• Chair, Earth and Planetary Sciences

Raymond Arvidson

Download

• Ph.D. at Brown University
• Master's Degree in Geology at Brown University
• Bachelor's Degree in Geology at Temple University

News Stories & Tip Sheets:

Showing Stories 1 through 5 of 12.  - Show More

'An amazing individual' Steve Fossett memorial service at Washington University May 1 April 28, 2008 -- A memorial service for adventurer Steve Fossett, a member of Washington University's Board of Trustees and a 1968 MBA graduate of the university's Olin Business School, will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 1, in Graham Chapel.

Dating moon rocks from the Apollo missions, and more Earth and planetary sciences, Chinese Academy, sign research agreement Sept. 24, 2007 -- David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Raymond E. Arvidson, Ph.D., James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor, and chair of earth and planetary sciences (left), and Dong Shuwen, Ph.D., vice president of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, sign an agreement between Arvdison's department and the Academy. The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS) have signed a research agreement that will involve collaboration on a number of research thrusts, travel between the two institutions, and eventually student exchanges that could lead to some Chinese students attaining doctorates from Washington University in St. Louis. The agreement was signed Sept. 18 at a ceremony and reception held on the third floor of the Earth and Planetary Sciences building.

Mars made accessible New software enables easy access to huge Mars database Aug. 2, 2007 -- Image courtesy of NASA The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) taking pictures of Mars. A software program developed by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis is allowing access to planetary data and early images from the most powerful spectral camera ever sent to Mars. The information is now available on NASA's online planetary data archive.

Soft landing Undergraduate paves way for NASA Mars mission April 16, 2007 -- Tabatha Heet, a junior earth and planetary sciences major and Pathfinder student, shows Ray Arvidson, earth and planetary sciences department chair, a potential landing site for the Phoenix mission to Mars. Download Earth and planetary scientists at Washington University in St. Louis are paving the way for a smooth landing on Mars for the Phoenix Mission scheduled to launch in August this year by making sure the set-down literally is not a rocky one. A team led by Raymond E. Arvidson, Ph.D., James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences, has been analyzing images taken from a NASA instrument to make sure that the Phoenix spacecraft lands in a spot on the Red planet's northern plains that is relatively rock-free. More...

Volcanoes and ice NASA spacecraft read layered clues to changes on Mars Dec. 13, 2006 -- NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona. Polar layered deposits exposed in a scarp at the head of Chasma Boreale, a large canyon on Mars. Mars climate history, recorded in ice-rich deposits near the poles, on crater-wall cliffs and ancient sand dunes, is being revealed by a trio of NASA instruments now flying over and rolling across the planet, suggest Washington University in St. Louis researchers playing key roles in the mission.

Showing Stories 1 through 5 of 12.  - Show More

Clips:

Showing Clips 1 through 3 of 10.  - Show More

Show More Clips

NASA Spacecraft Fine Tunes Course For Mars Landing ScienceDaily.com and 21 others April 11, 2008 -- NASA engineers have adjusted the flight path of the Phoenix Mars Lander, setting the spacecraft on course for its May 25 landing on the Red Planet. ...

NASA Cut Means No Roving for Mars Rover Associated Press and 92 others March 25, 2008 -- Scientists plan to put one of the twin Mars rovers to sleep and limit the activities of the other robot to fulfill a NASA order to cut $4 million from the program's budget, mission team members said Monday. The cut comes at a time when the robots are in the midst of an extensive exploration campaign, said deputy principal investigator and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson.

NASA Mars Rover Churns Up Questions With Sulfur-Rich Soil ScienceDaily.com, NewScientist.com (UK) and 14 others March 15, 2007 -- Some bright Martian soil containing lots of sulfur and a trace of water intrigues researchers who are studying information provided by NASA's Spirit rover. "This material could have been left behind by water that dissolved these minerals underground, then came to the surface and evaporated, or it could be a volcanic deposit formed around ancient gas vents," said WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson. He is the deputy principal investigator for NASA's twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity.

The Laboratory is the location of NASA's Planetary Data System Geosciences Node and one of NASA's Regional Planetary Image Facilities. Laboratory personnelare responsible for creating and distributing science data archives from planetary missions, working closely with the missions to ensure that the archives are complete and well-documented.

Laboratory staff and graduate student research currently focuses primarily on analyses of spaceborne observations of Mars, particularly to understand how the planet has evolved and the extent to which it was habitable. The unraveling of geological processes and defining geochemical cycles of possible biological relevance form the core of the research. Remote sensing from orbital, landed, and rover-based platforms, together with development and use of quantitative approaches for modeling the data and processes are our primary tools.

Students are also actively involved in the Laboratory as a part of innovative undergraduate courses such as the Pathfinder Program in Environmental Sustainability, in which multidisciplinary approaches to environmental problems are stressed with hands-on experience.