I am fascinated by the nature of the Solar System, the discovery process through exploration and the application of knowledge to achieve goals. My research interests include meteorites, asteroids, planetary atmospheres, regoliths and the technology for landing on Solar System objects.
This page: 1. History 2. Research interests 3. Publications
1. History (starting with most recent activities)
I am currently a Post Doc in the Astronomy department at the University of Helsinki, Finland. I am researching the meteorite-asteroid link.
Some background on the subject:
A meteorite is an extraterrestrial object that survives impact with the Earth and lands on the ground. Asteroids are small Solar System objects (few 100 km down to metres) that are often irregular in shape. Only the smaller, less massive asteroids (a few tens of kilometres and less in size) are ejected into near-Earth space by the gravity of Jupiter. Many meteorite sized objects (thousands) impact the Earth each year and these can be seen as fireballs in the sky. Fireball trajectories can be used to calculate the orbit of meteorites before they impact the Earth and are found to originate in the asteroid belt. However not all meteorites are observed during their passage through the atmosphere.
Connections between asteroids and meteorites can be made by matching meteorite reflectance spectra taken from asteroids. A reflectance spectra is light reflected from an object that has been split into its component wavelengths and measured by a spectrometer. The shape of the spectra is changed by the minerals in the target but also other properties such as surface roughness. Reflectance spectra matches are not perfect between meteorites and asteroids and I am looking at how the spectra may be effected by the physical properties. This research will hopefully contribute to our understanding of the the Solar System, its formation and evolution, and help understand the threat from asteroid impacts on Earth.
From 4/08 to 12/08 I was a visiting Research Fellow at the Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute (PSSRI). I was collaborating on the design of an instrument to measure the properties of subsurface particles on an asteroid. Knowledge of these particles could help identify the physical processes (siesmic shaking, electrostatic levitation etc) that form the surface features seen on asteroids by visiting spacecraft like NEAR and Hayabusa. It is also important to know the properties of subsurface particles for thermal modelling of asteroids and understand the mechanical behaviour of asteroid soil (regolith) for landing spacecraft and other applications.
From 11/07 to 4/08 I worked at PSSRI on the European Space Agency's Exomars project developing an instrument. I prototyped a dust sensor that can measure the momentum of impacting particles. Knowing the wind speed the mass of the particles can be measured. The measurement is useful to understand erosion and deposition processes on Mars.
From 8/06 to 10/07 I was at the Finnish Meteorological Institute in Helsinki, Finland. I ran numerical code to simulate the atmosphere on Mars. The computer model, Mars Local-Area Model (MLAM), was one based on an operational model used for forecasting weather on Earth (HIRLAM). I characterised the weather (winds) on Mars in relation to surface features. I also helped validate the output from MLAM using data from Mars Global Surveyor. I combined the output from MLAM with my own numerical code that simulated the Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) of spacecraft to investigate pin-point landings on Mars. A pin point landing capability is a requirement for future landers as they will need to land crewed spacecraft next to prelanded cargo and also, in the near term, robot explorers conducting more focused scientific inquiries will need to be carefully targeted. I raised awareness that online weather forecasting will be useful for reducing the risk to landing spacecraft during the powered descent phase (running out of fuel). I was also involved with the transfer of the Viking Computer System, a database of programs to process data from the Viking Landers, onto a Linux computer.
I used Virtual Prototyping techniques from 5/06 to 7/06 to study the idea of sending humans to Mars. Virtual Prototyping is a technique where systems are tested in a simulated environment. Here it was spacecraft systems operating in the Earth atmosphere, interplanetary space and in the Mars atmosphere. I worked within a team of four people including myself. My role was to investigate Entry, Descent and Landing Systems in the Martian atmosphere.
In July 2006 I received my my PhD from the Open University in Milton Keynes. This is a new town located about 75 km north of London in the UK built in the begining of the 1970s. My PhD thesis was called Penetrometry of NEOs and other Solar System bodies.
