{"id":18301,"date":"2024-02-02T13:40:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T21:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=18301"},"modified":"2024-02-06T13:48:19","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T21:48:19","slug":"earth-sciences-extraterrestrial-exploration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/earth-sciences-extraterrestrial-exploration\/","title":{"rendered":"Earth sciences isn\u2019t just for Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                                              \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_Top-768x432.png\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_Top-1920x1080.png 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_Top-1280x720.png 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_Top-768x432.png 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  An artist\u2019s rendition of the view of Saturn from its moon Titan. Earth scientists can help find possible signs of life on Titan. (Image source: iStock.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=science-and-technology\">Science and Technology<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Earth sciences isn\u2019t just for Earth<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Extending their expertise into the solar system, Earth scientists aid in the exploration of our planetary neighbors, including the search for signs of extraterrestrial life.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communications@dornsife.usc.edu\">Daniel P. Smith<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">February 2, 2024<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 4.0350274 1.058837 1.0874543 2.51831502 1.6884158 4.03502747 1.6884158 1.44087681 0 2.80427251-.5423678 3.86936601-1.5289606l.1656615-.1594552 2.2321428-2.2321428-1.6311813-1.6311813-2.2321429 2.26076c-.6581959.658196-1.5167124 1.0016026-2.43246332 1.0016026s-1.7742674-.3434066-2.43246337-1.0016026c-.65819597-.6581959-1.00160257-1.5167124-1.00160257-2.4324633 0-.8547009.2991453-1.6595442.87416905-2.2981957l.12743352-.1342677 2.23214286-2.2321429zm6.88661855-.40736607-5.26116068 5.26116075 1.61881868 1.6188186 5.2611607-5.2611607zm1.3837569-5.54501488c-1.4408768 0-2.8042725.54236779-3.869366 1.52896062l-.1656615.15945513-2.23214282 2.23214286 1.63118132 1.63118132 2.2321429-2.23214286c.6581959-.65819597 1.5167124-1.00160256 2.4324633-1.00160256s1.7742674.34340659 2.4324634 1.00160256 1.0016026 1.51671246 1.0016026 2.43246337c0 .85470089-.2991453 1.65954419-.8741691 2.29819559l-.1274335.1342678-2.2321429 2.2321428 1.5739469 1.5739469 2.2321429-2.2321428c1.0874542-1.058837 1.6884157-2.5183151 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>Truth be told, W. Bruce Banerdt dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Space fascinated him as a young boy, and the thought of rockets and satellites surging through the universe sparked curiosity and excitement.<\/p>\n<p>But Banerdt\u2019s academic career pushed in other directions. He earned an undergraduate degree in physics in 1975 followed by a PhD in geological sciences in 1983, both from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and he seemed tethered to studying the history, nature, materials and processes of Earth, not outer space. That is until a graduate school colleague mentioned a summer internship studying the moon at NASA\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/\">Jet Propulsion Laboratory<\/a> (JPL) in Pasadena, California.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo use the skills and knowledge I had acquired in physics and geology but in connection to space, well, it seemed too good to be true,\u201d Banerdt says.<\/p>\n<p>At JPL, Banerdt discovered Earth scientists played a significant role in understanding planets beyond our own, a mission Banerdt himself embraced with an inquisitive and enterprising spirit as an intern and, later, as a research scientist. Over a 45-year career at JPL, Banerdt worked extensively on projects investigating Mars, while also contributing to efforts exploring Venus as well as Jupiter\u2019s satellites.<\/p>\n<p>As it turns out, space exploration isn\u2019t merely the domain of pioneering astronauts like Neil Armstrong \u201970 or James Lovell \u201961, or the bailiwick of those at NASA or SpaceX. Banerdt, in fact, is among a number of USC Dornsife-connected Earth scientists \u2014 faculty, students and alumni among them \u2014 expanding human understanding of the solar system and laboring to unpack its many mysteries.<\/p>\n<h2>Trojans exploring the universe<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18304\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18304\" style=\"width: 348px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18304 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_InStory-A-348x550.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"348\" height=\"550\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_InStory-A-348x550.png 348w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_InStory-A-648x1024.png 648w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_InStory-A-768x1213.png 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_InStory-A-972x1536.png 972w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_InStory-A.png 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 348px) 100vw, 348px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18304\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Saturn\u2019s moon Titan could harbor life, and USC Dornsife\u2019s Maya Yanez is helping NASA\u2019s JPL look for it. (Image source: NASA.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Like Banerdt, <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/amendlab\/members\/maya-yanez\/\">Maya Yanez<\/a> developed an early fascination with outer space. Holding an undergraduate degree in astronomy, the Los Angeles native is now a fifth-year PhD candidate in USC Dornsife\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/earth\/\">Department of Earth Sciences<\/a>and a former JPL intern.