Brandon Johnson, an expert in impact crater dynamics, surrounded by some of his favorite research subjects: Mercury, Mars and the moon. (Purdue University photo/Rebecca McElhoe)
Impacts affect the porosity and structure of moons and planets more dramatically than scientists suspected, increasing their potential habitability for life
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The harder you hit something – a ball, a walnut, a geode – the more likely it is to break open. Or, if not break open, at least lose a little bit of its structural integrity, the way baseball players pummel new gloves to make them softer and more flexible. Cracks, massive or tiny, form and bear a silent, permanent witness to the impact.
Studying how those impacts affect planetary bodies, asteroids, moons and other rocks in space helps planetary scientists including Brandon Johnson, associate professor, and Sean Wiggins, postdoctoral researcher, in the College of Science
