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[Music]

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greetings friends fellow earthlings and

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if you're anything like me

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maybe those who are anxiously awaiting

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samples to be returned from mars to

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earth

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welcome to ask an astrobiologist the

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show that celebrates the science and

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celebrates the scientists involved in

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our quest to understand the nature of

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life

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i'm your host dr graham the cosmo

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biologist lao and we're brought to you

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by the nasa astrobiology program and

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saginet.org

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as always we want to thank all of you

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out there who watch our show both during

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the live stream asking questions in the

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chat on youtube who ask questions of our

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guests on twitter using the hashtag

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askastrobio

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as well as those of you who watch the

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show after it's aired i try my best to

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come in and answer questions when

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possible on youtube so if you're

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watching this after the live stream i

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will try to answer your questions there

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if i can as well

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today's episode is going to be

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incredible if you know me you know that

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i absolutely love rocks from space and

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what they can teach us about our place

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in the universe today we have an expert

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in planetary science isotope

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geochemistry meteoritics and sample

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return to earth joining us for the show

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dr menakshi mini wadwa is a professor

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and the director of the school of earth

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and space exploration at arizona state

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university she earned her bs and ms

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degrees in geology from punjab

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university and then continued her

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studies in earth and planetary sciences

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earning her phd in 1994 from washington

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university in st louis dr wadwa is a

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planetary scientist and isotope

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geochemist interested in time scales and

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processes involved in the formation and

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evolution of the solar system and our

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planets and she was also a recent

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keynote speaker at the astrobiology

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science conference which i heard her

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keynote talk and i thought it was

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incredible i knew i wanted to have her

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on the show to talk to all of us about

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her research beyond being an expert in

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planetary materials like meteorites mini

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is also the principal scientist for

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nasa's mars sample return program dr

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wadwa thank you for joining us and

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welcome to ask an astrobiologist oh

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thank you so much graeme this is a real

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pleasure to be here

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awesome and like i said also we did talk

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before the show i'm so excited for all

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the things you have to share with our

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audience uh there's already some

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questions coming in from the youtube

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chat um but i wanna i wanna speak with

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you first a little bit about your life

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your career your research and the one

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place i love to start off with all of

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our guests is hearing about your origin

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story what got you interested in

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pursuing the path and the sciences that

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you're on now

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well so

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i've always been kind of interested in

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the natural world around me and you know

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i think all kids are at some level you

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know fascinated by insects fascinated by

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rocks that kind of thing

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um and i was no different you know but i

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kind of remember sort of

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one moment though uh in growing up

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uh when i kind of realized that this was

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this is what i want you know i i wanted

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to be a scientist i'm not sure i knew

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the word scientist at the time but

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that's kind of what what what felt right

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um i remember

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probably it was seven or eight years old

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and uh

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in class my teachers

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was talking about you know

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respiration and how human human beings

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you know breathe in oxygen let out

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carbon dioxide

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and um yeah i know this is fascinating

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and then you know after a few minutes of

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thinking about this i was like oh my god

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you know there's there's all these human

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beings on earth and we're going to be

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breathing in oxygen letting out carbon

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dioxide and so we're going to be running

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out of oxygen pretty soon

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i was like super worried and

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and uh yeah i i talked to my mom that

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evening and she was like yeah what's

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wrong you're worried they're like well

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you know i think we're gonna be we're

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gonna be all all extinct soon

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and she's like oh no you know there's

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all these cycles in nature that you know

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keep things in balance and uh

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and yeah there's you know

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plants do the opposite to photosynthesis

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and so all of that

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wow you know there's so much that i

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don't know and understand that there's

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so much to learn

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and so i just kind of remember sort of

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being thinking you know i'd love to be

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able to figure out some of these things

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about unnatural world and uh

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and and of course i mean as it turns out

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of course i mean we are worried about

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the level of co2 in our atmosphere and

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so

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it wasn't that far off i guess

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i love it it's such a cool story too

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like this this early wondering of what's

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gonna happen to us you know breathing in

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oxygen breathing out co2 and then making

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those larger connections to our planet

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and how life is so connected you know we

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share this one beautiful biosphere and

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it's the only place we know so far that

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has life but many of us wonder in

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looking at planetary materials from

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other worlds meteorites and sample

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return if we can actually find signs of

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life out there so at what point in your

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career you know you started off studying

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geology as an undergraduate student and

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then went into earth and planetary

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sciences at what part in your career did

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you really decide that like studying

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planetary materials to understand the

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history of our solar system and the

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history of planets was really your thing

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yeah so you know i

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went into

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grad school

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and maybe a lot of some of the students

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can relate to this you know starting out

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grad school not really knowing exactly

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what what part of planetary science i

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wanted to really focus in

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you know i i had my undergraduate degree

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in geology and i kind of i loved rocks

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and and really you know i felt like if

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you could apply the same kinds of things

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that we apply to earth rocks to try to

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do the same kinds of things with you

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know samples from the moon or from mars

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and you know

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just the thought of being somewhat of i

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guess i'm vicariously a geologist on

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another planet you know geologists don't

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mind i mean that really that's really

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what fascinated me right

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and so but i didn't know how to make

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that happen i actually i mean i didn't

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even know that we had you know hundreds

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of pounds of you know lunar rocks from

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the apollo missions at the time when i

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started out

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and um

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so it was only you know when i got to

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washington university and i started

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talking to a number of the faculty and

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the good thing was of course you know

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there were a number of people that were

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doing all different kinds of things in

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planetary science and um

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and i was talking to them about you know

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what i wanted to do with more remote

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sensing of planets or what are you know

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different kinds of things and and then

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one of the professors

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her name is glenn crozas and she was

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actually one of the few

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women planetary scientists at the time

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not very many of them actually and and

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so she

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she asked me hey you know do you want to

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look at these meteorites from mars and

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i was like what

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there's meteorites from mars

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and that was like a mind-blowing kind of

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experience for me because you know i

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looked at a thin section of this rock

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and

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you know it just looks so familiar like

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earth rocks that i've seen before magma

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magmatic you know igneous rocks and but

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it formed on another planet and it could

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tell us something about the geology of

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another planet and so that was like you

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know that aha moment i was like gosh you

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know i i can be a geologist on mars in a

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way right

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and so that's kind of what got me hooked

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um into sort of studying planetary

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materials because it just seemed like

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the skills that i've learned

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for you know studying geology and the

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earth i could apply those same skills to

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understanding something about

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the geology of mars i love that so much

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and i want to step back for a moment

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because you mentioned something really

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important there there weren't many women

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at all in planetary science and so you

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had a woman as a mentor and someone who

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could guide you i wonder if you can

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speak to the value not just of

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representation but also mentorship in

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your career

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yeah i mean i you know

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galen what i mean she's somebody that i

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still am in you know contact with and

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she's been a you know lifelong mentor

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and friend for me and i i think it was

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just so important to be able to see

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somebody

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um in that role um so i could actually

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see a path for myself in this career

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um

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and but you know even before before i i

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joined washu though i remember uh you

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know contacting her and that at that

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time you had to write letters and i

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remember saying you know dear professor

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crozars and and uh assuming that it was

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a man you know

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because i i did not know any better in

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my undergraduate career there were not

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any women professors there were not

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actually even hardly any women students

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alongside me and so you know it's it

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changed everything for me i mean i i

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knew i knew it was possible for me to to

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be

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a scientist in this particular field

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because i saw i saw gulen doing it you

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know

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so yeah it's so important

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oh that's wonderful and that reminds me

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of a personal story a friend of mine

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she's a wonderful explorer and she's

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done education around the world and and

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she was going on a trip to teach astro

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biology and planetary science to a girls

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school

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in bangladesh and i had been talking

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with her about possibly going along and

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i remember she reached out and she said

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you know actually i don't think you

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should come because she had noticed in

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her previous visit that when she was

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talking with these young girls they were

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all so excited to share their knowledge

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and to ask questions and then the

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principal an older man walked into the

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room and all the girls like sat up

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straight and put their hands down and

