In a few years’ time, man wants to return to the Moon. Astronauts are to take part in Artemis missions, planning and carrying out geological expeditions on the surface of the Moon. With the aim of providing the best possible preparation for these tasks, the European Space Agency (ESA) set up PANGAEA (Planetary ANalogue Geological and Astrobiological Exercise for Astronauts). Since 2016, astronauts from, so far, three space agencies have been provided with the essential knowledge and competences in field geology required for exploring the Moon. Kathrin Kottke spoke to Dr. Harald Hiesinger, PANGAEA course instructor and Professor of Geological Planetology at the University of Münster, about the training programme and the role of geological field research on the Moon.
Dr. Carolyn van der Bogert, a planetary geologist at the Institut für Planetologie WWU Münster, received this year's Angioletta Coradini Mid-Career Award from NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI). The award recognizes significant, lasting accomplishments related to exploration science. Dr. van der Bogert has been involved on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera Team for more than 10 years, and has recently worked with industry and the European Space Agency (ESA) on selection of favorable landing sites for in-situ resource utilization missions on the Moon. She has contributed to ESA Roadmaps for the exploration of the Moon, and is a member of two ESA Topical Teams examining science mission concepts for the Moon. Dr. van der Bogert is gratified to have been recognized by her colleagues for this award. https://sservi.nasa.gov/articles/2022-nasa-exploration-science-awards/
Imene Kerraouch successfully defended her PhD thesis yesterday.
Her thesis was „Surface properties of asteroids revealed by detailed studies of constituents of meteorite breccias” . Her committee consisted of Profs. Addi Bischoff, Mike Zolensky, Thorsten Kleine and Mario Trieloff.
Maximilian P. Reitze sucessfully defended his PhD thesis, today.
The title of his thesis is: "Mid-infrared spectroscopy of the feldspar mineral family and feldspar-bearing rocks for remote sensing of Mercury and other planetary objects".
His committee consisted of Profs. Norbert Hölzel (dean), Thorsten Kleine, Addi Bischoff, Stefan Klemme (second evaluator) and Harald Hiesinger (advisor).
Raumsonde BepiColombo passiert die Venus / Spektrometer MERTIS zeichnet einzigartige Messungen der dichten Atmosphäre auf
In nur 550 Kilometern Höhe passiert die europäisch-japanische Merkurmission "BepiColombo" am 10. August um 15.48 Uhr (mitteleuropäische Sommerzeit) die Oberfläche der Venus. Dieser Nahvorbeiflug ermöglicht einige so noch nie durchgeführte wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen der dichten Venusatmosphäre. Denn bereits während der Annäherung an den Schwesterplaneten der Erde wird das vom Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) gemeinsam mit der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster entwickelte und betriebene Spektrometer MERTIS (Mercury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer) auf die Venus gerichtet sein und Messungen durchführen.
Today Thomas Heyer successfully defended his PhD thesis.
The title of his thesis was "Formation of Slope Streaks and Gullies on Present-day Mars". Members of the committee were professors Harald Hiesinger (WWU), Ralf Jaumann (FU-Berlin), as well as Prof. Dr. James Head (Brown University) and Dr. Torsten Prinz (WWU).
Today Jan Hendrik Pasckert successfully defended his PhD thesis.
Jan Hendrik's thesis was "Volcanic evolution of the southern lunar farside". Members of the committee were professors Harald Hiesinger (WWU), Ralf Jaumann (FU-Berlin), as well as Thorsten Kleine and Addi Bischoff (both associated to WWU).
International research group determines age of Flensburg meteorite
A meteorite that fell in northern Germany in 2019 contains carbonates that are among the oldest in the solar system; it also evidences the earliest presence of liquid water on a minute planet. The high-resolution Heidelberg Ion Probe – a research instrument at the Institute of Earth Sciences at Heidelberg University – provided the measurements. The investigation by Heidelberg’s Cosmochemistry Research Group led by Prof Mario Trieloff was part of a consortium study coordinated by the University of Münster with participating scientists from Europe, Australia and the USA.
