The Planetary Society has announced the latest recipients of its Science and Technology Empowered by the Public (STEP) Grants, supporting three scientific teams engaged in innovative projects that aim to enhance space exploration. These grants are funded through crowdfunding efforts and were awarded following a global call for proposals, evaluated on scientific merit, feasibility, and relevance to the Society's mission to explore worlds, find life, and defend Earth.
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Past STEP Grant projects have included research into plant growth in space, investigations of rare lakes on Earth for insights into moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and community-led searches for extraterrestrial life. Jim Bell, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University and a member of The Planetary Society’s board, emphasized the importance of these grants in advancing the frontiers of science.
The three new winners are:
1. **CORA+: Collaborative Occultation Resources and Archive for the Rubin Era**
- **Amount Awarded**: $30,000
- **Principal Investigator**: Mike Cretlow, astronomer and software engineer at the German Center for Astrophysics.
This project will leverage the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's capabilities to track stellar occultations, where distant rocky bodies obscure the light from background stars. By studying these events, researchers hope to gain insights into poorly understood trans-Neptunian objects and their characteristics, enhancing our understanding of the Solar System. Bruce Betts, chief scientist at The Planetary Society, highlighted that CORA+ will facilitate observations from various locations, providing a deeper understanding of newly discovered celestial bodies.
2. **Expanding Access to Polarimetry for Planetary Defense Applications**
- **Amount Awarded**: $49,593
- **Principal Investigator**: Nicholas Moskovitz, astronomer at Lowell Observatory.
This initiative aims to develop a low-cost polarimeter to accurately assess the sizes of near-Earth asteroids, distinguishing between potentially hazardous and benign objects. The approach uses polarization characteristics of light reflected off asteroids, allowing both professional and amateur astronomers to contribute to planetary defense efforts. Moskovitz's team plans to build and refine this device for wider accessibility.
3. **AsteroiDB: A Community Platform for Asteroid Photometry and Characterization**
- **Amount Awarded**: $50,080
- **Principal Investigator**: Miguel R. Alarcon, director of scientific operations at Light Bridges, and affiliated with Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias.
This project is designed to create a shared database for asteroid observations, focusing on their brightness fluctuations to derive critical information about size and structure. Currently in pilot form, AsteroiDB aims to enhance collaboration among researchers worldwide by providing a comprehensive platform for analyzing asteroid characteristics.
The proposals were evaluated by a panel including experts from various institutions, including former NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld and other notable members of The Planetary Society’s board. The STEP Grants continue to enable significant contributions to space science and exploration.