Bethany Ehlmann

Last updated
Bethany Ehlmann
Bethany Ehlmann Headshot for NASA JPL (cropped).jpg
Born
California, U.S.
Alma mater Washington University in St. Louis, AB, 2004
University of Oxford, MSc, 2005 & 2007
Brown University, M.S., 2008, PhD, 2010
Awards Rhodes Scholarship, National Geographic Society Emerging Explorer, Harold C. Urey Prize
Scientific career
Fields Planetary Science
Institutions NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Thesis Early Mars Environments Revealed Through Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Alteration Minerals  (2010)
Doctoral advisor John F. Mustard
Website www.ehlmann.caltech.edu

Bethany List Ehlmann is an American geologist and a professor of Planetary Science at California Institute of Technology. A leading researcher in planetary geology, Ehlmann is also the President of The Planetary Society, Director of the Keck Institute for Space Studies, and a Research Scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. [1]

Contents

Education and early career

Ehlmann was born in Southern California and raised in Tallahassee, Florida. She received her Bachelor of Arts in 2004 from Washington University in St. Louis, where she was a Compton Fellow. [2] During her Sophomore year, she was awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship [3] and the Morris K. Udall Fellowship. [4] She worked with Professor Raymond Arvidson on operations of the Spirit and Opportunity Mars Exploration rovers at JPL for their first 9 months of operations and with a student group from the NASA Ames Astrobiology Academy on a publication describing the benefits of human exploration of Mars. [5] She then attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar beginning in 2004. There, she received two Master of Science degrees, one in Environmental Change and Management under the mentorship of John Boardman, awarded in 2005, and the other in Geography under the mentorship of Heather Viles, awarded in 2007. While at Oxford, she contributed to the analysis of remote sensing data to help evaluate safe landing sites for the Mars Exploration Rover in a 2005 study. [6] Her M.Sc. (by research) Geography thesis was entitled "Developing quantitative techniques for evaluating rock breakdown morphology: a case study of basalt boulders in the Channelled Scablands, Washington, USA." [7]

Ehlmann then returned to the United States to attend Brown University for her M.S. and PhD in Geological Sciences in the research group of John F. Mustard. During her doctoral career, her focus shifted to studying Mars, utilizing orbital spectral data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), a visible-infrared spectrometer aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that takes measurements from the surface and atmosphere of Mars. CRISM is used to find the signature spectral signatures of different minerals to understand what minerals are present on Mars and form hypotheses on how different geological processes have shaped the planet over the course of its history. Using CRISM data, Ehlmann became the first to identify carbonate-bearing rocks on Mars, the presence of which suggests that water present on Mars when these rocks formed was neutral to alkaline. [8] [9] She also discovered evidence for the presence of a methane-producing mineral called serpentine on Mars. [10] The discovery could be a clue of past life on Mars, as serpentine arises from a mineral called olivine in a hydrothermal process that could serve as an energy source for methane-producing microbes. Her dissertation, published in 2010 and entitled "Early Mars Environments Revealed Through Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Alteration Minerals," documented her investigation of aqueous processes that occurred on ancient Mars during the earliest epoch of Martian history: the Noachian (>3.7 Ga). [11] The work was aimed, in part, at better understanding the changing habitability of Mars over time, as well as understanding how aqueous environments have evolved on Mars. Her dissertation received Brown University's Joukowsky award for the outstanding PhD dissertation. [12]

Following her doctorate, Ehlmann became a European Union Marie Curie Fellow at the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale at University of Paris-Sud. [13]

Research

Bethany Ehlmann in 2018 Bethany Ehlmann.png
Bethany Ehlmann in 2018

In 2011, Ehlmann became an assistant professor of Planetary Science at California Institute of Technology and a Research Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, continuing her research in the mineral composition and chemistry of different planets, with a focus on Earth and Mars. In 2017, she was promoted to tenured professor. She's particularly interested in tracing chemical processes of water on other planets.