Bald wird es - zum ersten Mal seit fast 45 Jahren - wieder neue Gesteinsproben des Mondes geben, wenn die chinesische Sonde "Chang'e 5" zurück auf der Erde landet. Welche neuen Erkenntnisse das Mondgestein liefern kann, erklärt Prof. Dr. Harald Hiesinger vom Institut für Planetologie im Podcast. Zudem berichtet er, was die Wissenschaft schon über den Mond weiß, ob der Mond eigentlich jemandem gehört und wie es ist, den Start einer Raumfahrtmission aus nächster Nähe zu beobachten.
Research team determines that the sun was formed in less than 200,000 years / Study in "Science"
The material that makes up the Sun and the rest of the Solar System came from the collapse of a large cloud of gas and dust. And whereas astronomers have observed distant stellar systems that formed similarly to ours estimate that it probably takes about 1-2 million years for the collapse of a cloud into an ignited star, this is the first study able to provide age constraints on formation of our own Solar System. Our solar system is over 4.5 billion years old, and it was formed in less than 200,000 years, according to an international research team led by planetologists from the University of Münster. The results of the study have been published in the journal “Science”.
Raumsonde BepiColombo "fällt" weiter Richtung Merkur
Von der Tagseite kommend, an der Venus vorbei, mit der Schwerkraft des Planeten abbremsen und auf der Nachtseite weiter auf Kurs zum Ziel Merkur: Am Donnerstag, dem 15. Oktober 2020, wird die ESA-Raumsonde BepiColombo um 5.58 Uhr MESZ in etwa 10720 km Kilometer Entfernung an der Venus vorbeifliegen und unserem Nachbarplaneten ein wenig ihrer Bewegungsenergie übertragen, um selbst an Geschwindigkeit zu verlieren. Zwei Jahre nach dem Start ist der Zweck des Manövers eine weitere Absenkung des sonnennächsten Punktes des Orbits von BepiColombo in Richtung der Umlaufbahn des Planeten Merkur. Den werden die beiden zu einem Gespann verbundenen Raumsonden der Europäischen Weltraumorganisation ESA und der japanischen Raumfahrtagentur JAXA nach einem weiteren Venusvorbeiflug im August 2021 erreichen und sechs Nahvorbeiflüge später schließlich Merkur Ende 2025 umkreisen. Für PlanetenforscherInnen und IngenieurInnen des Instituts für Planetologie der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU) und am Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) eine weitere Gelegenheit das Spektrometer MERTIS zu testen.
Outstanding Student Poster Award an Claudia Pöhler
Der Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) ist die größte, jährlich stattfindende, internationale Konferenz auf dem Gebiet der Planetologie in Europa. Für die virtuelle Konferenz wurden 2020 mehr als 975 Poster und Präsentationen eingereicht. Im Rahmen dieser Konferenz erhielt Claudia Pöhler aus der Arbeitsgruppe von Prof. Dr. Harald Hiesinger den Outstanding Student Poster Award für ihr interaktives Poster zum Thema „The Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Region: A New Geological Map“. In ihrem Poster stellt Claudia Pöhler ihre Arbeiten an einer geologischen Karte des größten und ältesten Einschlagbeckens auf dem Mond und dessen südpolarer Nachbarschaft vor. Die neue hochauflösende Karte hat unmittelbare Relevanz für das Verständnis der frühen geologischen Entwicklung des Mondes und kann auch für die Planung von zukünftigen Landemissionen herangezogen werden.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Claudia!
Data from NASA’s Dawn mission provide new insights
An international research team, in which planetologists from the University of Münster were also involved, has found evidence of cryovolcanic eruptions on the planet Ceres from data measured by the NASA's Dawn mission. The researchers have produced a picture of a unique world, in whose interior remains of a global ocean survive to this day and whose strange cryovolcanism is probably still active.
