Research Interests
In 2003 I shifted the balance of my research activities away from observational
astronomy and into planetary science, focussing especially on the Moon.
I was a co-investigator on the D-CIXS
instrument (Demonstration of a Compact Imaging X-Ray Spectrometer), which orbited the
Moon on ESA's SMART1 spacecraft
between 2004 and 2006 (pictured opposite), and I Chair the Science Team for the
Chandrayaan-1 X-Ray spectrometer (C1XS), on
India's
Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission launched in October 2008. These instruments provide
compositional information about the lunar surface (in particular the abundances of
magnesium, aluminium, silicon, calcium, titanium and iron) which will be used to constrain models
of lunar evolution.
Together with colleagues at Birkbeck College, University College and the
Natural History Museum, I am involved in the geochemical and mineralogical analysis of
lunar
meteorites, in part with a view to using these samples of the Moon to calibrate and
interpret lunar remote sensing data. I am also a member of the UK Lunar Penetrator
Consortium, which aims to emplace geophysical instruments on the lunar surface, and
Project Scientist for the proposed UK-led
MoonLITE mission
for which I have helped define the scientific objectives. Last, but not least, I have a
significant interest in defining the scientific case for renewed human exploration of the
Moon, as set out in the following paper in Space Policy, and was
a member of the UK Space
Exploration Working Group in 2007, which recommended increased UK involvement in global space
exploration.
My earlier astronomical research had mostly concerned the physics,
chemistry, and dynamics of
interstellar and circumstellar environments, as probed by high-resolution
optical spectroscopy. This was largely based on
the unique capabilities of the Ultra-High-Resolution Facility (UHRF) at the
Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). With a
resolving power of one million, the UHRF
is the world's highest resolution astronomical spectrograph, and
permitted significant advances in our understanding of the interstellar medium
through its ability to resolve the intrinsic profiles of interstellar
absorption lines. In the circumstellar field, my interests mainly
concerned the study of circumstellar (presumably protoplanetary) disks and
their central stars. Between 1998 and 2003 I held a
PPARC Advanced Fellowship for research
in these areas.
In addition to these planetary science and astronomical interests, I
have developing research interests in the new science of astrobiology
and a major interest in the future of space exploration.
In 2007 I was elected Geophysical Secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society, and in 2008 became a member of the
European Space Sciences Committee
(ESSC) of the European Science Foundation.
Refereed Research Publications
- 1.
- Crawford, I.A., Girdler, R.W. and Renner, R.G.B., `` An aeromagnetic study
of the Staccato Peaks area, Alexander Island, Antarctica,'' British
Antarctic Survey Bulletin, 70, 41-53, (1986).
- 2.
- Crawford, I.A. and McNally, D., ``A search for the diffuse interstellar lines at
5780 and 5797 in the coma of comet Halley and the possible detection
of an unidentified cometary absorption line,'' Observatory,
107, 20-24, (1987).
- 3.
- Crawford, I.A., Rees, P.C.T. and Diego, F., ``Measurement of the instrumental
response function of the Mount Stromlo coude echelle spectrograph,''
Observatory, 107, 147-153, (1987).
- 4.
- Crawford, I.A., ``High resolution observations of interstellar Na I
towards HD 174632,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 233, 923-928, (1988).
- 5.
- Crawford, I.A., Barlow, M.J. and Blades, J.C., ``High resolution
observations of interstellar Na I and Ca II towards the Scorpius
OB1 association,'' Astrophys. J., 336, 212-230, (1989).
- 6.
- Crawford, I.A., ``High resolution observations of interstellar
CH and CH+ towards the Scorpius OB1 association,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc.,
241, 575-594, (1989).
- 7.
- Crawford, I.A., ``Observations of interstellar lines towards HD 110432,''
Observatory, 109, pp. 232-235, (1989).
- 8.
- Crawford, I.A., ``The optical interstellar spectrum of HD 26571,''
Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 243, 593-601, (1990).
- 9.
- Crawford, I.A., ``Observations of interstellar CN and C2 towards the
Scorpius OB1 association,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 244,
646-651, (1990).
- 10.
- Crawford, I.A., ``The strength of the Ca II K and Na I D lines in
the B stars: implications for interstellar studies,''
Observatory, 110, 145-149, (1990).
- 11.
- Crawford, I.A., ``Further thoughts on the interstellar spectrum of
HD 174632,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 250, 707-711, (1991).
- 12.
- Crawford, I.A., ``Observations of interstellar lines towards HD 110432,''
Astron. Astrophys., 246, 210-212, (1991).
- 13.
- Crawford, I.A., ``High resolution observations of interstellar
Na I and Ca II lines towards the Scorpio-Centaurus association,'' Astron.