<\/p>\n<p>Yanez\u2019s doctoral studies focus on Titan, Saturn\u2019s largest moon and, by some metrics at least, the solar system\u2019s most Earth-like body. Titan is also one of only six places in the entire universe on which humans have landed a robot. In studying Titan\u2019s current conditions, Yanez inspects similarities between where Titan is today and where the Earth might have been eons ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know what we\u2019re going to find, but everything \u2014 the data and the observations we make \u2014 informs our next steps, future projects, instrumentation and studies as well as the goals we\u2019re setting for our next mission,\u201d says Yanez, who works in the lab of <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/jan-amend\/\">Jan Amend<\/a>, professor of Earth sciences and biological sciences.<\/p>\n<p>The overarching goal, Yanez continues, is to better understand the habitability of Titan, the solar system\u2019s only other world with stable liquids on its surface.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Earth, we have one example of life we have poked, prodded and studied, and we can use that to explore how life evolved elsewhere,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Many other USC-affiliated Earth scientists are similarly researching outer space.<\/p>\n<p>Two USC Dornsife alumni, Laurie Barge \u201909 and Scott Perl \u201919, for instance, lead JPL\u2019s Origins and Habitability Lab. Barge, Perl and their team of astrobiologists continue exploring the origin of life on Earth as well as if, and how, life could have started on other worlds. The lab also investigates how Earthly life persists amid extreme environments and the geochemical processes that make a planet habitable.<\/p>\n<p>Professor of Earth Sciences <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/frank-corsetti\/\">Frank Corsetti<\/a>, meanwhile, is a geologist who studies biosignatures, or signs of life. Corsetti\u2019s research, heavily fueled by funding from NASA, aims to understand the evolution of life on Earth as well as the necessary parameters to create and sustain life. His work informs the search for clues and patterns of potential biosignatures on Mars.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18305\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18305\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18305\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_InStoryB.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_InStoryB.png 980w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_InStoryB-500x408.png 500w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/Earth_Science_Beyond_Earth_InStoryB-768x627.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18305\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mars InSight lander explored the red planet, guided in part by USC Dornsife Earth sciences alum Bruce Banerdt. (Image source: NASA\/JPL-Caltech.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And Banerdt capped his JPL career by directing the center\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/insight\/\">Mars InSight Mission<\/a>, which included designing, building and landing a seismometer on Mars. The instrument measured quakes and vibrations on Mars\u2019s surface, offering rich insights into the basic building blocks of Earth\u2019s closest planetary neighbor to help scientists develop theories and craft future experiments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s almost like doing an MRI of Mars,\u201d says Banerdt, who likened InSight to scientists\u2019 early 20th-century examinations of the Earth\u2019s interior. \u201cThe composition and structure of a planet\u2019s interior affects the surface environment of that planet, which is what makes life possible or impossible there.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Earth scientists looking beyond the planet<\/h2>\n<p>While Earth scientists often focus on pressing global challenges like sustainability, water resources, climate change and natural resources, Corsetti and others say taking Earth sciences to outer space isn\u2019t as wild or disconnected as it might initially seem. Studying the Earth \u2014 its origins, its environment and its materials \u2014 extends human knowledge of the solar system in powerful ways.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you step back 10 million miles, you realize Earth is just a planet, like many other planets, orbiting the sun,\u201d says Banerdt, who retired from JPL last summer. \u201cThe same tools we use to study Earth can be used to study other planets and, similarly, we can use the study of other planets to inform our understanding of Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Such efforts position Earth\u2019s inhabitants to address one of humanity\u2019s most burning questions: Are we alone? Society can only begin to answer that question by first understanding how life evolved on Earth. Thereafter, Earth scientists can leverage their toolkits, like processes for chemical analysis, and instruments such as robotic rovers, particle detectors and spectrographs to develop greater clarity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe we won\u2019t find the evidence, but at least we can constrain what is possible, and that in itself is scientific progress,\u201d Corsetti says.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an undeniably energizing pursuit for Earth scientists like Yanez, who recalls looking up into the nighttime sky as a child and wondering about life beyond the planet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have no idea what we don\u2019t know,\u201d she says. \u201cTo begin to use what we know to understand what we don\u2019t know is super exciting to me, and I\u2019m constantly being surprised because there are so many firsts left in space to discover.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n 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life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":18302,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,10,16,17],"tags":[159,1911,121,96],"class_list":["post-18301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-faculty","category-science-and-technology","category-student","tag-earth-sciences","tag-erth","tag-graduate","tag-natural-sciences"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Earth sciences isn\u2019t just for Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Earth scientists extend their expertise into the solar system to help explore Earth&#039;s neighbors and search for signs of extraterrestrial life\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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