Daily Archives: July 11, 2017

Residents in West Texas and Southern New Mexico may not be aware of a massive volcanic crater in the area, but Kilbourne Hole is no secret to geologists and NASA researchers from around the nation. The National Natural Landmark is about 30 miles west of the Franklin Mountains and is known as a maar volcano.

About 24,000 years ago, there was lava, magma that came up from deep within the Earth, and it hit shallow groundwater in the aquifer that was here, explained Jose Hurtado, Ph.D., professor of geological sciences. It was a lot wetter back then. That water turned to steam and that steam built up immense pressure, and that pressure was released in a massive explosion that produced Kilbourne Hole. The explosion also threw out pulverized material exposed in layers.

Mother Natures unique imprint in the middle of the desert is what draws Hurtado and other researchers to the massive pit for exploration and research. The location has many rare minerals remaining, including olivine glass granules.

While he usually takes his students on the venture, Hurtado recently guided a group of NASA scientists and engineers, as well as a group of journalists, on a weeklong expedition.

The group is part of theRIS4Eprogram Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration (RIS4E) and was in the area to explore different techniques for merging science and space exploration.

This team brings together a diverse group of scientists and engineers to explore how portable instruments could be used by astronauts in the future, said Jacob Bleacher, research scientist with the NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center. The end goal is for us to find the problems with using the instruments here, in an environment where we can come back and test them again. We would like to make sure that the problems dont come up on Mars or the moon when the astronauts are there.

The fieldwork had been conducted on the big island of Hawaii, but for the next couple of years, it will be at Kilbourne Hole and nearby small shield volcano Aden Crater.

This location is a very important place, Bleacher said. Analogs, or sites that are similar to what we expect to see on other planets, are a very fundamental part of these test runs for humans going somewhere else in the solar system. UTEP is ideally located near the Potrillo volcanic field, which is where Kilbourne Hole is located. This volcanic field as a whole is ideal to look at because most of the other places we are looking at exploring, like the moon and Mars, theyre very volcanic dominated So understanding processes that can be studied firsthand here is very important to us.

NASA Astronaut Barry Butch E. Wilmore, a U.S. Navy captain, knows firsthand how important research and testing are to space missions.

You have to have procedures in place, systems in place, equipment in place ready to go do those things, Wilmore said. You cant just fire that up at the last minute. Even during Apollo it was decades prior that they were doing preparations for what eventually took place on the moon in the late 60s, early 70s, and thats exactly what we are doing now: getting prepared for what could happen decades from now.

To date, Wilmore has logged 178 days in space and has completed four space walks. He completed his first flight as pilot on STS-129, the final space shuttle crew rotation flight to or from the space station; served as flight engineer aboard the International Space Station for Expedition 41 and then as commander of Expedition 42. He was on the ground for the research at Kilbourne Hole.

I think the first time I saw it, I thought about landing and we picked a good spot, just from the visual of it, Wilmore recalled about his first impression of the crater. There are so many different layers. Its very interesting to see places like this and then come in here and assess how it all got here.

According to the Bureau of Land Management, Kilbourne Hole measures 1.7 miles long by well over a mile across, and is hundreds of feet deep. Wilmore and the team used various parts of the crater for testing and simulations. The astronaut said it is important to have a diverse group that includes students.

You dont have a small group of people do great things, it takes a nation, he said. Having these students and some journalists out here its a training ground for them to do what they are passionate about. The thought of space travel has inspired us for generations and it does these young folks as well.

Six of Hurtados students assisted with the NASA project. They helped guide members and observed and aided the geology expert with his assignment of flying a drone to collect data.

I think this is a great opportunity for students to get involved in research like this, make connections and overall get inspired to be part of future exploration, Hurtado said.

It was the fourth visit to Kilbourne Hole for UTEP doctoral candidate in forensic geology Valeria Martinez, but her first time working alongside NASA scientists and an astronaut.

To see the similarities [with Mars and the moon], its what makes every scientist excited, she said. Its not just a hole, its a crater and you can see the science behind it.

While there is no question the quest was exciting, Martinez said fieldwork is critical for students.