Astrophys., 247, 183-201, (1991).
- 14.
- Crawford, I.A. and Barlow, M.J., ``On the distance to M1-67,''
Astron. Astrophys., 249, 518-520, (1991).
- 15.
- Crawford, I.A. and Barlow, M.J., ``The distance to the WN8 star We 21,''
Astron. Astrophys., 251, L39-L42, (1991).
- 16.
- Crawford, I.A., ``Observations of interstellar Na I and Ca II towards five
southern stars and some comments on the location of the denser diffuse
clouds in the southern Milky Way,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc.,
254, 264-272, (1992).
- 17.
- Crawford, I.A., ``The interstellar spectrum of HD 175156,''
Observatory, 112, 161-167, (1992).
- 18.
- Crawford, I.A., ``High-resolution observations of the interstellar
NaI UV doublet and a discussion of the resulting
NaI/CaII ratios,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 259, 47-62, (1992).
- 19.
- Somerville, W.B. and Crawford, I.A., ``Observations of molecules in diffuse
interstellar clouds,'' J. Chem. Soc., Faraday Trans., 89, 2261-2268,
(1993).
- 20.
- Crawford, I.A., Spyromilio, J., Barlow, M.J., Diego, F. and Lagrange, A.M.,
``Ultra-high-resolution observations of Ca K line variations in the beta
Pictoris disc,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 266, L65-L68, (1994).
- 21.
- Crawford, I.A., Barlow, M.J., Diego, F., Spyromilio, J., ``First results from
the UHRF: ultra-high-resolution observations of interstellar CH, CH+ and CN
towards zeta Ophiuchi,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 266, 903-909,
(1994).
- 22.
- Crawford, I.A., ``An ultra-high-resolution search for interstellar Ca+
towards Alpha Centauri A,'' Observatory, 114, 288-293, (1994).
- 23.
- Diego, F., Fish, A.C., Barlow, M.J., Crawford, I.A., Spyromilio, J., Dryburgh,
M., Brooks, D., Howarth, I.D., and Walker, D.D., ``The Ultra-High-Resolution
Facility at the Anglo-Australian Telescope,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc.,
272, 323-332, (1995).
- 24.
- Barlow, M.J., Crawford, I.A., Diego, F., Dryburgh, M., Fish, A.C., Howarth,
I.D., Spyromilio, J., and Walker, D.D., ``First results from the UHRF:
ultra-high-resolution observations of atomic interstellar lines towards zeta
Ophiuchi,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 272, 333-345, (1995).
- 25.
- Crawford, I.A. and Dunkin, S.K., ``Ultra-high-resolution observations of Ca+
ions in the local interstellar medium,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc.,
273, 219-224, (1995).
- 26.
- Crawford, I.A., ``Ultra-high-resolution observations of the intrinsic line
profiles of interstellar CH, CH+ and CN,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc.,
277, 458-470, (1995).
- 27.
- Crawford, I.A. and Barlow, M.J., ``Ultra-high-resolution measurements of the
intrinsic line profiles of interstellar C2 towards zeta
Ophiuchi and
HD 169454,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 280, 863-867, (1996).
- 28.
- Crawford, I.A., Craig, N. and Welsh, B.Y., ``The velocity structure of the local
interstellar medium probed by ultra-high-resolution spectroscopy,'' Astron. Astrophys., 317, 889-897, (1997).
- 29.
- Blades, J.C., Sahu, M.S., He, L., Crawford, I.A., Barlow, M.J., and Diego, F.,
``Ultra-high-resolution observations of interstellar Na I and Ca II toward the
high-galactic latitude star HD 28497,'' Astrophys. J., 478,
648-657, (1997).
- 30.
- Crawford, I.A., ``Ultra-high-resolution observations of interstellar C2, CH
and CN towards zeta
Ophiuchi and HD 169454,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc.,
290, 41-48, (1997).
- 31.
- Oudmaijer, R.D., Drew, J.E., Barlow, M.J., Crawford, I.A., and Proga, D.,
``Helium absorption and emission towards theta-1 Ori C,'' Mon.
Not. R. Astr. Soc., 291, 110-120, (1997).
- 32.
- Crawford, I.A. and Williams, D.A., ``Detection of interstellar NH towards
zeta Ophiuchi by means of ultra-high-resolution spectroscopy,'' Mon.
Not. R. Astr. Soc., 291, L53-56, (1997).
- 33.
- Crawford, I.A., Beust, H., and Lagrange, A.M., ``Detection of a strong transient
blue-shifted absorption component in the beta Pictoris disk,'' Mon.
Not. R. Astr. Soc., 294, L31-L34, (1998).
- 34.
