Contents Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................3 SSERVI Central Report ....................................................................................................................................6 Volatiles Regolith & Thermal Investigations Consortium for Exploration and Science (VORTICES) .........17 SSERVI Evolution and Environment of Exploration Destinations (SEEED) ................................................25 Center for Lunar Science and Exploration (CLSE) ........................................................................................36 Institute for Modeling Plasma, Atmospheres and Cosmic Dust (IMPACT) ...................................................45 Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration (RIS4E) ...........................................54 Field Investigations to Enable Solar System Science and Exploration (FINESSE) .......................................62 Dynamic Response of Environments at Asteroids, the Moon, and Moons of Mars (DREAM2) ...................70 Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science (CLASS) ..............................................................................86 Institute for the Science of Exploration Targets (ISET) ................................................................................102 International Partners ....................................................................................................................................110 Publications ...................................................................................................................................................133 i INTRODUCTION 3 Introduction NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) is pleased to present the following summary of scientific, technical and programmatic accomplishments from our second year of operation (February 2015 – February 2016). This report includes leadership activities of the SSERVI Central Office, the annual reports prepared by each of the nine U.S. teams, and achievements from some of the SSERVI international partners. SSERVI is the third in a series of successful NASA virtual science institutes, following the NASA Astrobiology Institute and the NASA Lunar Science Institute. These organizations bring together competitively selected research teams, allowing the expert scientists and students from pre-existing organizations (primarily academic) to develop collaborations that focus on subjects of interest to NASA. They have proved particularly powerful at addressing cross-disciplinary problems and in attracting students who will become the future leaders in space science. Established in 2013 through joint funding from the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) as an expanded version of the NASA Lunar Science Institute, SSERVI is focused on the Moon, Near-Earth Asteroids, and the moons of Mars. Addressing questions of value to the human exploration program that also represent important research relevant to planetary science, SSERVI creates a bridge between HEOMD and SMD. The virtual institute model offers many opportunities to address strategic research areas on the critical path for human exploration. Collaboration across team lines and international borders fosters the creation of new knowledge, especially at the intersections of disciplines that might not otherwise overlap. Of the 318 co- Investigators and collaborators that currently comprise SSERVI teams, 33% are students, representing a substantial investment in the next generation of planetary and exploration scientists. NASA SSERVI teams investigate the Moon, Near-Earth Asteroids, and the moons of Mars (Phobos and Deimos), addressing questions fundamental to these target bodies and their near-space environments. SSERVI can provide scientific, technical and mission-defining analyses for relevant NASA programs and space missions, as needed. The institute is currently composed of nine U.S. teams of 30-50 members each, distributed geographically across the United States, and a Central Office, located at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, CA. The Central Office is responsible for the distribution of funds, facilitation of inter-team collaborations, organization of workshops and conferences (virtual as well as in-person), and communication of research results to all stakeholders (NASA Headquarters, the research communities, and the general public). The SSERVI Central Office is located in Silicon Valley, surrounded by cutting-edge information technology and academic organizations, which helps keep the Institute on the leading edge of innovative, cross-team virtual collaborations. SSERVI currently has ten international partners who interact with the domestic teams on a no-exchange- of-funds basis. Understanding that human and robotic exploration is most successful as an international endeavor, SSERVI domestic and international teams share students and access to facilities to enhance research goals. U.S. teams are competitively selected through a rigorous peer review process of proposals submitted to NASA every 2-3 years, in response to a Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN). The current teams were selected under CAN-1, and will be funded for five years (2014-2019).A smaller overlapping set of teams are expected to be added in 2017 in response to CAN-2, thereby providing continuity and a firm foundation for any directional changes NASA may require as the CAN-1 teams end their term. 4 In the second year of operation, SSERVI teams published 154 peer-reviewed papers and presented numerous conference papers and presentations. A bibliography of the peer-reviewed SSERVI scientific publications from January 2015-February 2016 can be found at the end of this document and at http:// sservi.nasa.gov/science-library/ . Additional information, including an extensive video archive of seminars and conferences, is on the Institute’s website at http://sservi.nasa.gov/ . SSERVI uses its technical expertise in communication and collaboration technology to support a variety of workshops and seminars, including facilitating communications involving other NASA Centers and NASA Headquarters. Seminar series conducted by the teams are archived on the SSERVI website and on the individual team websites. A recent example of these can be found at http://sservi.nasa.gov/past- seminars, where a series of seminars on topics relevant to the Martian moon, Phobos, were presented by experts in the field. Several SSERVI teams joined in the production of this series. SSERVI creates common-use facilities that the Institute makes available to the entire community for relevant research. More about these can be found in the facilities section of this report. Each year the SSERVI Central Office holds the Exploration Science Forum (ESF), which features scientific discussions of exploration targets of interest, recent mission results, and in-depth analyses of science and exploration studies. Nearly three hundred people participated in person during the three- day event in July 2015, with more than one hundred others participating online. Bringing several communities together with a healthy mixture of students and seasoned researchers, the forum encourages collaboration and exchange of interdisciplinary research. Students are encouraged to participate and also have the chance to attend the LunarGradCon meeting where they have the opportunity of practicing oral presentations of their research to their peers. All Forum talks are archived at sservi.nasa.gov. Public engagement is an important component of SSERVI’s mission. Each team has an active program, and the SSERVI Central Office provides overarching communication to the public of the institute’s integrated contributions. We have created unique materials for the visually impaired, and the Lunar Gallery was created to engage a non-scientific audience. In an effort to bring together people of varied backgrounds and interest, SSERVI teams and the Central Office also hold several public engagement events throughout the year. In 2015, the SSERVI Central Office alone spoke to over 11,000 students and their families. SSERVI fills a unique role within NASA in facilitating innovative cross-disciplinary collaborative research. We believe that exploration enables science, and that science is an essential part of NASA’s future human exploration missions. This broad role is reflected in the work summarized in this Annual Report. Yvonne Pendleton, Director Greg Schmidt, Deputy Director/Director of International Partnerships 5 SSERVI Virtual Support Virtual Institutes keep NASA on the cutting-edge of collaborative technology and acts as a conduit between new technology and the scientific community. Communications tools enhance effectiveness of interdisciplinary and collaborative research and training. Institute members engage in inter- and intra-team collaborations, attend seminars, workshops and meetings, primarily in virtual space. SSERVI specializes in the design, development, integration, and production of a multitude of Information Technology components, combining extensive in-house knowledge of current and future industry technological standards to serve our communities. We use a wide array of communication and information technology tools to build and support the SSERVI community, including high-definition
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