Researchers at the University of Münster confirm: "Blaubeuren" is the result of a cosmic collision
Even in science, chance sometimes produces more thrilling discoveries that the most ambitious plans. In 1989, a homeowner was digging a cable trench on his property in Blaubeuren, in the German region of Swabia, when his spade hit a rock measuring 28 by 25 by 20 centimetres. Upon lifting it half a metre to the surface, he found that it was remarkably heavy. He held a magnet to the rock and confirmed that it contained iron. The angular boulder was then left lying in the garden for decades. Only 31 years later did it occur to the finder that it might be a visitor from space. In January 2020, he reported his find to the Institute of Planetary Research at the German Aerospace Centre (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR). Then, after the first scientific analyses, came the sensational discovery that the object is indeed a stony meteorite. In addition, with a mass of over 30 kilograms, it is the largest ever found in Germany. On 7 July 2020, the Meteoritical Society, the international organisation of meteorite researchers, which documents all meteorite finds and falls worldwide, confirmed in its bulletin that this find had been recognised as a meteorite. It has been officially named 'Blaubeuren' after the place where it was discovered, the small medieval town of Blaubeuren, 17 kilometres west of Ulm.
Planetologists from Berlin and Münster: Moon formed 4.425 billion years ago / Publication in “Science Advances”
The Moon formed a little later than previously assumed. When a Mars-sized protoplanet was destroyed in a collision with the young Earth, a new body was created from the debris ejected during this catastrophe – the Moon. Planetologists at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) and the University of Münster have used a new numerical model to reconstruct the time at which the event occurred – 4.425 billion years ago.
The SSERVI Angioletta Coradini Mid-Career Award is given annually to a mid-career scientist for broad, lasting accomplishments related to SSERVI fields of interest. Angioletta Coradini (1946-2011) was an Italian planetary scientist who has inspired astronomers around the world. The 2019 Angioletta Coradini Mid-Career Award is given to Dr. Harald Hiesinger, Professor of geological planetology at the university of Münster in Germany.
Isotope measurements on air filters: researchers investigated undeclared nuclear release / Study in "Nature Communications”
A mysterious cloud containing radioactive ruthenium-106, which moved across Europe in autumn 2017, is still bothering Europe's radiation protection entities. Although the activity concentrations were innocuous, they reached up to 100 times the levels of what had been detected over Europe in the aftermath of the Fukushima accident. Since no government has assumed responsibility so far, a military background could not be ruled out.
Researchers at the Leibniz University Hannover and the University of Münster now found out that the cloud did not originate from military sources – but rather from civilian nuclear activities. Hence, the release of ruthenium from a reprocessing plant for nuclear fuels is the most conclusive scenario for explaining the incident in autumn 2017. The study has been published in the journal “Nature Communications”.
Markus Patzek successfully defended his PhD thesis. Hearty congratulations!
His thesis was "Evidence for the existence of different aqueously-altered C1 parent bodies in the early Solar System.". Members of the committee were the professors Addi Bischoff (WWU), Timm John (FU Berlin), Thorsten Kleine (WWU) and Mario Trieloff (Universität Heidelberg).
Gravity deceleration manoeuvre on April 10 / Observation of the lunar surface with spectrometer "MERTIS" after 20 years of preparation
In the early hours of 10 April, the European Space Agency (ESA) BepiColombo spacecraft will fly towards Earth at over 30 kilometres per second. At 06:25 CEST it will make its closest approach, over the South Atlantic, at an altitude of 12,677 kilometres. The spacecraft will then fly further towards the centre of the Solar System, travelling somewhat more slowly than when it arrived. The main purpose of the so-called Earth flyby is to slow down BepiColombo somewhat without expending propellant, in order to bring the spacecraft onto a trajectory towards Venus.With two subsequent close flybys of Venus (the first flyby will take place on 16 October 2020), BepiColombo will then be on a trajectory that will take it to the destination of the six-year journey, an orbit around Mercury, the innermost planet of the Solar System.
