The Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), held March 19–23, 2012 in Woodlands, Texas, was a memorable one. In the face of disheartening news of a proposed 20% cut to NASA’s planetary science budget, it was very encouraging to see a huge turnout from UCLA at this year’s LPSC. Highlights included new results from DAWN at Vesta and Messenger at Mercury, as well as new isotopic studies of extraterestrial samples and theoretical work concerning Enceladus’ plumes. Not only did we have more than 20-25 people (counting recent graduates) presenting work on topics ranging from Vesta, the Moon, Mars, Earth impacts and the early solar system, but UCLA was also a dominant force in starting the “Young Scientists for Planetary Exploration” movement, which was set up as a means of lobbying congress to restore planetary funding. Here are this year’s UCLA LPSC Abstracts:
- K. Ziegler, M. Zolensky, E. D. Young, A. Ivanov Oxygen Isotope Compositions of the Kaidun Meteorite — Indications for Aqueous Alteration of E-Chondrites
- E. A. Bell, T. M. Harrison Trace Elements Reveal a Possible Link Between Jack Hills Detrital Zircons and the Late Heavy Bombardment
- V. S. Heber, A. J. G. Jurewicz, P. Janney, M. Wadhwa, K. D. McKeegan, D. S. Burnett Magnesium Isotopic Composition of Solar Wind as Test for Sun-Solar Wind Isotopic Fractionation: A Progress Report
- P. H. Warren Constraints on the Impact-Accreted Carapace Hypothesis for the Lunar Farside Highlands
- D. A. Paige, J. K. Harmon, D. E. Smith, M. T. Zuber, G. A. Neumann, S. C. Solomon Thermal Stability of Frozen Volatiles in the North Polar Region of Mercury
- J. R. Lyons CO Self-Shielding by Various Stellar Sources
- L. P. Keller, K. D. McKeegan, Z. D. Sharp The Oxygen Isotopic Composition of MIL 090001: A CR2 Chondrite with Abundant Refractory Inclusions
- P. O. Hayne, O. Aharonson, J. L. Bandfield, B. T. Greenhagen, D. A. Paige The Surface Roughness of the Moon from Diviner Infrared Observations
- J. W. Boyce, C. Ma, J. M. Eiler, M. B. Baker, Y. Liu, E. M. Stolper, L. A. Taylor Sulfur Speciation in Lunar and Terrestrial Apatite
- G. A. Neumann, J. F. Cavanaugh, X. Sun, E. Mazarico, D. E. Smith, M. T. Zuber, S. C. Solomon, D. A. Paige Dark Material at the Surface of Polar Crater Deposits on Mercury
- P. H. Warren, A. E. Rubin The Miller Range 090340 Dunite: Not a Uniquely Ferroan Ureilite, not even a Ureilite
- A. Shahar, L. A. Kaufman, M. F. Horan, T. D. Mock, L. Deng, C. A. Macris Iron Isotope Fractionation During Planetary Differentiation
- F. Zambon, M. C. De Sanctis, E. Ammannito, M. T. Capria, F. Capaccioni, F. Carraro, S. Fonte, A. Frigeri, G. Magni, S. Marchi, E. Palomba, F. Tosi, D. T. Blewett, C. A. Raymond, C. T. Russell, T. N. Titus Classification of Dawn VIR hyperspectral Data of Vesta
- T. Roatsch, E. Kersten, K.-D. Matz, F. Preusker, F. Scholten, R. Jaumann, C. A. Raymond, C. T. Russell High Resolution Vesta HAMO Atlas Derived from Dawn FC Images
- J. Marin-Carbonne, K. D. McKeegan, A. D. Davis, G. J. MacPherson, R. A. Mendybaev, F. M. Richter O, Si and Mg Isotopic Compositions of FUN Inclusion Vigarano 1623-5
- J. G. Luhmann, M. Villarreal, Y. J. Ma, C. T. Russell, H. Y. Wei, T. L. Zhang The Venus Solar Wind Interaction — Is It Purely Ionospheric?
- J. L. Bandfield, E. Song, P. O. Hayne, R. R. Ghent, D. A. Paige Lunar “Cold Spots”: A New Class of Thermophysically and Morphologically Distinct Craters
- J. Isa, A. E. Rubin, J. T. Wasson Bulk Compositions of CV and CK Chondrites: Support for a Close Relationship
- S. C. Ingalls, E. D. Young, M. Gounelle Do Magnesium Isotope Systematics of Al-Rrich Chondrules Offer Insights into the History of Chondrule Formation in General?
