Prof Stephen Lewis

COMPET 8 - 2014: Science in context: sample curation facility and scientific exploitation of data from Mars missions

STFC DTP annual allowance. 5 studentships allocated to 2020 intake.

A project to study the effects of wind as a geological process at the ExoMars Rover landing site. The project included in-situ, remote sensing, climate/windflow modelling and fieldwork.

STFC Planetary Science Consolidated grant - details to be entered here.

In this proposal, we seek to understand the martian atmospheric chlorine cycle through global and mesoscale atmosphere modelling, linking new TGO observations to surface observations of perchlorate on Mars made by landers and rovers, to aid in interpretation of ExoMars 2022 Rover data. The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) and Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD) instrument teams on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) mission have recently announced the ground-breaking detection of HCl in the atmosphere of Mars [1]. We will study the atmospheric photochemistry of HCl and the links by which chlorine is exchanged between the atmosphere and the surface, including the formation of perchlorate salts. We are uniquely well-placed to conduct this study with our heritage at the Open University, as Co-PI and Co-Is on the two TGO spectrometers and with atmospheric modelling capability, having demonstrated a successful gas-phase photochemical chlorine scheme in our Mars global circulation model [2, 3].

STFC Open 2018 DTP

STFC studentship quota for those with core research activity in the areas of astronomy, solar system science, particle physics, accelerator science and nuclear physics.

STFC studentship quota for those with core research activity in the areas of astronomy, solar system science, particle physics, accelerator science and nuclear physics.

Aurora Science AO proposal to combine TGO and InSight data, to search for trace gas atmospheric signatures of seismic activities on Mars. This proposal exploits the OU leadership role in the TGO mission (NOMAD) in collaboration with Oxford University's leadership role in the InSight mission (SEIS-SP).

This proposal aims to exploit data from the NOMAD instrument aboard the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter. This will be achieved through a combination of computer modelling (on both global and local scales) as well as the assimilation of NOMAD data into these models.

STFC 2017 DTP

ExoMars TGO Science proposal

Development of Mars global atmospheric and surface models and a software interface to make their output more easily accessible for mission planning and engineering tasks.

We will provide predictions of surface pressure for all landing sites under consideration for the NASA Mars 2020 Rover. Surface pressure will be derived using a global circulation model with data assimilation (using atmospheric thermal and opacity data from Mars Global Surveyor/Thermal Emission Spectrometer and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter/Mars Climate Sounder), with an additional constraint from Viking Lander pressure measurements. We will validate the results through comparisons with independent measurements of surface pressure, primarily derived from radio occultations but also using Mars Science Laboratory/Rover Environmental Monitoring Station. We performed the same task previously in support of Mars Science Laboratory entry, descent and landing in Gale Crater, where our predictions achieved an accuracy of ~1%.

This grant supports a PhD studentship to perform atmospheric global and mesoscale modelling studies of small and medium scale dust events with relevance to ExoMars EDM and Rover entry, descent and landings. The student will investigate the behaviour of dust lifting parameterizations in the models that simulate the effect of small, convective vortices (dust devils) and lifting by large-scale near surface wind stress. The dependence on both local time of day, time of year and model resolution will be investigated. Results will be validated against past spacecraft entry, descent and landing data, with the aim of making improved predictions for future events.

The aim of our programme in Astronomy & Planetary Science at the Open University (APSOU) is to carryout detailed investigations of the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets with a special emphasis on our own Solar System through a combination of observation, simulation, laboratory analysis and theoretical modelling. Our research is divided into two broad areas, reflecting the historical research strengths. This research programme is well-matched to both nationally- and internationally-agreed research imperatives. In its final report, A Science Vision for European Astronomy2, Astronet’s Science Working Group identified four broad areas of strategic importance; our research covers major topics within each of these areas. APSOU projects also map onto two of the four Science Challenges that form STFC’s Road Map3 for science (‘How did the universe begin and how is it evolving?’ and ‘How do stars and planetary systems develop and is life unique to our planet?’). The present APSOU programme comprises 20 projects (labelled A to T), of which 6 are for consideration by the Astronomy Observation (AO) panel, 1 for Astronomy Theory (AT), and 13 for the Planetary Studies (PL) panel. The AO projects cover the breadth of the 7 themes recognised as UK strengths in the report of STFC’s Astronomy Advisory Panel (AAP), whilst the 13 PL projects are directed towards answering questions raised in two of the three themes identified as UK strengths in the roadmap of STFC’s Solar System Advisory Panel (SSAP)4.

Development of Mars global atmospheric and surface models and a software interface to make their output more easily accessible for mission planning and engineering tasks.