Planetologists from Münster University show that the meteorite contains minerals that formed under the presence of water on small planetesimals in the early history of our solar system
A fireball in the sky, accompanied by a bang, amazed hundreds of eyewitnesses in northern Germany in mid-September last year. The reason for the spectacle was a meteoroid entering the Earth's atmosphere and partially burning up. One day after the observations, a citizen in Flensburg found a stone weighing 24.5 grams and having a fresh black fusion crust on the lawn of his garden.
Dieter Heinlein, coordinator of the German part of the European Fireball Network at the German Aerospace Center in Augsburg, directly recognized the stone as a meteorite and delivered the rock to experts at the “Institut für Planetologie” at Münster University. Prof. Addi Bischoff and PhD student Markus Patzek have been studying the stone mineralogically and chemically ever since. About 15 university and research institutes in Germany, France, and Switzerland now take part in the science consortium.
Researchers disprove theory of volcanic eruption as reason for mass deaths / Mineralogists and planetologists of the University of Münster participating in worldwide study in "Science”
Was it volcanic eruptions in western India or an asteroid impact that caused the death of dinosaurs and many other animal species 66 million years ago? Researchers have been discussing this since the 1980s. An international research team led by Yale University in the USA and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) in Hannover, Germany, has now presented evidence for the theory of the meteorite impact. Scientists from the University of Münster were also involved in the study, which was published in the journal "Science".
The German Research Foundation funds a joint Collaborative Research Center between Freie Universität Berlin and Münster University
A Transregional Collaborative Research Center (CRC-TRR) run by teams at Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Münster has been approved for an additional funding period by the German Research Foundation (DFG) to continue their study of how terrestrial planets formed. On Monday, the DFG announced in Bonn that CRC-TRR 170 “Late Accretion onto Terrestrial Planets” will receive another four years of support. The new funding period starts January 1, 2020 and will last four years. The funding amounts to around nine million euros. The Collaborative Research Center’s spokesperson is Professor Thorsten Kleine from the University of Münster’s Institut für Planetologie. During the previous funding period, Professor Harry Becker from Freie Universität Berlin was the spokesperson. Transregional Collaborative Research Centers involve two or three universities that have submitted a joint proposal and then run their center together. The DFG’s goal is to strengthen close partnerships between institutions and the researchers involved as well as to facilitate the sharing of resources.
Award for Swiss planetary geologist building up a research group at Münster University
The Swiss planetary geologist Dr. Ottaviano Ruesch is one of seven international research talents who have been selected this year for one of the highest endowed science prizes in Germany - the "Sofja Kovalevskaja Prize". Yesterday ( 20th November) Ottaviano Ruesch and the other prizewinners accepted the award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Berlin.
The concept behind the Sofja Kovalevskaja Prizes is that award winners can build up their own research groups at a university or research institution of their choice with up to 1.65 million euros. The 32-year-old Ottaviano Ruesch chose the Institute of Planetology at the University of Münster, where he will carry out research over the next five years. His host is planetologist Prof. Harald Hiesinger.
Öffentlicher Abendvortrag am 24. September über verschwindende Ozeane
Wo wir leben, wie wir leben, wovon wir leben - alles wird vom Aufbau der Erde bestimmt, die sich stetig verändert. Daher widmen sich die Teilnehmer der Tagung "GeoMünster 2019" vom 22. bis 25. September an der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU) dem Motto „Earth! Past, Present, Future“. Im Zentrum der Veranstaltung steht der wissenschaftliche Austausch über die Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft der Erde. Interessierte Bürger sind dazu eingeladen, sich in einem öffentlichen Vortrag über geowissenschaftliche Phänomene zu informieren. Prof. Dr. Colin Devey vom GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung wird erklären, wie Ozeanbecken entstehen und wieder verschwinden und dadurch Rohstoffe, Landschaften und Gebirge hinterlassen, die unser Leben maßgeblich prägen. Der kostenlose Abendvortrag (Titel: "Und dann verschwand ein Ozean - wie die geologische Geschichte der Erde unsere Zivilisation ermöglicht”) findet am Dienstag, 24. September, um 20 Uhr im Hörsaal H1, Schlossplatz 46, statt.
