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Tosi F, Roatsch T, Galli A, Hauber E, Lucchetti A, Molyneux P, Stephan K, Achilleos N, Bovolo F, Carter J, Cavalié T, Cimò G, D’Aversa E, Gwinner K, Hartogh P, Huybrighs H, Langevin Y, Lellouch E, Migliorini A, Palumbo P, Piccioni G, Plaut JJ, Postberg F, Poulet F, Retherford K, Rezac L, Roth L, Solomonidou A, Tobie G, Tortora P, Tubiana C, Wagner R, Wirström E, Wurz P, Zambon F, Zannoni M, Barabash S, Bruzzone L, Dougherty M, Gladstone R, Gurvits LI, Hussmann H, Iess L, Wahlund JE, Witasse O, Vallat C, Lorente R. Characterization of the Surfaces and Near-Surface Atmospheres of Ganymede, Europa and Callisto by JUICE. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2024; 220:59. [PMID: 39132056 PMCID: PMC11310297 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-024-01089-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
We present the state of the art on the study of surfaces and tenuous atmospheres of the icy Galilean satellites Ganymede, Europa and Callisto, from past and ongoing space exploration conducted with several spacecraft to recent telescopic observations, and we show how the ESA JUICE mission plans to explore these surfaces and atmospheres in detail with its scientific payload. The surface geology of the moons is the main evidence of their evolution and reflects the internal heating provided by tidal interactions. Surface composition is the result of endogenous and exogenous processes, with the former providing valuable information about the potential composition of shallow subsurface liquid pockets, possibly connected to deeper oceans. Finally, the icy Galilean moons have tenuous atmospheres that arise from charged particle sputtering affecting their surfaces. In the case of Europa, plumes of water vapour have also been reported, whose phenomenology at present is poorly understood and requires future close exploration. In the three main sections of the article, we discuss these topics, highlighting the key scientific objectives and investigations to be achieved by JUICE. Based on a recent predicted trajectory, we also show potential coverage maps and other examples of reference measurements. The scientific discussion and observation planning presented here are the outcome of the JUICE Working Group 2 (WG2): "Surfaces and Near-surface Exospheres of the Satellites, dust and rings".
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Tosi
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica – Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (INAF-IAPS), Rome, Italy
| | - Thomas Roatsch
- Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin, Germany
| | - André Galli
- Physics Institute, Space Research and Planetary Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ernst Hauber
- Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Alice Lucchetti
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica – Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (INAF-OAPd), Padua, Italy
| | | | - Katrin Stephan
- Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Nicholas Achilleos
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College London, London, UK
| | - Francesca Bovolo
- Center for Digital Society, Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Trento, Italy
| | - John Carter
- Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), CNRS/Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Thibault Cavalié
- Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Pessac, France
- LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, Meudon, France
| | - Giuseppe Cimò
- Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC, Dwingeloo, The Netherlands
| | - Emiliano D’Aversa
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica – Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (INAF-IAPS), Rome, Italy
| | - Klaus Gwinner
- Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Hartogh
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hans Huybrighs
- Space and Planetary Science Center, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- School of Cosmic Physics, Dunsink Observatory, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), Dublin, Ireland
| | - Yves Langevin
- Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), CNRS/Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | | | - Alessandra Migliorini
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica – Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (INAF-IAPS), Rome, Italy
| | - Pasquale Palumbo
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica – Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (INAF-IAPS), Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Piccioni
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica – Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (INAF-IAPS), Rome, Italy
| | | | - Frank Postberg
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - François Poulet
- Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), CNRS/Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | | | - Ladislav Rezac
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lorenz Roth
- Division of Space and Plasma Physics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Gabriel Tobie
- Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences, Nantes Université, Nantes, France
| | - Paolo Tortora
- Department of Industrial Engineering (DIN), Università di Bologna, Forlì, Italy
| | - Cecilia Tubiana
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica – Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (INAF-IAPS), Rome, Italy
| | - Roland Wagner
- Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Eva Wirström
- Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala, Sweden
| | - Peter Wurz
- Physics Institute, Space Research and Planetary Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Francesca Zambon
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica – Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (INAF-IAPS), Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Zannoni
- Department of Industrial Engineering (DIN), Università di Bologna, Forlì, Italy
| | | | - Lorenzo Bruzzone
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Scienza dell’Informazione, Università degli Studi di Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | | | - Leonid I. Gurvits
- Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC, Dwingeloo, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Hauke Hussmann
- Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Luciano Iess
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Aerospaziale (DIMA), Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Olivier Witasse
- European Space Agency – European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESA-ESTEC), Noordwijk, The Netherlands
| | - Claire Vallat
- European Space Agency – European Space Astronomy Centre (ESA-ESAC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosario Lorente
- European Space Agency – European Space Astronomy Centre (ESA-ESAC), Madrid, Spain
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Doran PT, Hayes A, Grasset O, Coustenis A, Prieto-Ballesteros O, Hedman N, Al Shehhi O, Ammannito E, Fujimoto M, Groen F, Moores JE, Mustin C, Olsson-Francis K, Peng J, Praveenkumar K, Rettberg P, Sinibaldi S, Ilyin V, Raulin F, Suzuki Y, Xu K, Whyte LG, Zaitsev M, Buffo J, Kminek G, Schmidt B. The COSPAR planetary protection policy for missions to Icy Worlds: A review of history, current scientific knowledge, and future directions. LIFE SCIENCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 2024; 41:86-99. [PMID: 38670657 DOI: 10.1016/j.lssr.2024.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Recent discoveries related to the habitability and astrobiological relevance of the outer Solar System have expanded our understanding of where and how life may have originated. As a result, the Icy Worlds of the outer Solar System have become among the highest priority targets for future spacecraft missions dedicated to astrobiology-focused and/or direct life detection objectives. This, in turn, has led to a renewed interest in planetary protection concerns and policies for the exploration of these worlds and has been a topic of discussion within the COSPAR (Committee on Space Research) Panel on Planetary Protection. This paper summarizes the results of those discussions, reviewing the current knowledge and the history of planetary protection considerations for Icy Worlds as well as suggesting ways forward. Based on those discussions, we therefore suggest to (1) Establish a new definition for Icy Worlds for Planetary Protection that captures the outer Solar System moons and dwarf planets like Pluto, but excludes more primitive bodies such as comets, centaurs, and asteroids: Icy Worlds in our Solar System are defined as all bodies with an outermost layer that is believed to be greater than 50 % water ice by volume and have enough mass to assume a nearly round shape. (2) Establish indices for the lower limits of Earth life with regards to water activity (LLAw) and temperature (LLT) and apply them into all areas of the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy. These values are currently set at 0.5 and -28 °C and were originally established for defining Mars Special Regions; (3) Establish LLT as a parameter to assign categorization for Icy Worlds missions. The suggested categorization will have a 1000-year period of biological exploration, to be applied to all Icy Worlds and not just Europa and Enceladus as is currently the case. (4) Have all missions consider the possibility of impact. Transient thermal anomalies caused by impact would be acceptable so long as there is less than 10-4 probability of a single microbe reaching deeper environments where temperature is >LLT in the period of biological exploration. (5) Restructure or remove Category II* from the policy as it becomes largely redundant with this new approach, (6) Establish that any sample return from an Icy World should be Category V restricted Earth return.
