This planetary geologist has worked on nearly every Mars rover while connecting government, universities, the private sector, and the public.
planetary surfaces
Posted inNews
Mini Dunes Form When Sand Stops Bouncing
Decoding how sand grains move and accumulate on Earth can also help scientists understand dune formation on Mars.
Posted inNews
Cracks on Planetary Surfaces Hint at Water
Imagery of fractured terrain on Venus, Mars, and Jupiter’s moon Europa pinpoints environments influenced by water.
Posted inNews
Salt May Be Key to Martian Mudflows
Mars probably has mud volcanoes, and salt might be the ingredient that keeps the flow going.
Posted inNews
Impact Spewed Debris Away from the Moon’s South Pole
Two valleys extending away from a giant crater suggest that upcoming Artemis missions are more likely to sample ancient lunar terrain than impactor material.
Posted inNews
Buried Sediments Point to an Ancient Ocean on Mars
Ground-penetrating radar data collected by the Zhurong rover reveal gently sloping sediments in Mars’s northern lowlands that hint at a shoreline.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Landslides in Hebes Chasma, Mars
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. I rarely write about landslides on other planetary bodies, primarily because this is outside of my comfort zone. However, the European Space Agency (ESA) image below popped up on my feed this […]
Posted inNews
Human Activities Might Create Temporary Atmospheres on the Moon
Outgassing could pose problems for long-term habitation of the Moon, including health hazards for astronauts, hindrances for electronics, and hampered scientific study.
Posted inNews
Pluto’s Small Moons Are Unlike Any Other
The strange blend of surface chemistry on Nix and Hydra raises big question about the evolution of the Pluto system.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Fifteen Years Later, Scientists Locate a Lunar Impact Site
The impact crater from NASA’s LCROSS mission lies hidden in an eternally dark region of the Moon.