279
00:09:39,829 --> 00:09:38,320
were very quiet after that and i think

280
00:09:41,590 --> 00:09:39,839
it's so important for for young women

281
00:09:43,110 --> 00:09:41,600
around the world to to experience

282
00:09:44,870 --> 00:09:43,120
representation to see women doing

283
00:09:46,710 --> 00:09:44,880
incredible things and to feel like they

284
00:09:49,350 --> 00:09:46,720
are part of this grand journey of being

285
00:09:50,470 --> 00:09:49,360
human with all of us exactly yeah so i'm

286
00:09:51,910 --> 00:09:50,480
so glad that you know that to hear that

287
00:09:54,150 --> 00:09:51,920
there's more representation now but we

288
00:09:55,829 --> 00:09:54,160
still have a lot more work to do

289
00:09:57,509 --> 00:09:55,839
and i'm so glad you were inspired to

290
00:09:59,430 --> 00:09:57,519
continue in your realm and do the work

291
00:10:00,790 --> 00:09:59,440
that you've done uh before we talk about

292
00:10:02,389 --> 00:10:00,800
meteorites which i'm kind of like

293
00:10:04,630 --> 00:10:02,399
bubbling right now i feel like my skin

294
00:10:06,310 --> 00:10:04,640
getting all excited to talk about

295
00:10:08,550 --> 00:10:06,320
meteorites because i love space rock so

296
00:10:11,030 --> 00:10:08,560
much now we did a poll through the nasa

297
00:10:13,110 --> 00:10:11,040
astro bio twitter account asking people

298
00:10:14,710 --> 00:10:13,120
we gave them four options of possible

299
00:10:15,750 --> 00:10:14,720
meteorites and asked which was our

300
00:10:19,190 --> 00:10:15,760
favorite

301
00:10:21,910 --> 00:10:19,200
we gave them alh 84001 the allen hills

302
00:10:23,750 --> 00:10:21,920
meteorite that famously in 1996 was a

303
00:10:26,310 --> 00:10:23,760
potential signs of life where it were

304
00:10:29,110 --> 00:10:26,320
announced um the black beauty or the

305
00:10:31,350 --> 00:10:29,120
other weird meteorite um

306
00:10:34,470 --> 00:10:31,360
the murchison meteorite which we've now

307
00:10:36,710 --> 00:10:34,480
found dozens of organics amino acids

308
00:10:38,630 --> 00:10:36,720
inside of the merchants and meteorite uh

309
00:10:40,870 --> 00:10:38,640
and the chelyabinsk meteorite i thought

310
00:10:41,990 --> 00:10:40,880
we'd throw one in just for fun to see if

311
00:10:43,350 --> 00:10:42,000
people were thinking more about like

312
00:10:46,069 --> 00:10:43,360
more recent things they've heard of

313
00:10:48,069 --> 00:10:46,079
because chelyabinsk 2013 was a fireball

314
00:10:50,870 --> 00:10:48,079
that exploded uh over chelyabinsk in

315
00:10:52,389 --> 00:10:50,880
russia uh and people actually

316
00:10:53,990 --> 00:10:52,399
they picked chelyabinsk as their

317
00:10:55,990 --> 00:10:54,000
favorite one

318
00:10:57,509 --> 00:10:56,000
wow justin actually got the least amount

319
00:10:59,750 --> 00:10:57,519
of love which kind of hurt my heart a

320
00:11:01,430 --> 00:10:59,760
little bit i love it so much

321
00:11:04,069 --> 00:11:01,440
and as an astrobiologist i think it's so

322
00:11:05,750 --> 00:11:04,079
important um of those four which do you

323
00:11:07,750 --> 00:11:05,760
think is the coolest

324
00:11:09,750 --> 00:11:07,760
oh my god

325
00:11:12,829 --> 00:11:09,760
that's like asking who's my favorite

326
00:11:18,790 --> 00:11:16,230
i gosh that's a tough one i love them

327
00:11:20,310 --> 00:11:18,800
all but i would say probably black

328
00:11:25,750 --> 00:11:20,320
beauty

329
00:11:26,710 --> 00:11:25,760
that's a really fascinating meteorite by

330
00:11:28,550 --> 00:11:26,720
the way the you know the martian

331
00:11:30,750 --> 00:11:28,560
meteorites that we have they're all

332
00:11:33,670 --> 00:11:30,760
different kinds we they're about

333
00:11:36,230 --> 00:11:33,680
130 or so uh that we know of and but

334
00:11:37,590 --> 00:11:36,240
this is like one of a kind unique mars

335
00:11:39,350 --> 00:11:37,600
meteorite because it's actually an

336
00:11:41,190 --> 00:11:39,360
agglomeration of all different kinds of

337
00:11:43,430 --> 00:11:41,200
rocks most of the other martian

338
00:11:45,110 --> 00:11:43,440
meteorites are igneous rocks coming from

339
00:11:46,870 --> 00:11:45,120
one single rock and this one's sort of

340
00:11:48,550 --> 00:11:46,880
like a mishmash and the other thing

341
00:11:50,069 --> 00:11:48,560
that's really a couple of things that

342
00:11:53,190 --> 00:11:50,079
are really fascinating about it it has

343
00:11:55,990 --> 00:11:53,200
the most amount of total water

344
00:11:58,069 --> 00:11:56,000
uh close to one percent almost which is

345
00:12:00,069 --> 00:11:58,079
a ton compared to what's in the other

346
00:12:01,750 --> 00:12:00,079
mars meteorites which are you know parts

347
00:12:03,990 --> 00:12:01,760
per million or something like that you

348
00:12:05,670 --> 00:12:04,000
know total abundance um and the other

349
00:12:07,509 --> 00:12:05,680
one is that it's bulk composition is

350
00:12:10,069 --> 00:12:07,519
actually very similar

351
00:12:12,310 --> 00:12:10,079
to the compositions that the mars rovers

352
00:12:14,550 --> 00:12:12,320
are measuring for the surface rocks on

353
00:12:16,470 --> 00:12:14,560
mars the other mars meteorites that we

354
00:12:18,150 --> 00:12:16,480
know of for some strange reason they're

355
00:12:20,310 --> 00:12:18,160
not exactly

356
00:12:21,910 --> 00:12:20,320
you know analogous or in composition to

357
00:12:24,470 --> 00:12:21,920
what we're seeing from the rovers but

358
00:12:26,550 --> 00:12:24,480
this particular rock it's bang on you

359
00:12:28,389 --> 00:12:26,560
know the same kind of composition

360
00:12:29,990 --> 00:12:28,399
uh range that you're seeing from the

361
00:12:31,750 --> 00:12:30,000
rovers and so

362
00:12:33,910 --> 00:12:31,760
in the sense it represents the average

363
00:12:36,470 --> 00:12:33,920
composition of the mars crust in a in a

364
00:12:38,550 --> 00:12:36,480
much sort of more representative way

365
00:12:41,750 --> 00:12:38,560
than the other mars meteorites do

366
00:12:43,269 --> 00:12:41,760
um yeah so i and it's it's you know i i

367
00:12:44,230 --> 00:12:43,279
think it's just a fascinating beautiful

368
00:12:46,230 --> 00:12:44,240
rock i don't know if you've seen

369
00:12:49,829 --> 00:12:46,240
pictures of it but it's kind of a

370
00:12:51,350 --> 00:12:49,839
gorgeous looking um rock as well

371
00:12:52,870 --> 00:12:51,360
yeah absolutely i've seen pictures i

372
00:12:54,069 --> 00:12:52,880
haven't haven't seen it but i've seen

373
00:12:55,509 --> 00:12:54,079
pictures

374
00:12:57,030 --> 00:12:55,519
and yeah it's very beautiful it's a very

375
00:12:58,470 --> 00:12:57,040
cool rock i have some meteorites of my

376
00:13:00,069 --> 00:12:58,480
own i love them all

377
00:13:01,750 --> 00:13:00,079
so i can understand your hesitancy to

378
00:13:03,269 --> 00:13:01,760
pick a favorite but black beauty is a

379
00:13:05,110 --> 00:13:03,279
very cool rock

380
00:13:06,790 --> 00:13:05,120
um so i'd love to hear a little bit

381
00:13:08,150 --> 00:13:06,800
about meteorites you know you've gone

382
00:13:09,670 --> 00:13:08,160
out to the field to collect meteorites

383
00:13:11,590 --> 00:13:09,680
you've gone to antarctica

384
00:13:13,030 --> 00:13:11,600
to collect meteorites i'd love to hear a

385
00:13:14,790 --> 00:13:13,040
bit about what it's like to go out and

386
00:13:16,230 --> 00:13:14,800
collect these rocks and then bring them

387
00:13:18,150 --> 00:13:16,240
back to the lab and then do you know

388
00:13:21,190 --> 00:13:18,160
isotope cosmochemistry on them to try to

389
00:13:23,350 --> 00:13:21,200
understand their history yeah i know

390
00:13:25,030 --> 00:13:23,360
i tell you i mean antarctica is one of

391
00:13:27,430 --> 00:13:25,040
those places where

392
00:13:29,750 --> 00:13:27,440
you cannot really describe it adequately

393
00:13:31,829 --> 00:13:29,760
nor can you actually photograph it and

394
00:13:33,110 --> 00:13:31,839
sort of convey the wonder of being in

395
00:13:34,790 --> 00:13:33,120
that place

396
00:13:36,870 --> 00:13:34,800
through photographs or even you know

397
00:13:38,389 --> 00:13:36,880
video footage just because when you're

398
00:13:40,629 --> 00:13:38,399
down there and you're

399
00:13:42,790 --> 00:13:40,639
out in the field and you're in this

400
00:13:44,710 --> 00:13:42,800
space and by the way you know the field

401
00:13:47,189 --> 00:13:44,720
trips that we went on you go there

402
00:13:48,710 --> 00:13:47,199
during the austral summer which is 24

403
00:13:50,310 --> 00:13:48,720
hours of daylight

404
00:13:52,150 --> 00:13:50,320
and it's just an incredible thing i mean

405
00:13:54,310 --> 00:13:52,160
it takes your body a while to get used

406
00:13:55,829 --> 00:13:54,320
to that 24 hours of daylight but then

407
00:13:57,750 --> 00:13:55,839
after a while you can actually just

408
00:13:59,350 --> 00:13:57,760
depending on you know where the sun is

409
00:14:01,350 --> 00:13:59,360
relative to the horizon you can tell

410
00:14:02,389 --> 00:14:01,360
kind of what time of day it is or night

411
00:14:03,670 --> 00:14:02,399
it is

412
00:14:05,350 --> 00:14:03,680
and uh

413
00:14:07,829 --> 00:14:05,360
and and just sort of

414
00:14:09,350 --> 00:14:07,839
the field the field camp where we count

415
00:14:10,470 --> 00:14:09,360
you know just the isolation of it

416
00:14:12,470 --> 00:14:10,480
there's only

417
00:14:15,990 --> 00:14:12,480
we're hundreds of miles from any kind of

418
00:14:17,670 --> 00:14:16,000
you know uh occupied areas from mcmurdo

419
00:14:18,949 --> 00:14:17,680
station or from palm station hundreds of

420
00:14:22,230 --> 00:14:18,959
miles from that

421
00:14:23,110 --> 00:14:22,240
um out on this kind of ice that's miles

422
00:14:24,470 --> 00:14:23,120
thick

423
00:14:28,310 --> 00:14:24,480
and there's no

424
00:14:30,470 --> 00:14:28,320
wildlife whatsoever really there um and

425
00:14:32,069 --> 00:14:30,480
and you're there with these you know

426
00:14:34,550 --> 00:14:32,079
five other people that you're really

427
00:14:36,310 --> 00:14:34,560
dependent on for your existence really

428
00:14:38,069 --> 00:14:36,320
or depend on each other

429
00:14:40,870 --> 00:14:38,079
and it's like the most it's the most

430
00:14:42,710 --> 00:14:40,880
beautiful place in the world i think but

431
00:14:44,710 --> 00:14:42,720
but then you know hunting for meteorites

432
00:14:46,550 --> 00:14:44,720
there's i mean that's just again a

433
00:14:48,310 --> 00:14:46,560
mind-blowing experience i mean for me i

434
00:14:50,389 --> 00:14:48,320
studied media rights now for all of my

435
00:14:52,790 --> 00:14:50,399
career but that first experience of

436
00:14:55,110 --> 00:14:52,800
actually finding a meteorite

437
00:14:56,790 --> 00:14:55,120
out in the field and just actually sort

438
00:14:58,310 --> 00:14:56,800
of recognizing that hey you know there's

439
00:15:00,150 --> 00:14:58,320
actually a mechanism that happens here

440
00:15:02,310 --> 00:15:00,160
in antarctica that actually concentrates

441
00:15:03,910 --> 00:15:02,320
these meteorites so that you can find

442
00:15:05,590 --> 00:15:03,920
sometimes hundreds of meteorites in an

443
00:15:07,509 --> 00:15:05,600
area maybe you know the size of a

444
00:15:09,750 --> 00:15:07,519
football field i mean it's just

445
00:15:12,230 --> 00:15:09,760
incredible and so even though you your

446
00:15:14,790 --> 00:15:12,240
mind understands that it's it's still

447
00:15:17,430 --> 00:15:14,800
like amazing to find these rocks sitting

448
00:15:19,030 --> 00:15:17,440
on the ice and collecting them and and

449
00:15:20,710 --> 00:15:19,040
bringing them back and so you know i had

450
00:15:21,670 --> 00:15:20,720
the fortune of a good fortune of

451
00:15:23,829 --> 00:15:21,680
actually

452
00:15:25,269 --> 00:15:23,839
going down a couple of times as part of

453
00:15:26,870 --> 00:15:25,279
the antarctic search for meteorites

454
00:15:28,550 --> 00:15:26,880
program

455
00:15:30,870 --> 00:15:28,560
i went once as a graduate student and

456
00:15:33,110 --> 00:15:30,880
then i went again um

457
00:15:35,430 --> 00:15:33,120
just about a decade ago now so it's been

458
00:15:37,829 --> 00:15:35,440
it's been a few years but

459
00:15:40,069 --> 00:15:37,839
what an amazing experience

460
00:15:41,670 --> 00:15:40,079
that's so cool i'm super jealous i have

461
00:15:44,069 --> 00:15:41,680
been to the arctic i've been to a place

462
00:15:46,389 --> 00:15:44,079
above the arctic circle where uh the sun

463
00:15:47,829 --> 00:15:46,399
never sets and it was indeed bizarre

464
00:15:49,910 --> 00:15:47,839
just to have the sun just do a big

465
00:15:51,030 --> 00:15:49,920
circle and never have a night i was only

466
00:15:53,030 --> 00:15:51,040
there for two weeks so i never really

467
00:15:55,749 --> 00:15:53,040
had a chance to get very acclimated to

468
00:15:57,269 --> 00:15:55,759
it but field work can be dangerous those

469
00:15:59,430 --> 00:15:57,279
who know me know that we also had a

470
00:16:01,910 --> 00:15:59,440
potential near-death experience when we

471
00:16:03,269 --> 00:16:01,920
were in the arctic doing our research

472
00:16:05,030 --> 00:16:03,279
on a glacier

473
00:16:06,710 --> 00:16:05,040
and as i understand it you also had a

474
00:16:09,110 --> 00:16:06,720
rather terrible experience doing some

475
00:16:10,550 --> 00:16:09,120
field work back in 2017 in iceland um

476
00:16:11,670 --> 00:16:10,560
would you mind sharing that story with

477
00:16:13,430 --> 00:16:11,680
our audience

478
00:16:15,910 --> 00:16:13,440
yeah that was

479
00:16:17,670 --> 00:16:15,920
that was that was an um

480
00:16:19,110 --> 00:16:17,680
a pretty scary experience about but i

481
00:16:21,590 --> 00:16:19,120
mean you know

482
00:16:23,749 --> 00:16:21,600
i i so iceland of course i mean the

