New and exciting activities in the
McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences
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Recent News from McDonnell Center Fellows
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How Venus got its stripes
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From early, grainy pictures of Venus to the high-resolution images of today, one mystery has remained: Why is our closest neighbor so stripey? When the planet is viewed through UV telescopes, dark C-shaped or Y-shaped streaks mark the upper clouds, raising questions about the chemical processes that shape the atmosphere of our nearest planetary neighbor.
“We’ve known for a long time that the dense Venusian atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide and nitrogen, with thick sulfuric acid clouds,” said Alian Wang, a research professor of Earth, environmental, and planetary sciences and the leader of the Planetary Spectroscopy Research Group. “Those clouds reflect sunlight very strongly, which is why Venus looks so bright. So why do UV telescopes show so many dark streaks?”
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Welcome our newest MCSS Fellow!
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Dougal Hansen recently joined the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences as an assistant professor. He is a glaciologist with broader interests in understanding the processes shaping Earth’s surface in the cryosphere.
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| Research Assistant Professor
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Scott Van Bommel recently accepted the position of Research Assistant Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences.
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It started with a conversation between Ben Cook, a junior majoring in electrical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering , and Aaron Bobick, dean and James M. McKelvey Professor. Cook had been thinking of starting a satellite team since high school, and Bobick encouraged him to “come back with a plan.” It was the push he needed.
Now in its second year, the WashU Satellite team is taking off. Its mission: Train future engineers, inspire interdisciplinary collaboration and provide consistent space access to advance WashU research.
In April 2024, WashU Satellite launched a small weather balloon with help from James Buckley, a professor of physics who specializes in astrophysical research in high-energy phenomena.
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McDonnell Center Fellows in the News
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Recent Publications by McDonnell Center Fellows
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Adriani, O., Binns, W. R., Israel, M. H., Krawczynski, H. S., Rauch, B. F., Zober, W. V., et al. (2025). Precision spectral measurements of chromium and titanium from 10 to 250 GeV/n and sub-iron to iron ratio with the Calorimetric Electron Telescope on the International Space Station. Physical Review Letters.
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Adriani, O., Binns, W. R., Israel, M. H., Krawczynski, H. S., Rauch, B. F., Zober, W. V., et al. (2025). Detected Abundances of Nuclei Relative to 26Fe for Elements 14Si through 44Ru with CALET on the International Space Station. The Astrophysical Journal, 988(2), 148.
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From NewAthena to Gamma-Ray Lenses:
The Potential of Silicon Pore Optics
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Spaces Sciences/Astrophysics Seminar
Nicolas Barrière, Cosine
Wednesday, August 13
10:00am, Compton 241
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| What's Happening in Human Space Flight?
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St. Louis Astronomical Society
August Meeting
Thomas Rathjen, Subject Matter Expert,
Human Space Flight at The Aerospace Corporation
Friday, August 15
7:30pm, McDonnell 162
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| McDonnell Center Contacts |
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Compiled and edited by Alison Verbeck. Please send any contributions to alison@wustl.edu.
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