Europa Clipper
Europa Clipper is a NASA mission to study Jupiter’s moon Europa, an ocean world that might harbor alien life beneath its icy crust. The University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Lab has direct involvement with two of the spacecraft’s key instruments, which collectively will be able to map above and below the moon’s iceberg-like exterior to examine whether life could survive in the fathoms below.
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory's Regents Professor Alfred McEwen, Associate Professor Lynn Carter, and Researcher/Scientist Sarah Sutton discuss the Europa Mission and the work they are doing to discover more about Jupiter's moon Europa.
Pandora Mission One Step Closer
LPL Professor Daniel Apai and team member Karl Harshman discuss the Pandora Mission, it's purpose and the research process of this small satellite. It is the first astrophysics mission that will be complete operated from the U of A campus.
Asteroid Bennu Comes From a Long-lost Salty World With Ingredients For Life
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Emma Michael
PTYS/LPL Graduate Students
Emma Michael
Undergraduate Astrobiology Minor
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Snow4Flow: Studying Glaciers From Arizona
Snow4Flow is a new University of Arizona-led NASA mission to study arctic glaciers using advanced radar mounted on low-flying aircraft. Captained by Jack Holt, a professor at the University of Arizona’s Lunar & Planetary Lab, the mission’s goal is to improve climate modeling and to better understand glacial loss and its impact on sea level rise.
Henry Arnpriester
PTYS/LPL Graduate Students
Henry Arnpriester
Undergraduate Astrobiology Minor, Undergraduate PTYS Minor
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Adam Battle
PTYS/LPL Postdocs
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Adam Battle (he/him/his)
R&D Software Engineer, SPACE 4 Center
Asteroid Surveys, Small Bodies, Space Situational Awareness
Photometric and visible to near-infrared spectral characterization of space objects as applied to both Space Situational Awareness and the study of small bodies in the solar system.
Advisor(s): Vishnu Reddy
Adam is received his PhD from the Lunar and Planetary Lab at the University of Arizona in Dec. 2024. His research focuses on visible spectral observations and photometry of various space objects, especially those in proximity to Earth. Past projects have included a spectral atlas of geostationary satellites, the first detection of shock darkening on a near-Earth asteroid (52768) 1998 OR2, and long-term NIR spectral monitoring of active asteroid (6478) Gault. His current research focuses determining the rotation state of NEAs in support of radar observations.
- "Satellites in Space" on Jump In Tucson - Nov. 2024, 1030 KVOI am
- New "Spectral Fingerprint" Atlas of Satellites Aims to Improve Space Safety - Nov. 2024, U of A News.
- LPL Students Observe and Track “Near-Miss” Asteroid - March 24, 2023, U of A News
- PIA25257: NASA's Lunar Flashlight Spotted From Earth on Its Way to the Moon - December 23, 2022, NASA
- Scientists Identify Potential Source of 'Shock-darkened' Meteorites, with Implications for Hazardous Asteroid Deflection - October 4, 2022, U of A News
- As Reflective Satellites Fill the Skies, UArizona Students Are Making Sure Astronomers Can Adapt - Aug. 2022, U of A News
- University of Arizona Students Await Photographs of Moon Crash Site - March 17, 2022, AZPM
- Space Junk Set to Crash Into Moon - March 2022, Cheddar News Interview
- UArizona Students Confirm Errant Rocket's Chinese Origin, Track Lunar Collision Course - U of A News
- NASA Launched a Rocket 54 Years Ag. Has It Finally Come Home? - Dec. 2020, New York Times
- A Rock Comet? The Mystery of the Geminid Meteor Shower - Nov 2020, Astronomy on Tap, virtual
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