483
00:16:26,470 --> 00:16:23,759
reason i was in iceland was to collect

484
00:16:29,590 --> 00:16:26,480
some mars analog samples

485
00:16:31,350 --> 00:16:29,600
um so we have i have a project uh which

486
00:16:34,230 --> 00:16:31,360
uh where we're trying to understand the

487
00:16:36,870 --> 00:16:34,240
role of water and and igneous rocks and

488
00:16:38,870 --> 00:16:36,880
so icelandic rocks are really kind of

489
00:16:40,550 --> 00:16:38,880
perfect for for looking at some of the

490
00:16:43,110 --> 00:16:40,560
comparisons and so

491
00:16:44,870 --> 00:16:43,120
we were out there um and i

492
00:16:46,150 --> 00:16:44,880
this was day three of the field trip and

493
00:16:48,550 --> 00:16:46,160
i had a colleague from the university of

494
00:16:50,069 --> 00:16:48,560
iceland who was a geologist who was

495
00:16:51,430 --> 00:16:50,079
sort of helping us collect some of these

496
00:16:53,829 --> 00:16:51,440
samples

497
00:16:55,749 --> 00:16:53,839
and um we

498
00:16:57,910 --> 00:16:55,759
we're in actually quite a remote part of

499
00:16:59,030 --> 00:16:57,920
iceland uh several hundred miles from

500
00:17:01,110 --> 00:16:59,040
reykjavik

501
00:17:02,949 --> 00:17:01,120
um and we

502
00:17:05,029 --> 00:17:02,959
had a lunch stop and we're just sort of

503
00:17:07,029 --> 00:17:05,039
getting going after that and normally i

504
00:17:08,470 --> 00:17:07,039
mean it's in this remote part of iceland

505
00:17:10,230 --> 00:17:08,480
where there's hardly you hardly ever see

506
00:17:11,429 --> 00:17:10,240
any cars at all but you know getting out

507
00:17:13,510 --> 00:17:11,439
of the one spot there were a number of

508
00:17:15,829 --> 00:17:13,520
other cars that were getting out and and

509
00:17:18,390 --> 00:17:15,839
my colleague who was driving the car

510
00:17:21,110 --> 00:17:18,400
he tried to sort of quickly overtake

511
00:17:23,590 --> 00:17:21,120
a series of cars and one of those cars

512
00:17:25,909 --> 00:17:23,600
just pulled out into our lane and and

513
00:17:29,029 --> 00:17:25,919
sideswiped us and it's you know

514
00:17:31,590 --> 00:17:29,039
our vehicle just went kind of uh and

515
00:17:34,070 --> 00:17:31,600
over and basically well rolled over

516
00:17:36,390 --> 00:17:34,080
um and uh i

517
00:17:38,230 --> 00:17:36,400
literally was tossed out from the

518
00:17:39,430 --> 00:17:38,240
vehicle something like 30 feet away from

519
00:17:40,789 --> 00:17:39,440
the vehicle

520
00:17:42,870 --> 00:17:40,799
um and

521
00:17:44,630 --> 00:17:42,880
it was i don't remember any of it

522
00:17:46,549 --> 00:17:44,640
actually it's completely gone from my

523
00:17:49,270 --> 00:17:46,559
memory banks but it was

524
00:17:51,110 --> 00:17:49,280
i woke up in the emergency room not

525
00:17:51,830 --> 00:17:51,120
knowing kind of what happened

526
00:17:54,070 --> 00:17:51,840
and

527
00:17:55,270 --> 00:17:54,080
had a series of really kind of traumatic

528
00:17:56,870 --> 00:17:55,280
injuries

529
00:17:59,750 --> 00:17:56,880
most of them on my left side you know

530
00:18:03,029 --> 00:17:59,760
broken pelvis and fractures you know my

531
00:18:05,190 --> 00:18:03,039
shoulder and arm and and all of that

532
00:18:07,029 --> 00:18:05,200
as a result of that i mean i you know

533
00:18:08,710 --> 00:18:07,039
i had about a year of recovery after

534
00:18:11,029 --> 00:18:08,720
that i was in a wheelchair for about

535
00:18:13,190 --> 00:18:11,039
four months and uh lots of physical

536
00:18:15,830 --> 00:18:13,200
therapy but it was

537
00:18:17,909 --> 00:18:15,840
you know what what it made clear to me i

538
00:18:19,190 --> 00:18:17,919
had a lot of time to think i had a lot

539
00:18:20,870 --> 00:18:19,200
of time to sort of think about you know

540
00:18:24,230 --> 00:18:20,880
what i wanted to do with my life you

541
00:18:26,470 --> 00:18:24,240
know and i i realized that hey you know

542
00:18:29,669 --> 00:18:26,480
i better you know do things that really

543
00:18:32,070 --> 00:18:29,679
kind of uh are gonna be meaningful and

544
00:18:34,630 --> 00:18:32,080
uh you know that i'm really passionate

545
00:18:36,390 --> 00:18:34,640
about and and really care about and so

546
00:18:38,150 --> 00:18:36,400
it's really kind of i think in some ways

547
00:18:39,990 --> 00:18:38,160
helped me to kind of

548
00:18:41,350 --> 00:18:40,000
redefine kind of my path and i i

549
00:18:42,549 --> 00:18:41,360
realized that hey you know i wanted to

550
00:18:46,470 --> 00:18:42,559
be

551
00:18:48,310 --> 00:18:46,480
i want to make education opportunities

552
00:18:51,110 --> 00:18:48,320
available to many more

553
00:18:53,430 --> 00:18:51,120
um you know students out there and

554
00:18:55,350 --> 00:18:53,440
and so that's part of why

555
00:18:57,510 --> 00:18:55,360
i actually you know i became director of

556
00:18:59,830 --> 00:18:57,520
the school uh where i am at arizona

557
00:19:01,270 --> 00:18:59,840
state after that because i i decided

558
00:19:02,950 --> 00:19:01,280
that's kind of the path that i wanted to

559
00:19:05,350 --> 00:19:02,960
take not just focusing just on my

560
00:19:06,950 --> 00:19:05,360
research but also trying to make

561
00:19:08,470 --> 00:19:06,960
opportunities in education more

562
00:19:09,990 --> 00:19:08,480
available

563
00:19:11,909 --> 00:19:10,000
well that's beautiful thank you for

564
00:19:13,430 --> 00:19:11,919
sharing that with us and and i'm glad

565
00:19:15,590 --> 00:19:13,440
that you know that you survived i mean

566
00:19:16,870 --> 00:19:15,600
obviously you're here with us um and to

567
00:19:18,470 --> 00:19:16,880
hear that you know it's so such a

568
00:19:19,830 --> 00:19:18,480
remarkable time for you in your life and

569
00:19:21,430 --> 00:19:19,840
it kind of gives you that pivot to think

570
00:19:23,350 --> 00:19:21,440
a bit more about your own impacts in the

571
00:19:25,270 --> 00:19:23,360
world uh one reason i wanted to bring

572
00:19:26,630 --> 00:19:25,280
that story out is because you know we

573
00:19:27,909 --> 00:19:26,640
all have our stories and i think a lot

574
00:19:29,510 --> 00:19:27,919
of people think scientists you know just

575
00:19:31,110 --> 00:19:29,520
wear lab coats all day and they're in

576
00:19:32,310 --> 00:19:31,120
the lab and they don't realize that

577
00:19:33,909 --> 00:19:32,320
we're out in the field we're on

578
00:19:35,590 --> 00:19:33,919
computers we're of all different

579
00:19:37,590 --> 00:19:35,600
backgrounds and we also have our own

580
00:19:39,750 --> 00:19:37,600
stories our own histories and and some

581
00:19:42,789 --> 00:19:39,760
of those histories have rocky starts and

582
00:19:44,789 --> 00:19:42,799
fits and jumps and changes along the way

583
00:19:46,630 --> 00:19:44,799
much like when we look at a meteorite or

584
00:19:48,710 --> 00:19:46,640
a rock from space it can tell us about

585
00:19:51,190 --> 00:19:48,720
the history of our solar system the

586
00:19:52,950 --> 00:19:51,200
history of planets uh and i know that

587
00:19:54,630 --> 00:19:52,960
you've been involved a lot in early

588
00:19:56,710 --> 00:19:54,640
solar system work in the history of the

589
00:19:57,909 --> 00:19:56,720
worlds of our solar system as well i

590
00:19:59,909 --> 00:19:57,919
wonder if you can make that connection

591
00:20:02,070 --> 00:19:59,919
for us then from the work you've done in

592
00:20:03,750 --> 00:20:02,080
meteorites and the early solar system

593
00:20:06,549 --> 00:20:03,760
and things like that to then getting

594
00:20:08,310 --> 00:20:06,559
involved in sample return missions yeah

595
00:20:10,549 --> 00:20:08,320
you know it's a it's a very natural

596
00:20:12,470 --> 00:20:10,559
connection actually because you know

597
00:20:14,710 --> 00:20:12,480
meteorites most of them actually

598
00:20:16,549 --> 00:20:14,720
represent pieces of asteroids

599
00:20:18,950 --> 00:20:16,559
and so in in a sense you know what

600
00:20:21,430 --> 00:20:18,960
you've got with meteorites are

601
00:20:24,390 --> 00:20:21,440
are a very cheap way of doing sample

602
00:20:26,310 --> 00:20:24,400
return because they actually come to us

603
00:20:28,470 --> 00:20:26,320
um and so you know the samples that we

604
00:20:30,710 --> 00:20:28,480
have of mars the martian meteorites you

605
00:20:32,789 --> 00:20:30,720
know we're spending billions of dollars

606
00:20:34,390 --> 00:20:32,799
to actually go to mars and get those

607
00:20:36,230 --> 00:20:34,400
samples back now

608
00:20:38,070 --> 00:20:36,240
because there is actually some value to

609
00:20:39,830 --> 00:20:38,080
doing that because meteorites of course

610
00:20:41,350 --> 00:20:39,840
i mean they're wonderful and and they

611
00:20:43,190 --> 00:20:41,360
come to us free

612
00:20:45,830 --> 00:20:43,200
but they're not um

613
00:20:47,430 --> 00:20:45,840
i would say a non-biased sample of mars

614
00:20:49,750 --> 00:20:47,440
and they've been through a lot you know

615
00:20:51,270 --> 00:20:49,760
they had this huge impact on mars that

616
00:20:52,950 --> 00:20:51,280
injected them they went through these

617
00:20:55,029 --> 00:20:52,960
shock processes

618
00:20:56,390 --> 00:20:55,039
um you know during that process and then

619
00:20:57,830 --> 00:20:56,400
they've been sitting around on the earth

620
00:20:59,830 --> 00:20:57,840
for a long time exchanging with the

621
00:21:01,750 --> 00:20:59,840
earth's environment and so things change

622
00:21:04,149 --> 00:21:01,760
as a result of that and so we want

623
00:21:04,950 --> 00:21:04,159
sample return because of those factors

624
00:21:06,710 --> 00:21:04,960
right

625
00:21:08,549 --> 00:21:06,720
but but in a sense you know that

626
00:21:11,029 --> 00:21:08,559
connection is very much there you know i

627
00:21:13,430 --> 00:21:11,039
want to be able to study materials from

628
00:21:15,510 --> 00:21:13,440
places in our solar system

629
00:21:17,510 --> 00:21:15,520
that you know hopefully we can go and

630
00:21:18,870 --> 00:21:17,520
actually get them with spacecraft but

631
00:21:20,710 --> 00:21:18,880
meteorites kind of extend that

632
00:21:22,870 --> 00:21:20,720
possibility to a lot of sort of to

633
00:21:24,630 --> 00:21:22,880
places and times that we otherwise

634
00:21:26,789 --> 00:21:24,640
you know can't have a very hard time

635
00:21:28,390 --> 00:21:26,799
sampling otherwise and so

636
00:21:29,669 --> 00:21:28,400
that connection was kind of you know

637
00:21:31,270 --> 00:21:29,679
obvious to me from the very beginning

638
00:21:33,270 --> 00:21:31,280
when i started studying these martian

639
00:21:36,070 --> 00:21:33,280
meteorites you know

640
00:21:37,270 --> 00:21:36,080
i really was at the at that time i was

641
00:21:39,029 --> 00:21:37,280
thinking hey you know wouldn't it be

642
00:21:40,950 --> 00:21:39,039
great if we could actually

643
00:21:43,110 --> 00:21:40,960
go to mars and pick up some samples that

644
00:21:44,950 --> 00:21:43,120
we understand the geologic context of

645
00:21:46,789 --> 00:21:44,960
and and then you know bring them back

646
00:21:47,909 --> 00:21:46,799
and study them in their pristine

647
00:21:48,789 --> 00:21:47,919
condition

648
00:21:50,230 --> 00:21:48,799
and

649
00:21:52,950 --> 00:21:50,240
you know so i've dreamed of sample

650
00:21:54,789 --> 00:21:52,960
return you know since since that time

651
00:21:57,669 --> 00:21:54,799
and it's always been sometime in the

652
00:21:58,549 --> 00:21:57,679
future you know 10 15 years down in the

653
00:22:00,470 --> 00:21:58,559
future

654
00:22:02,950 --> 00:22:00,480
and that horizon kept moving back and

655
00:22:05,190 --> 00:22:02,960
moving back and then finally we're we're

656
00:22:07,110 --> 00:22:05,200
at this point today where

657
00:22:10,470 --> 00:22:07,120
it's all coming together and there's a

658
00:22:12,950 --> 00:22:10,480
timeline there's you know where in plans

659
00:22:14,789 --> 00:22:12,960
of you know basically making plans for

660
00:22:17,350 --> 00:22:14,799
getting those samples back

661
00:22:20,070 --> 00:22:17,360
and i can actually see it happening now

662
00:22:22,149 --> 00:22:20,080
and and it feels real so this is a

663
00:22:24,070 --> 00:22:22,159
really super exciting time

664
00:22:26,310 --> 00:22:24,080
that is so exciting

665
00:22:27,830 --> 00:22:26,320
and and and martial returns not the only

666
00:22:29,350 --> 00:22:27,840
one that i'm involved in of course i'm

667
00:22:30,950 --> 00:22:29,360
i'm actually part of the science team

668
00:22:33,669 --> 00:22:30,960
for the hayabusa 2

669
00:22:36,390 --> 00:22:33,679
japanese space uh space mission space

670
00:22:39,110 --> 00:22:36,400
agency's mission to an asteroid called

671
00:22:40,950 --> 00:22:39,120
rugu and we're analyzing actually pieces

672
00:22:43,190 --> 00:22:40,960
of that asteroid in my laboratory right

673
00:22:45,350 --> 00:22:43,200
now and uh you know learning things

674
00:22:46,310 --> 00:22:45,360
about our early solar system from that

675
00:22:48,789 --> 00:22:46,320
so

676
00:22:50,390 --> 00:22:48,799
um yeah wonderful i think you know this

677
00:22:53,190 --> 00:22:50,400
is really the golden age of sample

678
00:22:55,110 --> 00:22:53,200
return at this point and so exciting

679
00:22:57,029 --> 00:22:55,120
really really excited for actually

680
00:22:58,789 --> 00:22:57,039
students being just starting out now who

681
00:23:00,310 --> 00:22:58,799
will really be benefiting from all of

682
00:23:02,549 --> 00:23:00,320
what we're going to do in the future

683
00:23:05,270 --> 00:23:02,559
with this and they'll be engaged in

684
00:23:06,310 --> 00:23:05,280
analysis of these materials

685
00:23:08,070 --> 00:23:06,320
absolutely there could be a student

686
00:23:09,990 --> 00:23:08,080
watching right now who might end up

687
