Elisha J
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
Expertise
Planetary science, lunar science, geosciences, astronomy, physics
Bio
I am a planetary science PhD candidate at UCLA. I work on surface processes on the Moon and Mars and I am a member of multiple NASA planetary mission science teams. I have done fieldwork with the Artemis science team to prepare for astronauts on the Moon and I also do fieldwork for the Perseverance rover. I have a background in Astrophysics and experiences in space engineering so I would also love to work on any projects related to these too! My hobbies include gem mining, collecting tropical plants and playing with my cats.Project ideas
Searching for water ice on the Moon
Using NASA's QuickMap website that shows different lunar datasets you will create a map of potential water ice reservoirs at the lunar South Pole. You will use the existing map of permanently shadowed regions, along with hydrogen detection data from other orbital instruments (e.g. LCROSS, LEND) to identify areas where there are multiple sources of evidence for water ice at the surface. You will learn how to view different lunar datasets with NASA's QuickMap tool along with coding skills to view datasets and create geologic maps. You will write up a research paper with your findings and include a literature review on lunar water ice detections and why they are important for human exploration and in-situ resource utilization.
Measuring lunar craters to estimate impact energy
You will use NASA's QuickMap tool to measure the size of lunar craters on the highlands and mare regions of the Moon. You will learn about crater-size scaling laws and apply them to estimate impact energies of these craters. You will analyze the results to determine if there is a difference between highlands and mare craters. You will write up the project as a research paper, learning about how craters form, the physics behind the process and the geology of the Moon.