Humboldt foundation presents high endowed award to research talent / 1.65 million euros for building up a research group
Six international research talents receive this year one of the highest endowed science prizes in Germany, the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The Swiss planetary geologist Dr. Ottaviano Ruesch is one of the winners and will be doing research at the University of Münster. He has chosen the Institute of Planetology to set up his own research group with his prize money of up to 1.65 million euros. His host at Münster University is planetologist Prof. Harald Hiesinger.
Planetologen suchen nach dem besten Landeplatz auf dem Mond
Wenn in einigen Jahren Menschen wieder auf dem Mond landen, stellt sich die Frage: Wo denn dort am besten landen? Planetologen der Uni Münster sollten das im Auftrag der ESA herausfinden. Und der spannendste Platz für die Forscher ist: Das Aitken-Becken am Südpol des Mondes, das über 4 Milliarden Jahre alt ist und helfen könnte, auch die Frühzeit der Erde besser zu verstehen.
Zur ganze Folge Quarks.
An international research team solves the mystery of how the mountain Ahuna Mons on Ceres was probably formed / Study in "Nature Geoscience"
The scientists could hardly believe their eyes when they first saw this formation on the images acquired by their Framing Camera on board the Dawn space probe: a symmetrical mountain over 4000 metres tall and with steep, smooth sides rising over the crater-strewn surface of. It is the highest mountain on the 1000-kilometre-diameter, nearly spherical dwarf planet, and one of the most remarkable structures in the Solar System.
Planetologists from Münster explain how the Earth became a habitable planet / Publication in "Nature Astronomy"
The Earth is unique in our solar system: It is the only terrestrial planet with a large amount of water and a relatively large moon, which stabilizes the Earth's axis. Both were essential for Earth to develop life. Planetologists at the University of Münster have now been able to show, for the first time, that water came to Earth with the formation of the Moon some 4.4 billion years ago. The Moon was formed when Earth was hit by a body about the size of Mars, also called Theia. Until now, scientists had assumed that Theia originated in the inner solar system near the Earth. However, researchers from Münster can now show that Theia comes from the outer solar system, and it delivered large quantities of water to Earth. The results are published in the current issue of "Nature Astronomy".
The Mystery of Bermuda – Researchers explore volcanic rock / Study in "Nature"
The Bermuda Islands – a very special terrain in the middle of the western Atlantic Ocean, not only for its white beaches, but also because the archipelago is at the top of a 4,570-metre high volcano that died out about 30 million years ago. An international team of researchers has now taken a closer look at this geological peculiarity and geochemically examined the magma rock under Bermuda for the first time. The aim of the researchers was to draw conclusions about the inner composition of the Earth. The result: The geologists discovered a yet unknown region of the Earth’s mantle – the shell of the Earth’s interior, which begins under the outermost crust of the Earth and descends 2,900 kilometres into the Earth's interior.
Timo Hopp successfully defended his PhD thesis. Hearty congratulations!
Timo's thesis was "Ruthenium isotope fractionation in meteorites and the late accretion history of Earth.". Members of the committee were Prof. Harald Strauss (WWU), Thorsten Kleine (WWU), Stefan Weyer (University of Hannover), Klaus Mezger (University of Bern) and Stephan Klemme (WWU).
Ein Schlüsselbund klimpert in der Hand von Addi Bischoff, während er den langen Flur in einem Gebäude der Universität entlanggeht. Vor einer Tür bleibt er plötzlich stehen. Ein kurzer Blick nach links und rechts – niemand ist zu sehen. Er zückt einen Schlüssel, öffnet die Tür und schaltet das Licht ein. Auf den ersten Blick dominieren mehrere weiße Hochschränke mit verglasten Doppeltüren den kleinen fensterlosen Raum. Der Wissenschaftler macht einen Schritt nach vorn und schließt die Tür von innen schnell wieder ab. „Nur wenige Personen wissen, was sich hier befindet“, erklärt er. Erst ein Blick in das Innere der Schränke offenbart ihr kostbares Geheimnis: Auf zahlreichen herausziehbaren Einlegeböden, die in einem Abstand von wenigen Zentimetern in den Schränken angeordnet sind, lagern hunderte Meteoritenbruchstücke.