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Affiliation(s)
- P T Doran
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
| | - A Hayes
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-6801, USA
| | | | - A Coustenis
- LESIA, Paris Observatory, PSL University, CNRS, Paris University, 92195, Meudon Cedex, France
| | - O Prieto-Ballesteros
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, 28850, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | - N Hedman
- Committee, Policy and Legal Affairs Section, Office for Outer Space Affairs, United Nations Office at Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - M Fujimoto
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Kanagawa, Japan
| | - F Groen
- Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, 20546, USA
| | | | - C Mustin
- Centre National des Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France
| | - K Olsson-Francis
- AstrobiologyOU, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - J Peng
- China National Space Administration, Beijing, China
| | | | - P Rettberg
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Research Group Astrobiology, 51147, Cologne, Germany
| | - S Sinibaldi
- European Space Agency, ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands
| | - V Ilyin
- Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - F Raulin
- Univ Paris Est Créteil and Université Paris Cité, CNRS, LISA, F-94010, Créteil, France
| | - Y Suzuki
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo,7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - K Xu
- Laboratory of Space Microbiology, Shenzhou Space Biotechnology Group, Chinese Academy of Space Technology, Beijing, China
| | - L G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - M Zaitsev
- Planetary Physics Department, Space Research Inst. of Russian Acad. of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - J Buffo
- Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - G Kminek
- European Space Agency, ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands
| | - B Schmidt
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-6801, USA
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Nordheim TA, Castillo-Rogez JC, Villarreal MN, Scully JEC, Costello ES. The Radiation Environment of Ceres and Implications for Surface Sampling. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:509-519. [PMID: 35447049 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Ceres is a large water-rich dwarf planet located within the asteroid belt. Its surface displays evidence of material sourced from a deep subsurface liquid brine layer within recent geologic time, making it a candidate ocean world with possible present-day activity. However, Ceres lacks a substantial atmosphere and likely does not possess a global magnetic field. Therefore, any material emplaced or exposed on the surface will be subject to weathering by charged particles of solar and galactic origin. We have evaluated the effect of charged particle radiation on material within the near-surface of Ceres and find that the timescale for radiation-induced modification and destruction of organics and endogenic material is ∼100 Myr to 1 Gyr within the top 10-20 cm of the surface. Furthermore, we find that the timescale for sterilization of any putative living organisms contained within material at these depths is <500 kyr. Future missions to the surface may therefore consider targeting regions with geologic ages that fall between these two timescales to avoid the risk of backward contamination while ensuring that sampled material is not heavily radiation processed.
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Affiliation(s)
- T A Nordheim
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - J C Castillo-Rogez
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - M N Villarreal
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - J E C Scully
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - E S Costello
- University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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Baghdadi A, Paknejad F, Golzardi F, Hashemi M, Ilkaee MN. Suitability and benefits from intercropped sorghum-amaranth under partial root-zone irrigation. JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE 2021; 101:5918-5926. [PMID: 33818787 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.11244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The production of sufficient animal feed in arid and semi-arid regions plays a significant role in food security in these areas. The present study was conducted based on the hypothesis that intercropping of sorghum and amaranth, comprising relatively drought tolerant forages, will enhance the yield and quality of the feed under limited irrigation water availability. RESULTS Implementation of fixed alternate furrow irrigation (FFI) and alternate furrow irrigation (AFI) resulted in a saving of 22.5% and 19.7% of irrigation water, respectively. However, the water saving declined both yield and quality of forage. In conventional furrow irrigation (CFI), the highest dry matter (DM) yield was 15.5 Mg ha-1 , obtained from S50 -A50 treatment. In FFI and AFI, sole sorghum produced the highest DM. However, their maximum yields (11.2 and 12.6 Mg ha-1 , respectively) were not significantly different from yields in S75 -A25 intercropping ratios. Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) was similar in CFI and AFI and considerably higher than FFI. Sorghum monoculture and the S75 -A25 intercropping had the highest IWUE (3.4 and 3.3 kg m-3 ), whereas IWUE of the sole amaranth was 1.7 kg m-3 . The partial land equivalent ratio and monetary advantage index of amaranth and sorghum indicated that sorghum would benefit from intercropping as long as its ratio in the intercropping is more than 25%. CONCLUSION When sufficient irrigation is available, intercropping of sorghum and amaranth can considerably improve yield and quality of emergency feed. However, the benefits from intercropping faded under the two partial root-zone irrigation methods used in the present study. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirsaleh Baghdadi
- Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
| | - Farzad Paknejad
- Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
| | - Farid Golzardi
- Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
| | - Masoud Hashemi
- Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Mohammad Nabi Ilkaee
- Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
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Shi X, Castillo-Rogez J, Hsieh H, Hui H, Ip WH, Lei H, Li JY, Tosi F, Zhou L, Agarwal J, Barucci A, Beck P, Bagatin AC, Capaccioni F, Coates AJ, Cremonese G, Duffard R, Grande M, Jaumann R, Jones GH, Kallio E, Lin Y, Mousis O, Nathues A, Oberst J, Sierks H, Ulamec S, Wang M. GAUSS - genesis of asteroids and evolution of the solar system: A sample return mission to Ceres. EXPERIMENTAL ASTRONOMY 2021; 54:713-744. [PMID: 36915624 PMCID: PMC9998589 DOI: 10.1007/s10686-021-09800-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The goal of Project GAUSS (Genesis of Asteroids and evolUtion of the Solar System) is to return samples from the dwarf planet Ceres. Ceres is the most accessible candidate of ocean worlds and the largest reservoir of water in the inner Solar System. It shows active volcanism and hydrothermal activities in recent history. Recent evidence for the existence of a subsurface ocean on Ceres and the complex geochemistry suggest past habitability and even the potential for ongoing habitability. GAUSS will return samples from Ceres with the aim of answering the following top-level scientific questions: What is the origin of Ceres and what does this imply for the origin of water and other volatiles in the inner Solar System?What are the physical properties and internal structure of Ceres? What do they tell us about the evolutionary and aqueous alteration history of dwarf planets?What are the astrobiological implications of Ceres? Is it still habitable today?What are the mineralogical connections between Ceres and our current collections of carbonaceous meteorites?
