Earth and Planetary Science
Earth and Planetary Science is field of study comprised of multiple approaches including astrobiology, atmospheric science, geology, oceanography, and others. Together the various specialties study the origin, composition, structure, processes, and evolution of Earth and other planets within our solar system. These scientists employ principles from physics, chemistry, and biology to understand the past, present, and future states of celestial bodies from their inner composition to the surrounding atmosphere. Some of the major focuses include natural hazards, resource management, and the potential for life on other planets.
Dr. Camprubi-Casas is the head of The Astrobiochemistry Lab at UTRGV in Edinburg, TX. The lab aims to understand life's origins and universal distribution. One of the most recent projects is a simulation of Jupiter's moon Europa to better understand how organic molecules from meteorites that reach Earth's surface change over time under extreme conditions. The results of which will be key to deciphering the data obtained by NASA's flagship mission Europa Clipper that launches in 2025. His team has also designed a a closed environment ultra-high vacuum system – dubbed Boreas in honor of the ancient Greek god of the north cold wind – to simulate the surface of Europa and other cold, icy moons such as Enceladus and Titan.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) founded by California Institute of Technology (Caltech) researches is NASA's only federally-funded research and development center. The primary function of the laboratory is the construct and operate planetary robotic spacecraft. In addition, JPL is operates NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN).
The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas is an independent and nonprofit applied research and development organization providing services to goverment and industry clients. Since its inception in 1947, SwRI has addressed challenges from deep sea to deep space exploration and all the environments in between.
Located at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) is another indepedent permanent scientific research institute. More than 70 scientiest, ranging in disciplines from astrophysics to biology, perform collaborative research on the connections between the origin and evolutions of planets and life.
The Exoplanet Transmission Spectroscopy Imager (ETSI) which can achieve Hubble Space Telescope quality precision form the ground. The imager has detected atmospheres around two dozen exoplanets.
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) operated by NASA. TESS is designed to discover thousands of exoplanets in orbit around the brightest dwarf stars in the sky. It is finding planets ranging from small, rocky worlds to giant planets, showcasing the diversity of planets in the galaxy.
The TESS Input Catalog (TIC) is a combination of a dozen astronomical catalogs and provides stellar parameters for more than 1.5 billion stars.
The Transient Optical Robotic Observatory of the South (TOROS) located in Argentina is a fully robotic observatory designed to observe and characterize optical transients typically indentified through LIGO or LSST alerts.
As a geomorphologist, Dr. Tian Dong's primary focus is on rivers, deltas and other coastal environments. His research relies heavily on field studies and remotely sensed observations, fluid flow and sediment transport theories, and numerical modeling.
Led by Dr. Dong at the UTRGV Edinburg campus, the TD Geomorphology Laboratory is on a mission to advance the field of geomorphology and advance new theories to better understand surface processes that operate on our planet and others in our solar system. The lab aims to utilize these findings to provide knowledge and guidance to underserved communities, the general public, and policymakers to be able to make better land and resource management decisions.
The lab utlizes drone systems - similar to those currently used by NASA to explore moon Titan - in their research. The real-time kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) kit from Trimble provides high-precision horizontal and vertical locations of Earth's surfaces. In combition with this kit, the drone-based Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) provides accurate topography at a single point for and entire area.