- Dunkin, S.K. and Crawford, I.A., ``Spatially resolved optical spectroscopy of
the Herbig Ae/Vega-like binary star HD 35187,'' Mon.
Not. R. Astr. Soc., 298, 275-284, (1998).
- 35.
- Sahu, M.S., Blades, J.C., He, L., Hartmann, D.A.P., Barlow, M.J., and Crawford, I.A., ``Atomic and
molecular interstellar absorption lines toward the high galactic
latitude stars HD 141569 and
HD 157841,'' Astrophys. J., 504, 522-532, (1998)
- 36.
- Welsh, B.Y., Craig, N., Crawford, I.A., and Price, R.J., ``Beta Pic-like circumstellar disk gas
surrounding HR 10 and HD 85905,'' Astron. Astrophys., 338, 674-682, (1998).
- 37.
- Beust, H., Lagrange, A.-M., Crawford, I.A., Goudard, C., Spyromilio, J., and Vidal-Madjar, A.,
``The beta Pictoris disk XXV: The Ca II absorption lines and the falling evaporating bodies
model revisited using UHRF observations,'' Astron. Astrophys., 338,
1015-1030, (1998).
- 38.
- Crawford, I.A., Lallement, R., Welsh, B.Y., ``Additional ultra-high-resolution observations of
Ca+ ions in the local interstellar medium,'' Mon.
Not. R. Astr. Soc., 300, 1181-1188, (1998).
- 39.
- Dunkin, S.K. and Crawford, I.A., ``The optical interstellar spectrum of
kappa Vel (HD 81188)
and a measurement of interstellar cloud turbulence,'' Mon.
Not. R. Astr. Soc., 302, 197-202, (1999).
- 40.
- Crawford, I.A. and Barlow, M.J., ``Ultra-high-resolution observations of
circumstellar KI and C2 around the post-AGB star HD 56126,'' Mon.
Not. R. Astr. Soc., 311, 370-376, (2000).
- 41.
- Price, R.J., Crawford, I.A. and Barlow, M.J., ``Detection of a variable
interstellar absorption component towards delta Orionis A,'' Mon.
Not. R. Astr. Soc., 312, L43-L48, (2000).
- 42.
- Crawford, I.A., ``A study of interstellar NaI D absorption lines towards
the Lupus molecular clouds," Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 317,
996-1004, (2000).
- 43.
- Crawford, I.A., Howarth, I.D., Ryder, S.D., and Stathakis, R.A.,
``Kappa Velorum: another variable interstellar sightline?,"
Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 319, L1-L6, (2000).
- 44.
- Price, R.J., Crawford, I.A. and Howarth, I.D., ``Delta Orionis:
further temporal variability and evidence for small-scale structure
in the interstellar medium,'' Mon.
Not. R. Astr. Soc., 321, 553-558, (2001).
- 45.
- Crawford, I.A., ``An ultra-high-resolution study of the interstellar
medium in the direction of alpha Ophiuchi,"
Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 327, 841-848, (2001).
- 46.
- Price, R.J., Crawford, I.A., Barlow, M.J., and Howarth, I.D.,
``An ultra-high-resolution study of the interstellar
medium towards Orion,"
Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 328, 555-582, (2001).
- 47.
- Crawford, I.A.,
``Ultra-high-resolution observations of interstellar
NaI and KI towards the Scorpius OB1 association,"
Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 328, 1115-1124, (2001).
- 48.
- Crawford, I.A.,
``Detection of CaI and CH absorption at the velocity of the variable interstellar component
towards kappa Velorum,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 334, L33-L37, (2002).
- 49.
- Andersson, B.-G., Wannier, P.G. and Crawford, I.A.,
``Ultra-high-resolution observations of CH in southern molecular cloud envelopes,''
Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 334, 327-337, (2002).
- 50.
- Howarth, I.D., Price, R.J., Crawford, I.A., and Hawkins, H.,
``A VAPID analysis of interstellar lithium in the zeta Oph sightline,''
Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc., 335, 267-274, (2002).
- 51.
- Crawford, I.A., Lallement, R., Price, R.J.,
Sfeir, D.M., Wakker, B.P., and Welsh, B.Y.,
``High-resolution observations of interstellar Na I and Ca II
towards the southern opening of the `Local Interstellar Chimney':
probing the disk-halo connection,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr.
Soc., 337, 720-730, (2002).
- 52.
- Crawford, I.A., ``Variable interstellar absorption lines: a brief review,''
Astrophys. Space Sci., 285, 661-675, (2003).
- 53.
- Bell, T.A., Viti, S., Williams, D.A., Crawford, I.A., and Price, R.J.,
``The chemistry of transient microstructures in the diffuse
interstellar medium,'' Mon. Not. R. Astr.