00:23:11,510 --> 00:23:10,000
analyzing mars sample return materials

688
00:23:13,350 --> 00:23:11,520
or even some materials

689
00:23:16,070 --> 00:23:13,360
or samples being brought right back

690
00:23:17,590 --> 00:23:16,080
right now from osiris-rex um you know

691
00:23:19,110 --> 00:23:17,600
we've done some sample returns we have

692
00:23:21,190 --> 00:23:19,120
some asteroidal materials we've brought

693
00:23:22,710 --> 00:23:21,200
some commentary dust back we have the

694
00:23:24,630 --> 00:23:22,720
apollo samples we brought back so

695
00:23:26,149 --> 00:23:24,640
there's already stuff that we have but

696
00:23:27,669 --> 00:23:26,159
of course we always want more and so

697
00:23:29,830 --> 00:23:27,679
this is the very first time we are going

698
00:23:31,990 --> 00:23:29,840
to do a mars sample return in this

699
00:23:33,430 --> 00:23:32,000
current architecture uh i wonder so

700
00:23:34,950 --> 00:23:33,440
maybe our audience doesn't really quite

701
00:23:36,870 --> 00:23:34,960
know the whole structure right now of

702
00:23:38,950 --> 00:23:36,880
msr i wonder if you could walk us

703
00:23:40,390 --> 00:23:38,960
through mars sample return and what

704
00:23:41,669 --> 00:23:40,400
that's going to look like in the coming

705
00:23:44,470 --> 00:23:41,679
decade or so

706
00:23:46,870 --> 00:23:44,480
yeah so you know we're we are in what we

707
00:23:48,310 --> 00:23:46,880
call phase a for mars sampler return

708
00:23:50,470 --> 00:23:48,320
mission and so

709
00:23:51,830 --> 00:23:50,480
the plans are still in formulation so

710
00:23:53,350 --> 00:23:51,840
you got to keep that in mind i think the

711
00:23:56,149 --> 00:23:53,360
architecture is not completely

712
00:23:58,710 --> 00:23:56,159
determined at this stage but as we uh

713
00:24:01,430 --> 00:23:58,720
are planning uh at the current time

714
00:24:04,470 --> 00:24:01,440
what the plans involve is are two

715
00:24:05,430 --> 00:24:04,480
components to the to the mission one

716
00:24:08,070 --> 00:24:05,440
uh

717
00:24:09,669 --> 00:24:08,080
is going to be an earth return orbiter

718
00:24:11,110 --> 00:24:09,679
which is going to be and actually this

719
00:24:13,190 --> 00:24:11,120
is a partnership i should say between

720
00:24:15,029 --> 00:24:13,200
nasa and the european space agency and

721
00:24:16,470 --> 00:24:15,039
so there's parts of it that isa is going

722
00:24:18,870 --> 00:24:16,480
to be doing parts of it that nasa is

723
00:24:20,390 --> 00:24:18,880
going to be doing and so there's

724
00:24:25,669 --> 00:24:20,400
one

725
00:24:27,909 --> 00:24:25,679
launch actually that's going to involve

726
00:24:29,909 --> 00:24:27,919
an earth return orbiter which is going

727
00:24:31,750 --> 00:24:29,919
to go to mars and it's going to orbit

728
00:24:33,669 --> 00:24:31,760
around mars and it'll become important

729
00:24:35,430 --> 00:24:33,679
as i just uh as i explained this a

730
00:24:38,230 --> 00:24:35,440
little better but the second launch is

731
00:24:40,549 --> 00:24:38,240
actually going to be a sample retrieval

732
00:24:41,909 --> 00:24:40,559
lander and it could be one or it could

733
00:24:43,990 --> 00:24:41,919
be two landers

734
00:24:46,950 --> 00:24:44,000
and they are going to take down to the

735
00:24:49,190 --> 00:24:46,960
surface of mars they're going to take

736
00:24:50,870 --> 00:24:49,200
a rocket that's going to then launch off

737
00:24:52,710 --> 00:24:50,880
the surface of mars and bring back the

738
00:24:54,789 --> 00:24:52,720
samples that are collected

739
00:24:56,149 --> 00:24:54,799
in a little canister

740
00:24:57,590 --> 00:24:56,159
and so

741
00:24:59,190 --> 00:24:57,600
this is going to be the first time ever

742
00:25:01,029 --> 00:24:59,200
that we're going to launch from another

743
00:25:02,310 --> 00:25:01,039
planet so it's historic from that

744
00:25:05,029 --> 00:25:02,320
perspective

745
00:25:06,549 --> 00:25:05,039
and then the launch is going to then

746
00:25:09,350 --> 00:25:06,559
take this you know sample canister from

747
00:25:10,870 --> 00:25:09,360
mars it's going to orbit uh mars and

748
00:25:12,470 --> 00:25:10,880
going to be captured by this earth

749
00:25:14,070 --> 00:25:12,480
return orbiter

750
00:25:15,750 --> 00:25:14,080
and then there's going to be an earth

751
00:25:18,230 --> 00:25:15,760
entry system that's going to basically

752
00:25:19,830 --> 00:25:18,240
bring back those samples back to earth

753
00:25:21,190 --> 00:25:19,840
and so this is a it's a really

754
00:25:23,269 --> 00:25:21,200
complicated

755
00:25:25,669 --> 00:25:23,279
um mission in the sense that there's

756
00:25:27,590 --> 00:25:25,679
multiple components to it there's

757
00:25:29,510 --> 00:25:27,600
obviously partnerships um you know

758
00:25:30,950 --> 00:25:29,520
between nasa and esa

759
00:25:32,950 --> 00:25:30,960
there's a number of different nasa

760
00:25:34,390 --> 00:25:32,960
centers that are contributing various

761
00:25:36,549 --> 00:25:34,400
parts to the

762
00:25:39,269 --> 00:25:36,559
uh to the different uh components of

763
00:25:40,310 --> 00:25:39,279
this of this mission and so

764
00:25:42,070 --> 00:25:40,320
um

765
00:25:44,149 --> 00:25:42,080
it's gonna be one of the most ambitious

766
00:25:47,269 --> 00:25:44,159
things that nasa has done in a long time

767
00:25:49,110 --> 00:25:47,279
and i'm just so excited to be part of it

768
00:25:50,470 --> 00:25:49,120
that's so groovy yeah i mean we've been

769
00:25:52,310 --> 00:25:50,480
doing doing all these cool things the

770
00:25:53,510 --> 00:25:52,320
engineers at jpl are doing so many cool

771
00:25:55,750 --> 00:25:53,520
things with how we land the rovers and

772
00:25:57,510 --> 00:25:55,760
all this stuff but this is a huge

773
00:25:59,190 --> 00:25:57,520
structure a huge architecture of how we

774
00:26:00,630 --> 00:25:59,200
have to do these different launches and

775
00:26:03,590 --> 00:26:00,640
and get these samples back and then

776
00:26:05,430 --> 00:26:03,600
start to analyze the samples as well but

777
00:26:07,430 --> 00:26:05,440
there is so much we can do with our high

778
00:26:09,350 --> 00:26:07,440
precision instruments here on earth and

779
00:26:10,549 --> 00:26:09,360
when we have those samples in hand i

780
00:26:11,990 --> 00:26:10,559
think it's always important for people

781
00:26:14,390 --> 00:26:12,000
out there to remember that that we can

782
00:26:15,990 --> 00:26:14,400
do so much more science with these

783
00:26:18,630 --> 00:26:16,000
samples we have them in hand than we can

784
00:26:20,470 --> 00:26:18,640
right now with our rovers um on mars

785
00:26:22,070 --> 00:26:20,480
exactly i mean you know you've got

786
00:26:24,149 --> 00:26:22,080
instruments like these synchrotrons that

787
00:26:26,149 --> 00:26:24,159
are about you know several city blocks

788
00:26:28,390 --> 00:26:26,159
across and you can never take those on

789
00:26:30,470 --> 00:26:28,400
spacecraft and and use them to analyze

790
00:26:32,149 --> 00:26:30,480
materials so it'll be you know we'll be

791
00:26:33,909 --> 00:26:32,159
able to analyze these samples with the

792
00:26:35,750 --> 00:26:33,919
best most you know state-of-the-art

793
00:26:37,909 --> 00:26:35,760
technologies that are available here on

794
00:26:39,990 --> 00:26:37,919
earth and the wonderful thing about it

795
00:26:42,230 --> 00:26:40,000
is you know the advantage of time right

796
00:26:44,870 --> 00:26:42,240
and once you bring these things back you

797
00:26:46,870 --> 00:26:44,880
you can actually wait to develop some

798
00:26:48,710 --> 00:26:46,880
technologies that you know you may not

799
00:26:50,470 --> 00:26:48,720
have i mean and we are going to actually

800
00:26:53,029 --> 00:26:50,480
analyze these uh materials with

801
00:26:55,830 --> 00:26:53,039
technology that don't exist today but

802
00:26:57,430 --> 00:26:55,840
will in the future right and so and you

803
00:26:59,590 --> 00:26:57,440
know and there'll be questions that we

804
00:27:02,149 --> 00:26:59,600
lost that we can't even think of right

805
00:27:04,549 --> 00:27:02,159
now so i mean just the the powerful

806
00:27:06,070 --> 00:27:04,559
nature of sample return is just that you

807
00:27:09,350 --> 00:27:06,080
have these materials back and they'll be

808
00:27:10,789 --> 00:27:09,360
available for generations to come

809
00:27:12,710 --> 00:27:10,799
the apollo samples for example i mean

810
00:27:15,269 --> 00:27:12,720
you know they came back in the late 60s

811
00:27:17,669 --> 00:27:15,279
but even last year we opened up a sample

812
00:27:19,669 --> 00:27:17,679
tube that had been sealed for 50 years

813
00:27:21,269 --> 00:27:19,679
and there's new science being done on

814
00:27:24,230 --> 00:27:21,279
those materials and we're learning new

815
00:27:26,389 --> 00:27:24,240
things you know so that's yeah it's just

816
00:27:28,630 --> 00:27:26,399
it'll be an incredible gift

817
00:27:30,389 --> 00:27:28,640
to bring these materials back

818
00:27:31,909 --> 00:27:30,399
yeah definitely i've been fortunate i've

819
00:27:33,350 --> 00:27:31,919
done x-ray spectroscopy at three

820
00:27:35,190 --> 00:27:33,360
different synchrotrons in my own life

821
00:27:37,430 --> 00:27:35,200
and and you're right these are gigantic

822
00:27:39,190 --> 00:27:37,440
facilities you know mega facilities that

823
00:27:40,630 --> 00:27:39,200
you know we're speeding electrons close

824
00:27:43,029 --> 00:27:40,640
to the speed of light around these huge

825
00:27:45,350 --> 00:27:43,039
rings that it can take you 15 minutes or

826
00:27:46,710 --> 00:27:45,360
over an hour to walk around them some of

827
00:27:48,389 --> 00:27:46,720
them even have like tricycles and stuff

828
00:27:50,310 --> 00:27:48,399
for you to go around the rings with

829
00:27:51,990 --> 00:27:50,320
yeah and the amazing thing is of course

830
00:27:53,830 --> 00:27:52,000
i mean the power of that is that you can

831
00:27:55,909 --> 00:27:53,840
actually study these samples at the

832
00:27:58,630 --> 00:27:55,919
almost at the atomic scale right

833
00:28:01,110 --> 00:27:58,640
and uh you there's no hope of actually

834
00:28:02,549 --> 00:28:01,120
doing that remotely on on

835
00:28:04,310 --> 00:28:02,559
other planets we have to bring them back

836
00:28:05,990 --> 00:28:04,320
to be able to study that in that detail

837
00:28:07,830 --> 00:28:06,000
and you need that really you know to be

838
00:28:10,630 --> 00:28:07,840
able to really address that question of

839
00:28:12,870 --> 00:28:10,640
is there evidence of past life

840
00:28:15,909 --> 00:28:12,880
in these rocks you're going to need that

841
00:28:17,750 --> 00:28:15,919
uh you know level of precision level of

842
00:28:20,470 --> 00:28:17,760
spatial resolution to be able to address

843
00:28:22,389 --> 00:28:20,480
those types of important questions

844
00:28:24,789 --> 00:28:22,399
absolutely i do want to open it to our

845
00:28:26,389 --> 00:28:24,799
audience q a here very soon so i see a

846
00:28:27,669 --> 00:28:26,399
lot of questions rolling in right now

847
00:28:29,029 --> 00:28:27,679
from my team

848
00:28:30,789 --> 00:28:29,039
from those who are watching right now

849
00:28:32,149 --> 00:28:30,799
the live stream on youtube are asking

850
00:28:33,830 --> 00:28:32,159
questions in the chat so please keep

851
00:28:37,029 --> 00:28:33,840
asking questions we'll get to them very

852
00:28:39,590 --> 00:28:37,039
soon i promise but now we have our ftl

853
00:28:41,830 --> 00:28:39,600
segment our faster than light

854
00:28:43,269 --> 00:28:41,840
rapid fire segments so just you know

855
00:28:44,470 --> 00:28:43,279
rather short answers but if you don't

856
00:28:46,630 --> 00:28:44,480
mind these are some just interesting

857
00:28:48,710 --> 00:28:46,640
things that might draw more out about

858
00:28:50,870 --> 00:28:48,720
your interest in your career

859
00:28:52,789 --> 00:28:50,880
first one comes from me specifically

860
00:28:54,389 --> 00:28:52,799
what stories

861
00:28:56,789 --> 00:28:54,399
what kinds of fiction stories

862
00:28:59,029 --> 00:28:56,799
non-fiction stories human stories have

863
00:29:01,669 --> 00:28:59,039
inspired you to want to explore more

864
00:29:04,389 --> 00:29:01,679
about the universe

865
00:29:05,350 --> 00:29:04,399
gosh so i can think of maybe two so what

866
00:29:07,909 --> 00:29:05,360
one

867
00:29:09,909 --> 00:29:07,919
human story that really inspired me is

868
00:29:13,029 --> 00:29:09,919
the shackleton story yeah and the

869
00:29:15,029 --> 00:29:13,039
anarchic you know exploration uh and and

870
00:29:18,789 --> 00:29:15,039
shackleton just you know one of my

871
00:29:20,310 --> 00:29:18,799
big-time heroes i think just his um

872
00:29:22,549 --> 00:29:20,320
leadership style and just his

873
00:29:25,190 --> 00:29:22,559
exploration of the antarctic and how he

874
00:29:27,029 --> 00:29:25,200
kind of kept his team together

875
00:29:29,190 --> 00:29:27,039
under really hardship conditions you

876
00:29:30,630 --> 00:29:29,200
know the book endurance i think actually

877
00:29:31,830 --> 00:29:30,640
really captures that so well and i was

878
00:29:34,149 --> 00:29:31,840
just yeah it's one of the most

879
00:29:34,950 --> 00:29:34,159
inspirational things to me personally i

880
00:29:37,990 --> 00:29:34,960
think

881
00:29:40,230 --> 00:29:38,000
um you know he he's a real hero in many

882
00:29:41,909 --> 00:29:40,240
ways for leadership and exploration and

883
00:29:43,669 --> 00:29:41,919
then the other thing i think that really

884
00:29:46,230 --> 00:29:43,679
affected me as a child actually was

885
00:29:48,870 --> 00:29:46,240
watching you know jacques cousteau's uh

886
00:29:51,669 --> 00:29:48,880
documentaries and exploring

887
00:29:53,590 --> 00:29:51,679