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Shi
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Present Address: Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Shanghai, China
| | | | | | - Hejiu Hui
- School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wing-Huen Ip
- Institute of Astronomy and Space Science, National Central University, Chung Li, Taiwan
| | - Hanlun Lei
- School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | | | - Federico Tosi
- Istituto Nazionale di AstroFisica – Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (INAF-IAPS), Rome, Italy
| | - Liyong Zhou
- School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jessica Agarwal
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics, Technical University Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Antonella Barucci
- LESIA-Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, F-92195 Meudon, Principal Cedex, France
| | - Pierre Beck
- CNRS Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Adriano Campo Bagatin
- Universidad de Alicante, Departamento de Física, Ingeniería de Sistemas y Teoría de la Señal, Alicante, Spain
| | - Fabrizio Capaccioni
- Istituto Nazionale di AstroFisica – Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (INAF-IAPS), Rome, Italy
| | - Andrew J. Coates
- Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Surrey, UK
| | | | - Rene Duffard
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), Granada, Spain
| | | | - Ralf Jaumann
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Geraint H. Jones
- Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Surrey, UK
| | - Esa Kallio
- School of Electrical Engineering, Aalto University, Aalto, Finland
| | - Yangting Lin
- Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Andreas Nathues
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Oberst
- DLR Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Holger Sierks
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stephan Ulamec
- DLR Space Operations and Astronaut Training, Cologne, Germany
| | - Mingyuan Wang
- National Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
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6
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Abstract
Ceres is the largest object in the main belt and it is also the most water-rich body in the inner solar system besides the Earth. The discoveries made by the Dawn Mission revealed that the composition of Ceres includes organic material, with a component of carbon globally present and also a high quantity of localized aliphatic organics in specific areas. The inferred mineralogy of Ceres indicates the long-term activity of a large body of liquid water that produced the alteration minerals discovered on its surface, including ammonia-bearing minerals. To explain the presence of ammonium in the phyllosilicates, Ceres must have accreted organic matter, ammonia, water and carbon present in the protoplanetary formation region. It is conceivable that Ceres may have also processed and transformed its own original organic matter that could have been modified by the pervasive hydrothermal alteration. The coexistence of phyllosilicates, magnetite, carbonates, salts, organics and a high carbon content point to rock–water alteration playing an important role in promoting widespread carbon occurrence.
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Grava C, Killen RM, Benna M, Berezhnoy AA, Halekas JS, Leblanc F, Nishino MN, Plainaki C, Raines JM, Sarantos M, Teolis BD, Tucker OJ, Vervack RJ, Vorburger A. Volatiles and Refractories in Surface-Bounded Exospheres in the Inner Solar System. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2021; 217:61. [PMID: 34720217 PMCID: PMC8550778 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-021-00833-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Volatiles and refractories represent the two end-members in the volatility range of species in any surface-bounded exosphere. Volatiles include elements that do not interact strongly with the surface, such as neon (detected on the Moon) and helium (detected both on the Moon and at Mercury), but also argon, a noble gas (detected on the Moon) that surprisingly adsorbs at the cold lunar nighttime surface. Refractories include species such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and aluminum, all of which have very strong bonds with the lunar surface and thus need energetic processes to be ejected into the exosphere. Here we focus on the properties of species that have been detected in the exospheres of inner Solar System bodies, specifically the Moon and Mercury, and how they provide important information to understand source and loss processes of these exospheres, as well as their dependence on variations in external drivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesare Grava
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX USA
| | | | - Mehdi Benna
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD USA
- University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Alexey A Berezhnoy
- Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Institute of Physics, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Jasper S Halekas
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA USA
| | | | - Masaki N Nishino
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Kanagawa Japan
| | | | - Jim M Raines
- Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA
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8
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Castillo-Rogez JC, Neveu M, Scully JEC, House CH, Quick LC, Bouquet A, Miller K, Bland M, De Sanctis MC, Ermakov A, Hendrix AR, Prettyman TH, Raymond CA, Russell CT, Sherwood BE, Young E. Ceres: Astrobiological Target and Possible Ocean World. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:269-291. [PMID: 31904989 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Ceres, the most water-rich body in the inner solar system after Earth, has recently been recognized to have astrobiological importance. Chemical and physical measurements obtained by the Dawn mission enabled the quantification of key parameters, which helped to constrain the habitability of the inner solar system's only dwarf planet. The surface chemistry and internal structure of Ceres testify to a protracted history of reactions between liquid water, rock, and likely organic compounds. We review the clues on chemical composition, temperature, and prospects for long-term occurrence of liquid and chemical gradients. Comparisons with giant planet satellites indicate similarities both from a chemical evolution standpoint and in the physical mechanisms driving Ceres' internal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marc Neveu
- Sciences and Exploration Directorate, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- University of Maryland College Park, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - Jennifer E C Scully
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Christopher H House
- Department of Geosciences,Penn State Astrobiology Research Center, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Lynnae C Quick
- Sciences and Exploration Directorate, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | - Alexis Bouquet
- LAM (Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille), Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR 7326, Marseille, France
| | - Kelly Miller
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas
| | | | | | - Anton Ermakov
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | | | | | - Carol A Raymond
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
| | - Christopher T Russell
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | | | - Edward Young
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California
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9
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Merino N, Aronson HS, Bojanova DP, Feyhl-Buska J, Wong ML, Zhang S, Giovannelli D. Corrigendum: Living at the Extremes: Extremophiles and the Limits of Life in a Planetary Context. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1785. [PMID: 31456760 PMCID: PMC6700686 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Merino
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.,Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Heidi S Aronson
- Department of Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Diana P Bojanova
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jayme Feyhl-Buska
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Michael L Wong
- Department of Astronomy - Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,NASA Astrobiology Institute's Virtual Planetary Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Shu Zhang
- Section of Infection and Immunity, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Donato Giovannelli
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.,Department of Marine and Coastal Science, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States.,Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology, National Research Council of Italy, Ancona, Italy
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10