For instance, her group has helped contribute to our understanding of Mars' missing atmosphere. [14] [15] A previous hypothesis suggested that carbon from Mars originally thick atmosphere had been sequestered into carbonate rocks and minerals. Ehlmann's team, however, inventoried evidence for carbonate rocks on the planet by analyzing satellite data and found there were not enough carbonate rocks on the planet to support that hypothesis. They suggested instead that the atmosphere had been gradually lost in space, which is supported by evidence collected by the Curiosity rover. [16] By contrast, her group demonstrated the important role of sequestration of large volumes of water in Mars' crust as hydrated minerals. Along with the long-recognized process of loss to space, this drove climate change and aridification. [17]

Ehlmann has also collaborated on mission development and mission operations for NASA, including the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover and developing the Mastcam-Z and the Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) imaging instruments for the upcoming Mars 2020 rover. Using samples collected by the Mars Curiosity rover, Ehlmann and her colleagues have planned experiments to interpret the sandstone layers of dunes that have since turned into rock on the Martian surface to search for clues of life on Mars, as well as how Mars' environment has evolved over the years. [18] She was part of the team that proposed the Jezero crater, where rivers once fed into a lake, as the landing site for the Mars 2020 mission, citing that the crater was also an excellent landing site to look for signs of life underground, collecting river and lake sediments that might retain signs of past life. [19] She is also one of several scientists advocating that the 2020 mission be a "mega mission" to find ancient life on Mars, visiting the maximum number of sites possible to ensure the likelihood that samples with signs of life are collected. [20]

Ehlmann is also part of the team exploring the geology of Ceres with data collected by the Dawn spacecraft. Ceres is the largest asteroid and dwarf planet in our solar system's main asteroid belt and is marked by a number of bright spots associated with the impact of the crater Occator. She and collaborators found the bright spots were due to a variety of highly reflective salts that have accumulated on Ceres, likely as a result of some water-related process. [21] [22]

Ehlmann is Principal Investigator of Lunar Trailblazer, a mission to study water on the Moon and one of the first missions in a new class of low-cost small spacecraft for planetary science. In June 2019, Lunar Trailblazer was selected as a finalist for NASA's Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Science call. It was confirmed as a flight mission in November 2020. [23]

Public service

In 2016, Ehlmann was appointed to the National Academy of Sciences advisory Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science. [24] In 2020, she began service on the National Academies Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 as a member of the Steering Committee and vice-chair of the Mars Panel. [25]

In 2019, Ehlmann joined the Board of Directors of The Planetary Society. [26] In 2020, Ehlman was appointed the next President of The Planetary Society. [27]

Ehlmann is also active in STEM public outreach. In 2018 she published a children's book with the National Geographic Society's National Geographic Kids "Dr. E's Super-Stellar Solar System", [28] pairing graphic novel-style adventures in the solar system with solar system facts from space missions, field studies, and telescope observations for children aged 8–12.

Awards and honors

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astrobiology</span> Science concerned with life in the universe

Astrobiology is a scientific field within the life and environmental sciences that studies the origins, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe by investigating its deterministic conditions and contingent events. As a discipline, astrobiology is founded on the premise that life may exist beyond Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Life on Mars</span> Scientific assessments on the microbial habitability of Mars

The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ancient Noachian time period, the surface environment of Mars had liquid water and may have been habitable for microorganisms, but habitable conditions do not necessarily indicate life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars</span> Visible-infrared spectrometer

The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) was a visible-infrared spectrometer aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter searching for mineralogic indications of past and present water on Mars. The CRISM instrument team comprised scientists from over ten universities and was led by principal investigator Scott Murchie. CRISM was designed, built, and tested by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huygens (crater)</span> Crater on Mars

Huygens is an impact crater on Mars named in honour of the Dutch astronomer, mathematician and physicist Christiaan Huygens. It is the fifth largest recognizable impact crater on Mars after Utopia, Hellas, Argyre, and Isidis, and the largest one with a near intact rim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbonates on Mars</span> Overview of the presence of carbonates on Mars

Evidence for carbonates on Mars was first discovered in 2008. Carbonates were formed in the early history of Mars. Evidence shows Mars was once warmer and wet about 4 billion years ago, that is about 560 million years after the formation of Mars. At this time span, the water on early Mars reacted with Mars' carbon dioxide, this reaction formed carbonic acid. The carbonic acid joined into the water cycle on early Mars. The carbonic acid in the water cycle produced carbonates. The carbonates removed (leached) greenhouse gases, water vapor, and carbon dioxide from Mars' atmosphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nili Fossae</span> Group of large, concentric grabens on Mars,