um the undersea world and and that just

888
00:29:55,990 --> 00:29:53,600
was incredibly sort of

889
00:29:58,310 --> 00:29:56,000
fascinating for me and yeah

890
00:30:00,310 --> 00:29:58,320
absolutely that's so cool um if you

891
00:30:01,830 --> 00:30:00,320
could go back in time to the beginning

892
00:30:05,510 --> 00:30:01,840
of your career and give yourself some

893
00:30:10,310 --> 00:30:07,510
uh so i

894
00:30:12,149 --> 00:30:10,320
i would i would tell my sort of younger

895
00:30:13,830 --> 00:30:12,159
self that

896
00:30:16,630 --> 00:30:13,840
you should

897
00:30:19,590 --> 00:30:16,640
really appreciate the moment live in the

898
00:30:21,669 --> 00:30:19,600
moment more instead of always focusing

899
00:30:24,149 --> 00:30:21,679
forward and planning for the future and

900
00:30:26,789 --> 00:30:24,159
what you might do i think just

901
00:30:28,630 --> 00:30:26,799
enjoying your time where you are

902
00:30:30,230 --> 00:30:28,640
what you're doing i think that's so

903
00:30:31,750 --> 00:30:30,240
important and and that's something

904
00:30:34,070 --> 00:30:31,760
actually that i think

905
00:30:36,470 --> 00:30:34,080
i could benefit from even today not a

906
00:30:37,590 --> 00:30:36,480
piece of advice um and then the other i

907
00:30:39,830 --> 00:30:37,600
think the other thing i would say is

908
00:30:42,230 --> 00:30:39,840
take take more risks you know

909
00:30:43,990 --> 00:30:42,240
take more chances ex you know put

910
00:30:45,269 --> 00:30:44,000
yourself outside your comfort zone every

911
00:30:46,950 --> 00:30:45,279
once in a while i think that's when we

912
00:30:48,870 --> 00:30:46,960
actually learn the most

913
00:30:51,430 --> 00:30:48,880
is when we do that

914
00:30:52,870 --> 00:30:51,440
absolutely um what's something that

915
00:30:54,310 --> 00:30:52,880
really excites you right now about the

916
00:30:56,630 --> 00:30:54,320
future of planetary science and

917
00:30:58,230 --> 00:30:56,640
astrobiology

918
00:31:00,230 --> 00:30:58,240
gosh i mean i think like i said the

919
00:31:01,669 --> 00:31:00,240
golden age of sample return right i mean

920
00:31:02,950 --> 00:31:01,679
we're looking forward to all these

921
00:31:04,149 --> 00:31:02,960
materials that are gonna be coming back

922
00:31:05,990 --> 00:31:04,159
we're going to have the osiris-rex

923
00:31:07,430 --> 00:31:06,000
materials coming back next year we're

924
00:31:08,549 --> 00:31:07,440
planning for you know these artemis

925
00:31:11,269 --> 00:31:08,559
missions that are going to bring back

926
00:31:12,710 --> 00:31:11,279
all these samples of of the moon uh in

927
00:31:14,070 --> 00:31:12,720
the near future and then of course mars

928
00:31:16,389 --> 00:31:14,080
have the return so i mean i'm super

929
00:31:18,149 --> 00:31:16,399
excited about that for the next you know

930
00:31:20,549 --> 00:31:18,159
decade or two we're gonna have some

931
00:31:22,470 --> 00:31:20,559
fantastic materials coming back

932
00:31:24,870 --> 00:31:22,480
absolutely um so we mentioned earlier

933
00:31:26,870 --> 00:31:24,880
you're a professor and the director of

934
00:31:28,470 --> 00:31:26,880
cc uh you informed me earlier before the

935
00:31:30,470 --> 00:31:28,480
show i was pronouncing it wrong for

936
00:31:33,430 --> 00:31:30,480
years uh the school of earth and space

937
00:31:35,909 --> 00:31:33,440
exploration at asu uh what is your

938
00:31:37,830 --> 00:31:35,919
favorite part of your job

939
00:31:39,590 --> 00:31:37,840
gosh you know what i love about my job

940
00:31:41,269 --> 00:31:39,600
is that no single day is this you know

941
00:31:43,029 --> 00:31:41,279
it's not the same as any other day

942
00:31:44,470 --> 00:31:43,039
everything you know

943
00:31:46,310 --> 00:31:44,480
every day is different and there's

944
00:31:47,909 --> 00:31:46,320
different challenges there's there's

945
00:31:49,830 --> 00:31:47,919
always something that's new and

946
00:31:52,070 --> 00:31:49,840
different to do and and of course i mean

947
00:31:54,789 --> 00:31:52,080
science is part of that and i love the

948
00:31:56,950 --> 00:31:54,799
mentoring part of it as well uh that's

949
00:32:00,070 --> 00:31:56,960
that's such an important part i think

950
00:32:01,909 --> 00:32:00,080
for all of us is to sort of give back

951
00:32:03,909 --> 00:32:01,919
to sort of the growth of our of our

952
00:32:05,029 --> 00:32:03,919
community and our field and really i

953
00:32:07,190 --> 00:32:05,039
want to be able to provide the

954
00:32:09,990 --> 00:32:07,200
opportunities that i've had

955
00:32:12,630 --> 00:32:10,000
to others so yeah

956
00:32:15,190 --> 00:32:12,640
very cool and this is a fun question

957
00:32:19,509 --> 00:32:15,200
what is an unbelievable science fact

958
00:32:23,830 --> 00:32:21,669
so an unbelievable science fact for

959
00:32:25,509 --> 00:32:23,840
myself actually and i

960
00:32:27,750 --> 00:32:25,519
i can't believe i you know actually

961
00:32:30,070 --> 00:32:27,760
participated in some of the

962
00:32:33,029 --> 00:32:30,080
findings for that is just you know just

963
00:32:36,230 --> 00:32:33,039
the age of our solar system right

964
00:32:38,310 --> 00:32:36,240
uh four point five six seven

965
00:32:41,269 --> 00:32:38,320
eight

966
00:32:43,509 --> 00:32:41,279
a billion years we know that to an

967
00:32:44,950 --> 00:32:43,519
incredible level of precision

968
00:32:47,190 --> 00:32:44,960
and just to think about that you know

969
00:32:48,950 --> 00:32:47,200
this the context of that you know if you

970
00:32:51,029 --> 00:32:48,960
if you think about

971
00:32:53,669 --> 00:32:51,039
to wrap your mind around

972
00:32:55,110 --> 00:32:53,679
that big a number it's hard even if for

973
00:32:57,190 --> 00:32:55,120
somebody who studies it you know on

974
00:32:58,470 --> 00:32:57,200
day-to-day basis to even do that

975
00:33:01,350 --> 00:32:58,480
so if you're thinking about the length

976
00:33:03,909 --> 00:33:01,360
of your arm you know that's about the

977
00:33:05,350 --> 00:33:03,919
whole of human you know earth history or

978
00:33:07,110 --> 00:33:05,360
the solar system history and you were

979
00:33:09,110 --> 00:33:07,120
basically if you were to take a nail

980
00:33:11,269 --> 00:33:09,120
file and rub it against your nail you

981
00:33:12,870 --> 00:33:11,279
would remove all of human history right

982
00:33:14,549 --> 00:33:12,880
so that's the kind of scale that you're

983
00:33:15,909 --> 00:33:14,559
talking about just blows my mind just

984
00:33:18,389 --> 00:33:15,919
thinking about you know

985
00:33:20,470 --> 00:33:18,399
what the age of our solar system is

986
00:33:22,470 --> 00:33:20,480
and and when life originated actually is

987
00:33:23,590 --> 00:33:22,480
a very small fraction of that time so i

988
00:33:26,070 --> 00:33:23,600
mean i think

989
00:33:28,230 --> 00:33:26,080
just geologic time skills and

990
00:33:30,389 --> 00:33:28,240
that's kind of the most incredible thing

991
00:33:32,230 --> 00:33:30,399
to me i love it it's so mind-blowing

992
00:33:34,470 --> 00:33:32,240
right like you evolved to think on

993
00:33:36,950 --> 00:33:34,480
scales of seconds and minutes and and

994
00:33:39,110 --> 00:33:36,960
and you know length scales of a meter to

995
00:33:41,430 --> 00:33:39,120
three meters you know or a centimeter to

996
00:33:43,350 --> 00:33:41,440
think of things in such huge scales both

997
00:33:45,029 --> 00:33:43,360
really long periods of time in super

998
00:33:47,590 --> 00:33:45,039
short periods of time just it is very

999
00:33:49,269 --> 00:33:47,600
staggering so i love that a lot um i do

1000
00:33:50,789 --> 00:33:49,279
want to jump now to our audience q a

1001
00:33:53,190 --> 00:33:50,799
since i i see we have a bunch of

1002
00:33:55,110 --> 00:33:53,200
questions to get to um the first

1003
00:33:57,430 --> 00:33:55,120
question actually came into us via

1004
00:33:59,350 --> 00:33:57,440
twitter a couple of days ago

1005
00:34:02,630 --> 00:33:59,360
and at first i misunderstood the person

1006
00:34:05,110 --> 00:34:02,640
who was asking this is user j van evert

1007
00:34:07,110 --> 00:34:05,120
jan underscore one on twitter they

1008
00:34:09,589 --> 00:34:07,120
wanted to know why only rock samples are

1009
00:34:11,270 --> 00:34:09,599
being collected so far and why for mars

1010
00:34:13,430 --> 00:34:11,280
some scientists say radiation will kill

1011
00:34:15,909 --> 00:34:13,440
all life to a depth of three meters now

1012
00:34:17,270 --> 00:34:15,919
to be fair i responded i thought they

1013
00:34:18,950 --> 00:34:17,280
meant you know like why are we only

1014
00:34:21,109 --> 00:34:18,960
collecting rock and not like water or

1015
00:34:23,430 --> 00:34:21,119
ice and obviously if we can get to

1016
00:34:24,790 --> 00:34:23,440
europa or enceladus and fly through the

1017
00:34:26,389 --> 00:34:24,800
plumes and collect some material and

1018
00:34:29,430 --> 00:34:26,399
bring it back that'd be that'd be

1019
00:34:31,510 --> 00:34:29,440
fantastic um but their real question um

1020
00:34:34,069 --> 00:34:31,520
about the collection was why aren't we

1021
00:34:35,909 --> 00:34:34,079
collecting regalith from mars like why

1022
00:34:38,149 --> 00:34:35,919
are we looking for solid rock samples in

1023
00:34:40,550 --> 00:34:38,159
those cache tubes and not like scooping

1024
00:34:42,869 --> 00:34:40,560
up some of the surface material i think

1025
00:34:45,669 --> 00:34:42,879
actually the plan is to collect some of

1026
00:34:47,589 --> 00:34:45,679
that regolith material so yeah i mean

1027
00:34:49,109 --> 00:34:47,599
there is interest in collecting regolith

1028
00:34:51,030 --> 00:34:49,119
as well and there's lots that you can

1029
00:34:53,589 --> 00:34:51,040
learn from from studying that type of

1030
00:34:55,990 --> 00:34:53,599
material versus the rock chords as well

1031
00:34:57,510 --> 00:34:56,000
so yeah absolutely i think you know what

1032
00:34:59,030 --> 00:34:57,520
we're trying to do

1033
00:35:00,710 --> 00:34:59,040
what we're going to bring back is going

1034
00:35:02,230 --> 00:35:00,720
to be rocks it's going to be regolith

1035
00:35:04,710 --> 00:35:02,240
there's also going to be mars atmosphere

1036
00:35:06,550 --> 00:35:04,720
that we're going to bring back so yeah

1037
00:35:08,150 --> 00:35:06,560
all different kinds of stuff

1038
00:35:09,990 --> 00:35:08,160
yeah and so another good question so the

1039
00:35:11,990 --> 00:35:10,000
second part of their question then was

1040
00:35:13,990 --> 00:35:12,000
about depth uh so the surface of mars we

1041
00:35:15,430 --> 00:35:14,000
know is a you know a lot of radiation

1042
00:35:17,030 --> 00:35:15,440
coming in compared to the surface of the

1043
00:35:18,870 --> 00:35:17,040
earth and it's a highly oxidizing

1044
00:35:19,990 --> 00:35:18,880
environment and so a lot of people have

1045
00:35:23,349 --> 00:35:20,000
said if we're going to find

1046
00:35:25,030 --> 00:35:23,359
biosignatures we need to dig deep now

1047
00:35:26,550 --> 00:35:25,040
obviously these samples from percy are

1048
00:35:28,630 --> 00:35:26,560
from perseverance aren't going to be

1049
00:35:30,630 --> 00:35:28,640
very deep samples

1050
00:35:33,030 --> 00:35:30,640
so do we have an issue then with the

1051
00:35:36,390 --> 00:35:33,040
quality or potential for biosignatures

1052
00:35:38,710 --> 00:35:36,400
in the samples from perseverance so

1053
00:35:41,270 --> 00:35:38,720
i think there's uh what i want to

1054
00:35:44,310 --> 00:35:41,280
clarify here is that the goal for

1055
00:35:46,550 --> 00:35:44,320
perseverance and the goal of you know

1056
00:35:49,190 --> 00:35:46,560
investigating this particular region

1057
00:35:52,230 --> 00:35:49,200
that we that perseverance is in you know

1058
00:35:54,950 --> 00:35:52,240
this delta region of jezreel crater

1059
00:35:57,430 --> 00:35:54,960
is not to look for extant life so much

1060
00:35:59,829 --> 00:35:57,440
as evidence of past life

1061
00:36:02,310 --> 00:35:59,839
the probability of extant life is very

1062
00:36:03,750 --> 00:36:02,320
very very very low in this particular

1063
00:36:05,750 --> 00:36:03,760
reason you know

1064
00:36:07,910 --> 00:36:05,760
um so what we're hoping to do is but you

1065
00:36:09,829 --> 00:36:07,920
know in the past this we think that this

1066
00:36:11,430 --> 00:36:09,839
was an environment that was habitable in

1067
00:36:13,829 --> 00:36:11,440
the in the ancient

1068
00:36:15,430 --> 00:36:13,839
history of mars and so

1069
00:36:17,349 --> 00:36:15,440
the environment then was very different

1070
00:36:19,190 --> 00:36:17,359
there was possibly liquid water on the

1071
00:36:21,349 --> 00:36:19,200
surface there was a thicker atmosphere

1072
00:36:23,430 --> 00:36:21,359
perhaps it was warmer wetter

1073
00:36:25,430 --> 00:36:23,440
um and that's when you know some of

1074
00:36:26,870 --> 00:36:25,440
these rocks were likely deposited and so

1075
00:36:28,630 --> 00:36:26,880
what we're looking for really is not

1076
00:36:29,990 --> 00:36:28,640
evidence of extent life and sure yeah

1077
00:36:31,349 --> 00:36:30,000
absolutely i mean the current

1078
00:36:32,710 --> 00:36:31,359
environment there is completely

1079
00:36:34,790 --> 00:36:32,720
inhospitable

1080
00:36:36,710 --> 00:36:34,800
uh but what we're hoping to find is bias

1081
00:36:39,430 --> 00:36:36,720
signatures that points to evidence of

1082
00:36:41,270 --> 00:36:39,440
ancient life and and yeah i mean i think

1083
00:36:42,790 --> 00:36:41,280
we're going to the right places there to

1084
00:36:44,790 --> 00:36:42,800
look for that and

1085
00:36:46,710 --> 00:36:44,800
uh we hope to find it yeah i don't think

1086
00:36:50,150 --> 00:36:46,720
we need to you know necessarily go down

1087
00:36:51,190 --> 00:36:50,160
very deep to look for ancient evidence

