PASSC News
June 2013
The age for the Brent impact structure has been updated.
Lucy Thompson gave a talk to the Grade 6 & 7 students at Gagetown School about Mars and the Curiosity Rover.
May 2013
Dr. Peter Schultz (Brown University) visited PASSC this month. He was on the PhD examination committee for PASSC's James Hogan. He also gave a talk in the Department of Earth Sciences entitled “Making the Man in the Moon: Origin of the Lunar Dichotomy by a Major Lunar Impact”.
April 2013
Beverley Elliott was job shadowed by two delightful young women from grade 10 at École Sainte-Anne on April 17, 2012. Dr. Lucy Thompson gave a guided tour of impact processes, PASSC analytical microscopes and Martian meteorites. Dr. Adrian Park gave a tour of the Quartermain Centre and taught them about local fossils and rocks, as well as earthquakes. Click here to learn about Earthquake Monitoring in the Department of Earth Sciences at UNB.
March 2013
Beverley Elliott and Lucy Thompson attended the 44th Annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in the Woodlands, Texas from March 18-22, 2013.
A new terrestrial impact crater has been confirmed! Colônia has been added to the Earth Impact Database website. This brings the total number of confirmed terrestrial impact structures to 184!
February 2013
A new terrestrial impact crater has been confirmed! Tunnunik (formerly Prince Albert) has been added to the Earth Impact Database website. This brings the total number of confirmed terrestrial impact structures to 183!
Lucy Thompson and Beverley Elliott attended the Mars Science Laboratory All Hands Meeting and the APXS team meeting from February 10-13, 2013, in Pasadena, California.
November 2012
Lucy Thomspon attended the Annual NASA RPIF (Regional Planetary Imaging Facility) Data Manager's Meeting in Tempe, Arizona (November 26-28, 2012).
Six PASSC team members presented at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in North Carolina, Nov 4-7, 2012 at the session entitled: Shock Processes and Shock Attenuation Associated with Hypervelocity Impact Events.
October 2012
John Spray was invited to join a panel at the SMCC Annual General Meeting on October 2, 2012 in Toronto. They discussed the challenges, innovations, technologies and discoveries regarding space exploration. PASSC is involved in the MSL Curiosity Rover mission.
A new terrestrial impact crater has been confirmed! Prince Albert will be added to the Earth Impact Database website shortly. This brings the total number of confirmed terrestrial impact structures to 183!
John Spray, Lucy Thompson and Beverley Elliott were staffed during Mission Operations, at JPL in Pasadena, California, in various tactical roles, as well as participating in the MSL team Science Discussions.
September 2012
John Spray, Lucy Thompson and Beverley Elliott were staffed during Mission Operations, at JPL in Pasadena, California, in various tactical roles, as well as participating in the MSL team Science Discussions.
Beverley Elliott saw the Shuttle Endeavor as it flew over JPL on September 21, 2012! Click here for more information.
August 2012
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) featured John Spray in an article entitled "Mission to Mars:
Canadian researchers are helping determine whether life once existed on the red planet".
John Spray, Lucy Thompson and Beverley Elliott attended the MSL Curiosity Rover Landing event at JPL in Pasadena, CA on August 5, 2012. It was amazing! Click here to re-watch the landing on YouTube. Click here to see one of the first images from the Curiosity rover; it's shadow. Click here for the Canadian Space Agency's MSL webpage. Click here for MSL "What's New".
Suporn presented a poster at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society in Australia (August 12-17, 2012). It was entitled "Stishovite in shock veins within the Manicouagan impact structure".
Suporn Boonsue gave a talk as a Keynote Speaker, on behalf of John Spray, at the 34th International Geological Congress in Australia (August 5-10, 2012). It was entitled "Large terrestrial impact structures and the Manicouagan Impact Research Program".
Suporn Boonsue presented at the 34th International Geological Congress in Australia (August 5-10, 2012). It was entitled "Melt pocket characteristics and formation in martian meteorite DaG 476".
July 2012
On July 5, John Spray and Beverley Elliott gave presentations to the Shad Valley groups. "The Shad Valley program helps top students in senior high school find an edge in the competitive, knowledge-based world of tomorrow. It combines entrepreneurship with science and technology, and offers academic and often work experience to its students". Click here for more information about Shad Valley.
Lucy Thompson and one undergraduate field assistant departed for the Manicouagan impact structure on June 24. They returned on July 15 after another successful field season! Click here for more information about the Manicouagan Impact Research Program.