A few words to explain my thesis title... Penetrometry is a technique to obtain physical information of a material such as that which makes up a planetary surface. NEOs are Near Earth Objects that include asteroids and comets. Sometimes (not very often) these objects slam into the Earth and can cause all kinds of havoc. Obtaining physical information of these bodies are important for understanding their evolution and for the application of deflection techniques. I was also part of the Surface Science Package Team for the Huygens spacecraft that landed on Titan, a moon of Saturn on the 14th January 2005. I assisted with the interpretation of the penetrometer data and this contributed to my thesis work and a nature paper.
2. Research interests:
Mars, near-Earth objects (asteroids, comets), planetary atmospheres, granular materials, fireballs, asteroid deflection techniques and Entry, Descent and Landing Systems.
3. Publications:
Papers
Paton, M. D, Ball, A. J., Green, S. F., Hall, C., Mucklow, M. E. T. and Zarnecki, J. C., Laboratory Simulation of a Spacecraft Landing on a Near-Earth Asteroid. Proc. 1st Hayabusa Symposium, Tokyo, 20-22 October 2004. Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series, in press
Bridges, J. C., Schwanethal, J.P., Paton, M. D., Pearson, V.K., Greenwood, J.S., Watson, J.S. and Morgan, G. H., 2004, Fireball: A very public fireball, Astronomy & Geophysics, Volume 45, Issue 6, pp. 6.25-6.26.
Zarnecki, J. C., Leese, M. R., Hathi, B., Ball, A. J., Hagermann, A., Towner, M. C., Lorenz, R. D., McDonnell, A. M., Green, S. F., Patel, M. R., Ringrose, T. J., Rosenberg, P. D., Atkinson, K. R., Paton, M. D., Banaszkiewicz, M., Clark, B. C., Ferri, F., Fulchignoni, M., Ghafoor, N. A. L., Kargl, G., Svedhem, H., Delderfield, J., Grande, M., Parker, D. J., Challenor, P. G. and Geake, J. E., 2005, A soft solid surface on Titan as revealed by the Huygens Surface Science Package, Nature, 438, 792-795
Kargl, G. Zöhrer, A., Kömle, N. I., Ball, A. J., Ringrose, T. J., Paton, M. D., Atkinson, K. R., Towner, M. C. and Kapper, K. L., The detection of small-scale structures in planetary surface materials with ground-penetrating instruments. In: Proc. 3rd Int. Planetary Probe Workshop, Anavyssos, 27 June - 1 July 2005
Irving, B., McSorley., Paton, M. and Bonin G., Virtual prototyping of human Mars missions with the Orbiter space flight simulator, Mars Society Conference 2006, Washington, DC, August 5
Paton, M. and Schmidt, W., Atmospheric modelling for realistic EDL scenarios, In: Proc. 5th Int. Planetary probe Worskshop, Bordeaux, 25 - 29 June 2007
Harri, A. -M, Leinonen, J., Merikallio, S., Paton, M., Haukka, H., Polkka, J., Linkin, V., Lipatov, V., Pichadze, K., Polyakov, A., Uspensky, M., Vasquez, L., Guerrero, H., Crisp, D., Haberle, R., Calcutt, S., Wilson, C., Taylor, P., Lange, C., Daly, M., Richter, L., Jaumann, R., Pommereau, J. -P., Forget, F., Lognonne, Ph. and Zarnecki, J., 2007, MetNet – In situ observational network and orbital platform to investigate the Martian environment, Proposal in response to Call for proposals for the first planning cycle of Cosmic Vision 2015-2025, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Reports 2007:3
Schmidt, W., Harri, A,-M, Kahanpää, H., Paton, M., Polkko, J., Kauhanen and Savijärvi, 2007, Mars Phoenix Lander: Finnish MET-sensor and landing site simulation, In: Proc. FinCOSPAR 2007, Helsinki, 4-5 October