1088
00:36:53,750 --> 00:36:51,200
very cool

1089
00:36:55,750 --> 00:36:53,760
um i agree entirely um there's still so

1090
00:36:57,270 --> 00:36:55,760
much value in those samples

1091
00:36:59,589 --> 00:36:57,280
our next question comes from to us from

1092
00:37:02,150 --> 00:36:59,599
dr jim pass who leads the astro

1093
00:37:03,750 --> 00:37:02,160
sociology research institute he always

1094
00:37:06,630 --> 00:37:03,760
wants to ask questions that are related

1095
00:37:07,670 --> 00:37:06,640
to sociology and human behavior in our

1096
00:37:09,109 --> 00:37:07,680
research

1097
00:37:10,630 --> 00:37:09,119
and so jim has said the mars sample

1098
00:37:12,470 --> 00:37:10,640
return program represents a highly

1099
00:37:14,150 --> 00:37:12,480
anticipated next step in the search for

1100
00:37:15,829 --> 00:37:14,160
extraterrestrial life

1101
00:37:18,630 --> 00:37:15,839
uh he would like to know your thoughts

1102
00:37:21,030 --> 00:37:18,640
on how social scientists and maybe even

1103
00:37:22,630 --> 00:37:21,040
others in the humanities can participate

1104
00:37:25,510 --> 00:37:22,640
including putting these findings into

1105
00:37:28,069 --> 00:37:25,520
the proper context for human life

1106
00:37:31,030 --> 00:37:28,079
yeah no i i completely agree and this is

1107
00:37:32,950 --> 00:37:31,040
you know one of the one of humanity's

1108
00:37:35,510 --> 00:37:32,960
biggest questions i think is you know

1109
00:37:37,109 --> 00:37:35,520
are we alone in the universe

1110
00:37:40,470 --> 00:37:37,119
did you know did life originate

1111
00:37:41,910 --> 00:37:40,480
elsewhere in our solar system uh did it

1112
00:37:43,349 --> 00:37:41,920
you know originate elsewhere in the

1113
00:37:45,190 --> 00:37:43,359
universe and

1114
00:37:46,790 --> 00:37:45,200
these are big questions that i think not

1115
00:37:48,310 --> 00:37:46,800
it's not just scientists that grapple

1116
00:37:49,910 --> 00:37:48,320
with that it's all of humanity and

1117
00:37:51,430 --> 00:37:49,920
certainly the social sciences and i

1118
00:37:53,190 --> 00:37:51,440
think we're going to need the

1119
00:37:55,589 --> 00:37:53,200
participation and the perspectives from

1120
00:37:58,310 --> 00:37:55,599
social science to really help us

1121
00:37:59,190 --> 00:37:58,320
frame you know whatever that we find you

1122
00:38:01,030 --> 00:37:59,200
know

1123
00:38:03,829 --> 00:38:01,040
uh for us human beings to really kind of

1124
00:38:05,510 --> 00:38:03,839
frame what it means to be alive on this

1125
00:38:07,349 --> 00:38:05,520
planet you know

1126
00:38:10,230 --> 00:38:07,359
uh as humans we need to sort of

1127
00:38:11,750 --> 00:38:10,240
understand that and and to put that in

1128
00:38:13,190 --> 00:38:11,760
in the right framework and and you know

1129
00:38:14,870 --> 00:38:13,200
from that perspective i think you know

1130
00:38:17,430 --> 00:38:14,880
whatever the answer that we get whether

1131
00:38:20,069 --> 00:38:17,440
it's yes or no i think it's gonna be

1132
00:38:22,310 --> 00:38:20,079
it's going to have a huge impact on what

1133
00:38:24,150 --> 00:38:22,320
you know be human beings how we perceive

1134
00:38:24,950 --> 00:38:24,160
ourselves and our place in the universe

1135
00:38:27,109 --> 00:38:24,960
right

1136
00:38:29,589 --> 00:38:27,119
and so i think there is a huge role for

1137
00:38:31,349 --> 00:38:29,599
social sciences to play in in fact for

1138
00:38:32,870 --> 00:38:31,359
everyone you know all of humanity to

1139
00:38:34,310 --> 00:38:32,880
really sort of

1140
00:38:35,829 --> 00:38:34,320
be able to participate in that

1141
00:38:37,670 --> 00:38:35,839
exploration

1142
00:38:39,990 --> 00:38:37,680
and and that and that sort of answering

1143
00:38:41,270 --> 00:38:40,000
that question so yeah i think it's a

1144
00:38:42,069 --> 00:38:41,280
great question

1145
00:38:43,510 --> 00:38:42,079
yeah

1146
00:38:45,109 --> 00:38:43,520
reminds me of a star trek next

1147
00:38:47,589 --> 00:38:45,119
generation episode called samaritan

1148
00:38:49,589 --> 00:38:47,599
snare where captain picard is basically

1149
00:38:51,190 --> 00:38:49,599
explaining that you know anyone can

1150
00:38:53,430 --> 00:38:51,200
learn you know celestial mechanics and

1151
00:38:56,390 --> 00:38:53,440
how to pile a starship but if you study

1152
00:38:59,030 --> 00:38:56,400
history and philosophy theater art then

1153
00:39:00,790 --> 00:38:59,040
it makes everything else makes sense

1154
00:39:02,710 --> 00:39:00,800
yeah exactly

1155
00:39:05,510 --> 00:39:02,720
we have a couple of clarification

1156
00:39:07,990 --> 00:39:05,520
questions here about your work um one of

1157
00:39:09,910 --> 00:39:08,000
them from sibsonker palette on youtube

1158
00:39:11,829 --> 00:39:09,920
uh wants to know uh if you can clarify

1159
00:39:15,510 --> 00:39:11,839
the difference between astrochemistry

1160
00:39:20,790 --> 00:39:19,030
so you know it's a fine fine line there

1161
00:39:22,790 --> 00:39:20,800
i think astro chemistry cosmetic

1162
00:39:23,670 --> 00:39:22,800
chemistry probably gets to the same sort

1163
00:39:24,950 --> 00:39:23,680
of thing

1164
00:39:27,589 --> 00:39:24,960
as i look at it you know i've always

1165
00:39:28,950 --> 00:39:27,599
called myself a cosmetic chemist

1166
00:39:32,550 --> 00:39:28,960
and

1167
00:39:35,109 --> 00:39:32,560
something about the chemistry of the

1168
00:39:36,870 --> 00:39:35,119
cosmos and and so astrochemistry is

1169
00:39:38,390 --> 00:39:36,880
about you know similar i would say in

1170
00:39:39,750 --> 00:39:38,400
the sense that it's also getting to the

1171
00:39:40,950 --> 00:39:39,760
chemistry of

1172
00:39:43,829 --> 00:39:40,960
of

1173
00:39:47,510 --> 00:39:43,839
this universe and stars and and and all

1174
00:39:49,750 --> 00:39:47,520
of that so um yeah i think it's it's

1175
00:39:52,950 --> 00:39:49,760
it's a fine line there and i i wouldn't

1176
00:39:55,750 --> 00:39:52,960
put too fine a point on it

1177
00:39:58,630 --> 00:39:55,760
awesome uh nikki the science teacher at

1178
00:40:00,390 --> 00:39:58,640
teach astrobio wants to know what is the

1179
00:40:02,710 --> 00:40:00,400
mechanism that concentrates meteorites

1180
00:40:05,430 --> 00:40:02,720
in antarctica

1181
00:40:08,309 --> 00:40:05,440
that's a great question actually um

1182
00:40:10,390 --> 00:40:08,319
it's it's a fascinating process that we

1183
00:40:12,790 --> 00:40:10,400
actually don't understand

1184
00:40:14,870 --> 00:40:12,800
super well i think we understand

1185
00:40:16,790 --> 00:40:14,880
kind of broadly what happens so as we

1186
00:40:18,790 --> 00:40:16,800
understand it there's almost like a

1187
00:40:20,870 --> 00:40:18,800
conveyor belt like mechanism that

1188
00:40:22,710 --> 00:40:20,880
happens in antarctica and we actually

1189
00:40:24,470 --> 00:40:22,720
mean it should happen operate in similar

1190
00:40:25,990 --> 00:40:24,480
ways in other places on earth like

1191
00:40:27,670 --> 00:40:26,000
greenland but we haven't actually seen

1192
00:40:29,030 --> 00:40:27,680
meteorites there or found meteorites

1193
00:40:30,950 --> 00:40:29,040
there in the same kind of abundance or

1194
00:40:32,790 --> 00:40:30,960
concentrations in antarctica but what

1195
00:40:34,309 --> 00:40:32,800
happens we think in antarctica is you

1196
00:40:35,510 --> 00:40:34,319
know you've got these big ice sheets

1197
00:40:37,510 --> 00:40:35,520
that are

1198
00:40:40,390 --> 00:40:37,520
miles thick in some places and they're

1199
00:40:42,870 --> 00:40:40,400
actually moving along you know basically

1200
00:40:44,390 --> 00:40:42,880
from the from the uh center of the

1201
00:40:46,550 --> 00:40:44,400
continent out towards the coastlines

1202
00:40:48,950 --> 00:40:46,560
they're flowing gradually these these

1203
00:40:51,109 --> 00:40:48,960
ice sheets and when they come up against

1204
00:40:53,670 --> 00:40:51,119
some kind of mountain range or some even

1205
00:40:55,109 --> 00:40:53,680
sometimes subsurface obstruction the ice

1206
00:40:57,030 --> 00:40:55,119
tends to move up

1207
00:40:58,390 --> 00:40:57,040
and it's also actually at the surface

1208
00:40:59,670 --> 00:40:58,400
it's sublimating because you've got

1209
00:41:01,270 --> 00:40:59,680
these catabolic winds these

1210
00:41:02,790 --> 00:41:01,280
gravitationally driven

1211
00:41:04,470 --> 00:41:02,800
really you know and i've experienced

1212
00:41:06,870 --> 00:41:04,480
those winds by the way they're not

1213
00:41:08,870 --> 00:41:06,880
they're not fun um they have like the

1214
00:41:11,349 --> 00:41:08,880
surface of the ice and so when

1215
00:41:13,270 --> 00:41:11,359
meteorites fall over time

1216
00:41:14,790 --> 00:41:13,280
they get carried along with these ice

1217
00:41:17,109 --> 00:41:14,800
sheets until they come up against you

1218
00:41:18,710 --> 00:41:17,119
know basically this these areas where

1219
00:41:22,230 --> 00:41:18,720
the ice is being

1220
00:41:23,030 --> 00:41:22,240
ablated and it's being assumed basically

1221
00:41:29,190 --> 00:41:23,040
and

1222
00:41:31,670 --> 00:41:29,200
concentrate on some of these uh areas

1223
00:41:33,589 --> 00:41:31,680
that are called stranding surfaces

1224
00:41:36,069 --> 00:41:33,599
and so they're typically blue ice fields

1225
00:41:38,550 --> 00:41:36,079
because of the nature of you know the

1226
00:41:39,510 --> 00:41:38,560
way that the ice is moving and it's very

1227
00:41:42,069 --> 00:41:39,520
kind of

1228
00:41:43,190 --> 00:41:42,079
um you know being ablated away in these

1229
00:41:44,150 --> 00:41:43,200
zones

1230
00:41:47,270 --> 00:41:44,160
so

1231
00:41:49,910 --> 00:41:47,280
uh basically that's that's the mechanism

1232
00:41:52,150 --> 00:41:49,920
um and you know i when when when i

1233
00:41:54,309 --> 00:41:52,160
actually saw it without my own eyes you

1234
00:41:55,750 --> 00:41:54,319
know standing in a place where i could

1235
00:41:57,829 --> 00:41:55,760
actually see number of different

1236
00:41:59,430 --> 00:41:57,839
meteorites within a small area i mean

1237
00:42:01,190 --> 00:41:59,440
it's just how incredible is that you

1238
00:42:02,550 --> 00:42:01,200
know and they're not related they're not

1239
00:42:03,829 --> 00:42:02,560
part of the same strewn field or

1240
00:42:06,230 --> 00:42:03,839
anything like that they're all different

1241
00:42:07,670 --> 00:42:06,240
meteorites that have sort of accumulated

1242
00:42:09,510 --> 00:42:07,680
there over time over hundreds of

1243
00:42:11,670 --> 00:42:09,520
thousands of years you know

1244
00:42:13,750 --> 00:42:11,680
and uh it's incredible i think it's such

1245
00:42:15,910 --> 00:42:13,760
a gift to be able to go and collect

1246
00:42:17,430 --> 00:42:15,920
these meteorites every year and find new

1247
00:42:19,270 --> 00:42:17,440
samples every year and they've

1248
00:42:21,109 --> 00:42:19,280
contributed so much to our understanding

1249
00:42:22,870 --> 00:42:21,119
of the solar system and

1250
00:42:24,230 --> 00:42:22,880
the universe actually

1251
00:42:25,670 --> 00:42:24,240
absolutely and part of that

1252
00:42:28,470 --> 00:42:25,680
understanding feeds into our next

1253
00:42:30,870 --> 00:42:28,480
question then it's a pretty big question

1254
00:42:34,069 --> 00:42:30,880
from rendering reality 3d animations uh

1255
00:42:35,510 --> 00:42:34,079
led by tom caruso on youtube tom wants

1256
00:42:38,069 --> 00:42:35,520
to know if we can if you can explain the

1257
00:42:39,670 --> 00:42:38,079
differences of water distribution

1258
00:42:41,349 --> 00:42:39,680
early in the formation of the solar

1259
00:42:42,829 --> 00:42:41,359
system and how those differences impact

1260
00:42:46,230 --> 00:42:42,839
what we see

1261
00:42:48,790 --> 00:42:46,240
now yeah that is a really big question

1262
00:42:50,390 --> 00:42:48,800
so you know

1263
00:42:52,150 --> 00:42:50,400
water of course i mean we're interested

1264
00:42:53,829 --> 00:42:52,160
in because of the habitability aspect of

1265
00:42:55,990 --> 00:42:53,839
that right but i mean

1266
00:42:57,750 --> 00:42:56,000
it's sort of one of those molecules that

1267
00:42:58,870 --> 00:42:57,760
also just like any other kind of

1268
00:43:00,309 --> 00:42:58,880
chemical

1269
00:43:01,430 --> 00:43:00,319
um

1270
00:43:03,670 --> 00:43:01,440
uh

1271
00:43:07,190 --> 00:43:03,680
sort of molecules that are condensing

1272
00:43:09,829 --> 00:43:07,200
from a cloud of gas and dust you know

1273
00:43:12,470 --> 00:43:09,839
it's going to behave in a way that is

1274
00:43:14,230 --> 00:43:12,480
geochemically you know makes sense um in

1275
00:43:16,470 --> 00:43:14,240
terms of its kind of geochemical

1276
00:43:17,430 --> 00:43:16,480
behavior it's volatility

1277
00:43:19,910 --> 00:43:17,440
um

1278
00:43:21,589 --> 00:43:19,920
and so a condensation temperature all of

1279
00:43:24,309 --> 00:43:21,599
that sort of factors into sort of the

1280
00:43:25,910 --> 00:43:24,319
initial distribution of water and things

1281
00:43:27,510 --> 00:43:25,920
that were condensing from that cloud of

1282
00:43:29,829 --> 00:43:27,520
gas and dust which which is where we

1283
00:43:32,309 --> 00:43:29,839
started out as you know our solar system

1284
00:43:33,910 --> 00:43:32,319
started out as a parcel of gas and dust

1285
00:43:35,030 --> 00:43:33,920
that collapsed and then in the center

1286
00:43:35,990 --> 00:43:35,040
was the sun

1287
00:43:37,430 --> 00:43:36,000
and

1288
00:43:40,150 --> 00:43:37,440
you know you had an evolution of

1289
00:43:41,750 --> 00:43:40,160
temperature and density

1290
00:43:43,589 --> 00:43:41,760
in the early history of the solar system

1291
00:43:44,870 --> 00:43:43,599
and so there was actually what we call a

1292
00:43:47,589 --> 00:43:44,880
snow line

1293
00:43:49,910 --> 00:43:47,599
