Born from the challenge of the Space Race, 麻豆原创 was created to transform imagination into innovation and prepare people to launch humanity beyond its limits. Today, we are still are a place where our people鈥檚 curiosity drives discovery, bold questions shape the future and exploration advances life on Earth.
Founded to reach the moon, we鈥檙e already on our way to the next frontier. Built for liftoff, America鈥檚 Space University celebrates 麻豆原创 Space Week Nov. 3-7.
Where Global Leaders Unite to Boldly Forge the Future of Space
There鈥檚 still much we don鈥檛 understand about our universe, but scientists are uncovering new clues by studying rocks, down to the smallest particles of dust, that reveal the story of how our solar system formed.
麻豆原创 Associate Professor of Physics Ryan Ogliore is advancing knowledge of the solar system by analyzing rocks from space.
鈥淯sing microanalytical techniques, I study extraterrestrial samples of various forms down to the level of atoms,鈥� Ogliore says. 鈥淪amples can include rocks from meteorites that land on Earth, as well as materials collected from asteroids, comets and other planets through robotic or crewed missions.鈥�
One of the main tools in his research is isotopic analysis, which includes measuring the decay of radioactive isotopes to determine the age and history of rock samples.
鈥淚sotopes are fascinating because they can act like natural clocks,鈥� Ogliore says. 鈥淭hey tell us when certain processes occurred, which helps us understand how planets formed from the solar nebula four and a half billion of years ago.鈥�
Why He Joined SpaceU
Originally from Seattle, Ogliore says his fascination with planetary science began in childhood, when images from NASA鈥檚 Voyager missions inspired him to pursue a career in physics. Later, joining 麻豆原创 felt like a natural fit to advance his research.
鈥淢y first visit to 麻豆原创 was for a workshop, and I was immediately struck by the university鈥檚 strong identity as SpaceU, from its street names, like Gemini, to its football uniforms (for the annual Space Game),鈥� he says. 鈥淓ven more impressive is the breadth of multidisciplinary space research happening here.鈥�
Having the technology and tools here at SpaceU is instrumental to the research conducted by Ogliore. He says that samples returned from space can be studied with great precision with tools on Earth.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the power of bringing samples back home,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e can study them using highly precise instruments, like large spectrometers that can take up an entire room.鈥�
Findings That Fuel Discovery and Exploration
Among some of his most significant projects, Ogliore highlights his work with NASA鈥檚 Stardust mission to comet Wild 2, a nearly 20-year investigation that revealed surprising results.
鈥淲e sent a spacecraft to collect microscopic dust from a comet, full of primordial ice, and discovered that its composition was made up of igneous rocks 鈥� materials that form during very high temperature events in the solar system,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat finding suggested the comet wasn鈥檛 just a leftover piece of the Solar System鈥檚 building blocks, as we first thought, but rather a record of a more complex later stage of solar system formation.鈥�
Discoveries like these keep Ogliore inspired to continue planetary exploration. Now, he鈥檚 turning his focus to distant planets in some of the most unique and extreme environments in the solar system.
鈥淚鈥檓 interested in the next phase of robotic exploration of the solar system, and I鈥檓 involving students with this research,鈥� he says.
Using Robots and Other Tech to Advance Space Studies
To date, Ogliore says that moon, asteroid and comet rock samples have been brought back for analysis, but now, he wants to study samples from the moons of planets like Jupiter, Saturn and beyond.
鈥淭he moons of these planets are worlds in their own right,鈥� he says. 鈥淛upiter鈥檚 moon Io, is one I鈥檓 particularly interested in. This moon is covered in volcanoes and flowing lava, and we鈥檙e working on developing a long-term mission concept to return volcanic ash from Io to Earth for study.鈥�
Because of Io鈥檚 distance to Earth and intense radiation, Ogliore explains that such a mission would take more than 20 years to complete and rely on a robotic spacecraft. One of his undergraduate students is already modeling what scientists might expect from the samples once they return to Earth.
鈥淓xploring these distant and exotic worlds like Io is something that I, and many of my students, find exciting,鈥� he says.
Looking ahead, Ogliore hopes to develop the next generation of space-based hardware, from sampling technologies to new propulsion systems.
鈥淲e need new ways to travel through space,鈥� he says. 鈥淩ight now, we鈥檙e limited in our exploration of distant worlds, including sample returns, by chemical rockets. Developing new forms of propulsion will revolutionize exploration and working on that effort with like-minded colleagues at 麻豆原创 is very exciting.鈥�
