Facilities

Lunar Laboratory - Exley 332

Planetary Laboratory - Exley 423

Two ASD portable reflectance spectometers (0.3 to 1.0 microns and 0.3 to 2.5 microns) are used for field and laboratory applications. The lab contains three workstations (two Mac, 1 PC) and a 42" printer; ENVI, ISIS and GIS software are installed. The lab also houses image and other data from the Magellan, Viking, Galileo, Mars Pathfinder, Voyager and Clementine missions, aerial photographs of Connecticut, selected terrestrial satellite data, primarily of Connecticut, and planetary geologic maps.

Solar System Geochemistry Laboratory - Exley 334

This lab contains equipment and facilities for the experimental study of low-temperature aqueous geochemical and geomicrobiological processes on the chemistry of Martian fluids and soils, the chemical origin of oceans on Solar System bodies, and the microbial controls of the sulfur cycle on Earth (and possibly Mars and Europa). A Beckman-Coulter DU530 UV/VIS spectrophotometer, Leica DMLB biological microscope with epifluorescence, Leica zoom microscope, Zeiss binocular boom scope, Nuaire laminar flow bench, Eppendorf minispin microcentrifuge, VWR refrigerated incubator, Omega six-channel chart recorder, Precision shaking bath, Lauda refrigerated circulator, Orion pH meter and electrodes, and various heated circulating baths, balances, pipettors, and a computer (Mac G3).

Experimental Geochemistry Laboratory - Exley 318

This lab contains a Deltech DT-31-VT-HN 2404 high temperature vertical quench furnace (1725°C maximum temperature) for the melting of planetary materials in controlled atmospheres. Cutting (Buehler low-speed diamond saw) and polishing facilities for the preparation of planetary, geological, and biological samples for microscopic study via optical or electron and ion microbeam microscopy and a Leica DMLP reflected light microscope w/ Leica DFC320 firewire microscope camera.

The GIS laboratory - Exley 355.1

This lab houses 4 high-end multi-core Windows® desktop computers with professional-grade stereo-enabled graphics cards, 3D monitors and glasses.  Software is available for GIS, remote sensing, and 3D visualization and interpretation.  A 65" 3D TV and glasses are available for presentations.

The Structural Mapping and Modeling Laboratory - Exley 443

This lab includes a multi-processor Windows® workstation with with professional-grade stereo-enabled graphics card, 3D monitor and glasses.  Software for mapping and modeling includes ArcGIS®, ENVI®, COMSOL Multiphysics®, MATLAB®, and Avizo® Fire.  In addition to traditional field tools, mapping equipment includes tablet PC, RTK-GPS, robotic total station, and a kite/balloon/pole camera, cordless core drill.

Van Vleck Observatory