Probing the Composition of Primitive Solar System Materials with a Compact Laser Mass Spectrometer

Getty, Stephanie A ; Uckert, Kyle ; Grubisic, Andrej ; Li, Xiang ; Cornish, Tim ; Elsila, Jamie ; Brinckerhoff, William B

关键词: COMETS;    IN SITU MEASUREMENT;    LASER SPECTROMETERS;    MASS SPECTROMETERS;    METEORITES;    REMOTE SENSING;    CHEMICAL REACTIONS;    MASS SPECTROSCOPY;    SOLAR SYSTEM;    SURFACE REACTIONS;   

RP-ID  :  GSFC-E-DAA-TN27182

学科分类：天文学(综合)

美国|英语

来源: NASA Technical Reports Server

【 摘 要 】

To contribute to and complement our understanding of the processes governing the formation,distribution, and evolution of primitive materials throughout the solar system, it will be critical toform connections between broad remote sensing spectroscopic surveys, laboratorymeasurements of analogs and samples delivered to Earth, and in situ measurements of thesurface composition on future primitive body missions. Recently, a laboratory prototypeemploying resonance two-step laser mass spectrometry [Getty et al., 2012] has been coupledto a cryogenic sample stage to enable measurements of analog samples that are relevant tothese fundamental questions. Analyses of mineral-aromatic mixtures and meteorite powderswill be presented. Our goals are twofold: (1) to conduct laboratory studies on solar systemanalog, meteoritic, and potentially returned samples to elucidate composition, and (2) toprovide a compact but capable analytical instrument for discovery-driven in situ interrogationof surface chemistry on a future mission, such as to a Trojan asteroid, comet, or icy moon.