which is the parts of the solar system

1294
00:43:52,230 --> 00:43:49,920
that and it's not sort of a

1295
00:43:53,349 --> 00:43:52,240
sort of a hard and fast line right

1296
00:43:56,150 --> 00:43:53,359
because

1297
00:43:57,910 --> 00:43:56,160
it's actually evolving with time as the

1298
00:44:00,630 --> 00:43:57,920
solar system is forming

1299
00:44:02,069 --> 00:44:00,640
uh where that line is but that's the the

1300
00:44:05,670 --> 00:44:02,079
the place where

1301
00:44:07,510 --> 00:44:05,680
liquid water is stable um actually it's

1302
00:44:11,589 --> 00:44:07,520
it's not played it's basically the place

1303
00:44:13,430 --> 00:44:11,599
where uh ice condenses from uh from the

1304
00:44:15,270 --> 00:44:13,440
cloud of gas and dust and so that's that

1305
00:44:17,270 --> 00:44:15,280
will be the snow line and so and that

1306
00:44:19,349 --> 00:44:17,280
evolves with time as the sun's sun is

1307
00:44:20,550 --> 00:44:19,359
forming and um

1308
00:44:22,309 --> 00:44:20,560
and so

1309
00:44:24,150 --> 00:44:22,319
what we think is that you know the inner

1310
00:44:26,309 --> 00:44:24,160
parts of our solar system

1311
00:44:29,109 --> 00:44:26,319
were typically hotter at the very

1312
00:44:30,790 --> 00:44:29,119
beginning and there was you know love

1313
00:44:32,309 --> 00:44:30,800
the volatiles were

1314
00:44:34,309 --> 00:44:32,319
like water were

1315
00:44:35,829 --> 00:44:34,319
much more depleted in the inner parts

1316
00:44:37,670 --> 00:44:35,839
and then the outer parts of the solar

1317
00:44:40,230 --> 00:44:37,680
system which were cooler

1318
00:44:42,470 --> 00:44:40,240
and but there was a lot else going on

1319
00:44:45,109 --> 00:44:42,480
this early solar system there's all of

1320
00:44:47,270 --> 00:44:45,119
these dynamics of things that you know

1321
00:44:49,510 --> 00:44:47,280
uh transported materials from the inner

1322
00:44:52,309 --> 00:44:49,520
to the outer solar system in jets

1323
00:44:54,790 --> 00:44:52,319
perhaps or just through you know

1324
00:44:56,790 --> 00:44:54,800
turbulence in the disk

1325
00:44:58,550 --> 00:44:56,800
uh and all these factors actually kind

1326
00:45:01,349 --> 00:44:58,560
of affect how these things get

1327
00:45:03,430 --> 00:45:01,359
distributed and it's rather complicated

1328
00:45:05,510 --> 00:45:03,440
but the bottom line is you know we found

1329
00:45:07,030 --> 00:45:05,520
for example from the stardust samples

1330
00:45:08,309 --> 00:45:07,040
you know the comet materials that were

1331
00:45:09,109 --> 00:45:08,319
returned

1332
00:45:11,109 --> 00:45:09,119
that

1333
00:45:12,710 --> 00:45:11,119
there is actually what we'd expected to

1334
00:45:15,270 --> 00:45:12,720
find there was that maybe it was just an

1335
00:45:16,710 --> 00:45:15,280
agglomeration of very sort of primitive

1336
00:45:19,270 --> 00:45:16,720
materials but what we found is that

1337
00:45:21,270 --> 00:45:19,280
there's actually stuff in the stardust

1338
00:45:23,270 --> 00:45:21,280
samples that came from the inner parts

1339
00:45:25,270 --> 00:45:23,280
of the solar system meaning that there

1340
00:45:26,470 --> 00:45:25,280
was this huge large scale transport of

1341
00:45:27,750 --> 00:45:26,480
materials

1342
00:45:30,069 --> 00:45:27,760
and so

1343
00:45:32,470 --> 00:45:30,079
the distribution of water you know in

1344
00:45:34,150 --> 00:45:32,480
the solar system was

1345
00:45:36,470 --> 00:45:34,160
you know generally speaking i would say

1346
00:45:38,230 --> 00:45:36,480
that there was like there's likely more

1347
00:45:40,069 --> 00:45:38,240
water in the outer

1348
00:45:42,630 --> 00:45:40,079
portions of the solar system as it was

1349
00:45:44,150 --> 00:45:42,640
forming where ice condensed but then

1350
00:45:46,710 --> 00:45:44,160
things were kind of

1351
00:45:49,589 --> 00:45:46,720
mixed around and you know water

1352
00:45:51,910 --> 00:45:49,599
evaporated there was you know lots going

1353
00:45:53,910 --> 00:45:51,920
on at the time you know rocky worlds

1354
00:45:56,150 --> 00:45:53,920
were forming you had comets crashing

1355
00:45:58,390 --> 00:45:56,160
into them maybe bringing in more water

1356
00:46:00,230 --> 00:45:58,400
from the outer parts to the inner parts

1357
00:46:02,870 --> 00:46:00,240
so it's a complex dance really that we

1358
00:46:04,230 --> 00:46:02,880
have to try to understand

1359
00:46:05,990 --> 00:46:04,240
and that's part of the fun of really

1360
00:46:07,270 --> 00:46:06,000
doing that you know studying these

1361
00:46:08,710 --> 00:46:07,280
objects

1362
00:46:10,870 --> 00:46:08,720
absolutely there's still so much to

1363
00:46:12,309 --> 00:46:10,880
learn and so much to piece together

1364
00:46:14,470 --> 00:46:12,319
about the processes that have occurred

1365
00:46:16,550 --> 00:46:14,480
through our solar system through time

1366
00:46:17,910 --> 00:46:16,560
um we're gonna shift gears really hard

1367
00:46:18,950 --> 00:46:17,920
right now i might i might start

1368
00:46:21,109 --> 00:46:18,960
answering this question i'll see if

1369
00:46:23,589 --> 00:46:21,119
you'd like to answer it as well uh david

1370
00:46:24,950 --> 00:46:23,599
r bunting at d.a bunting

1371
00:46:27,190 --> 00:46:24,960
has asked if it's probable that the

1372
00:46:29,109 --> 00:46:27,200
first extraterrestrial life we encounter

1373
00:46:30,790 --> 00:46:29,119
will be non-biological rather than

1374
00:46:32,870 --> 00:46:30,800
biological

1375
00:46:34,390 --> 00:46:32,880
i'll start by answering that one so you

1376
00:46:36,550 --> 00:46:34,400
might have seen a previous episode of

1377
00:46:39,589 --> 00:46:36,560
the show david where i had dr susan

1378
00:46:42,309 --> 00:46:39,599
schneider on the show dr schneider is an

1379
00:46:43,910 --> 00:46:42,319
expert in the future of the human mind

1380
00:46:46,550 --> 00:46:43,920
and artificial intelligence and we

1381
00:46:48,630 --> 00:46:46,560
talked a lot about post biological life

1382
00:46:50,950 --> 00:46:48,640
so not necessarily non-biological we use

1383
00:46:53,750 --> 00:46:50,960
the word post biological such that we

1384
00:46:55,990 --> 00:46:53,760
have an evolution from chemistry through

1385
00:46:58,150 --> 00:46:56,000
biology as we know it organic

1386
00:47:00,150 --> 00:46:58,160
chemistry becoming life but then we have

1387
00:47:02,550 --> 00:47:00,160
this transition phase into post

1388
00:47:03,990 --> 00:47:02,560
biological life artificial intelligence

1389
00:47:05,589 --> 00:47:04,000
this idea of humans merging with

1390
00:47:07,829 --> 00:47:05,599
machines and those kinds of things we

1391
00:47:09,030 --> 00:47:07,839
don't know what our own future holds but

1392
00:47:11,910 --> 00:47:09,040
when it comes to whether or not that's

1393
00:47:13,430 --> 00:47:11,920
probable the truth is we don't know we

1394
00:47:15,990 --> 00:47:13,440
don't know yet even if there's other

1395
00:47:17,750 --> 00:47:16,000
life out there at all we could be alone

1396
00:47:19,190 --> 00:47:17,760
it's kind of sad to say that but it's

1397
00:47:21,910 --> 00:47:19,200
it's possible based on our current

1398
00:47:22,950 --> 00:47:21,920
knowledge it does feel though that we

1399
00:47:25,030 --> 00:47:22,960
start looking out there into the

1400
00:47:27,109 --> 00:47:25,040
universe we see all these other worlds

1401
00:47:28,710 --> 00:47:27,119
we think of all the potential it starts

1402
00:47:30,710 --> 00:47:28,720
to feel like there must be something

1403
00:47:32,790 --> 00:47:30,720
else and if there is something else that

1404
00:47:35,349 --> 00:47:32,800
makes a lot of us wonder are post

1405
00:47:37,270 --> 00:47:35,359
biological civilizations likely and it's

1406
00:47:38,790 --> 00:47:37,280
a very big question many i don't know if

1407
00:47:40,390 --> 00:47:38,800
you want to add on to that or not that's

1408
00:47:42,309 --> 00:47:40,400
entirely up to you

1409
00:47:43,589 --> 00:47:42,319
no i think you said it very well i don't

1410
00:47:44,870 --> 00:47:43,599
think i have anything more to add to

1411
00:47:46,870 --> 00:47:44,880
that

1412
00:47:48,950 --> 00:47:46,880
all right thank you uh yeah so our next

1413
00:47:51,430 --> 00:47:48,960
question uh from ruchira powell on

1414
00:47:52,870 --> 00:47:51,440
youtube rachira wants to know um first

1415
00:47:54,069 --> 00:47:52,880
they say it's really inspiring to hear

1416
00:47:57,270 --> 00:47:54,079
from you today

1417
00:47:59,190 --> 00:47:57,280
um great richard wants to know uh

1418
00:48:00,710 --> 00:47:59,200
would love to learn if there's been any

1419
00:48:03,190 --> 00:48:00,720
instance that has been particularly

1420
00:48:06,870 --> 00:48:03,200
challenging for you yet exciting with

1421
00:48:08,390 --> 00:48:06,880
respect to your studies

1422
00:48:11,589 --> 00:48:08,400
yeah i mean you know that's part of what

1423
00:48:13,670 --> 00:48:11,599
i really enjoy about what i do is that

1424
00:48:16,230 --> 00:48:13,680
there are lots of challenges there's

1425
00:48:17,510 --> 00:48:16,240
analytical challenges there's you know

1426
00:48:19,589 --> 00:48:17,520
in terms of

1427
00:48:21,750 --> 00:48:19,599
you know every once in a while there's

1428
00:48:23,349 --> 00:48:21,760
you know some really hard hard problems

1429
00:48:24,150 --> 00:48:23,359
to try to solve

1430
00:48:26,390 --> 00:48:24,160
uh

1431
00:48:28,630 --> 00:48:26,400
with with grappling with the kinds of

1432
00:48:31,430 --> 00:48:28,640
questions you know so some of them

1433
00:48:33,510 --> 00:48:31,440
i think the the the most fun

1434
00:48:35,030 --> 00:48:33,520
things are ones that you sort of really

1435
00:48:37,670 --> 00:48:35,040
have to work towards

1436
00:48:39,349 --> 00:48:37,680
to get get to and so

1437
00:48:41,190 --> 00:48:39,359
i don't know if there's any particular

1438
00:48:42,630 --> 00:48:41,200
specific things she had in mind about

1439
00:48:44,390 --> 00:48:42,640
what kind of challenges but yeah i mean

1440
00:48:46,069 --> 00:48:44,400
i think

1441
00:48:47,670 --> 00:48:46,079
the reason why i love what i do is

1442
00:48:50,150 --> 00:48:47,680
because there's challenge involved it's

1443
00:48:52,870 --> 00:48:50,160
not an easy easy thing to just get from

1444
00:48:54,710 --> 00:48:52,880
one day to the next i think you know

1445
00:48:56,470 --> 00:48:54,720
we get to analyze these materials that

1446
00:48:58,309 --> 00:48:56,480
are really you know we have to make the

1447
00:48:59,990 --> 00:48:58,319
most out of small amounts and there's

1448
00:49:01,829 --> 00:49:00,000
limited amounts and so we have to be

1449
00:49:03,430 --> 00:49:01,839
very very careful about how we utilize

1450
00:49:04,950 --> 00:49:03,440
those samples and

1451
00:49:06,630 --> 00:49:04,960
and uh

1452
00:49:08,790 --> 00:49:06,640
and that's part of really what draws me

1453
00:49:10,950 --> 00:49:08,800
to to what i do is

1454
00:49:11,910 --> 00:49:10,960
is the challenge

1455
00:49:13,670 --> 00:49:11,920
awesome

1456
00:49:16,069 --> 00:49:13,680
um our next question is actually a

1457
00:49:18,470 --> 00:49:16,079
merged question from two of our our

1458
00:49:20,549 --> 00:49:18,480
current viewers uh marina ripan and

1459
00:49:22,390 --> 00:49:20,559
sonakshi srivastava

1460
00:49:23,910 --> 00:49:22,400
asked rather similar questions and so

1461
00:49:25,829 --> 00:49:23,920
i'm going to ask both together and let

1462
00:49:27,750 --> 00:49:25,839
you choose how to answer

1463
00:49:31,349 --> 00:49:27,760
first off is how do we actually know

1464
00:49:33,190 --> 00:49:31,359
that mars meteorites came from mars um

1465
00:49:34,630 --> 00:49:33,200
and then following on from that is what

1466
00:49:36,390 --> 00:49:34,640
are the geological and chemical

1467
00:49:38,230 --> 00:49:36,400
differences between rocks from earth and

1468
00:49:40,069 --> 00:49:38,240
mars

1469
00:49:43,430 --> 00:49:40,079
that's those are great questions by the

1470
00:49:45,750 --> 00:49:43,440
way um so it's kind of a fun detective

1471
00:49:47,829 --> 00:49:45,760
story really you know how we know these

1472
00:49:48,790 --> 00:49:47,839
meteorites came from mars

1473
00:49:50,470 --> 00:49:48,800
um

1474
00:49:53,190 --> 00:49:50,480
we actually

1475
00:49:55,750 --> 00:49:53,200
and it took actually the viking lander

1476
00:49:57,510 --> 00:49:55,760
to be there before these rocks were

1477
00:50:00,030 --> 00:49:57,520
actually

1478
00:50:01,990 --> 00:50:00,040
definitively or most of sort of as as

1479
00:50:03,430 --> 00:50:02,000
definitively as we can tell without

1480
00:50:05,030 --> 00:50:03,440
actually having sample returns back

1481
00:50:07,270 --> 00:50:05,040
right um

1482
00:50:09,430 --> 00:50:07,280
the viking landers was with these

1483
00:50:11,589 --> 00:50:09,440
landers that uh a couple of them that

1484
00:50:12,950 --> 00:50:11,599
landed on mars in the 1970s and they

1485
00:50:14,790 --> 00:50:12,960
measured the

1486
00:50:16,790 --> 00:50:14,800
atmosphere of

1487
00:50:19,270 --> 00:50:16,800
mars very well so we know what the

1488
00:50:21,109 --> 00:50:19,280
composition is in terms of how much

1489
00:50:22,390 --> 00:50:21,119
nitrogen carbon dioxide some of the

1490
00:50:23,750 --> 00:50:22,400
noble gases

1491
00:50:26,470 --> 00:50:23,760
and so

1492
00:50:28,309 --> 00:50:26,480
for a long time there was actually

1493
00:50:30,309 --> 00:50:28,319
some suggestions by some some of the

1494
00:50:32,870 --> 00:50:30,319
people that were studying these rocks

1495
00:50:35,589 --> 00:50:32,880
these martian meteorites as we call them

1496
00:50:37,030 --> 00:50:35,599
um and they found some unusual things in

1497
00:50:39,270 --> 00:50:37,040
them you know they found some minerals

1498
00:50:40,630 --> 00:50:39,280
that had some water which you know a lot

