Science & Technology

Physicists from Washington University in St. Louis are developing a new experiment as part of NASA’s Astrophysics Pioneers Program. Brian Rauch in Arts & Sciences is leading the effort, which will investigate the origins of heavy elements in the universe and has a $20 million cost cap.

On Monday, Aug. 29, NASA plans to launch its Orion spacecraft from the world’s most powerful rocket for a trip around the moon. Lunar scientist Bradley L. Jolliff in Arts & Sciences explains why the Artemis mission represents the next great leap in human exploration of space.

Scott VanBommel, a senior scientist in earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences, received $284,827 in funding from NASA.

William McKinnon in Arts & Sciences received a $164,255 award from NASA and the California Institute of Technology’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to support his work on a project to study Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Geoscientist Rita Parai in Arts & Sciences uses noble gas isotopes to better understand the formation and evolution of planetary bodies. Her new modeling study published in PNAS shows that the deep mantle had low concentrations of volatiles like xenon and water when it formed, setting up an internal viscosity contrast with lasting impacts.

Planetary scientist Paul Byrne explains why you should be impressed by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Kevin McKeegan, who earned his PhD in physics in Arts & Sciences in 1987, has had a storied career measuring the tiniest particles of the solar system.

Sachiko Amari, research professor of physics in Arts & Sciences, is part of the international team that described results from the first sample-return mission to a carbonaceous asteroid, the JAXA Hayabusa2 mission to asteroid Ryugu. The study was published June 9 in Science.

Michael Nowak, research professor of physics in Arts & Sciences, is part of the global research team that shared the first image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy.

William B. McKinnon and Paul Byrne, both in Arts & Sciences at Washington University, played important roles in developing a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It identifies scientific priorities and funding recommendations to maximize the advancement of planetary science in the next decade.