Cosmos: The Art and Science of the Universe

Cruddas, Sarah

Asphaug, Erik

Asphaug, Erik

<p><i>Primitive Meteorites and Asteroids: Physical, Chemical, and Spectroscopic Observations Paving the Way to Exploration </i>covers the physical, chemical and spectroscopic aspects of asteroids, providing important data and research on carbonaceous chondrites and primitive meteorites. This information is crucial to the success of missions to parent bodies, thus contributing to an understanding of the early solar system. The book offers an interdisciplinary perspective relevant to many fields of planetary science, as well as cosmochemistry, planetary astronomy, astrobiology, geology and space engineering.</p> <p>Including contributions from planetary and missions scientists worldwide, the book collects the fundamental knowledge and cutting-edge research on carbonaceous chondrites and their parent bodies into one accessible resource, thus contributing to the future of space exploration. </p><br>Dr. Abreu is a Planetary Scientist with a background in geochemistry, mineralogy, petrology, physics, and astronomy. Dr. Abreu's interests are: (1) determining the effects of asteroidal processes that resulted in the mineralogical and petrologic characteristics of chondrites, including brecciation, aqueous alteration, thermal metamorphism, and shock metamorphism&#x3b; (2) understanding the origin and distribution of volatiles and organics in chondritic meteorites, including hydrated silicates&#x3b; (3) determining the spatial scale of chemical compositional variations resulting from processes operating on asteroidal regoliths&#x3b; (4) using chondrites to constrain the composition and structure of asteroidal regoliths and (5) determining what can be learned about asteroidal regoliths from proximity and contact exploration. Dr. Abreu has published and refereed numerous peer-reviewed articles on the characteristics of carbonaceous chondrites. She has served as the principal of a NASA grant and collaborator in several others. She was part of the 2009-2010 Antarctic Search for Meteorites field season, for which she received the NSF Antarctic Service Medal. Dr. Abreu has been part of numerous NASA grant review panels and served in the program committees of national and international conferences.<br>

<p><i>The Dynamical Ionosphere: A Systems Approach to Ionospheric Irregularity</i> examines the Earth's ionosphere as a dynamical system with signatures of complexity. The system is robust in its overall configuration, with smooth space-time patterns of daily, seasonal and Solar Cycle variability, but shows a hierarchy of interactions among its sub-systems, yielding apparent unpredictability, space-time irregularity, and turbulence. This interplay leads to the need for constructing realistic models of the average ionosphere, incorporating the increasing knowledge and predictability of high variability components, and for addressing the difficulty of dealing with the worst cases of ionospheric disturbances, all of which are addressed in this interdisciplinary book. </p> <p>Borrowing tools and techniques from classical and stochastic dynamics, information theory, signal processing, fluid dynamics and turbulence science, <i>The Dynamical Ionosphere</i> presents the state-of-the-art in dealing with irregularity, forecasting ionospheric threats, and theoretical interpretation of various ionospheric configurations.</p>

<p><i>The Trans-Neptunian Solar System</i> is a timely reference highlighting the state-of-the-art in current knowledge on the outer solar system. It not only explores the individual objects being discovered there, but also their relationships with other Solar System objects and their roles in the formation and evolution of the Solar System and other planets. Integrating important findings from recent missions, such as New Horizons and Rosetta, the book covers the physical properties of the bodies in the Trans-Neptunian Region, including Pluto and other large members of the Kuiper Belt, as well as dynamical indicators for Planet 9 and related objects and future prospects.</p> <p>Offering a complete look at exploration and findings in the Kuiper Belt and the rest of the outer solar system beyond Neptune, this book is an important resource to bring planetary scientists, space scientists and astrophysicists up-to-date on the latest research and current understandings.</p>