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Li JY, Hirabayashi M, Farnham TL, Sunshine JM, Knight MM, Tancredi G, Moreno F, Murphy B, Opitom C, Chesley S, Scheeres DJ, Thomas CA, Fahnestock EG, Cheng AF, Dressel L, Ernst CM, Ferrari F, Fitzsimmons A, Ieva S, Ivanovski SL, Kareta T, Kolokolova L, Lister T, Raducan SD, Rivkin AS, Rossi A, Soldini S, Stickle AM, Vick A, Vincent JB, Weaver HA, Bagnulo S, Bannister MT, Cambioni S, Campo Bagatin A, Chabot NL, Cremonese G, Daly RT, Dotto E, Glenar DA, Granvik M, Hasselmann PH, Herreros I, Jacobson S, Jutzi M, Kohout T, La Forgia F, Lazzarin M, Lin ZY, Lolachi R, Lucchetti A, Makadia R, Mazzotta Epifani E, Michel P, Migliorini A, Moskovitz NA, Ormö J, Pajola M, Sánchez P, Schwartz SR, Snodgrass C, Steckloff J, Stubbs TJ, Trigo-Rodríguez JM. Ejecta from the DART-produced active asteroid Dimorphos. Nature 2023; 616:452-456. [PMID: 36858074 PMCID: PMC10115637 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05811-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Some active asteroids have been proposed to be formed as a result of impact events1. Because active asteroids are generally discovered by chance only after their tails have fully formed, the process of how impact ejecta evolve into a tail has, to our knowledge, not been directly observed. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission of NASA2, in addition to having successfully changed the orbital period of Dimorphos3, demonstrated the activation process of an asteroid resulting from an impact under precisely known conditions. Here we report the observations of the DART impact ejecta with the Hubble Space Telescope from impact time T + 15 min to T + 18.5 days at spatial resolutions of around 2.1 km per pixel. Our observations reveal the complex evolution of the ejecta, which are first dominated by the gravitational interaction between the Didymos binary system and the ejected dust and subsequently by solar radiation pressure. The lowest-speed ejecta dispersed through a sustained tail that had a consistent morphology with previously observed asteroid tails thought to be produced by an impact4,5. The evolution of the ejecta after the controlled impact experiment of DART thus provides a framework for understanding the fundamental mechanisms that act on asteroids disrupted by a natural impact1,6.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Masatoshi Hirabayashi
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, Department of Geosciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Tony L Farnham
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | | | - Matthew M Knight
- Physics Department, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, USA
| | - Gonzalo Tancredi
- Departamento de Astronomía, Facultad de Ciencias, Udelar, Uruguay
| | | | - Brian Murphy
- University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Steve Chesley
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Daniel J Scheeres
- Aerospace Engineering Sciences, Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | - Eugene G Fahnestock
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Andrew F Cheng
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Linda Dressel
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Carolyn M Ernst
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Fabio Ferrari
- Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Alan Fitzsimmons
- School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Simone Ieva
- INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Theodore Kareta
- Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | | | - Tim Lister
- Las Cumbres Observatory, Goleta, CA, USA
| | - Sabina D Raducan
- Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrew S Rivkin
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Stefania Soldini
- Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Angela M Stickle
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Alison Vick
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Harold A Weaver
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Michele T Bannister
- School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Te Kura Matū, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Saverio Cambioni
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Adriano Campo Bagatin
- Instituto de Física Aplicada a las Ciencias y las Tecnologías, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
- Departamento de Física, Ingeniería de Sistemas y Teoría de la Señal, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Nancy L Chabot
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - R Terik Daly
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - David A Glenar
- Center for Space Science and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | - Mikael Granvik
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Asteroid Engineering Laboratory, Luleå University of Technology, Kiruna, Sweden
| | | | - Isabel Herreros
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | - Seth Jacobson
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Martin Jutzi
- Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tomas Kohout
- Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Monica Lazzarin
- Dipartimento di Fisica e, Astronomia-Padova University, Padua, Italy
| | - Zhong-Yi Lin
- Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Ramin Lolachi
- Center for Space Science and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | | | - Rahil Makadia
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | | | - Patrick Michel
- Laboratoire Lagrange, Université Côte d'Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Nice, France
| | | | | | - Jens Ormö
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Paul Sánchez
- Aerospace Engineering Sciences, Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | | | | | - Timothy J Stubbs
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
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Hopp T, Dauphas N, Abe Y, Aléon J, O'D Alexander CM, Amari S, Amelin Y, Bajo KI, Bizzarro M, Bouvier A, Carlson RW, Chaussidon M, Choi BG, Davis AM, Di Rocco T, Fujiya W, Fukai R, Gautam I, Haba MK, Hibiya Y, Hidaka H, Homma H, Hoppe P, Huss GR, Ichida K, Iizuka T, Ireland TR, Ishikawa A, Ito M, Itoh S, Kawasaki N, Kita NT, Kitajima K, Kleine T, Komatani S, Krot AN, Liu MC, Masuda Y, McKeegan KD, Morita M, Motomura K, Moynier F, Nakai I, Nagashima K, Nesvorný D, Nguyen A, Nittler L, Onose M, Pack A, Park C, Piani L, Qin L, Russell SS, Sakamoto N, Schönbächler M, Tafla L, Tang H, Terada K, Terada Y, Usui T, Wada S, Wadhwa M, Walker RJ, Yamashita K, Yin QZ, Yokoyama T, Yoneda S, Young ED, Yui H, Zhang AC, Nakamura T, Naraoka H, Noguchi T, Okazaki R, Sakamoto K, Yabuta H, Abe M, Miyazaki A, Nakato A, Nishimura M, Okada T, Yada T, Yogata K, Nakazawa S, Saiki T, Tanaka S, Terui F, Tsuda Y, Watanabe SI, Yoshikawa M, Tachibana S, Yurimoto H. Ryugu's nucleosynthetic heritage from the outskirts of the Solar System. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eadd8141. [PMID: 36264823 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add8141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the origin of the spectral diversity of asteroids and what it says about conditions in the protoplanetary disk. Here, we show that samples returned from Cb-type asteroid Ryugu have Fe isotopic anomalies indistinguishable from Ivuna-type (CI) chondrites, which are distinct from all other carbonaceous chondrites. Iron isotopes, therefore, demonstrate that Ryugu and CI chondrites formed in a reservoir that was different from the source regions of other carbonaceous asteroids. Growth and migration of the giant planets destabilized nearby planetesimals and ejected some inward to be implanted into the Main Belt. In this framework, most carbonaceous chondrites may have originated from regions around the birthplaces of Jupiter and Saturn, while the distinct isotopic composition of CI chondrites and Ryugu may reflect their formation further away in the disk, owing their presence in the inner Solar System to excitation by Uranus and Neptune.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timo Hopp
- Origins Laboratory, Department of the Geophysical Sciences and Enrico Fermi Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Nicolas Dauphas
- Origins Laboratory, Department of the Geophysical Sciences and Enrico Fermi Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Yoshinari Abe
- Graduate School of Engineering Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo Denki University, Tokyo 120-8551, Japan
| | - Jérôme Aléon
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Université, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR 7590, IRD, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Conel M O'D Alexander
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - Sachiko Amari
- McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences and Physics Department, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
- Geochemical Research Center, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yuri Amelin
- Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, GD 510640, China
| | - Ken-Ichi Bajo
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Martin Bizzarro
- Centre for Star and Planet Formation, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K 1350, Denmark
| | - Audrey Bouvier
- Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95447, Germany
| | - Richard W Carlson
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - Marc Chaussidon
- Université Paris Cité, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Byeon-Gak Choi
- Department of Earth Science Education, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Andrew M Davis
- Origins Laboratory, Department of the Geophysical Sciences and Enrico Fermi Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Tommaso Di Rocco
- Faculty of Geosciences and Geography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen D-37077, Germany
| | - Wataru Fujiya
- Faculty of Science, Ibaraki University, Mito 310-8512, Japan
| | - Ryota Fukai
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Ikshu Gautam
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Makiko K Haba
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Yuki Hibiya
- Department of General Systems Studies, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-0041, Japan
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Hidaka
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Hisashi Homma
- Osaka Application Laboratory, SBUWDX, Rigaku Corporation, Osaka 569-1146, Japan
| | - Peter Hoppe
- Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz 55128, Germany
| | - Gary R Huss
- Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Kiyohiro Ichida
- Analytical Technology Division, Horiba Techno Service Co. Ltd., Kyoto 601-8125, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Iizuka
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Trevor R Ireland
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Akira Ishikawa
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Motoo Ito
- Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, JAMSTEC, Kochi 783-8502, Japan
| | - Shoichi Itoh
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Kawasaki
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Noriko T Kita
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Kouki Kitajima
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Thorsten Kleine
- Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Shintaro Komatani
- Analytical Technology Division, Horiba Techno Service Co. Ltd., Kyoto 601-8125, Japan
| | - Alexander N Krot
- Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Ming-Chang Liu
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550, USA
| | - Yuki Masuda
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Kevin D McKeegan
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Mayu Morita
- Analytical Technology Division, Horiba Techno Service Co. Ltd., Kyoto 601-8125, Japan
| | | | - Frédéric Moynier
- Université Paris Cité, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Izumi Nakai
- Thermal Analysis, Rigaku Corporation, Tokyo 196-8666, Japan
| | - Kazuhide Nagashima
- Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - David Nesvorný
- Department of Space Studies, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - Ann Nguyen
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - Larry Nittler
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Morihiko Onose
- Analytical Technology Division, Horiba Techno Service Co. Ltd., Kyoto 601-8125, Japan
| | - Andreas Pack
- Faculty of Geosciences and Geography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen D-37077, Germany
| | - Changkun Park
- Division of Earth-System Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Korea
| | - Laurette Piani
- Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques, CNRS-Université de Lorraine, 54500 Nancy, France
| | - Liping Qin
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Sara S Russell
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Naoya Sakamoto
- Isotope Imaging Laboratory, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Maria Schönbächler
- Institute for Geochemistry and Petrology, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lauren Tafla
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Haolan Tang
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Kentaro Terada
- Department of Earth and Space Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Yasuko Terada
- Spectroscopy and Imaging Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Usui
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Sohei Wada
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
| | - Meenakshi Wadhwa
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Richard J Walker
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Katsuyuki Yamashita
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Qing-Zhu Yin
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Tetsuya Yokoyama
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Shigekazu Yoneda
