Project Sources, Blog Post 3.4

Doing research for my project was a lengthy process. Sometimes the stories that I thought pertained to my controversy turned out to not communicate helpful information. Despite the long search for useful sources, I was able to find a great deal of useful information. The sources that I found most helpful are listed here:

1. HERSCHEL FINDS FIRST EVIDENCE OF EARTH-LIKE WATER IN A COMET
2. Rosetta results: Comets 'did not bring water to Earth'
3. Rosetta Launch Video
4. Earth Story (Documentary): Time Travelers
5. Rosetta Spacecraft's Comet Water Discovery: What It Means for Earth
6. Earth's Water Didn't Come from Comets Like Rosetta's
7. Rosetta Fuels Debate On Origin Of Earth's Oceans
8. Asteroids, not comets, gave Earth most of its water
9. Most of Earth's Water Came from Asteroids, Not Comets
10.Volcanic rock hints at source of Earth’s water

Source 1:
Where: European Space Agency (ESA) website. Gives story credibility as the ESA were the ones who planned and launched the Herschel probe.
Who: No author listed, but several contacts at the bottom of the page. All are listed as scientists or project managers working at major scientific institutions. This gives the story more credibility.
When: Posted on October 5th, 2011. During this week, a great deal of information was coming out about Herschel and comet Hartley 2. In the controversy timeline, this is also where the controversy kicked off.
What: Offers me information about the ice water on comet Hartley 2 and how close it is, chemically, to water here on Earth. This source would back up the "Comet Theorist" stakeholder claim. This source is also important because it is the start of the controversy.

Source 2:
Where: BBC News webpage. BBC is one of the largest media contributors in the world. This would add credibility to the source.
Who: Written by Rebecca Morelle, Science Correspondent for BBC News. Science Correspondent since 2005.
When: Posted on December 10th, 2014. During this week, many stories and articles in scholarly journals such as Science were writing about the discovery of ice water with a high D-H ratio than exists here on Earth. These stories in combination attempted to rebut the theory that comets brought water to Earth.
What: Rebuts the theory that comets brought water to the Earth. This story would certainly back either Volcanic action or Asteroid "Theorists" stakeholders. The source is also a very important second step in the controversy.

Source 3:
Where: Video on YouTube. However, original video footage can be found on the ESA website. Credible primary source of information.
Who: Recording done by the ESA Rosetta Program.
When: Launch was conducted on March 2nd, 2004. Probe took 10 years to finally reach comet 67P.
What: Video footage of the rocket carrying the Rosetta Probe launching. Does not really support a particular stakeholder. Important to my project because it illustrates to the audience was kind of materials are needed to study celestial bodies in the Solar System.

Source 4:
Where: Video on YouTube. Originally a documentary film recorded by BBC. This increases credibility.
Who: Filmed by the BBC and narrated by Aubrey Manning (zoologist) and featuring a geologist: Martin DeWitt.
When: Originally aired in 1998. Debate over Earth's water was still going on but was not a major controversy as it is today.
What: Short snippet of the film makes the claim that water vapor was released by volcanoes and eventually fell back to the Earth. This claim would support the Volcano Theorists stakeholders. Important to my project because it provides a backing to the claims of one of the stakeholders.

Source 5:
Where: Space.com webpage. Perhaps some credibility issues but uses information backed by other sources.
Who: Written by Miriam Kramer. Writer at Space.com for 3 years. Experience in journalism. Adds perhaps some credibility problems.
When: Posted on December 12th, 2014. Same as Source 2, this story broke the same week that Rosetta discovered heavier water (higher D-H ratio) on comet 67P than exists on Earth.
What: Outlines data from the Rosetta Mission and compares it to the data from other comets, such as Hartley 2. Suggests that comets from the Kuiper Belt (ring of icey objects past the planet Neptune) may not have brought water to Earth. Quotes Kathrin Altwegg as saying that asteroids may have been the main mechanism to deliver water to Earth.

Source 6:
Where: Discovery News website. Discovery is a major contributor to sharing new scientific information; credible source.
Who: Written by Irene Klotz. Experienced journalist who has worked since 1987.
When: Posted December 10th, 2014. Same as several other sources posted here, the story was written during the week of Rosetta's D-H water ratio discovery on comet 67P.
What: Suggests that the chemical differences in water found on the comet mean that the theory that comets brought water to Earth could lose some credibility. Suggests, like other sources, that asteroids may have been the agent of delivery. Supports the Asteroid Theorist stakeholders.

Source 7:
Where: ESA website. ESA launched and controls the Rosetta Mission; credible source.
Who: No author listed, but several contacts listed at the bottom of the page. Contacts include ESA scientists and mission staff.
When: Posted December 10th, 2014. Same week as Rosetta discovery on comet 67P.
What: Suggests that while the discovery indicates some comets have heavier water than exists on Earth, the article also mentions that the debate is still wide open. However, it does quote Kathrin Altwegg saying, again, that asteroids may have been the main course of water delivery. Therefore, this source could support Asteroid Theorists but can also lend some credibility to Comet Theorists as well.

Source 8:
Where: Physics World website. Major publisher of scientific news. Perhaps some credibility issues.
Who: Written by astronomer Ken Croswell. Lends some more credibility to the story.
When: Posted on December 10th, 2014. Same week as Rosetta discovery on comet 67P.
What: Claims that Rosetta's discovery on comet 67P proves that asteroids are a much better candidate for the possible deliverers of water to the Earth. This story stands wholeheartedly with the Asteroid Theorists.

Source 9:
Where: Space.com webpage. Again, some credibility issues may be present.
Who: Written by Charles Choi. Previously an author for Wired, New York Times, Science, Nature, and other publications. Makes source more credible.
When: Posted on December 10th, 2014. Same week as Rosetta discovery on comet 67P.
What: Much like Source 8, this story claims that asteroids were the main method of water delivery to the early Earth. Stands firmly with the Asteroid Theorists.

Source 10:
Where: Nature (Scholarly Journal) website. Very credible source of scientific data.
Who: Written by Chris Cesare. Ph.D. in Physics.
When: Posted November 12th, 2015. Most recent story in the timeline of the controversy.
What: Communicates data from scientists that found water contained in rocks that came from deep within the Earth. After analyzing the rocks, the scientists found that the water composition was similar to asteroid samples. This indicated that the water within the rocks is very old and that much of Earth's water may have come from within. Certainly stands on the side of the Volcanic Action Theorists.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Early Earth. November 18th, 2014 via Flickr. Attribution license.