Nili Fossae is a group of large, concentric grabens on Mars, in the Syrtis Major quadrangle. They have been eroded and partly filled in by sediments and clay-rich ejecta from a nearby giant impact crater, the Isidis basin. It is at approximately 22°N, 75°E, and has an elevation of −0.6 km (−0.37 mi). Nili Fossae was on the list of potential landing sites of the Mars Science Laboratory, arriving in 2012, but was dropped before the final four sites were determined. Although not among the last finalists, in September 2015 it was selected as a potential landing site for the Mars 2020 rover, which will use the same design as Curiosity, but with a different payload focused on astrobiology. Nili Fossae is also considered ideal for future human exploration, with the prominent Gavin Crater at 21.43°N, 76.93°E considered the most likely landing zone in Nili Fossae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jezero (crater)</span> Crater on Mars

Jezero is a crater on Mars in the Syrtis Major quadrangle, about 45.0 km (28.0 mi) in diameter. Thought to have once been flooded with water, the crater contains a fan-delta deposit rich in clays. The lake in the crater was present when valley networks were forming on Mars. Besides having a delta, the crater shows point bars and inverted channels. From a study of the delta and channels, it was concluded that the lake inside the crater probably formed during a period in which there was continual surface runoff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gale (crater)</span> Martian crater

Gale is a crater, and probable dry lake, at 5.4°S 137.8°E in the northwestern part of the Aeolis quadrangle on Mars. It is 154 km (96 mi) in diameter and estimated to be about 3.5–3.8 billion years old. The crater was named after Walter Frederick Gale, an amateur astronomer from Sydney, Australia, who observed Mars in the late 19th century. Mount Sharp is a mountain in the center of Gale and rises 5.5 km (18,000 ft) high. Aeolis Palus is the plain between the northern wall of Gale and the northern foothills of Aeolis Mons. Peace Vallis, a nearby outflow channel, 'flows' down from the hills to the Aeolis Palus below and seems to have been carved by flowing water. Several lines of evidence suggest that a lake existed inside Gale shortly after the formation of the crater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martian soil</span> Fine regolith found on the surface of Mars

Martian soil is the fine regolith found on the surface of Mars. Its properties can differ significantly from those of terrestrial soil, including its toxicity due to the presence of perchlorates. The term Martian soil typically refers to the finer fraction of regolith. So far, no samples have been returned to Earth, the goal of a Mars sample-return mission, but the soil has been studied remotely with the use of Mars rovers and Mars orbiters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeolis quadrangle</span> One of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars

The Aeolis quadrangle is one of a series of 30 quadrangle maps of Mars used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Research Program. The Aeolis quadrangle is also referred to as MC-23 . The Aeolis quadrangle covers 180° to 225° W and 0° to 30° south on Mars, and contains parts of the regions Elysium Planitia and Terra Cimmeria. A small part of the Medusae Fossae Formation lies in this quadrangle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water on Mars</span> Study of past and present water on Mars

Almost all water on Mars today exists as ice, though it also exists in small quantities as vapor in the atmosphere. What was thought to be low-volume liquid brines in shallow Martian soil, also called recurrent slope lineae, may be grains of flowing sand and dust slipping downhill to make dark streaks. While most water ice is buried, it is exposed at the surface across several locations on Mars. In the mid-latitudes, it is exposed by impact craters, steep scarps and gullies. Additionally, water ice is also visible at the surface at the north polar ice cap. Abundant water ice is also present beneath the permanent carbon dioxide ice cap at the Martian south pole. More than 5 million km3 of ice have been detected at or near the surface of Mars, enough to cover the whole planet to a depth of 35 meters (115 ft). Even more ice might be locked away in the deep subsurface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars Exploration Program</span> Uncrewed spaceflight program by NASA

Mars Exploration Program (MEP) is a long-term effort to explore the planet Mars, funded and led by NASA. Formed in 1993, MEP has made use of orbital spacecraft, landers, and Mars rovers to explore the possibilities of life on Mars, as well as the planet's climate and natural resources. The program is managed by NASA's Science Mission Directorate by Doug McCuistion of the Planetary Science Division. As a result of 40% cuts to NASA's budget for fiscal year 2013, the Mars Program Planning Group (MPPG) was formed to help reformulate the MEP, bringing together leaders of NASA's technology, science, human operations, and science missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Composition of Mars</span> Branch of the geology of Mars

The composition of Mars covers the branch of the geology of Mars that describes the make-up of the planet Mars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planetary surface</span> Where the material of a planetary masss outer crust contacts its atmosphere or outer space