- Y.-D. Jia, C. T. Russell, K. K. Khurana, T. I. Gombosi Constraining Seasonal Changes of the Enceladus Plume
- J. E. C. Scully, C. T. Russell, A. Yin, D. A. Williams, D. T. Blewett, D. L. Buczkowski, E. Ammannito, T. Roatsch, F. Preusker, L. Le Corre, R. A. Yingst, W. B. Garry, R. Jaumann, C. M. Pieters, C. A. Raymond Geologic Mapping of the Av-4 Domitia Quadrangle of Asteroid 4 Vesta
- D. E. Moser, K. R. Chamberlain, K. T. Tait, A. K. Schmitt, I. R. Barker, B. C. Hyde, J. R. Darling Microstructure and U-Pb Dates of Martian Baddeleyite Rimmed by Zircon Indicate a ‘Young’ Igneous and Metamorphic History for Shergottite NWA 5298
- E. D. Young, A. Shahar
Magnesium, Silicon, and Oxygen Isotopic Consequences of CAI Evaporation and Inversion for Primordial Melt Compositions - C. C. Allen, B. T. Greenhagen, K. L. Donaldson Hanna, D. Z. Oehler, D. A. Paige Derivation of FeO Abundances in Lunar Pyroclastic Deposits Using LRO Diviner
- M. E. Walker, J. L. Mitchell A Model for the Elastic Libration of Europa’s Ice Shell
- A. E. Rubin Impact-Induced Aqueous Alteration of CM and CV Carbonaceous Chondrites
- J. R. Lyons Isotope Signatures in Organics due to CO and N_2 Self-Shielding
- C. J. Snead, K. D. McKeegan, M. Burchell, A. T. Kearsley Oxygen Isotope Measurements of Simulated Wild 2 Impact Crater Residues
- M. M. Wielicki, T. M. Harrison, P. Boehnke, A. K. Schmitt Modeling Zircon Saturation Within Simulated Impact Events: Implications on Impact Histories of Planetary Bodies
- J.-P. Williams, A. V. Pathare Scaling Effective Diameters of Small Impact Crater Clusters on Mars
- J.-P. Williams Stagnant Lid Heterogeneity on Mars
- C. J. Budney, L. L. Lowes, A. M. Sohus, A. S. Wessen, T. D. Stelzner, A. Urban NASA Planetary Science Summer School: Preparing the Next Generation of Planetary Mission Leaders
- B. J. Travis, G. Schubert Hydrothermal Flow Within Enceladus
- R. A. Mendybaev, F. M. Richter, J. Marin-Carbonne, K. D. McKeegan Crystallization of Evaporating Forsterite-Rich Melts: Texture and Magnesium and Silicon Isotopic Compositions of the Evaporation Residues
- J.-Ph. Combe, T. B. McCord, E. Palomba, M. C. De Sanctis, T. H. Prettyman, C. M. Pieters, E. Ammannito, F. Capaccioni, M. T. Capria, C. A. Raymond, C. T. Russell Water and Other Volatiles on Vesta After the Lunar Case
- T. B. McCord, J.-Ph. Combe, C. Taffin Composition of a Comet Nucleus: Preparing for Rosetta Observations
- M. A. Siegler, B. G. Bills, D. A. PaigeSpatio-Temporal Evolution of Lunar Polar Cold Traps
- E. J. Foote, D. A. Paige, M. K. Shepard, J. R. Johnson, W. M. Grundy, S. F. Biggar, B. T. Greenhagen, C. C. Allen Laboratory and Diviner Bidirectional Reflectance Measurements of Apollo Soils
- W. B. Garry, M. V. Sykes, D. L. Buczkowski, D. A. Williams, R. A. Yingst, S. C. Mest, R. Jaumann, C. M. Pieters, T. Roatsch, F. Preusker, C. T. Russell, C. A. Raymond, G. Filacchione, Dawn Science Team Geologic Mapping of Av-10 Oppia Quadrangle of Asteroid 4 Vesta
