THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS FUNDAMENTAL TO UNDERSTANDING THE FORMATION AND EARLY EVOLUTION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM. THIS IS A CENTRAL THEME OF NASA'S STRATEGIC GOALS AND THE EMERGING WORLDS PROGRAM. SPECIFICALLY THE NRA FOR THE EMERGING WORLDS PROGRAM STATES THAT THE PROGRAM ``AIMS TO ANSWER THE FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE QUESTION OF HOW THE SOLAR SYSTEM FORMED AND EVOLVED'' AND THAT THE PROGRAM OBJECTIVES INCLUDE ``FORMATION ACCRETION AND EVOLUTION OF SOLAR SYSTEM BODIES'' AND ``EARLY DYNAMICAL EVOLUTION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM''. HERE WE PROPOSE THEORETICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF THE FORMATION AND EARLY DYNAMICAL EVOLUTION OF THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM. THIS INCLUDES THE PLANETESIMAL ACCRETION PROCESSES EARLY DYNAMICAL EVOLUTION OF PLANETESIMALS AND PLANETARY MIGRATION/INSTABILITY. THESE THEMES ARE DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO THE NASA STRATEGIC GOALS AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND TO THE EMERGING WORLDS PROGRAM IN PARTICULAR.

Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio TX

Investigators