MATERIALS OF THE UNIVERSE - FROM COSMOLOGY TO MINERALOGY TO MATERIALS SCIENCE

Recent discovery of a myriad of exoplanets and of compositional and structural complexity in our solar system has started the biggest paradigm shift in geoscience (broadly defined) since the advent of plate tectonics. No longer are we, as mineralogists and petrologists, limited to thinking about the geotherm and composition of only one modest planet. Extreme conditions from screaming hot to freezing cold, from unimaginable pressure to dilute gas, abound in the universe. Planetary exploration and remote sensing yield fragmentary evidence of complex processes, past and present. This evidence and cosmochemical constraints set the stage for an unprecedented inverse problem in mineralogy and materials science - namely what assemblage of materials is consistent with the limited observations of their properties. At the same time, materials science and engineering must provide better materials and devices for both space missions and remote sensing, including sensitive spectroscopic detectors, radiation resistant materials, and efficient and durable thermal and environmental barrier coatings. These needs offer opportunities for collaboration in research and education involving mineralogy, materials science, and space science, heralding a new age of excitement and productivity in combined disciplines I call “materials of the universe”.