Thesis Proposal Presentation by Paul Wren on Oct. 10th
Space Studies master’s student, Paul Wren, will give his thesis proposal presentation as follows. All Space Studies students and faculty are encouraged to attend.
When: Tuesday, October 10th at 12:45 p.m.
Where: Ryan Hall, Room 111
Title: Investigation of Doublet Craters on Ceres as Evidence of Main Belt Asteroids
About the topic: A Doublet is a pair of nearby impact craters that shows evidence they were caused by a single primary impact event. Such impact features have been observed on all the inner planets, on the Moon, and on some of the moons of the outer planets. It is widely accepted that these doublet features are caused by impacts of well-separated binary asteroids. This investigation will survey a portion of the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres using Dawn Framing Camera images, searching for doublet craters. The goal is to conclusively demonstrate the existence of binary asteroids in the Main Asteroid Belt using the impact cratering record on Ceres. Furthermore, an estimate of the percentage of impact events on Ceres which are doublets could assist in constraining the binary asteroid population in the Main Belt.
About the presenter: Paul Wren received a B.S. in Computer Science (1985) from Arizona State University, and spent much of his career developing avionics software for commercial aircraft. His enthusiasm for space exploration led Paul to begin an M.S. in Space Studies in 2012, which no doubt helped him land his current position at ASU’s Mars Space Flight Facility. Paul now spends his days working with planetary scientists, and his evenings and weekends trying to become one.
This presentation will not be webcast.