Münsteraner liefern erste Forschungsergebnisse nach seltenem Fund in Baden-Württemberg
Für rund vier Sekunden erleuchtete eine kleine Feuerkugel am 10. Juli 2018 den Nachthimmel über Süddeutschland – ein fußballgroßer Meteoroid drang in die Erdatmosphäre ein und leuchtete dabei hell auf. Die ersten vier Bruchstücke des kosmischen Festkörpers wurden in der Nähe des Ortes Renchen in Baden-Württemberg gefunden. Prof. Dr. Addi Bischoff vom Institut für Planetologie der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU) und sein Doktorand Markus Patzek haben nun eine Probe des Fundes untersucht und klassifiziert.
Dr. Carolyn van der Bogert vom Institut für Planetologie der WWU gehört dem Team der „Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera“ (LROC) an. LROC ist eine Kamera an Bord der Raumsonde LRO der NASA. Gemeinsam mit ihrem US-amerikanischen Kollegen Dr. Mark Robinson berichtet die Planetologin über die aktuelle Mondforschung.
Jaclyn Clark successfully defended her PhD thesis. Hearty congratulations!
Jackie's thesis was "An investigation of lunar lobate fault scarps.". Members of the committee were Prof. Harald Strauss, Prof. Ralf Hetzel, Prof. Thorsten Kleine, Prof. Harald Hiesinger (all WWU) and Prof. Matteo Massironi (University of Padua).
Markus Patzek received the Brian Mason Award (1,500 $) for his abstract presented at the Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society in Moscow (July 22. – 27., 2018).
This award honors young PhD students and is sponsored by the “Meteorite Times Magazine” and the „International Meteorite Collectors Association (IMCA)“. Markus reports the discovery of volatile-rich fragments in brecciated meteorites that are different in their mineralogical and isotopical composition from CI chondrites. This result indicates a larger variability of primitive CI-like material in the early Solar System 4.5 billion years ago. The new discovered fragments are important to understand the composition of building blocks of terrestrial planets.
Samuel Ebert successfully defended his PhD thesis. Hearty congratulations!
Samuel's thesis was "The only constant is change: Identifying the fingerprints of primary material after secondary processes in the Early Solar System". Members of the committee were Prof. Thorsten Kleine, Prof. Alexander Deutsch, Dr. Greg Bennecka, and the thesis supervisor Prof. Addi Bischoff (all WWU).
Auszeichnungen für die Professoren Gerald Echterhoff, Thorsten Kleine, Armido Studer und Burkhard Wilking
Die Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste hat zwölf neue Mitglieder aufgenommen. Darunter sind von der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU) der Psychologe Prof. Dr. Gerald Echterhoff, der Planetologe Prof. Dr. Thorsten Kleine, der Chemiker Prof. Dr. Armido Studer sowie der Mathematiker Prof. Dr. Burkhard Wilking.
Das PROMOS-Programm fördert die Mobilität von Studierenden deutscher Hochschulen. Im Fachbereich 14 sollen insbesondere Forschungsaufenthalte für Abschlussarbeiten gefördert werden. Ausführliche Informationen unter: https://www.uni-muenster.de/studium/outgoing/stipendien/promos.html
Die nächste Promos-Bewerbungsfrist für Vorhaben, die zwischen Juli und Dezember 2018 beginnen, endet am 15.04.2018.
Mit dieser Bewerbungsrunde wird das PROMOS-Bewerbungsvefahren auf ein Online-Verfahren umgestellt. Bitte bewerben Sie sich unter diesem Link: https://wwum.moveon4.de/form/5a9561df83fb96932919c8b7/deu.