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Zhu C, Crandall PB, Gillis-Davis JJ, Ishii HA, Bradley JP, Corley LM, Kaiser RI. Untangling the formation and liberation of water in the lunar regolith. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:11165-11170. [PMID: 31110011 PMCID: PMC6561281 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1819600116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The source of water (H2O) and hydroxyl radicals (OH), identified on the lunar surface, represents a fundamental, unsolved puzzle. The interaction of solar-wind protons with silicates and oxides has been proposed as a key mechanism, but laboratory experiments yield conflicting results that suggest that proton implantation alone is insufficient to generate and liberate water. Here, we demonstrate in laboratory simulation experiments combined with imaging studies that water can be efficiently generated and released through rapid energetic heating like micrometeorite impacts into anhydrous silicates implanted with solar-wind protons. These synergistic effects of solar-wind protons and micrometeorites liberate water at mineral temperatures from 10 to 300 K via vesicles, thus providing evidence of a key mechanism to synthesize water in silicates and advancing our understanding on the origin of water as detected on the Moon and other airless bodies in our solar system such as Mercury and asteroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822
- W. M. Keck Laboratory in Astrochemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822
| | - Parker B Crandall
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822
- W. M. Keck Laboratory in Astrochemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822
| | - Jeffrey J Gillis-Davis
- Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822
| | - Hope A Ishii
- Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822
| | - John P Bradley
- Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822
| | - Laura M Corley
- Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822
| | - Ralf I Kaiser
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822;
- W. M. Keck Laboratory in Astrochemistry, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822
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11
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Merino N, Aronson HS, Bojanova DP, Feyhl-Buska J, Wong ML, Zhang S, Giovannelli D. Living at the Extremes: Extremophiles and the Limits of Life in a Planetary Context. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:780. [PMID: 31037068 PMCID: PMC6476344 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 218] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Prokaryotic life has dominated most of the evolutionary history of our planet, evolving to occupy virtually all available environmental niches. Extremophiles, especially those thriving under multiple extremes, represent a key area of research for multiple disciplines, spanning from the study of adaptations to harsh conditions, to the biogeochemical cycling of elements. Extremophile research also has implications for origin of life studies and the search for life on other planetary and celestial bodies. In this article, we will review the current state of knowledge for the biospace in which life operates on Earth and will discuss it in a planetary context, highlighting knowledge gaps and areas of opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Merino
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.,Biosciences and Biotechnology Division, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Livermore, CA, United States
| | - Heidi S Aronson
- Department of Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Diana P Bojanova
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jayme Feyhl-Buska
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Michael L Wong
- Department of Astronomy - Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,NASA Astrobiology Institute's Virtual Planetary Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Shu Zhang
- Section of Infection and Immunity, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Donato Giovannelli
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biology, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.,Department of Marine and Coastal Science, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States.,Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology, National Research Council of Italy, Ancona, Italy
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12
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Raponi A, De Sanctis MC, Frigeri A, Ammannito E, Ciarniello M, Formisano M, Combe JP, Magni G, Tosi F, Carrozzo FG, Fonte S, Giardino M, Joy SP, Polanskey CA, Rayman MD, Capaccioni F, Capria MT, Longobardo A, Palomba E, Zambon F, Raymond CA, Russell CT. Variations in the amount of water ice on Ceres' surface suggest a seasonal water cycle. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaao3757. [PMID: 29546238 PMCID: PMC5851659 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao3757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The dwarf planet Ceres is known to host a considerable amount of water in its interior, and areas of water ice were detected by the Dawn spacecraft on its surface. Moreover, sporadic water and hydroxyl emissions have been observed from space telescopes. We report the detection of water ice in a mid-latitude crater and its unexpected variation with time. The Dawn spectrometer data show a change of water ice signatures over a period of 6 months, which is well modeled as ~2-km2 increase of water ice. The observed increase, coupled with Ceres' orbital parameters, points to an ongoing process that seems correlated with solar flux. The reported variation on Ceres' surface indicates that this body is chemically and physically active at the present time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Raponi
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina De Sanctis
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Alessandro Frigeri
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | | | - Mauro Ciarniello
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Michelangelo Formisano
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Jean-Philippe Combe
- Bear Fight Institute, 22 Fiddler’s Road, P.O. Box 667, Winthrop, WA 98862, USA
| | - Gianfranco Magni
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Federico Tosi
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Filippo Giacomo Carrozzo
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Sergio Fonte
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Marco Giardino
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Steven P. Joy
- Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, 603 Charles E. Young Drive, East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Carol A. Polanskey
- NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Marc D. Rayman
- NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Fabrizio Capaccioni
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Capria
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Andrea Longobardo
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Ernesto Palomba
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Francesca Zambon
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, INAF, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - Carol A. Raymond
- NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Christopher T. Russell
- Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, 603 Charles E. Young Drive, East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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13
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O'D Alexander CM, McKeegan KD, Altwegg K. Water Reservoirs in Small Planetary Bodies: Meteorites, Asteroids, and Comets. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2018; 214:36. [PMID: 30842688 PMCID: PMC6398961 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-018-0474-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Asteroids and comets are the remnants of the swarm of planetesimals from which the planets ultimately formed, and they retain records of processes that operated prior to and during planet formation. They are also likely the sources of most of the water and other volatiles accreted by Earth. In this review, we discuss the nature and probable origins of asteroids and comets based on data from remote observations, in situ measurements by spacecraft, and laboratory analyses of meteorites derived from asteroids. The asteroidal parent bodies of meteorites formed ≤4 Ma after Solar System formation while there was still a gas disk present. It seems increasingly likely that the parent bodies of meteorites spectroscopically linked with the E-, S-, M- and V-type asteroids formed sunward of Jupiter's orbit, while those associated with C- and, possibly, D-type asteroids formed further out, beyond Jupiter but probably not beyond Saturn's orbit. Comets formed further from the Sun than any of the meteorite parent bodies, and retain much higher abundances of interstellar material. CI and CM group meteorites are probably related to the most common C-type asteroids, and based on isotopic evidence they, rather than comets, are the most likely sources of the H and N accreted by the terrestrial planets. However, comets may have been major sources of the noble gases accreted by Earth and Venus. Possible constraints that these observations can place on models of giant planet formation and migration are explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conel M O'D Alexander
- Dept. Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution for Science, 5241 Broad Branch Road NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA. . Tel. (202) 478 8478
| | - Kevin D McKeegan
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA.
| | - Kathrin Altwegg
- Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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14
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Chan QHS, Zolensky ME, Kebukawa Y, Fries M, Ito M, Steele A, Rahman Z, Nakato A, Kilcoyne ALD, Suga H, Takahashi Y, Takeichi Y, Mase K. Organic matter in extraterrestrial water-bearing salt crystals. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaao3521. [PMID: 29349297 PMCID: PMC5770164 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao3521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Direct evidence of complex prebiotic chemistry from a water-rich world in the outer solar system is provided by the 4.5-billion-year-old halite crystals hosted in the Zag and Monahans (1998) meteorites. This study offers the first comprehensive organic analysis of the soluble and insoluble organic compounds found in the millimeter-sized halite crystals containing brine inclusions and sheds light on the nature and activity of aqueous fluids on a primitive parent body. Associated with these trapped brines are organic compounds exhibiting wide chemical variations representing organic precursors, intermediates, and reaction products that make up life's precursor molecules such as amino acids. The organic compounds also contain a mixture of C-, O-, and N-bearing macromolecular carbon materials exhibiting a wide range of structural order, as well as aromatic, ketone, imine, and/or imidazole compounds. The enrichment in 15N is comparable to the organic matter in pristine Renazzo-type carbonaceous chondrites, which reflects the sources of interstellar 15N, such as ammonia and amino acids. The amino acid content of the Zag halite deviates from the meteorite matrix, supporting an exogenic origin of the halite, and therefore, the Zag meteorite contains organics synthesized on two distinct parent bodies. Our study suggests that the asteroidal parent body where the halite precipitated, potentially asteroid 1 Ceres, shows evidence for a complex combination of biologically and prebiologically relevant molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Queenie H. S. Chan
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - Michael E. Zolensky
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - Yoko Kebukawa
- Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogayaku, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Marc Fries
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - Motoo Ito
- Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 200 Monobe Otsu, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8502, Japan
| | - Andrew Steele
- Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - Zia Rahman
- Jacobs, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - Aiko Nakato
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - A. L. David Kilcoyne
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Hiroki Suga
- Department of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - Yoshio Takahashi
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yasuo Takeichi
- Institute of Materials Structure Science, High-Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan
- Department of Materials Structure Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba 305-0801, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Mase
- Institute of Materials Structure Science, High-Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan
- Department of Materials Structure Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba 305-0801, Japan
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15
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Hsieh HH. Asteroid-comet continuum objects in the solar system. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2017; 375:rsta.2016.0259. [PMID: 28554978 PMCID: PMC5454227 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2016.0259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
In this review presented at the Royal Society meeting, 'Cometary science after Rosetta', I present an overview of studies of small solar system objects that exhibit properties of both asteroids and comets (with a focus on so-called active asteroids). Sometimes referred to as 'transition objects', these bodies are perhaps more appropriately described as 'continuum objects', to reflect the notion that rather than necessarily representing actual transitional evolutionary states between asteroids and comets, they simply belong to the general population of small solar system bodies that happen to exhibit a continuous range of observational, physical and dynamical properties. Continuum objects are intriguing because they possess many of the properties that make classical comets interesting to study (e.g. relatively primitive compositions, ejection of surface and subsurface material into space where it can be more easily studied, and orbital properties that allow us to sample material from distant parts of the solar system that would otherwise be inaccessible), while allowing us to study regions of the solar system that are not sampled by classical comets.This article is part of the themed issue 'Cometary science after Rosetta'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry H Hsieh
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell Road, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, PO Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
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16
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Alexander CMO. The origin of inner Solar System water. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2017; 375:20150384. [PMID: 28416723 PMCID: PMC5394251 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2015.0384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/05/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Of the potential volatile sources for the terrestrial planets, the CI and CM carbonaceous chondrites are closest to the planets' bulk H and N isotopic compositions. For the Earth, the addition of approximately 2-4 wt% of CI/CM material to a volatile-depleted proto-Earth can explain the abundances of many of the most volatile elements, although some solar-like material is also required. Two dynamical models of terrestrial planet formation predict that the carbonaceous chondrites formed either in the asteroid belt ('classical' model) or in the outer Solar System (5-15 AU in the Grand Tack model). To test these models, at present the H isotopes of water are the most promising indicators of formation location because they should have become increasingly D-rich with distance from the Sun. The estimated initial H isotopic compositions of water accreted by the CI, CM, CR and Tagish Lake carbonaceous chondrites were much more D-poor than measured outer Solar System objects. A similar pattern is seen for N isotopes. The D-poor compositions reflect incomplete re-equilibration with H2 in the inner Solar System, which is also consistent with the O isotopes of chondritic water. On balance, it seems that the carbonaceous chondrites and their water did not form very far out in the disc, almost certainly not beyond the orbit of Saturn when its moons formed (approx. 3-7 AU in the Grand Tack model) and possibly close to where they are found today.This article is part of the themed issue 'The origin, history and role of water in the evolution of the inner Solar System'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conel M O'D Alexander
- Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA
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17
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Russell CT, Raymond CA, Ammannito E, Buczkowski DL, De Sanctis MC, Hiesinger H, Jaumann R, Konopliv AS, McSween HY, Nathues A, Park RS, Pieters CM, Prettyman TH, McCord TB, McFadden LA, Mottola S, Zuber MT, Joy SP, Polanskey C, Rayman MD, Castillo-Rogez JC, Chi PJ, Combe JP, Ermakov A, Fu RR, Hoffmann M, Jia YD, King SD, Lawrence DJ, Li JY, Marchi S, Preusker F, Roatsch T, Ruesch O, Schenk P, Villarreal MN, Yamashita N. Dawn arrives at Ceres: Exploration of a small, volatile-rich world. Science 2017; 353:1008-1010. [PMID: 27701107 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf4219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
On 6 March 2015, Dawn arrived at Ceres to find a dark, desiccated surface punctuated by small, bright areas. Parts of Ceres' surface are heavily cratered, but the largest expected craters are absent. Ceres appears gravitationally relaxed at only the longest wavelengths, implying a mechanically strong lithosphere with a weaker deep interior. Ceres' dry exterior displays hydroxylated silicates, including ammoniated clays of endogenous origin. The possibility of abundant volatiles at depth is supported by geomorphologic features such as flat crater floors with pits, lobate flows of materials, and a singular mountain that appears to be an extrusive cryovolcanic dome. On one occasion, Ceres temporarily interacted with the solar wind, producing a bow shock accelerating electrons to energies of tens of kilovolts.