June 2012
John Spray attended Science Operations Training for the Mars Science Laboratory Mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from June 19-20, 2012 in Pasadena, California.
Sarinya Paisarnsombat, PASSC PhD student, is one of the recipients of the Barringer Family Fund for Meteorite Impact Research, which provides a small number (3 to 5) of competitive grants each year for support of field research at known or suspected impact sites worldwide. Her project is entitled "Oxygen isotope study of impact-induced hydrothermal minerals at the Manicouagan Impact Structure".
April 2012
Lucy Thompson and Beverley Elliott attended Science Operations Training for the Mars Science Laboratory Mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from April 17-22, 2012 in Pasadena, California.
March 2012
Catrina Renaud, PASSC MSc student, received a scholarship from the Canadian Foundation for the International Space University to attend the International Space University's Space Studies Program in Florida from June 4 to August 3, 2012. "The SSP interdisciplinary curriculum emphasizes international cooperation and provides students with varied perspectives on the world's space activities' perspectives normally reserved for those with years of diverse professional experience".
Lucy Thompson and one of our team's undergraduate students (on a UNB work-study) will be presenting talks/posters at the Lunar and Planetary Space Conference in Texas (March 19-23).
Dr John Spray, the Director of PASSC, is one of the 2012 recipients of the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) R3 Innovation Award for Excellence in Applied Research. The Awards Gala was held at the Fredericton Convention Centre on March 21. Visit the NBIF website to view the documentary video for John Spray.
February 2012
Lucy Thompson and Beverley Elliott attended the first Science Operations Training for the Mars Science Laboratory Mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from Feb 28-Mar 7, 2012 in Pasadena, California.
November 2011
The PASSC team members attended the launch of the MSL Curiosity Rover mission to Mars! We will be working on this mission as part of the Canadian APXS instrument team (CSA). We also attended the MSL Science team meetings and the APXS instrument team meetings.
Lucy Thompson visited the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, to do analysis on the APXS calibration standard (aboard the MSL Curiosity rover), in collaboration with Penny King.
Four new impact structures have been confirmed for addition into the Earth Impact Database: Ritland (Norway), Carancas (Peru), Matt Wilson (Australia) and Luizi (Democratic Republic of Congo). This brings the total number of confirmed terrestrial impact structures to 182!
October 2011
Beverley Elliott attended the Annual NASA RPIF (Regional Planetary Imaging Facility) Data Manager's Meeting in Flagstaff, Arizona (Oct 27-28, 2011).
The Earth Impact Database was awarded the Geoscience Information Society Best Website Award for 2011. The award criteria include website content, technical considerations (ease of navigation), design, organization and overall site effectiveness. Harrison H. (Jack) Schmitt, an Apollo 17 astronaut, graciously accepted the award at the GSA Annual Meeting this month on behalf of PASSC.
The PASSC team attended the official opening of the Quartermain Earth Science Centre, a state of the art museum, in our Department of Earth Sciences. Faculty, staff, graduate students, the Quartermain family and the UNB president were in attendance. The Click here for the telegraph journal article. Click here for a virtual tour!
September 2011
PASSC organized a visit from Canadian Astronaut, Chris Hadfield, on September 29. He gave a presentation to first year engineering students, as well as Bliss Carmen Middle School students. John Spray gave a tour of PASSC and the High-speed Impact Research and Technology Facility. The undergraduate students, graduate students and staff at PASSC were thrilled to hear about his experiences and have the opportunity to ask questions!
August 2011
John Spray, Lucy Thompson and Kirkpong Kiatpanichagij presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society in London, UK, August 8-12.
John Spray presented at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague, Czech Republic, August 14-19.
Beverley Elliott gave an outreach presentation on Mars Exploration for the Worlds UNBound Aerospace Camp for children grades 3/4 and grades 5/6 on August 12.
John Spray was interviewed by the Telegraph Journal regarding NASA's announcement of evidence indicating that water is currently flowing on Mars. Click here for the article.
The Manicouagan team is back after a successful field season! Click here for more information about the Manicouagan Impact Research Program.
July 25, 2011
The High-speed Impact Research and Technology Facility broke a PASSC record today! The two-stage light gas gun achieved a projectile speed of 8.75 km/s, which exceeds instrument specifications of 8 km/s. This shot is part of ongoing high-speed testing to characterize the capabilities of the equipment in preparation for orbital debris impact damage mitigation applications.
July 2011
Lucy Thompson, Sariyna Paisarnsombat and two undergraduate field assistants departed for the Manicouagan impact structure on July 6. The team will be finishing up their field work early August. Click here for more information about the Manicouagan Impact Research Program.
