This week the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference #LPSC2023 is happening near Houston. It's the reason the data release is timed for mid-March, giving #Curiosity team members free rein to talk about the most recent data possible. I searched the abstracts there for the Canaima drill target, and found this one that tells me the mission considers sols 3052 to 3572 to have been spent in the clay-sulfate transition region. (PDF at link) https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1662.pdf

Julie Castillo-Rogez at #LPSC2023:

Looking at evolution of Uranian moons. Clathrate hydrates of CO2 don't form because any CO2 goes into carbonates.

Miranda may not have a deep ocean... but maybe it is there? Worth a look!

General pattern:
Differentiation-->Hydrosphere Freezing-->Thermal metamorphism-->Resonance Melting->Freezing to Present time

Relict oceans. Unless tidal heating for Miranda.

Link to abstract: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1808.pdf

Tomlinson et al. Permeability and porosity of ice. At #LPSC2023.

Mushy zones in ice. How to nutrients and salts get formed and connected during ice Freetown?

(Y'all know I'm all into this for #astrobiology. This sets #microhabitats scale in #DeepIce.)

Modeled, and compared with lab grown sea ice.

Abstract: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1998.pdf

henry Dawson presenting on tectonic activity potential of Europa or Enceladus seafloor at #LPSC2023.

(Points from me for mentioning getting trace metals for catalytic enzymes into potential biosphere for #astrobiology, just a passing mention, but got me all happy.)

Can tides fracture sea floor?

Calculation path: Pressure to porosity to cohesion (rock stronger under compression than tension).
...More math.

Answer: Tidal forces not enough.
More optios..see abstract: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/2822.pdf

Zimeng Zhang: #LPSC2023 Juno spacecraft microwave observations of Jupiter satellites.

For Ganymede microwave brightness temperature correlates with optical. (Anticorrelated)

Microwave probes deep. So this tells you that something at depth is driving surface optical stuff.

(Ganymede's beauty is not just skin deep (my interpretation)

RT @volcanopele
If you are attending #LPSC2023, please check out poster #2544 by Ashley Davies, @davidaw222, David Nelson, and myself, on thermal emission from Io's polar volcanoes and how they compare to volcanoes across the rest of Io.

Link to the abstract: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/2544.pdf

Thorsten Kleine presenting meteorite-based work at #LPSC2023 showing that Mars got almost all of its volatiles from the inner solar system -- far less than even Earth, which got some from the outer solar system.

That's weird! You'd expect the two planets to be more similar in how they got their volatiles. You can see the new paper here:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103523000969

For background, my story on the origin of Earth's volatiles from earlier this year:

https://www.science.org/content/article/earthlike-planets-should-readily-form-around-other-stars-meteorites-suggest

Regarding the #NewHorizons mission in the #KuiperBelt some more #LPSC2023-related links:

https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1263.pdf On the Properties and Origin of Kuiper Belt Object #Arrokoth’s Large Mounds

https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1286.pdf Is #TruePolarWander Recorded in #Pluto’s Ancient Geology?

https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1787.pdf How Widespread are the Bladed Terrains on Pluto?

https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1549.pdf Exploring #IceGiants at High Phase with New Horizons

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20230314
https://cosmiclog.com/2023/03/14/pluto-team-updates-science-from-the-solar-systems-edge/
https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2023/03/15/the-latest-from-new-horizons/

Regarding the #NewHorizons mission in the Kuiper Belt some more #LPSC2023-related links:

https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1263.pdf On the Properties and Origin of Kuiper Belt Object #Arrokoth’s Large Mounds

https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1286.pdf Is True Polar Wander Recorded in #Pluto’s Ancient Geology?

https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1787.pdf How Widespread are the Bladed Terrains on Pluto?

https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2023/pdf/1549.pdf Exploring #IceGiants at High Phase with New Horizons

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/News-Article.php?page=20230314

https://cosmiclog.com/2023/03/14/pluto-team-updates-science-from-the-solar-systems-edge/

https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2023/03/15/the-latest-from-new-horizons/

Thursday commute to #lpsc2023 required a little musical motivation.

The real questions we should have been asking at NASA night https://xkcd.com/2750/ #LPSC2023

The outcome of the #DART impact into #Dimorphos is discussed everywhere right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7HJj-X-tyM = the recording of a press conference at #LPSC2023

Lauren Schurmeier at #lpsc2023, presenting on Titan crater relaxation.

Craters on Titan are really shallow. Why?

Lauren modeled it up. If there is methane clathrate in the crust, it is stiffer, but insulates. Changes heat flux, so crust gets warmer and now the crater RELAXES. (Bluuuuhhhhp. Make appropriate fun-noise here). Becomes shallow. Happens fast, maybe within first 5-10 million years post-impact.

Why is this important for #astrobiology ?

(Next post)

#LPSC2023: Xander Thelen. Looking at Europa thermal data using ALMA.

They see cold thermal anamolies (colder than expected) in areas with higher pure water ice composition. Especially notable at Pwyll crater.

(That's the big splatty crater on Europa.) Small crater, but big splat, so maybe relatively fresh.

RT @peterbjames: WOW, Robbie Herrick found the first direct evidence for active volcanic eruption on Venus between Magellan Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 radar imagery. A massive caldera changed shape and produced a new lava flow north of Maat Mons. #LPSC2023

Wow! Becker et al presented an image odkf Euopa at #LPSC2023 taken by stellar reference unit. Took a picture of "boring ridged plains"not very well imaged.

Super detailed imaging shows lotsa cool stuff! Chaos, concentric fractures (collapse) and cycloids.

((And super proud of Meghan Florence, a former intern, who is a coauthor of this work))

Cynthia Phillips at #LPSC2023 looking at Juno camera images of Europa and comparing with older data to see if there were any changes.

See differences maybe due to phase angle lighting effects.
Ratioed images can really pop out some features like pedestal craters.

RT @ThePlanetaryGuy
Folks, there's been a major discovery at Venus.

We've just heard about it here at #LPSC2023.

It's embargoed until 1:00 pm, but when the news drops you can be damned sure I'll be tweeting about it.

Stay tuned.

RT @ThePlanetaryGuy
Folks, there's been a major discovery at Venus.

We've just heard about it here at #LPSC2023.

It's embargoed until 1:00 pm, but when the news drops you can be damned sure I'll be tweeting about it.

Stay tuned.

There are two different proposals at #LPSC2023 for "magic wizard staffs" for the Moon. One has a laser on a stick that the astro would have to hammer into the regolith (and hopefully not have a cardiac event). The other is a lidar/ipad on a tripod, which sounds useful, but is hardly sufficiently advanced to be magic these days.