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Affiliation(s)
- C T Russell
- Earth Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 603 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA.
| | - C A Raymond
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA
| | - E Ammannito
- Earth Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 603 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA
| | - D L Buczkowski
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723-6099, USA
| | - M C De Sanctis
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | - H Hiesinger
- Institut für Planetologie, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - R Jaumann
- Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft-und Raumfahrt, Institute of Planetary Research, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - A S Konopliv
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA
| | - H Y McSween
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1410, USA
| | - A Nathues
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - R S Park
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA
| | - C M Pieters
- Brown University, Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | | | - T B McCord
- The Bear Fight Institute, Winthrop, WA 98862, USA
| | - L A McFadden
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - S Mottola
- Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft-und Raumfahrt, Institute of Planetary Research, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - M T Zuber
- Massachussetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - S P Joy
- Earth Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 603 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA
| | - C Polanskey
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA
| | - M D Rayman
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA
| | - J C Castillo-Rogez
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA
| | - P J Chi
- Earth Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 603 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA
| | - J P Combe
- The Bear Fight Institute, Winthrop, WA 98862, USA
| | - A Ermakov
- Massachussetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - R R Fu
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10968, USA
| | - M Hoffmann
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Y D Jia
- Earth Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 603 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA
| | - S D King
- Virginia Tech, Geosciences, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - D J Lawrence
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723-6099, USA
| | - J-Y Li
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - S Marchi
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - F Preusker
- Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft-und Raumfahrt, Institute of Planetary Research, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - T Roatsch
- Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft-und Raumfahrt, Institute of Planetary Research, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - O Ruesch
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - P Schenk
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - M N Villarreal
- Earth Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 603 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA
| | - N Yamashita
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
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18
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Abstract
The Dawn spacecraft finds evidence for organic material and water ice on Ceres
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Küppers
- European Space Astronomy Center, European Space Agency, Camino bajo del Castillo S/N, Madrid, Spain
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19
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Prettyman TH, Yamashita N, Toplis MJ, McSween HY, Schörghofer N, Marchi S, Feldman WC, Castillo-Rogez J, Forni O, Lawrence DJ, Ammannito E, Ehlmann BL, Sizemore HG, Joy SP, Polanskey CA, Rayman MD, Raymond CA, Russell CT. Extensive water ice within Ceres' aqueously altered regolith: Evidence from nuclear spectroscopy. Science 2016; 355:55-59. [PMID: 27980087 DOI: 10.1126/science.aah6765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The surface elemental composition of dwarf planet Ceres constrains its regolith ice content, aqueous alteration processes, and interior evolution. Using nuclear spectroscopy data acquired by NASA's Dawn mission, we determined the concentrations of elemental hydrogen, iron, and potassium on Ceres. The data show that surface materials were processed by the action of water within the interior. The non-icy portion of Ceres' carbon-bearing regolith contains similar amounts of hydrogen to those present in aqueously altered carbonaceous chondrites; however, the concentration of iron on Ceres is lower than in the aforementioned chondrites. This allows for the possibility that Ceres experienced modest ice-rock fractionation, resulting in differences between surface and bulk composition. At mid-to-high latitudes, the regolith contains high concentrations of hydrogen, consistent with broad expanses of water ice, confirming theoretical predictions that ice can survive for billions of years just beneath the surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- T H Prettyman
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719-2395, USA.
| | - N Yamashita
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719-2395, USA
| | - M J Toplis
- Institut de Recherche d'Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse 31400, France
| | - H Y McSween
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1410, USA
| | - N Schörghofer
- University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - S Marchi
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - W C Feldman
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719-2395, USA
| | - J Castillo-Rogez
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA
| | - O Forni
- Institut de Recherche d'Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse 31400, France
| | - D J Lawrence
- Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - E Ammannito
- Earth Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA
| | - B L Ehlmann
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA.,Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - H G Sizemore
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719-2395, USA
| | - S P Joy
- Earth Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA
| | - C A Polanskey
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA
| | - M D Rayman
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA
| | - C A Raymond
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, USA
| | - C T Russell
- Earth Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA
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Maynard-Casely HE. ‘Peaks in space’ – crystallography in planetary science: past impacts and future opportunities. CRYSTALLOGR REV 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/0889311x.2016.1242127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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21
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Zhang AC, Li QL, Yurimoto H, Sakamoto N, Li XH, Hu S, Lin YT, Wang RC. Young asteroidal fluid activity revealed by absolute age from apatite in carbonaceous chondrite. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12844. [PMID: 27682449 PMCID: PMC5056421 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Chondritic meteorites, consisting of the materials that have formed in the early solar system (ESS), have been affected by late thermal events and fluid activity to various degrees. Determining the timing of fluid activity in ESS is of fundamental importance for understanding the nature, formation, evolution and significance of fluid activity in ESS. Previous investigations have determined the relative ages of fluid activity with short-lived isotope systematics. Here we report an absolute 207Pb/206Pb isochron age (4,450±50 Ma) of apatite from Dar al Gani (DaG) 978, a type ∼3.5, ungrouped carbonaceous chondrite. The petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical features suggest that the apatite in DaG 978 should have formed during metamorphism in the presence of a fluid. Therefore, the apatite age represents an absolute age for fluid activity in an asteroidal setting. An impact event could have provided the heat to activate this young fluid activity in ESS. Chondritic meteorites formed in the early solar system and may tell us about primary processes at that time. Here, Zhang et al. report an absolute 207Pb/206Pb isochron age (4,450±50 Ma) of apatite from a carbonaceous chondrite constraining timing of fluid activity in meteorites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ai-Cheng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210046, China.,Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Qiu-Li Li
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Hisayoshi Yurimoto
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.,Isotope Imaging Laboratory, Creative Research Institution Sousei, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Naoya Sakamoto
- Isotope Imaging Laboratory, Creative Research Institution Sousei, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Xian-Hua Li
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Sen Hu
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Yang-Ting Lin
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Ru-Cheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210046, China
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Buczkowski DL, Schmidt BE, Williams DA, Mest SC, Scully JEC, Ermakov AI, Preusker F, Schenk P, Otto KA, Hiesinger H, O'Brien D, Marchi S, Sizemore H, Hughson K, Chilton H, Bland M, Byrne S, Schorghofer N, Platz T, Jaumann R, Roatsch T, Sykes MV, Nathues A, De Sanctis MC, Raymond CA, Russell CT. The geomorphology of Ceres. Science 2016; 353:353/6303/aaf4332. [PMID: 27701088 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf4332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Analysis of Dawn spacecraft Framing Camera image data allows evaluation of the topography and geomorphology of features on the surface of Ceres. The dwarf planet is dominated by numerous craters, but other features are also common. Linear structures include both those associated with impact craters and those that do not appear to have any correlation to an impact event. Abundant lobate flows are identified, and numerous domical features are found at a range of scales. Features suggestive of near-surface ice, cryomagmatism, and cryovolcanism have been identified. Although spectroscopic analysis has currently detected surface water ice at only one location on Ceres, the identification of these potentially ice-related features suggests that there may be at least some ice in localized regions in the crust.
