LPI Seminar Series
LPI seminars are held on most Fridays at 3:30 p.m. in the Lecture Hall at USRA, 3600 Bay Area Boulevard, Houston, Texas. Refreshments are served at 3:00 p.m. For more information, please contact Justin Filiberto (phone: 281-486-2118; e-mail: filiberto@lpi.usra.edu) or Michelle Kirchoff (phone: 281- 486-2116; e-mail: kirchoff@lpi.usra.edu). A map of the Clear Lake area (PDF format) is available here. The Acrobat Reader 8.0 is available from Adobe. This schedule is subject to revision.
See also the Rice University Department of Physics and Astronomy Colloquia and the Department of Earth Science Colloquia pages for other space science talks in the Houston area.
July 2008
- Friday, July 11, 2008 - Lecture Hall, 3:30 PM
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Paul Spudis, Lunar and Planetary Institute (40th Anniversary Seminar Series Speaker)
The Poles of the Moon: Questions, Issues, and MissionsBecause its axis of rotation is nearly perpendicular to the ecliptic plane, the poles of the Moon contain areas that are permanently dark and other areas the may be nearly constantly illuminated. This simple relationship has profound consequences; the lunar poles are a unique environment, containing deposits, displaying processes and having a history and evolution very different from the rest of the Moon. The dark regions may be as cold as 50–70 K. Cometary debris and meteorites containing water-bearing minerals constantly hit the Moon. Most of this water is lost to space, but if a water molecule finds its way into a cold trap, it is there forever – no physical process is known that can remove it. Over geological time, significant quantities of water could accumulate. Measurements by the Clementine and Lunar Prospector spacecraft showed that volatile deposits, possibly in the form of water ice, exist near the lunar poles. Additionally, both poles show small areas that appear to be in sun illumination for periods significantly greater than one-half of the 708-hour lunar day. Mini-SAR is a guest payload on India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission to the Moon, scheduled to be launched later this year. This 550 kg spacecraft will enter a polar orbit and map the Moon for 2 years. The Mini-SAR instrument will map both poles and obtain detailed information on the surface scattering properties of permanently dark areas. Analysis of these data will permit us to identify materials in the dark areas with scattering properties consistent with water ice. The poles of the Moon are of great interest and value from both a scientific and an operational perspective. Scientifically, the poles offer us new processes to study and an untold story to recover. The permanent darkness and quasi-permanent sunlit areas offer resources and enable continuous human presence on the Moon. Because of discoveries made about the poles, the Moon has become more complex and mysterious in the last decade. The next decade of exploration may uncover new secrets and clues to the history of the Solar System.
August 2008
- Friday, August 15, 2008 - Lecture Hall, 3:30 PM
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Jonathan Lunine, University of Arizona (40th Anniversary Seminar Series Speaker)
To be announced - Friday, August 22, 2008 - Lecture Hall, 3:30 PM
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Nicholas Tosca, Harvard University
To be announced
September 2008
- Friday, September 26, 2008 - Lecture Hall, 3:30 PM
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Roger Phillips, Southwest Research Institute (40th Anniversary Seminar Series Speaker)
To be announced
November 2008
- Friday, November 14, 2008 - Lecture Hall, 3:30 PM
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Christian Koeberl, University of Vienna (40th Anniversary Seminar Series Speaker)
To be announced
December 2008
- Friday, December 5, 2008 - Lecture Hall, 3:30 PM
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Renu Malhotra, University of Arizona (40th Anniversary Seminar Series Speaker)
To be announced