A planetary surface is where the solid or liquid material of certain types of astronomical objects contacts the atmosphere or outer space. Planetary surfaces are found on solid objects of planetary mass, including terrestrial planets, dwarf planets, natural satellites, planetesimals and many other small Solar System bodies (SSSBs). The study of planetary surfaces is a field of planetary geology known as surface geology, but also a focus on a number of fields including planetary cartography, topography, geomorphology, atmospheric sciences, and astronomy. Land is the term given to non-liquid planetary surfaces. The term landing is used to describe the collision of an object with a planetary surface and is usually at a velocity in which the object can remain intact and remain attached.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory</span> Event timeline of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory mission

The Mars Science Laboratory and its rover, Curiosity, were launched from Earth on November 26, 2011. As of February 1, 2024, Curiosity has been on the planet Mars for 4085 sols since landing on August 6, 2012. (See Current status.)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Syrtis</span>

Northeast Syrtis is a region of Mars once considered by NASA as a landing site for the Mars 2020 rover mission. This landing site failed in the competition with Jezero crater, another landing site dozens of kilometers away from Northeast Syrtis. It is located in the northern hemisphere of Mars at coordinates 18°N,77°E in the northeastern part of the Syrtis Major volcanic province, within the ring structure of Isidis impact basin as well. This region contains diverse morphological features and minerals, indicating that water once flowed here. It may be an ancient habitable environment; microbes could have developed and thrived here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawn Sumner</span> American geologist, planetary scientist, and astrobiologist

Dawn Yvonne Sumner is an American geologist, planetary scientist, and astrobiologist. She is a professor at the University of California, Davis. Sumner's research includes evaluating microbial communities in Antarctic lakes, exploration of Mars via the Curiosity rover, and characterization of microbial communities in the lab and from ancient geologic samples. She is an investigator on the NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and was Chair of the UC Davis Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences from 2014 to 2016. She is Fellow of the Geological Society of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural methane on Mars</span>

The reported presence of methane in the atmosphere of Mars is of interest to many geologists and astrobiologists, as methane may indicate the presence of microbial life on Mars, or a geochemical process such as volcanism or hydrothermal activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Eigenbrode</span> American astrobiologist

Jennifer Eigenbrode is an interdisciplinary astrobiologist who works at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. She specializes in organic chemistry, geology, and organic bio-geochemistry of martian and ocean-world environments.

Janice Bishop is a planetary scientist known for her research into the minerals found on Mars.