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Affiliation(s)
- D L Buczkowski
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA.
| | - B E Schmidt
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | | | - S C Mest
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - J E C Scully
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA
| | - A I Ermakov
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - F Preusker
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin 12489, Germany
| | - P Schenk
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - K A Otto
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin 12489, Germany
| | - H Hiesinger
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - D O'Brien
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - S Marchi
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - H Sizemore
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - K Hughson
- University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - H Chilton
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - M Bland
- United States Geological Survey, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA
| | - S Byrne
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - N Schorghofer
- University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - T Platz
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - R Jaumann
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin 12489, Germany
| | - T Roatsch
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin 12489, Germany
| | - M V Sykes
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - A Nathues
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - M C De Sanctis
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziale INAF, Rome 00133, Italy
| | - C A Raymond
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA
| | - C T Russell
- University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Combe JP, McCord TB, Tosi F, Ammannito E, Carrozzo FG, De Sanctis MC, Raponi A, Byrne S, Landis ME, Hughson KHG, Raymond CA, Russell CT. Detection of local H2O exposed at the surface of Ceres. Science 2016; 353:353/6303/aaf3010. [PMID: 27701085 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf3010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The surface of dwarf planet Ceres contains hydroxyl-rich materials. Theories predict a water ice-rich mantle, and water vapor emissions have been observed, yet no water (H2O) has been previously identified. The Visible and InfraRed (VIR) mapping spectrometer onboard the Dawn spacecraft has now detected water absorption features within a low-illumination, highly reflective zone in Oxo, a 10-kilometer, geologically fresh crater, on five occasions over a period of 1 month. Candidate materials are H2O ice and mineral hydrates. Exposed H2O ice would become optically undetectable within tens of years under current Ceres temperatures; consequently, only a relatively recent exposure or formation of H2O would explain Dawn's findings. Some mineral hydrates are stable on geological time scales, but their formation would imply extended contact with ice or liquid H2O.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Philippe Combe
- Bear Fight Institute, 22 Fiddler's Road, P.O. Box 667, Winthrop, WA 98862, USA.
| | - Thomas B McCord
- Bear Fight Institute, 22 Fiddler's Road, P.O. Box 667, Winthrop, WA 98862, USA
| | - Federico Tosi
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali-Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Rome, Italy
| | - Eleonora Ammannito
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali-Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Rome, Italy. Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Andrea Raponi
- Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali-Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Rome, Italy
| | - Shane Byrne
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | | | - Kynan H G Hughson
- Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Christopher T Russell
- Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Meech KJ, Yang B, Kleyna J, Hainaut OR, Berdyugina S, Keane JV, Micheli M, Morbidelli A, Wainscoat RJ. Inner solar system material discovered in the Oort cloud. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2016; 2:e1600038. [PMID: 27386512 PMCID: PMC4928888 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We have observed C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS), a recently discovered object on a cometary orbit coming from the Oort cloud that is physically similar to an inner main belt rocky S-type asteroid. Recent dynamical models successfully reproduce the key characteristics of our current solar system; some of these models require significant migration of the giant planets, whereas others do not. These models provide different predictions on the presence of rocky material expelled from the inner solar system in the Oort cloud. C/2014 S3 could be the key to verifying these predictions of the migration-based dynamical models. Furthermore, this object displays a very faint, weak level of comet-like activity, five to six orders of magnitude less than that of typical ice-rich comets on similar Orbits coming from the Oort cloud. For the nearly tailless appearance, we are calling C/2014 S3 a Manx object. Various arguments convince us that this activity is produced by sublimation of volatile ice, that is, normal cometary activity. The activity implies that C/2014 S3 has retained a tiny fraction of the water that is expected to be present at its formation distance in the inner solar system. We may be looking at fresh inner solar system Earth-forming material that was ejected from the inner solar system and preserved for billions of years in the Oort cloud.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen J. Meech
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai’i, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822–1839, USA
| | - Bin Yang
- European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jan Kleyna
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai’i, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822–1839, USA
| | - Olivier R. Hainaut
- European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Svetlana Berdyugina
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai’i, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822–1839, USA
- Kiepenheuer Institut fuer Sonnenphysik, Schoeneckstrasse 6, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jacqueline V. Keane
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai’i, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822–1839, USA
| | - Marco Micheli
- Space Situational Awareness (SSA)–Near Earth Objects (NEO) Coordination Centre, European Space Agency, 00044 Frascati (RM), Italy
- SpaceDyS s.r.l., 56023 Cascina (Pl), Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)–Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali (IAPS), 00133 Roma (RM), Italy
| | - Alessandro Morbidelli
- Laboratoire Lagrange, UMR 7293, Université de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, CNRS, Observatoire de la Cöte d’Azur, Boulevard de l’Observatoire, 06304 Nice Cedex 4, France
| | - Richard J. Wainscoat
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai’i, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822–1839, USA
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25
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Super-catastrophic disruption of asteroids at small perihelion distances. Nature 2016; 530:303-6. [PMID: 26887492 DOI: 10.1038/nature16934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Most near-Earth objects came from the asteroid belt and drifted via non-gravitational thermal forces into resonant escape routes that, in turn, pushed them onto planet-crossing orbits. Models predict that numerous asteroids should be found on orbits that closely approach the Sun, but few have been seen. In addition, even though the near-Earth-object population in general is an even mix of low-albedo (less than ten per cent of incident radiation is reflected) and high-albedo (more than ten per cent of incident radiation is reflected) asteroids, the characterized asteroids near the Sun typically have high albedos. Here we report a quantitative comparison of actual asteroid detections and a near-Earth-object model (which accounts for observational selection effects). We conclude that the deficit of low-albedo objects near the Sun arises from the super-catastrophic breakup (that is, almost complete disintegration) of a substantial fraction of asteroids when they achieve perihelion distances of a few tens of solar radii. The distance at which destruction occurs is greater for smaller asteroids, and their temperatures during perihelion passages are too low for evaporation to explain their disappearance. Although both bright and dark (high- and low-albedo) asteroids eventually break up, we find that low-albedo asteroids are more likely to be destroyed farther from the Sun, which explains the apparent excess of high-albedo near-Earth objects and suggests that low-albedo asteroids break up more easily as a result of thermal effects.