Für Fragen zum PROMOS-Stipendium steht Ihnen für den Fachbereich 14 Cornelia Steinhäuser als Ansprechpartnerin gerne zur Verfügung (cornelia.steinhaeuser@uni-muenster.de).
Dr. Carolyn van der Bogert vom Institut für Planetologie der WWU ist von der Raumfahrtorganisation NASA zum Mitglied des Wissenschaftlerteams für die „Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera“ (LROC) ernannt worden. LROC ist eine Kamera an Bord der Raumsonde LRO, die den Mond hochauflösend fotografiert.
ESA-Generaldirektor beruft münsterschen Planetologen in Beratungsgremium
Prof. Dr. Harald Hiesinger vom Institut für Planetologie der WWU ist neues Mitglied des Beratungsgremiums "HESAC" der Europäischen Weltraumorganisation ESA. Unter anderem ist dieses Gremium zuständig für Belange der wissenschaftlichen Nutzung bemannter Raumflüge.
Dustin Ward successfully defended his PhD thesis. Hearty congratulations!
Dustin's thesis was "Trace Element Inventory of Meteoritic Ca-Phosphates". Members of the committee were Prof. Stephan Klemme (WWU), Prof. Martin Whitehouse (Swedish Museum of Natural History), Prof. Harald Hiesinger (WWU), and the thesis supervisor Prof. Addi Bischoff (WWU).
Nadine Krabbe successfully defended her PhD thesis. Hearty congratulations!
Nadine's thesis was on the tungsten stable isotope variations during planetary differentiation. Members of the committee were Prof. Thorsten Kleine (WWU), Prof. Andreas Stracke (WWU), Prof. Addi Bischoff (WWU), Prof. Erik Scherer (WWU) und Prof. Harald Strauß (WWU).
Planetologen um Prof. Harald Hiesinger sind vom 12. bis 28. Juli auf Expedition im Nordpolarmeer
Auf den ersten Blick hat die Landschaft auf Spitzbergen mit dem Mars nichts gemeinsam. Für Geologen ist die Forschung auf der norwegischen Inselgruppe jedoch eine gute Gelegenheit, mehr über den Roten Planeten zu lernen. "Auf dem Mars ist es ähnlich wie auf Spitzbergen trocken und kalt, die Oberfläche ist eine Eiswüste", erklärt Harald Hiesinger, Professor für geologische Planetologie am Institut für Planetologie der WWU.
Zur offiziellen WWU Pressemitteilung
Zum Spitzbergen-Blog [de]
Gerrit Budde successfully defended his PhD thesis. Hearty congratulations!
Gerrit's thesis was on the origin of chondrules and the genetic heritage of meteorites. Members of the committee were Prof. Sara Russell (Natural History Museum London), Prof. Klaus Mezger (Univerity of Bern), Prof. Erik Scherer (WWU) und the thesis supervisor, Prof. Thorsten Kleine (WWU).
Maximilian Matthes successfully defended his PhD thesis. Hearty congratulations!
The dissertation was on the chronology of differentiated planetesimals. Members of the committee were Prof. Harry Becker (FU Berlin), Prof. Ingo Leya (Univeristy of Bern), Prof. Erik Scherer (WWU) and the thesis supervisor Prof. Thorsten Kleine (WWU).
Hannes Bernhardt successfully defended his PhD thesis. Hearty congratulations!
The dissertation was on the Geology and History of the Hellas and Argyre basins and their Implications for the Geologic und Climatic Evolution of Mars. Members of the committee were Prof. Harry Hiesinger, Prof. Addi Bischoff (WWU) and Prof. Ralf Jaumann (DLR). Prof. Harry Hiesinger (WWU) and Dr. Dennis Reiss (WWU) were the thesis supervisors.
