Planetary Astronomy Planetary Atmosphere s DoSS researchers explore the Ongoing research programs planets, moons, asteroids, and address the dynamics, energetics, comets using a wide variety composition, chemistry, structure, of international space- and time variability, origin, and ground-based observatories evolution of planetary SwRI’s Department of Space Studies (DoSS) (including the use of adaptive atmospheres. DoSS expertise conducts basic observational, modeling, and optics), and are active in includes the atmospheres and theoretical research in a wide range of solar system related theoretical modeling. exospheres of Mercury, Venus, and astrophysical topics. The Department of Space Planetary topics of interest the Moon, Io, Titan, Chiron, Operations (DoSO) is active in the development and include the dynamics and Triton, Pluto, and the Jovian planets. Our group also operation of a wide array of instrumentation and physical properties of solar makes significant contributions in the area of cometary several space missions. The departments are system bodies and planetary atmospheres, with both ground and space-based located at the base of the Rocky Mountains in rings (the systems of orbiting observations, and theoretical modeling. Boulder, Colorado, and the office hosts a steady debris girdling the outer planets), occultations, Martian stream of international visiting scientists and polar obliquity cycles, and cratering and catastrophic Geophysics engineers, and organizes workshops and meetings collisions. DoSS scientists have conducted searches for evidence of lunar polar water, Vulcanoids (the long- with focused scientific and space exploration topics. We seek to understand the interior suspected population of minor planets inside the orbit of structures, compositions, and Mercury), and have detected asteroidal satellites. dynamics of solid planets and

Moons. DoSS scientists are team Solar Physics members of the orbital ground- penetrating radars currently Origins Research mapping Mars. We are developing One of our most integrated We couple data analysis and modeling work with a cutting a variety of electromagnetic- areas of research is in solar sounding tools for future exploration, particularly for system origins. This field edge hardware program to develop new instrumentation for groundwater on Mars and ground ice on the Moon. To includes the study of the support mission planning and data analysis, the Planetary formation of our solar both space-based and ground- based solar physics. Using data Electrical Properties and Geochemistry Laboratory system, and the origin, performs dielectric and infrared spectroscopy over a wide structure, and detection of from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO) spacecraft, range of physical conditions relevant to planetary planetary systems around environments. Numerical modeling of groundwater flow other stars. Much of our Institute scientists study the dynamics of the Sun’s atmosphere, producing the first velocity maps of the solar on Mars and solid-state convection in the icy shells of the origins research involves outer-planet moons provides the theoretical complement high-performance computing, utilizing our super- wind coming from coronal holes, and the highest quality magnetic maps ever made of the Sun’s polar regions. An to our observational and laboratory studies. computing clusters. Particular research topics include studies of the origin of the Moon, planet formation, the in-depth analysis of the relationship between the dynamics and content of the Oort Cloud and Kuiper belt magnetic field and the million degree plasma in the solar Astrophysics (primordial reservoirs of comets and minor planets corona uses a technique called “fluxon relaxation”, a ground-breaking, SwRI-developed method for Active research in this area includes beyond the orbit of Neptune), the late heavy observational and modeling studies bombardment, modern Earth impact hazards, and the extrapolating magnetic fields to solve problems that are inaccessible to more conventional techniques. The Solar of hot stars, variable stars, binary properties and origin of Pluto, Triton, and the Centaurs. stars, stellar pulsations, star DoSS researchers also study surface processes and Physics section also has an active NASA sounding rocket program to develop new technology for future satellite formation and evolution, the dynamical evolution of asteroids, the composition and interstellar medium, and dust activity of cometary comae, and the structure and missions, including a next generation, fast, high resolution imaging spectrograph to study wave motions accretion in extrasolar disks. dynamics of the solar nebula. We are home to the Center Observational multi-wavelength programs in the for Lunar Origin and Evolution (CLOE), part of the and turbulent flow in the Sun’s ultrahot atmosphere. department make use of large ground-based telescopes NASA Lunar Science Institute. and space-based instruments.

Solar System Exploration DoSS and DoSO participate in solar system exploration through involvement in NASA orbital and deep space missions, ground- based optical and radio observations, and basic modeling and theoretical research. DoSS scientists are team members on many space missions such as: New Horizons (Pluto), Cassini Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), based in San Antonio, Texas, is an independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and (Saturn), Galileo (Jupiter), Messenger (Mercury), Rosetta physical sciences research and development organization with (comet rendezvous), NEAR (asteroid rendezvous), the over 3,000 employees. www.swri.edu Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (Moon), and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph aboard the Hubble Space For additional information, please contact: Telescope. Department researchers also have designed and conducted Space Shuttle, airborne, and sounding Southwest Research Institute rocket experiments with instruments built by SwRI 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300 engineering teams. Boulder, CO 80302 (303) 546-9670 Space Missions (303) 546-9687 FAX DoSO is home to the Tombaugh www.boulder.swri.edu

Science Operations Center, which Scientific ,Technical, and Administrative Staff currently supports the design and Chris Anderson Hal Levison operations of instruments on the Scott Anderson Joyce Manzone John Andrews, Dir. DoSO Meryl McDowell New Horizons, Rosetta, and LRO Amy Barr William Merline missions, as well as processing and Erika Barth Tim Michaels Pamela Batchelor Diane Miller archiving of science data from Emma Birath Kerry Neal instruments on those spacecraft. William Bottke David Nesvorny SwRI scientists and engineers have Marc Buie Keith Nowicki Mark Bullock Cathy Olkin led the development and operation Robin Canup Mikki Osterloo of the Alice UV Spectrometer and Traci Case Joel Parker, Asst. Exec. Dir. the Radiation Assessment Detector. Clark Chapman Joe Peterson Jason Cook Roger Phillips The Boulder office has lab facilities Craig DeForest Nathaniel Putzig for optical and electrical engineering and planetary Luke Dones Scot Rafkin electrical properties and geology. Dan Durda Debi Rose Anthony Egan John Spencer Brian Enke Andrew Steffl Science Technology Deborah Geolfus David Stillman Amara Graps Peter Tamblyn Robert Grimm, Dir. DoSS Dirk Terrell SwRI researchers are active in cross-disciplinary work Vicky Hamilton Jeanette Thorn creating advanced information systems and new Keith Harrison Henry Throop computational tools for scientific research. This includes Don Hassler William Ward Norman Heinen Michael Vincent developing image reconstruction methods to improve the Carly Howett Eliot Young resolution and sensitivity of astronomical observations, Kandis Lea Jessup Leslie Young robotic telescopes, and innovative networking and David Kaufmann Cary Zeitlin Glenn Laurent distributed computing to model solar system dynamics.