1499
00:50:42,790 --> 00:50:40,640
of the other types of meteorites that we

1500
00:50:44,870 --> 00:50:42,800
were studying were incredibly dry

1501
00:50:46,390 --> 00:50:44,880
and then they also found that the ages

1502
00:50:48,549 --> 00:50:46,400
of some of these meteorites were

1503
00:50:50,549 --> 00:50:48,559
actually a lot younger than many of the

1504
00:50:51,990 --> 00:50:50,559
other types of asteroidal meteorites

1505
00:50:53,430 --> 00:50:52,000
that we were studying which are closer

1506
00:50:54,870 --> 00:50:53,440
to the age of the solar system four and

1507
00:50:56,950 --> 00:50:54,880
a half billion years but these mars

1508
00:50:58,030 --> 00:50:56,960
meteorites some of them were as young as

1509
00:51:00,870 --> 00:50:58,040
something like

1510
00:51:02,870 --> 00:51:00,880
160 million years you know that's when

1511
00:51:05,349 --> 00:51:02,880
the earth had dinosaurs walking around

1512
00:51:08,069 --> 00:51:05,359
the surface geologically speaking that's

1513
00:51:09,589 --> 00:51:08,079
young right and so unusual features like

1514
00:51:11,670 --> 00:51:09,599
that and people are wondering you know

1515
00:51:12,790 --> 00:51:11,680
how come these rocks are so unusual

1516
00:51:15,030 --> 00:51:12,800
compared to uh some of the other

1517
00:51:17,589 --> 00:51:15,040
meteorites and some some of the brave

1518
00:51:19,270 --> 00:51:17,599
geologists among them actually uh

1519
00:51:20,790 --> 00:51:19,280
somebody known as ha you know his name

1520
00:51:23,270 --> 00:51:20,800
is half mcsween

1521
00:51:24,790 --> 00:51:23,280
and he he and ed stopper

1522
00:51:26,790 --> 00:51:24,800
at harvard they were graduate students

1523
00:51:28,150 --> 00:51:26,800
at the time they suggested this was in

1524
00:51:29,510 --> 00:51:28,160
the late 70s

1525
00:51:31,829 --> 00:51:29,520
that these things may have come from

1526
00:51:33,349 --> 00:51:31,839
mars but we had no definitive evidence

1527
00:51:35,190 --> 00:51:33,359
they really stuck their necks out by the

1528
00:51:37,510 --> 00:51:35,200
way to do that

1529
00:51:38,870 --> 00:51:37,520
um but what happened was that in the

1530
00:51:39,750 --> 00:51:38,880
early 80s

1531
00:51:40,790 --> 00:51:39,760
um

1532
00:51:42,710 --> 00:51:40,800
some of the

1533
00:51:44,470 --> 00:51:42,720
labs actually studied pieces of these

1534
00:51:46,150 --> 00:51:44,480
mars meteorites actually one particular

1535
00:51:47,430 --> 00:51:46,160
meteorite that was found in antarctica

1536
00:51:49,670 --> 00:51:47,440
by the way

1537
00:51:55,109 --> 00:51:49,680
and

1538
00:51:56,950 --> 00:51:55,119
the composition of the gas

1539
00:51:58,870 --> 00:51:56,960
and that gas matched very well the

1540
00:52:00,230 --> 00:51:58,880
composition that we knew of the mars

1541
00:52:02,069 --> 00:52:00,240
atmosphere

1542
00:52:03,589 --> 00:52:02,079
and it's almost like a fingerprint i

1543
00:52:05,349 --> 00:52:03,599
mean that composition is very different

1544
00:52:07,910 --> 00:52:05,359
actually than anything that we know

1545
00:52:10,069 --> 00:52:07,920
about um but it's very

1546
00:52:11,829 --> 00:52:10,079
similar to the mars atmosphere and

1547
00:52:13,190 --> 00:52:11,839
that's that was like a smoking gun

1548
00:52:15,349 --> 00:52:13,200
basically that told us that these

1549
00:52:19,109 --> 00:52:15,359
meteorites actually came from mars

1550
00:52:21,829 --> 00:52:19,119
um and uh so so that's how we know

1551
00:52:24,309 --> 00:52:21,839
um and you know as i said there's about

1552
00:52:25,990 --> 00:52:24,319
130 or so meteorites that we think that

1553
00:52:27,589 --> 00:52:26,000
you know are from mars we haven't done

1554
00:52:29,829 --> 00:52:27,599
this kind of

1555
00:52:31,910 --> 00:52:29,839
gas analysis for all of them but there

1556
00:52:34,390 --> 00:52:31,920
are other geochemical

1557
00:52:36,230 --> 00:52:34,400
signatures that we can match for all of

1558
00:52:39,109 --> 00:52:36,240
them all of them that basically tell us

1559
00:52:41,109 --> 00:52:39,119
that they came from the same place

1560
00:52:42,710 --> 00:52:41,119
and so that's why we think these are

1561
00:52:45,510 --> 00:52:42,720
from mars and i think you know obviously

1562
00:52:47,829 --> 00:52:45,520
when we bring back mars samples from the

1563
00:52:50,309 --> 00:52:47,839
sample return we'll be able to

1564
00:52:52,390 --> 00:52:50,319
definitively confirm that uh when we

1565
00:52:54,549 --> 00:52:52,400
look compared to geochemistry more uh

1566
00:52:56,309 --> 00:52:54,559
more so but that's that's basically the

1567
00:52:58,710 --> 00:52:56,319
essence of why we you know why we think

1568
00:53:01,109 --> 00:52:58,720
these meteorites came from mars

1569
00:53:02,630 --> 00:53:01,119
awesome uh yeah and i i've always had

1570
00:53:04,549 --> 00:53:02,640
the question do we have venusian

1571
00:53:06,309 --> 00:53:04,559
meteorites but we just don't have the

1572
00:53:07,589 --> 00:53:06,319
past knowledge of venus to know what do

1573
00:53:09,030 --> 00:53:07,599
you think of that

1574
00:53:11,190 --> 00:53:09,040
you know that's that's a great question

1575
00:53:13,990 --> 00:53:11,200
i think you know it's much tougher to

1576
00:53:16,309 --> 00:53:14,000
get things off of the surface of venus

1577
00:53:19,750 --> 00:53:16,319
uh it's a much bigger planet than mars

1578
00:53:21,349 --> 00:53:19,760
and so gravity well is much much more to

1579
00:53:24,230 --> 00:53:21,359
you know to overcome to get pieces of

1580
00:53:26,150 --> 00:53:24,240
meteorites the probability is not zero

1581
00:53:27,829 --> 00:53:26,160
but it's much much smaller than getting

1582
00:53:29,910 --> 00:53:27,839
mars meteorites in and of course you

1583
00:53:31,670 --> 00:53:29,920
know you have to also fight the gravity

1584
00:53:34,069 --> 00:53:31,680
well for the sun you know to bring

1585
00:53:36,069 --> 00:53:34,079
disciples from venus out from venus to

1586
00:53:39,270 --> 00:53:36,079
towards the earth rather than from mars

1587
00:53:40,790 --> 00:53:39,280
falling back in towards the uh towards

1588
00:53:43,589 --> 00:53:40,800
the sun i guess i mean so you actually

1589
00:53:45,270 --> 00:53:43,599
have a number of factors and also you

1590
00:53:47,190 --> 00:53:45,280
know venus has a much

1591
00:53:48,230 --> 00:53:47,200
thicker atmosphere than mars does as

1592
00:53:50,230 --> 00:53:48,240
well so

1593
00:53:52,870 --> 00:53:50,240
just the probability of having venus

1594
00:53:54,230 --> 00:53:52,880
samples is very much lower and same same

1595
00:53:55,910 --> 00:53:54,240
thing actually for mercury there's

1596
00:53:57,990 --> 00:53:55,920
actually been suggestions that maybe we

1597
00:53:59,190 --> 00:53:58,000
have mercury and meteorites it's

1598
00:54:01,589 --> 00:53:59,200
possible

1599
00:54:03,910 --> 00:54:01,599
but i think just getting uh getting

1600
00:54:06,309 --> 00:54:03,920
samples from you know so close into the

1601
00:54:07,990 --> 00:54:06,319
sun's gravity well out to where you know

1602
00:54:10,309 --> 00:54:08,000
where the earth is is a lot less

1603
00:54:12,230 --> 00:54:10,319
probable than getting more samples into

1604
00:54:14,069 --> 00:54:12,240
earth so

1605
00:54:15,829 --> 00:54:14,079
absolutely i think we have time for

1606
00:54:18,150 --> 00:54:15,839
maybe one or two more questions let's

1607
00:54:20,069 --> 00:54:18,160
see uh so first we have a question from

1608
00:54:21,750 --> 00:54:20,079
sunakshi srivastava

1609
00:54:24,710 --> 00:54:21,760
who wants to know what you were studying

1610
00:54:26,790 --> 00:54:24,720
as an undergraduate in punjab university

1611
00:54:28,549 --> 00:54:26,800
uh and then how that got you into

1612
00:54:31,190 --> 00:54:28,559
planetary science and being connected to

1613
00:54:33,670 --> 00:54:31,200
this realm of astrobiology

1614
00:54:36,549 --> 00:54:33,680
yeah so you know i

1615
00:54:38,630 --> 00:54:36,559
i i would say i'm a classically trained

1616
00:54:40,870 --> 00:54:38,640
geologist but you know i had my training

1617
00:54:42,789 --> 00:54:40,880
in india whether but the system of

1618
00:54:43,589 --> 00:54:42,799
education is a little bit different it's

1619
00:54:45,349 --> 00:54:43,599
um

1620
00:54:47,349 --> 00:54:45,359
so i you know i had

1621
00:54:49,589 --> 00:54:47,359
major i majored in geology and had

1622
00:54:50,950 --> 00:54:49,599
minors in physics and chemistry

1623
00:54:52,549 --> 00:54:50,960
um and

1624
00:54:54,870 --> 00:54:52,559
those were sort of the areas that i

1625
00:54:57,030 --> 00:54:54,880
really focused in on i you know studied

1626
00:54:59,270 --> 00:54:57,040
a lot sedimentology paleontology

1627
00:55:01,030 --> 00:54:59,280
structural geology we had lots of field

1628
00:55:03,190 --> 00:55:01,040
work that we did in all different parts

1629
00:55:05,109 --> 00:55:03,200
of the country you know all the way from

1630
00:55:07,270 --> 00:55:05,119
the himalayas down to

1631
00:55:08,150 --> 00:55:07,280
south india places in south india and

1632
00:55:10,789 --> 00:55:08,160
and

1633
00:55:13,670 --> 00:55:10,799
um so it was a very sort of classical

1634
00:55:16,150 --> 00:55:13,680
geology training i would say but with a

1635
00:55:17,109 --> 00:55:16,160
lot of physics and chemistry mixed in

1636
00:55:19,349 --> 00:55:17,119
and

1637
00:55:21,589 --> 00:55:19,359
what i found actually i was offered a

1638
00:55:24,150 --> 00:55:21,599
job at the oil and natural gas

1639
00:55:25,109 --> 00:55:24,160
commission in india after i finished my

1640
00:55:26,309 --> 00:55:25,119
degree

1641
00:55:27,750 --> 00:55:26,319
and

1642
00:55:29,510 --> 00:55:27,760
the other option when i was thinking

1643
00:55:32,150 --> 00:55:29,520
about you know graduate school and just

1644
00:55:35,109 --> 00:55:32,160
that dream of wanting to be

1645
00:55:37,109 --> 00:55:35,119
really you know geologist but geologist

1646
00:55:39,190 --> 00:55:37,119
who studies rocks from other places in

1647
00:55:41,829 --> 00:55:39,200
the solar system geologists on the on

1648
00:55:43,829 --> 00:55:41,839
mars in a sense that's that's the dream

1649
00:55:45,990 --> 00:55:43,839
that actually brought me to

1650
00:55:49,270 --> 00:55:46,000
to graduate school in the us right and

1651
00:55:50,710 --> 00:55:49,280
so i i kind of wanted to apply the tools

1652
00:55:52,549 --> 00:55:50,720
and skills that i learned as part of

1653
00:55:55,109 --> 00:55:52,559
that geology training to other places of

1654
00:55:56,950 --> 00:55:55,119
the solar system and uh

1655
00:55:58,309 --> 00:55:56,960
that's how i got going in planetary

1656
00:55:59,829 --> 00:55:58,319
science

1657
00:56:01,510 --> 00:55:59,839
that's awesome well i'm so glad you got

1658
00:56:02,950 --> 00:56:01,520
going in planetary science and that

1659
00:56:05,270 --> 00:56:02,960
we've had this opportunity to connect

1660
00:56:07,349 --> 00:56:05,280
today uh to chat to hear about your

1661
00:56:09,109 --> 00:56:07,359
research and your experiences to talk a

1662
00:56:10,549 --> 00:56:09,119
little bit about meteorites and rocks

1663
00:56:12,789 --> 00:56:10,559
from space which is one of my favorite

1664
00:56:14,829 --> 00:56:12,799
things um thank you so much for joining

1665
00:56:17,109 --> 00:56:14,839
us for sharing your time with our

1666
00:56:19,030 --> 00:56:17,119
audience well i'm so so pleased to have

1667
00:56:20,870 --> 00:56:19,040
been able to join here and uh loved

1668
00:56:22,309 --> 00:56:20,880
having you know the

1669
00:56:23,589 --> 00:56:22,319
opportunity to answer these great

1670
00:56:25,829 --> 00:56:23,599
questions

1671
00:56:27,270 --> 00:56:25,839
yeah and you had some awesome answers uh

1672
00:56:28,630 --> 00:56:27,280
we'll have a recorded version of this

1673
00:56:31,349 --> 00:56:28,640
episode as well that will go up online

1674
00:56:32,789 --> 00:56:31,359
so others can watch later on if you'd

1675
00:56:35,430 --> 00:56:32,799
like to learn more about the school of

1676
00:56:37,510 --> 00:56:35,440
earth and space exploration cc at

1677
00:56:40,150 --> 00:56:37,520
arizona state university and dr wadwa's

1678
00:56:41,990 --> 00:56:40,160
work you can find that online as well

1679
00:56:43,990 --> 00:56:42,000
i do want to give a plug real quick for

1680
00:56:46,710 --> 00:56:44,000
the most recent version of the

1681
00:56:48,630 --> 00:56:46,720
astrobiology graphic histories was just

1682
00:56:50,710 --> 00:56:48,640
released this summer at the astrobiology

1683
00:56:52,309 --> 00:56:50,720
science conference and i just recently

1684
00:56:55,030 --> 00:56:52,319
learned that we now have not only the

1685
00:56:57,750 --> 00:56:55,040
pdf version of this available online for

1686
00:56:59,030 --> 00:56:57,760
free but now we have an epub version as

1687
00:57:01,349 --> 00:56:59,040
well who'd let for those who'd like to

1688
00:57:03,510 --> 00:57:01,359
read the nasa astrobiology graphic

1689
00:57:04,710 --> 00:57:03,520
histories on their e-reader

1690
00:57:07,190 --> 00:57:04,720
so for those of you who want to stay in

1691
00:57:08,710 --> 00:57:07,200
the loop about nasa astrobiology and the

1692
00:57:10,069 --> 00:57:08,720
things that we're doing you can sign up

1693
00:57:12,549 --> 00:57:10,079
for the newsletter you'll get the link

1694
00:57:15,910 --> 00:57:12,559
right now uh you can also follow nasa

1695
00:57:18,870 --> 00:57:15,920
astrobiology on twitter at nasa astrobio

1696
00:57:20,630 --> 00:57:18,880
you can follow me at cosmobiologist uh

1697
00:57:22,309 --> 00:57:20,640
and as always we're so appreciative of

1698
00:57:24,549 --> 00:57:22,319
all of you joining us and for learning

1699
00:57:26,950 --> 00:57:24,559
more about astrobiology for tuning in

1700
00:57:31,180 --> 00:57:26,960
for asking your questions so as always