167: Exploring other planets with geophysics

Alexander Braun discusses planetary geophysics highlighted in October's The Leading Edge. This is the first special section dedicated to planetary geophysics in the 40-year history of The Leading Edge. And it's timely considering the many international activities evolving rapidly toward exploration of the moon, Mars, and other planets and the availability of exploration geophysics expertise within geophysical communities. This special section features five studies demonstrating applications of geophysical technologies and methods to support future planetary exploration missions. In addition, it offers a glimpse into some developing hot topics in space exploration. In this conversation with host Andrew Geary, Alex highlights the differences geophysicists should consider when applying their skills to planetary geophysics, the types of geophysical tools and techniques that work well on other planets, and the role of Earth analogue sites in exploring viable geophysical techniques. He also explains why Jurassic Park gives a poor impression of geophysics and how geophysical techniques on the moon helped turtles on Earth. This fun and engaging conversation will offer insight to scientists working in any environment. Dr. Alexander Braun is a Professor of Geophysics in the Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering and cross-appointed to the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy at Queen's University. Listen to the full archive at https://seg.org/podcast. RELATED LINKS * Alexander Braun, Mark Panning, Sean Gulick, and Yongyi Li, (2022), "Introduction to this special section: Planetary geophysics," The Leading Edge 41: 670–671. (https://doi.org/10.1190/tle41100670.1) * Read the October 2022 special section: Planetary geophysics (https://library.seg.org/toc/leedff/41/10) Subscribers can read the full articles at https://library.seg.org/, and abstracts are always free. CREDITS SEG produces Seismic Soundoff to benefit its members and the scientific community and to inform the public on the value of geophysics. To show your support for the show, please leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It takes less than five seconds to leave a 5-star rating and is the number one action you can take to show your appreciation for this free resource. And follow the podcast while you are on the app to be notified when each new episode releases. Original music created by Zach Bridges. Andrew Geary hosted, edited, and produced this episode for 51 features, LLC. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Cobb, Kathy Gamble, and Ally McGinnis.