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26
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Abstract
The dwarf planet (1) Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt with a mean diameter of about 950 kilometres, is located at a mean distance from the Sun of about 2.8 astronomical units (one astronomical unit is the Earth-Sun distance). Thermal evolution models suggest that it is a differentiated body with potential geological activity. Unlike on the icy satellites of Jupiter and Saturn, where tidal forces are responsible for spewing briny water into space, no tidal forces are acting on Ceres. In the absence of such forces, most objects in the main asteroid belt are expected to be geologically inert. The recent discovery of water vapour absorption near Ceres and previous detection of bound water and OH near and on Ceres (refs 5-7) have raised interest in the possible presence of surface ice. Here we report the presence of localized bright areas on Ceres from an orbiting imager. These unusual areas are consistent with hydrated magnesium sulfates mixed with dark background material, although other compositions are possible. Of particular interest is a bright pit on the floor of crater Occator that exhibits probable sublimation of water ice, producing haze clouds inside the crater that appear and disappear with a diurnal rhythm. Slow-moving condensed-ice or dust particles may explain this haze. We conclude that Ceres must have accreted material from beyond the 'snow line', which is the distance from the Sun at which water molecules condense.
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27
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Mysterious bright spots on Ceres are probably salt. Nature 2015. [DOI: 10.1038/nature.2015.18980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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28
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Ammoniated phyllosilicates with a likely outer Solar System origin on (1) Ceres. Nature 2015; 528:241-4. [DOI: 10.1038/nature16172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 239] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Taubner RS, Schleper C, Firneis MG, Rittmann SKMR. Assessing the Ecophysiology of Methanogens in the Context of Recent Astrobiological and Planetological Studies. Life (Basel) 2015; 5:1652-86. [PMID: 26703739 PMCID: PMC4695842 DOI: 10.3390/life5041652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Revised: 10/15/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Among all known microbes capable of thriving under extreme and, therefore, potentially extraterrestrial environmental conditions, methanogens from the domain Archaea are intriguing organisms. This is due to their broad metabolic versatility, enormous diversity, and ability to grow under extreme environmental conditions. Several studies revealed that growth conditions of methanogens are compatible with environmental conditions on extraterrestrial bodies throughout the Solar System. Hence, life in the Solar System might not be limited to the classical habitable zone. In this contribution we assess the main ecophysiological characteristics of methanogens and compare these to the environmental conditions of putative habitats in the Solar System, in particular Mars and icy moons. Eventually, we give an outlook on the feasibility and the necessity of future astrobiological studies concerning methanogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth-Sophie Taubner
- Research Platform: ExoLife, University of Vienna, Türkenschanzstraße 17, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
- Institute of Astrophysics, University of Vienna, Türkenschanzstraße 17, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Christa Schleper
- Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Division, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Maria G Firneis
- Research Platform: ExoLife, University of Vienna, Türkenschanzstraße 17, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
- Institute of Astrophysics, University of Vienna, Türkenschanzstraße 17, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Simon K-M R Rittmann
- Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Division, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
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30
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Witze A. Mystery haze appears above Ceres’s bright spots. Nature 2015. [DOI: 10.1038/nature.2015.18032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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31
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Schippers P, Vernet NM, Lecacheux A, Belheouane S, Moncuquet M, Kurth WS, Mann I, Mitchell DG, André N. NANODUST DETECTION BETWEEN 1 AND 5 AU USINGCASSINIWAVE MEASUREMENTS. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1088/0004-637x/806/1/77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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32
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Spacecraft nears dwarf planet Ceres. Nature 2015. [DOI: 10.1038/nature.2015.17038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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33
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Stevenson A, Burkhardt J, Cockell CS, Cray JA, Dijksterhuis J, Fox-Powell M, Kee TP, Kminek G, McGenity TJ, Timmis KN, Timson DJ, Voytek MA, Westall F, Yakimov MM, Hallsworth JE. Multiplication of microbes below 0.690 water activity: implications for terrestrial and extraterrestrial life. Environ Microbiol 2014; 17:257-77. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2014] [Revised: 08/08/2014] [Accepted: 08/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Stevenson
- Institute for Global Food Security; School of Biological Sciences; MBC; Queen's University Belfast; Belfast BT9 7BL Northern Ireland
| | - Jürgen Burkhardt
- Plant Nutrition Group; Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation; University of Bonn; Karlrobert-Kreiten-Str. 13 D-53115 Bonn Germany
| | - Charles S. Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology; School of Physics and Astronomy; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh EH9 3JZ UK
| | - Jonathan A. Cray
- Institute for Global Food Security; School of Biological Sciences; MBC; Queen's University Belfast; Belfast BT9 7BL Northern Ireland
| | - Jan Dijksterhuis
- CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre; Uppsalalaan 8 CT 3584 Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Mark Fox-Powell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology; School of Physics and Astronomy; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh EH9 3JZ UK
| | - Terence P. Kee
- School of Chemistry; University of Leeds; Leeds LS2 9JT West Yorkshire UK
| | | | - Terry J. McGenity
- School of Biological Sciences; University of Essex; Colchester CO4 3SQ Essex UK
| | - Kenneth N. Timmis
- Institute of Microbiology; Technical University Braunschweig; Spielmannstrasse 7 D-38106 Braunschweig Germany
| | - David J. Timson
- Institute for Global Food Security; School of Biological Sciences; MBC; Queen's University Belfast; Belfast BT9 7BL Northern Ireland
| | | | - Frances Westall
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire; CNRS; Rue Charles Sadron; Centre de Recherches sur les Matériaux à Haute Température; 1D, avenue de la recherché scientifique 45071 Orléans Cedex 2 France
| | | | - John E. Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security; School of Biological Sciences; MBC; Queen's University Belfast; Belfast BT9 7BL Northern Ireland
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34
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Massive asteroid seen steaming off. Nature 2014. [DOI: 10.1038/nature.2014.14570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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35
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Evaporating asteroid. Nature 2014; 505:487-8. [DOI: 10.1038/505487a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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