Steve
Vance
NASA Postdoctoral Fellow
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109
http://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Vance/
Research Summary:
Geophysics and astrobiology of planetary interiors,
high pressure and low temperature chemistry, ocean dynamics,
hydrothermal systems and fracture mechanics in rocks
and ices.
Title 1: The Deep Cold Biosphere?
Abstract 1:
In icy worlds smaller than Earth, including Europa,
Enceladus and Titan, hydrothermal activity may persist
long after the object's formation, owing to progressive
release heat by serpentinization. This scenario has
implications for habitability in the outer solar system.
I will discuss conditions necessary for such activity
to occur.
Title 2: Equations of State for Icy
World Interiors
Abstract 2:
Pressures at the bottoms of deep liquid water oceans
in icy worlds such as Europa, Titan, Ganymede and Callisto
test the limit of current thermodynamic databases. I
will present new equations of state for representative
ocean compositions based on new laboratory measurements
of sound velocity at the relevant pressures and temperatures
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