You can read about it, you can know it theoretically, but you have to be hands-on and see it for yourself, she said. You need the field geology in order for students to understand what theyre seeing, what theyre reading, so they can connect the dots.

Professor Timothy Glotch, Ph.D., of Stony Brook University leads the RIS4E team with the assistance of Darby Dyer, Ph.D., from Mount Holyoke College. Multiple project collaborators involved come from across the nation with diverse backgrounds and strengths. The program is one of nine nodes of NASAs Solar System Exploration and Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI). Read more aboutSSERVIonline.

Author:Lauren Macias-Cervantes UTEP Communications

Original post:

Local Volcanic Crater is Test Bed for Future Space Exploration - El Paso Herald-Post (press release) (registration) (blog)

PEORIA, AZ - The Arizona Challenger Space Center in Peoria will close in August after its building was sold, but its operators don't plan on leaving the area.

Executive Director Beverly Swayman confirmed Tuesday that the space center will close on August 5.

The team will then have to clear the 28,000-square-foot building of its flight simulator, artifacts, and displays by September 30, a time-consuming and costly task, she said.

It is not clear who bought the building or how it will be used.

What is clear is that the space center has to find a new home.

Swayman said the space center is currently looking for a new space to move the center's exhibits, but also a space that will allow the center's programs and artifacts to grow.

"It's not just a memorial," she said. "It is a living, breathing entity."

"It isn't about a building. It's what happens inside that building," she added.

She said the space center was going to announce classes and workshops in robotics and coding soon. Those programs have been tabled because of the impending move.

The center's flight simulator alone will take three weeks to pack and move, and another two weeks to reassemble, she said, a cost estimated to be $300,000.

The cost to relocate the entire facility is estimated to be between $500,000 and $1,000,000.

"It's a formidable amount," she said. And not in their budget.

She said the former owner of the building said he would help with relocation costs, but the center will also be asking for the public's help.

The space center has been in talks with many areas, said Swayman, but has primarily spoken with representatives in Glendale, Peoria and Phoenix.

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiersconfirmed through a spokeswoman that he has had "initial discussions" with a Board member for the space center and "is in support of them coming to Glendale." No specific sites have been identified.

Cathy Carlat, mayor of Peoria, said in a statement that she was "disheartened" about the space center's move and that she "has great respect for Challenger Centers throughout our nation, who bring hands on interest to kids in STEM subjects."

"It's unfortunate that this matter between the private properly owner and the Challenger Space Center has interrupted their mission. It is my hope that they will endeavor to carry on as an exciting space-based learning environment," the statement continued.

A ONE-OF-A-KIND MURAL

Relocating also means that the center's 360-degree mural painted by artist Robert McCall, reportedly his last before his death in 2010, will have to be left behind.

"We wish there was a way to bring the mural with us to our new location, but in consulting with preservation experts, the risk of damage would be too great to try to remove it from the existing building," Swayman said in a news release."We are hopeful that the new owners will appreciate the importance of this work and continue to make it available to the public."

The mural is valued at $500,000, but to Swayman, it is irreplaceable.

The space center,an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, opened in 2000 and pays tribute to space exploration and the astronauts lost in the 1986 Challenger disaster.

Swayman said the space center is one of four centers that are independently funded and the only one in the state. It is not funded by a university or government program.

It was supported by the Peoria Unified School District, but that funding was pulled in 2005, according to the GlendaleStar.com, who first reported on the center's closure.

MEMBERSHIPS, SCHOOL TRIPS AND CAMPS:

The Space Center said it is working with schools who have already booked field trips to the fall. The options include rescheduling the trip once the center moves or booking an outreach program.

Memberships and complimentary passes will be extended for the timeframe it takes to relocate, according to the release.

Summer Camps, including Cosmic Kids Camp, will still go on as planned.

Stargazing Nights previously scheduled for August and September have been canceled.

EXTENDED HOURS:

The center said it will also extend its hours prior to closing on August 5. The hours will be updated weekly on its website, http://www.azchallenger.org.

More here:

Arizona Challenger Space Center to close in August after building sold, now looking for new home - ABC15 Arizona