Soc., 357, 961-966, (2005).
- 54.
- Joy, K.H., Crawford, I.A., Downes, H., Russell, S.S., and
Kearsley, A.T., ``A Petrological, Mineralogical and Chemical Analysis of the Lunar Mare Basalt Meteorites
LaPaz Icefield 02205, 02224 and 02226,'' Meteoritics and Planetary Science,
41, 1003-1025, (2006).
- 55.
- Crawford, I.A., ''The Astrobiological Case for Renewed Robotic and Human Exploration of the Moon,''
Internat. J. Astrobiology, 5, 191-197, (2006).
- 56.
- Grande, M., et al. (31 authors, including Joy, K.H. and Crawford, I.A.), ''The D-CIXS X-Ray
spectrometer on the SMART-1 mission to the Moon - First results,'' Planet. Space
Sci., 55, 494-502, (2007).
- 57.
- Roberts, G.P., Crawford, I.A., Peacock, D., Vetterlein, J.,
Parfitt, E., and Bishop., L., ''Possible evidence for on-going
volcanism on Mars as suggested by thin, elliptical sheets of low-albedo particulate
material around pits and fissures close to Cerberus Fossae,''
Earth, Moon and Planets, 101, 1-16, (2007).
- 58.
- Patat, F., et al. (22 authors, including Crawford, I.A.), ''Detection of
Circumstellar Material in a Normal Type Ia Supernova,'' Science, 317, 924-926,
(2007).
- 59.
- Baldwin, E.C., Milner, D.J., Burchell, M.J., and Crawford, I.A., "Laboratory impacts into dry and
wet sandstone with and without an overlying water layer: implications for scaling laws and projectile
survivability," Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 42, 1905-1914, (2007).
- 60.
- Gao, Y., Phipps, A., Taylor, M., Crawford, I.A., Ball, A.J., Wilson, L.,
Parker, D., Sweeting, M., da Silva Curie, A., Davies, P., Baker, A., Pike, W.T., Smith, A., and
Gowen, R., "Lunar Science with
Affordable Small Spacecraft Technologies: MoonLITE and Moonraker," Planet. Space
Sci., 56, 368-377, (2008).
- 61.
- Crawford, I.A., Baldwin, E.C., Taylor, E.A., Bailey, J. and Tsembelis, K., "On the
survivability and detectability of terrestrial meteorites on the Moon,"
Astrobiology, 8, 242-252, (2008).
- 62.
- Bowden, S.A., Court, R.W., Milner, D., Baldwin, E., Lindgren, P., Crawford, I.A., Parnell, J., and
Burchell, M.J., "The thermal alteration by pyrolysis of the organic component of small projectiles of
mudrock during capture at hypervelocity," J. Analytical Applied
Pyrolysis, 82, 312-314, (2008).
- 63.
- Joy, K.H., Crawford, I.A., Anand, M., Greenwood, R.C., Franchi, I.A., and Russell, S.S., "The
Petrology and Geochemistry of Miller Range 05035: A New Lunar Gabbroic Meteorite,"
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 72, 3822-3844, (2008).
- 64.
- Smith, A., Crawford, I.A., Gowen, R., et al. (39 authors in total), "LunarEX: A Propoasal to
Cosmic Vision," Experimental Astronomy, 23, 711-740, (2009).
- 65.
- Cousins, C.R., Smellie, J.E., Jones, A.P., and Crawford, I.A., "A Comparative Study of
Endolithic Microborings in Basaltic Lavas from a Transitional Subglacial Marine Environment,"
Internat. J. Astrobiology, 8, 37-49, (2009).
- 66.
- Grande, M., et al. (30 authors in total, including Crawford, I.A. and Joy, K.H.), ''The C1XS X-Ray
spectrometer on Chandrayaan-1,'' Planet. Space Sci., 57, 717-724, (2009).
- 67.
- Crawford, I.A., Joy, K.H., Kellett, B.J., et al. (26 authors in total),
"The Scientific Rationale for the C1XS X-Ray Spectrometer on India's Chandrayaan-1 Mission to the
Moon," Planet. Space Sci., 57, 725-734, (2009).
- 68.
- Swinyard, B.M., Joy, K.H., Kellett, B.J., Crawford, I.A., et al. (13 authors in total),
"X-ray Fluorescence Observations of the Moon by SMART-1/D-CIXS and the First Detection of Ti K-alpha from the
Lunar Surface," Planet. Space Sci., 57, 744-750, (2009).
- 69.
- Rothery, D.A., et al., (25 authors, including Crawford, I.A.),
"Mercury's surface and composition to be studied by
Bepi Colombo", Planet. Space Sci., (in press).