Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Mapping the geology of planetary surfaces is an important scientific endeavour. Knowing a body's surface composition is essential for addressing issues such as: (1) ensuring the safety of human explorers; (2) identifying in situ resources that can be exploited to support extended human presence on planetary bodies; (3) helping to understand the origin and evolution of the solar system; and (4) understanding how planets evolve over time. Our ability to map the surface geology of planets is hampered by the fact that planetary surfaces (i.e., that portion of a planet that we see with remote sensing), even the surfaces of airless bodies, can be modified by their local environment. Factors such as weathering and erosion, windblown dust, solar wind and cosmic ray bombardment, desiccation due to low or no atmospheric pressure, temperature variations, and meteorite impacts can all modify the composition of a planetary surface and/or negatively affect our ability to accurately map surface geology. Conversely, by recognizing whether and how these modification processes have operated, we can gain insights into the history of a planetary body.<br /> <br /> Among spacefaring nations, Canada stands out as being able to partner with diverse nations and space exploration organizations, and is widely recognized as an essential player in exploration missions, frequently contributing key technologies and capabilities that enable us to ""punch above our weight"". Similarly, the technical expertise of the Canadian space technology sector is world-class in a number of areas of remote sensing. By continuing our engagement in planetary exploration missions, we help advance Canadian science and technology, as well as gaining privileged access to data flowing from these missions, ensuring that Canada remains at the forefront of planetary exploration. Space exploration is an activity that can inspire the next generation of Canadians and lead to greater interest in science and technology.<br /> <br /> The proposed program of research is designed to improve our ability to transform remote sensing data that we measure for planetary surfaces (from orbiters, landers, and rovers) into geological knowledge about a planet's origin, history, evolution, habitability, and astrobiological potential. This will be accomplished through a combination of laboratory studies of the effects of various surface modification processes on planetary materials and analogues, field-based studies at planetary analogue sites (with which Canada is uniquely endowed), and analysis of remote sensing data from current and future planetary missions to diverse bodies. It will involve the development and application of spectroscopy-based tools for assessing habitability, searching for biomarkers (signs of past life), and  unravelling surface modification processes to get at the underlying pristine mineralogy.<br />