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Given the fundamental importance of and universal interest in whether extraterrestrial life has developed or could eventually develop in our solar system and beyond, it is vital that an examination of planetary habitability go beyond simple assumptions such as, "Where there is water, there is life". This book has resulted from a workshop at the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern, Switzerland which brought together planetary geologists, geophysicists, atmospheric scientists and biologists to discuss the multi-faceted problem of how the habitability of a planet co-evolves with the geology of the surface and interior, the atmosphere, and the magnetosphere.Each of the six chapters have been written by authors with a range of expertise so that each chapter is itself multi-disciplinary, comprehensive, and accessible to scientists in all disciplines. These chapters delve into what life needs to exist and ultimately to thrive, the early environments of the young terrestrial planets, the role of volatiles in habitability, currently habitable (but possibly not inhabited) geologic environments, the connection between a planet's inner workings and the habitability of its surface, and the effects on planetary atmospheres of solar evolution and the presence or absence of a magnetosphere.This book serves as an ideal reference for those planning missions that will hunt for biomarkers (especially on Mars), for biologists and geoscientists seeking the other side of the story, and for researchers and upper level students interested in an in-depth review of the geologic evolution of terrestrial planets, from their cores to their magnetospheres, and how that evolutionshapes the habitability of the planetary surface.
E-Book Content
Kathryn E. Fishbaugh Philippe Lognonné François Raulin David J. Des Marais Oleg Korablev Editors
Geology and Habitability of Terrestrial Planets
Introduction by Kathryn E. Fishbaugh, David J. Des Marais, Oleg Korablev, Philippe Lognonné and François Raulin
Reprinted from Space Science Reviews Volume 129, Issues 1–3, 2007
Kathryn E. Fishbaugh International Space Science Institute (ISSI), Hallerstrasse 6, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland François Raulin Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA, UMR CNRS), Université Paris VII et Paris XII, Val de Marne, 61 Av. du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France
Philippe Lognonné Equipe Etudies Spatiales et Planétologie (IPGP), Université de Paris VII, 4 Avenue Neptune, 94107 Saint Maur des Fossés, France David J. Des Marais NASA Ames Research Center, Mail Stop 239-4, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
Oleg Korablev Russian Space Research Institute (IKI), Profsoyuznaya 84/32, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Cover illustration: Bubbling hot spring in Yellowstone National Park, USA. Photo taken by Gordon Southam Library of Congress Control Number: 2007934537
ISBN-978-0-387-74287-8
e-ISBN-978-0-387-74288-5
Printed on acid-free paper. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC., 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. 987654321 springer.com
Contents
Introduction: A Multidisci