References

  1. ↑ "Ehlmann Group - Caltech". www.ehlmann.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  2. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Tony (2002-01-01). "Rhodes Scholars 'bring great honor'". The Source. Washington University in St. Louis. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  3. 1 2 Schoenherr, Neil (2002-01-01). "Goldwater scholarships go to 4 sophomores". The Source. Washington University in St. Louis. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  4. 1 2 Everding, Gerry (2003-05-13). "University students, graduates win high-profile fellowships, scholarships". The Source. Washington University in St. Louis. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  5. ↑ "Despite hurdles, human missions to Mars are in the works | The Source | Physics.Org". Physics Today. 2005-05-10. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  6. ↑ Zurek, R. W.; Squyres, S. W.; Schofield, J. T.; Parker, T. J.; Kass, D. M.; Haldemann, A. F. C.; Greeley, R.; Grant, J. A.; Fergason, R. L. (July 2005). "Assessment of Mars Exploration Rover landing site predictions". Nature. 436 (7047): 44–48. Bibcode:2005Natur.436...44G. doi:10.1038/nature03600. hdl: 2060/20050169539 . ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   16001058. S2CID   14649433.
  7. ↑ Ehlmann, Bethany L. (2006). Developing quantitative techniques for evaluating rock breakdown morphology: a case study of basalt boulders in the Channelled Scablands, Washington, USA (Thesis). Thesis MSc--University of Oxford.
  8. ↑ Wray, James J.; Swayze, Gregg A.; Roush, Ted L.; Roach, Leah H.; Milliken, Ralph E.; Marais, David J. Des; Clark, Roger N.; Calvin, Wendy M.; Brown, Adrian J. (2008-12-19). "Orbital Identification of Carbonate-Bearing Rocks on Mars". Science. 322 (5909): 1828–1832. Bibcode:2008Sci...322.1828E. doi: 10.1126/science.1164759 . ISSN   1095-9203. PMID   19095939. S2CID   1190585.
  9. ↑ McKee, Maggie (2008-12-18). "Long-sought carbonate minerals found on Mars". New Scientist. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  10. ↑ Hand, Eric (2009-03-27). "Methane-producing mineral discovered on Mars". Nature. doi:10.1038/news.2009.197. ISSN   0028-0836.
  11. ↑ Ehlmann, Bethany (2010). Early Mars Environments Revealed Through Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Alteration Minerals (Thesis). Brown University. doi:10.7301/Z0QN650G.
  12. ↑ "Congratulations to Bethany Ehlmann | Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences". www.brown.edu. Archived from the original on 2018-12-27. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  13. ↑ Anonymous (2013-05-21). "Marie Curie Alumna Plays Key Role in Mars Curiosity". www.mariecuriealumni.eu. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  14. ↑ Edwards, Christopher S.; Ehlmann, Bethany L. (October 2015). "Carbon sequestration on Mars". Geology. 43 (10): 863–866. Bibcode:2015Geo....43..863E. doi:10.1130/G36983.1. ISSN   1943-2682.
  15. ↑ Redd, Nola Taylor (2015-10-05). "Mars' Missing Atmosphere Likely Lost in Space". Space.com. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  16. ↑ "Mars once had a moderately dense atmosphere: Scientists suggest the fingerprints of early photochemistry provide a solution to the long-standing mystery". ScienceDaily. 2015-11-24. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  17. ↑ "Is an ocean of Mars water trapped in the planet's crust?". Sky and Telescope. 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  18. ↑ Jose Inojosa, Maria (2015-12-14). "Mars Curiosity Rover explores Martian Dunes for the first time". Pulse Headlines. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  19. ↑ Drake, Nadia (2018-11-19). "Why NASA thinks this crater is the best spot to search for life on Mars". Science & Innovation. Archived from the original on November 23, 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  20. ↑ Witze, Alexandra (2018-10-18). "Double the fun: Mars scientists push NASA to send rock-harvesting rover to two sites". Nature. 562 (7728): 468–469. Bibcode:2018Natur.562..468W. doi: 10.1038/d41586-018-07064-y . PMID   30353154. S2CID   53023716.
  21. ↑ Russell, C. T.; Raymond, C. A.; Mugnuolo, R.; Schenk, P.; Jaumann, R.; Pieters, C. M.; McFadden, L. A.; Palomba, E.; Magni, G. (August 2016). "Bright carbonate deposits as evidence of aqueous alteration on (1) Ceres". Nature. 536 (7614): 54–57. Bibcode:2016Natur.536...54D. doi:10.1038/nature18290. ISSN   1476-4687. PMID   27362221. S2CID   4465999.
  22. ↑ Botkin-Kowacki, Eva (2016-06-29). "Dwarf planet Ceres may be less icy, more complex, say scientists". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN   0882-7729 . Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  23. ↑ "NASA Confirms New SIMPLEx Mission Small Satellite to Blaze Trails Studying Lunar Surface". NASA. 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  24. ↑ "Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science | National Academies Space Studies Board". sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  25. ↑ "National Academies Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 | Planetary Decadal Survey" . Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  26. ↑ "The Planetary Society Welcomes Bethany Ehlmann to Board of Directors | The Planetary Society". www.planetary.org. 2019-02-20. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  27. ↑ "The Planetary Society Appoints Bethany Ehlmann As New President | The Planetary Society". www.planetary.org. 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  28. ↑ Dr. E's Super Stellar Solar System: Massive Mountains! Supersize Storms! Alien Atmospheres! | WorldCat. OCLC   1011466811.
  29. ↑ "WUSTL seniors Bethany Ehlmann and Allison Gilmore receive Rhodes Scholarships to Oxford University". The Source. Washington University in St. Louis. 2003-11-23. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  30. ↑ "Learn more about Bethany Ehlmann". www.nationalgeographic.org. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  31. ↑ "2015 AGU Union Medal, Award, and Prize Recipients Announced". Honors Program. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  32. ↑ "2015 Kavli Fellows - News Release". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  33. ↑ "Harold C. Urey Prize in Planetary Science | Division for Planetary Sciences". dps.aas.org. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  34. ↑ "Fellowship at MSA | Mineralogical Society of America". www.minsocam.org. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.