- F. Capaccioni, M. C. De Sanctis, E. Ammannito, J. Y. Li, A. Longobardo, D. W. Mittlefehldt, E. Palomba, C. M. Pieters, S. E. Schroeder, F. Tosi, H. Hiesinger, D. T. Blewett, C. T. Russell, C. A. Raymond Spectral Characterization of Bright Materials on Vesta
- T. Hoogenboom, P. Schenk, O. L. White, D. Williams, H. Heisinger, W. B. Garry, R. A. Yingst, D. L. Buczkowski, T. B. McCord, R. Jaumann, C. M. Pieters, R. W. Gaskell, G. Neukum, N. Schmedemann, S. Marchi, A. Nathues, L. LeCorre, T. Roatsch, F. Preusker, M. C. De Sanctis, G. Fillacchione, C. A. Raymond, C. T. Russell Geologic Mapping of the Av-11 Pinaria Quadrangle of Asteroid 4 Vesta
- M. D. Hopkins, S. J. Mojzsis Early Thermal Events Recorded in Zircon U-Th-Pb Depth Profiles from Eucrite Meteorites and Lunar Impact Breccias
- J. P. Greenwood, S. Itoh, N. Sakamoto, P. H. Warren, L. A. Taylor, H. Yurimoto Towards a Wetter Moon: Implications of High Volatile Abundances in Lunar Apatite
- A. Morschhauser, M. Grott, V. Lesur A New Model of the Lithospheric Field of Mars Using MGS-MPO Data and L1-Regularization
- M. C. De Sanctis, A. Nathues, E. Ammannito, F. Capaccioni, A. Frigeri, L. Le Corre, R. Jauman, E. Palomba, C. M. Pieters, V. Reddy, K. Stephan, F. Tosi, A. Yingst, F. Zambon, M. A. Barucci, D. T. Blewett, M. T. Capria, J.-Ph. Combe, B. W. Denevi, H. U. Keller, S. Marchi, T. B. McCord, L A. McFadden, H. McSween, C. A. Raymond, C. T. Russell, J. Sunshine, M. Toplis, J. Y. Li First Mineralogical Maps of 4 Vesta
- K. Krohn, R. Jaumann, K. Stephan, C. M. Pieters, R. Wagner, R. A. Yingst, D. A. Williams, P. Schenk, G. Neukum, N. Schmedemann, T. Kneissl, M. C. De Sanctis, A. Nathues, D. L. Buczkowski, T. Roatsch, F. Preusker, E. Kersten, C. T. Russell, C. A. Raymond Geologic Mapping of the Av-12 Sextlia Quadrangle of Asteroid 4 Vesta
- J. Watkins, A. Yin Spatial and Temporal Relationships of Landslides in Valles Marineris, Mars: Constraints on Their Triggering Mechanisms
- D. W. Mittlefehldt, J.-Y. Li, C. M. Pieters, M. C. De Sanctis, S. E. Schroder, H. Hiesinger, D. T. Blewett, C. T. Russell, C. A. Raymond, R. A. Yingst, Dawn Science TeamTypes and Distribution of Bright Materials on 4 Vesta
- D. L. Domingue, F. Vilas, P. M. Travnicek, M. Benna, D. Schriver, M. Sarantos A Search for Latitudinal Variation in Space Weathering on Mercury’s Surface
- C. A. Crow, K. D. McKeegan, J. D. Gilmour, S. A. Crowther, D. J. Taylor Are Apollo Zircons Witness to a Lunar Cataclysm?
- K. D. Runyon, D. M. Blair, M. Lemelin, D. Nowka, C. E. Roberts, D. A. Paige, P. Spudis, D. A. Kring Volatiles at the Lunar South Pole: A Case Study for a Mission to Amundsen Crater
- C. E. Roberts, D. M. Blair, M. Lemelin, D. Nowka, K. D. Runyon, D. A. Paige, P. D. Spudis, D. A. Kring The Potential for Volatiles in the Intercrater Highlands of the Lunar North Pole
- T. B. McCord, J.-Ph. Combe, R. Jaumann, E. Palomba, V. Reddy, D. T. Blewett, H. Y. McSween Jr., C. A. Raymond, D. Williams, Dawn Team Dark Material on Vesta: Synthesis and Interpretations from Dawn Observations
- A. Yin High Mantle Viscosity Controls the Enormous Size of Martian Volcanoes: A Hypothesis Based on Inferences from Rayleigh-Taylor Instability Theory