June 2011
John Spray and Beverley Elliott attended the APXS Workshop in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the University of New Mexico (June 27-28, 2011).
John Spray presented a talk at the 10th International Space Conference on "Protection of Materials and Structures from the Space Environment" in Okinawa, Japan (June 12-17, 2011) entitled "A New High-Speed Impact Research and Technology Facility for Canada: Surface, Atmospheric and Space Applications".
Beverley Elliott, John Spray and Lucy Thompson participated in a Mars Science Laboratory mission simulation (June 1-July 1, 2011) to train for mission operations. The MSL launch window is Nov 25 – Dec 18, 2011 and the landing window is Aug 6 – 20, 2012.
May 2011
Tiziana Trabucchi has been chosen to be one of just 10 scientists from around the world to participate in a summer internship to help NASA evaluate future landing sites on the moon as part of the Constellation Lunar Exploration Program. Click to see the articles, article one, article two, article three, article four, article five, and article six.
April 2011
Beverley Elliott and Dr. Lucy Thompson visited Minto High School. Beverley Elliott presented a talk entitled "Earth and the Solar System" to a grade 12 class.
February 2011
Dr. John Spray and Beverley Elliott visited Dr. Ralf Gellert and the APXS lab at the University of Guelph. The APXS (the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer) is one of the instruments on the Curiosity Rover for the upcoming mission, Mars Science Laboratory.
Dr. Lucy Thompson gave a talk about Mars, impacts and space to 20 kids from the Preschool Centre.
January 2011
PASSC team attended the William Brydone Jack celebration of an asteroid being named Asteroid 79117 Brydonejack in his honour, Click here for more information on the celebration and Click here for the Daily Gleaner article.
PASSC and Mechanical Engineering hosted visiting speaker Dr. Stephan Hundertmark from the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL), France, Click here for more information.
December 2010
Beverley Elliott attended the Annual NASA RPIF (Regional Planetary Imaging Facility) Data Manager's Meeting in Houston, Texas.
November 2010
Dr. John Spray was a keynote presenter during the Physico-Chemical Processes in Seismic Faults Workshop in Padova, Italy.
Dr. Suporn Boonsue attended a workshop for Electron Backscatter Diffraction with Oxford Instruments in Concord, MA.
October 2010
Dr. John Spray gave a talk entitled "Moon Splash" for the New Brunswick branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), Click here for more information.
Dr. Lucy Thompson presented at the Workshop for the Lunar Applications of Mining and Mineral Beneficiation in Butte, Montana.
Dr. Lucy Thompson, Dr. John Spray and Dr. Kirkpong Kiatpanichagij attended a CLUPI Science Team meeting in Neuchatel, Switzerland.
August 2010
The Planetary and Space Science Centre is featured on the University of New Brunswick website, Click here to read the article.
July 2010
The Planetary and Space Science Centre is featured in the Telegraph Journal.
PASSC Website Updates
June 2012
Updates to the diameters (and definitions) for the following craters: Sudbury, Chesapeake Bay, Chicxulub, Vredefort, Popigai, Manicouagan and Puchezh-Katunki (as well as any webpages linked to these).
March 2012
Updates to scientific publications for the following craters: Araguainha, Chesapeake Bay, Chicxulub, Kara, Keurusselkä, Manson, Mistastin, Ries, Steen River and Tookoonooka.
November 2011
Four new impact structures have been confirmed for addition into the Earth Impact Database: Ritland (Norway), Carancas (Peru), Matt Wilson (Australia) and Luizi (Democratic Republic of Congo). This brings the total number of confirmed terrestrial impact structures to 182!
September 2011
Website design changes.
June 2011
New featured image. PASSC News updates. New "Space Tidbits" added.
April 2011
New featured image. PASSC News updates. New "Space Tidbits" added.
February 2011
New featured image. PASSC News updates. New feature added "Space Tidbits".
January 2011
New featured image. PASSC News updates.
November 2010
New websites launched (www.passc.net and www.unb.ca/passc).
August 2010
Minor changes to references for Kardla, Kaalijärv and Vista Alegre.
Added references to Morokweng, Tswaing, Vredefort, Kara, Jänisjärvi and Kaluga.
June 2010
Sitewide updates
Minor changes to Wabar, Keurusselkä, Acraman, Lonar, Amelia Creek, Dhala, Serpent Mound, Ragozinka and Manicouagan pages.
May 2010
Sitewide updates
New references added to Dhala and Boxhole pages. |
