Purchase Order N0017322P0300

This is a $313,865 grant awarded by NASA to the Planetary Science Institute (PSI), a non-profit research organization in Tucson, Arizona. The grant is for a multi-pronged 3D modeling effort to understand the habitability of rocky planets in our solar system over time and to inform the detection and characterization of habitable exoplanets. The research aims to explore key dynamic components of planetary atmospheres, including atmospheric and oceanic heat transport, cloud variability, and the...

This is a $378,265 grant award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the University of Colorado for research on atmospheric escape from terrestrial exoplanets. The study will use validated global plasma models to understand how a planet's size, atmospheric composition, and magnetic field strength influence the loss of charged particles from its atmosphere. The research aims to determine which types of planets are most likely to retain their atmospheres when exposed...

This is a $363,724.76 grant award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to The Regents of the University of Colorado, operating as the University of Colorado, to investigate the interaction between Martian polar cryo jets and the lower atmosphere on Mars. The research aims to better understand how dust kicked up by these cryo jets affects local atmospheric conditions and transport. The project will utilize mesoscale atmospheric modeling and observations from the...

This federal grant award to the University of Colorado (CU) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is focused on advancing the understanding of cloud dynamics and radiative balance in the Venus atmosphere. The $207,351.91 grant will support a series of microphysical cloud simulations using the Community Aerosol and Radiation Model for Atmospheres (CARMA) to characterize the properties of Venus' clouds and their potential impact on the planet's atmospheric super-rotation...

Computational Physics, Inc. was awarded a $178,220.18 research grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop the Mesospheric Atmospheric Gravity Wave and Temperature Sensor (MAGWATS). The goal of this instrument is to directly image mesospheric gravity waves and temperatures at an altitude of approximately 90 km to study dynamic forcing and thermal coupling in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. This work is aligned with NASA's heliophysics research...

The University of Colorado, Boulder was awarded a $533,094 grant by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to conduct research on the dynamics of the Martian thermosphere, the upper atmosphere layer extending from 90 km to the exobase at around 200 km. The project will focus on understanding the coupling between the lower/middle Martian atmosphere, as measured by the Mars Climate Database, and the thermosphere up to the exosphere, including the aerobraking region between...

This is a $285,597 research grant awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia (UVA), a public research university. The grant supports research on "Hot-Atom Collisions in Planetary Atmospheres: Atmospheric Escape," which aims to improve the accuracy of collision cross-section models used in simulations of planetary atmosphere escape processes. This is part of the broader goal of understanding the...

This is a $149,954.21 federal grant awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to The Johns Hopkins University to conduct research on the exploration of cool and hazy exoplanet atmospheres in the laboratory. The grant is focused on studying the role of clouds and hazes in exoplanet atmospheres, particularly for planets with average temperatures below 1000 Kelvin. The research aims to enhance understanding of the nature of clouds and hazes in the atmospheres of...

This is a $448,720 grant awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Arizona State University (ASU) to study how assumptions in atmospheric retrieval models impact the interpretation of transiting exoplanet atmosphere data. The research aims to optimize modeling tools to maximize the scientific return from the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope and other future space-based platforms observing exoplanet atmospheres. Key aspects include investigating the effects of...

This federal contract award, NNX16AP50H, was granted to Arizona State University (ASU) by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to study the accretion of gas onto planets and the formation of planetary atmospheres. The $101,130.93 contract supports a 3-year research project that will use hydrodynamic simulations to examine how planets can accrete and retain substantial primary proto-atmospheres from the surrounding nebula gas, including cases where the planet is perturbed into...