Methods for Experimental Planetary Geology in Reduced-gravity Parabolic Flight: A Case Study of Researching Impact Crater Ejecta
Geologists have long conducted laboratory experiments to offer a controlled environment for understanding processes that occur in nature and linking those processes with natural geologic landforms. And, for over 70 yr, pilots and researchers have accessed reduced-gravity and microgravity conditions...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Planetary Science Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adb74c |
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| Summary: | Geologists have long conducted laboratory experiments to offer a controlled environment for understanding processes that occur in nature and linking those processes with natural geologic landforms. And, for over 70 yr, pilots and researchers have accessed reduced-gravity and microgravity conditions by flying aircraft in parabolic arc-shaped trajectories. However, only recently (technically since the 1980s but practically since the 2010s) has experimental geology begun to find a home in reduced-gravity flight with application to the solid-bodied worlds of the solar system. The methodology of our recent experimental campaign investigating impact crater ejecta emplacement serves as a case study in reduced-gravity experimental geology. We hope this case study will inspire future utilization of reduced-gravity flight as a laboratory method for better understanding geological processes on worlds throughout the solar system. |
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| ISSN: | 2632-3338 |