WWU-Planetologen erhalten Förderung für Merkur-Mission
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt stellt 2,6 Millionen Euro für Infrarot-Spektrometer zur Verfügung
Die Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU) ist erneut an einer spektakulären Weltraumission beteiligt. Um die Rätsel des Merkur zu lösen, planen die Europäische Weltraumorganisation ESA und die Japanische Raumfahrtagentur JAXA den Planeten in der Weltraummission "BepiColombo" mit zwei Sonden zu erkunden. An Bord der Europäischen Sonde ist das thermale Infrarot-Spektrometer "MERTIS". Es wird unter der Federführung von Prof. Dr. Harald Hiesinger und seinem Team am Institut für Planetologie der WWU betreut.
Early arrival of water on Earth - new publication in "Nature"
Water on Earth is the precondition for life as we know it. But where does it come from, and how long has it been here? Using precise isotope measurements researchers at the Institute for Planetology show that water arrived early during the main stages of Earth’s accretion, and not, as is often assumed, as part of the 'late veneer'. Their findings have been published in the latest issue of the journal "Nature".
The work was carried out as part of the Collaborative Research Centre TRR 170 entitled "Late accretion onto terrestrial planets" and was supported with funding from the German Research Foundation.
All objects in our solar system are build from matter synthesized in previous generations of stars. Using high-precision isotope measurements of neodymium and samarium, scientists from Münster (Germany), Chicago and Livermore (USA) have now found that Earth contains more material from red giant stars than primitive meteorites (chondrites) located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Since their formation about 4.56 billion years ago, chondritic meteorites have not been modified substantially, and so have commonly been used to constrain the isotopic and chemical composition of bulk Earth. The accurate and precise knowledge of Earth’s composition is essential for determining its differentiation history, internal structure and geodynamic evolution. The study now published in Nature shows that chondritic meteorites - contrary to current assumptions – are not representative for Earth’ isotopic composition.
Christoph Burkhardt is the recipient of the Victor-Moritz-Goldschmidt Award of the German Mineralogical Society. This award recognizes fundamental research by young scientists. Hearty congratulations!
From the laudatory speech (in German): "... Die Arbeiten von Herrn Dr. Burkhardt spannen einen thematisch weiten Bogen, der von der Elemententstehung in Sternen über die Datierung von Prozessen im frühen Sonnensystem bis hin zur Bildung und Differenzierung der terrestrischen Planeten reicht..."
Researchers report on findings from Dawn space mission
In 2015 the Dawn spacecraft reached the asteroid Ceres, the largest celestial body in the so-called asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The data collected by Dawn will make it possible for scientists to analyse the geological properties of Ceres and understand its origins. The latest issue of the "Science" journal contains reports by several international teams of researchers on their findings. For the first time, they are able to provide a comprehensive description of the asteroid. One of the studies was carried out by a team headed by Prof. Harald Hiesinger from the Institute of Planetology at Münster University. The scientists involved examined the crater structures on the asteroid’s surface. Official WWU Press Release
Nier Prize of the Meteoritical Society for Dr. Greg Brennecka
Greg Brennecka is the recipient of the 2016 Nier Prize of the Meteoritical Society.
"The Nier Prize recognizes outstanding research in meteoritics and closely allied fields by young scientists. Greg is receiving this award for for his fundamental work on the determination of high-precision U isotope compositions of meteoritic materials and their implications for early solar system conditions and chronology."
Hearty Congratulations!!
WWU-Planetologen liefern erste Forschungsergebnisse über Meteorit
Anfang März machte ein Meteorit Schlagzeilen, der über Oberösterreich und Bayern niederging - der verglühende Himmelskörper sorgte für ein auffälliges Lichtschauspiel. Als erste Wissenschaftler haben nun Planetologen der WWU eines der Bruchstücke untersucht und den Meteoriten klassifiziert.
Die "Expedition Münsterland" ruft alle auf, ihre schönsten Mond-Bilder bis zum 15. Juli bei einem Foto-Wettbewerb einzureichen. Wichtig: Das Foto des Mondes muss im Münsterland aufgenommen worden sein.
Origin of chondrules
From dust to the first planetesimals - new study provides evidence that chondrule formation was a critical step toward making planetesimals