Paton, M. D., 2007, A piloted Mars lander (serial), Avaruusluotain Rymdsonden, Suomen Avaruustutkimusseura (SATS), 3/2007 to 1/2009, vol. 42 to ?, Spaceprobe, Finnish Astronautical Society (SATS)
Paton, M. D, Kargl, G., Ball, A. J., Green, S. F., Hagermann, A., Kömle, N. I., Thiel, M. and Zarnecki, J. C., 2008, Computer Modelling of a Penetrator Thermal Sensor, Advances in Space Research, submitted
Paton, M. D. and McSorley, A., 2009, Virtual prototyping of lander for the fast transfer of humans to Mars, Jounrnal of the British Interplanetary Society, submitted
Conference presentations
Paton, M. D., Ball, A. J., Green, S. F., Hall, C., Mucklow, M. E. T. and Zarnecki, J. C., Laboratory Simulation of a Spacecraft Landing on a Near-Earth Asteroid. Poster P04.04 at the National Astronomy Meeting, Milton Keynes, 29 March - 2 April 2004, Abstract in NAM 2004 conference booklet, p.272
Paton, M. D., Ball, A. J., Green, S. F., Hall, C., Mucklow, M. E. T., Hagermann, A., Zarnecki, J. C., Kargl, G., Kömle and Thiel, M., Laboratory and computer simulation of lander penetrometer thermal and mechanical sensors, July 2004, 35th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Paris, France, 18-25 July 2004
Paton, M. D., Ball, A. J., Green, S. F., Hall, C., Mucklow, M. E. T. and Zarnecki, J. C., Laboratory simulation of a spacecraft landing on a near-Earth asteroid, International Science Symposium on Sample Returns from Solar System Minor Bodies, The First HAYABUSA Symposium, ISAS/JAXA, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, 20-23 October 2004
Kargl, G., Leese, M. R., Lorenz, R. D., Patel, M. R., Paton, M. D., Rosenberg, P. D. and Towner, M. C., Investigating Titan's Surface through Penetrometry. Poster presented at the Spring 2005 Crete Titan/Cassini-Huygens meeting: Titan after the Huygens and First Cassini Encounters, Heraklion, 30 May - 3 June 2005
Atkinson, K. R., Zarnecki, J. C., Ringrose, T. J., Ball, A. J., Green, S. F., Hagermann, A., Hathi, B., Kargl, G., Leese, M. R., Lorenz, R. D., Patel, M. R., Paton, M. D., Rosenberg, P. D. and Towner, M. C., Investigating Titan's Surface through Penetrometry. Poster presented at the Spring 2005 Crete Titan/Cassini-Huygens meeting: Titan after the Huygens and First Cassini Encounters, Heraklion, 30 May - 3 June 2005
Rosenberg, P. D., Hagermann, A., Towner, M. C., Zarnecki, J. C., Ball, A. J., Leese, M. R., Hathi, B., Svedhem, H., Ringrose, T. J., Patel, M. R., Paton, M. and Atkinson, K. R., Acoustic Investigation of Titan's Atmosphere. Poster presented at the Spring 2005 Crete Titan/Cassini-Huygens meeting: Titan after the Huygens and First Cassini Encounters, Heraklion, 30 May - 3 June 2005
Irving, B., McSorley., Paton, M. and Bonin G., Virtual prototyping of human Mars missions with the Orbiter space flight simulator, Mars Society Conference, Washington, DC, August 5 2006
Paton, M. D., Landing humans on Mars: Virtual prototyping of a Mars Lander, 26th International Space Development Conference, Dallas, 25-28 May 2007
Paton, M. D., and Schmidt, W., Atmospheric modelling for realistic EDL scenarios, Int. Planetary Probe Workshop, Bordeaux, 25 – 29 June 2007
Paton, M. D., and Schmidt, W. Atmospheric modelling for realistic EDL scenarios, FinCOSPAR, Helsinki, 4-5 October 2007
Paton, M. D. and Green, S. F., Measuring the properties of asteroid regolith subsurface particles using a penetrometer, Asteroids, Comets and Meteors, Baltimore 13-18 July 2008
Paton, M., 2009, Improvement of meteorite groupings and remote sensing techniques to strengthen the meteorite-asteroid link, Geophysics Days, Helsinki 13th-14th May