- Department Science and Engineering, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba 305-0005, Japan
| | - Edward D Young
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Hiroharu Yui
- Department of Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
| | - Ai-Cheng Zhang
- School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Tomoki Nakamura
- Department of Earth Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Naraoka
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Takaaki Noguchi
- Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, JAMSTEC, Kochi 783-8502, Japan
| | - Ryuji Okazaki
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Kanako Sakamoto
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Hikaru Yabuta
- Earth and Planetary Systems Science Program, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | - Masanao Abe
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Akiko Miyazaki
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Aiko Nakato
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Masahiro Nishimura
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Tatsuaki Okada
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Toru Yada
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Kasumi Yogata
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Satoru Nakazawa
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Takanao Saiki
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Satoshi Tanaka
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Fuyuto Terui
- Graduate School of Engineering, Kanagawa Institute of Technology, Atsugi 243-0292, Japan
| | - Yuichi Tsuda
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Sei-Ichiro Watanabe
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Makoto Yoshikawa
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science/JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
| | - Shogo Tachibana
- UTokyo Organization for Planetary and Space Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hisayoshi Yurimoto
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan
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Kloprogge JT(T, Hartman H. Clays and the Origin of Life: The Experiments. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12020259. [PMID: 35207546 PMCID: PMC8880559 DOI: 10.3390/life12020259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
There are three groups of scientists dominating the search for the origin of life: the organic chemists (the Soup), the molecular biologists (RNA world), and the inorganic chemists (metabolism and transient-state metal ions), all of which have experimental adjuncts. It is time for Clays and the Origin of Life to have its experimental adjunct. The clay data coming from Mars and carbonaceous chondrites have necessitated a review of the role that clays played in the origin of life on Earth. The data from Mars have suggested that Fe-clays such as nontronite, ferrous saponites, and several other clays were formed on early Mars when it had sufficient water. This raised the question of the possible role that these clays may have played in the origin of life on Mars. This has put clays front and center in the studies on the origin of life not only on Mars but also here on Earth. One of the major questions is: What was the catalytic role of Fe-clays in the origin and development of metabolism here on Earth? First, there is the recent finding of a chiral amino acid (isovaline) that formed on the surface of a clay mineral on several carbonaceous chondrites. This points to the formation of amino acids on the surface of clay minerals on carbonaceous chondrites from simpler molecules, e.g., CO2, NH3, and HCN. Additionally, there is the catalytic role of small organic molecules, such as dicarboxylic acids and amino acids found on carbonaceous chondrites, in the formation of Fe-clays themselves. Amino acids and nucleotides adsorb on clay surfaces on Earth and subsequently polymerize. All of these observations and more must be subjected to strict experimental analysis. This review provides an overview of what has happened and is now happening in the experimental clay world related to the origin of life. The emphasis is on smectite-group clay minerals, such as montmorillonite and nontronite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Teunis (Theo) Kloprogge
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, Miagao 5023, Philippines
- Correspondence: (J.T.K.); (H.H.)
| | - Hyman Hartman
- Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Correspondence: (J.T.K.); (H.H.)
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Rizkallah GC, Assaf AA, Tohme SN. Molecular structure and properties of MgCa molecule. Chem Phys 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2021.111316] [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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Role of Na+-montmorillonite in the stability of guanine exposed to high-radiation energy in primitive environments: Heterogeneous models. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2021.109509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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McKay AJ, Roth NX. Organic Matter in Cometary Environments. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:37. [PMID: 33430031 PMCID: PMC7826631 DOI: 10.3390/life11010037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Comets contain primitive material leftover from the formation of the Solar System, making studies of their composition important for understanding the formation of volatile material in the early Solar System. This includes organic molecules, which, for the purpose of this review, we define as compounds with C-H and/or C-C bonds. In this review, we discuss the history and recent breakthroughs of the study of organic matter in comets, from simple organic molecules and photodissociation fragments to large macromolecular structures. We summarize results both from Earth-based studies as well as spacecraft missions to comets, highlighted by the Rosetta mission, which orbited comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for two years, providing unprecedented insights into the nature of comets. We conclude with future prospects for the study of organic matter in comets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. McKay
- Department of Physics, American University, Washington, DC 20016, USA
- Planetary Systems Laboratory Code 693, Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Nathan X. Roth
- Astrochemistry Laboratory Code 691, Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA;
- Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD 21046, USA
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Hu JY, Dauphas N, Tissot FLH, Yokochi R, Ireland TJ, Zhang Z, Davis AM, Ciesla FJ, Grossman L, Charlier BLA, Roskosz M, Alp EE, Hu MY, Zhao J. Heating events in the nascent solar system recorded by rare earth element isotopic fractionation in refractory inclusions. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/2/eabc2962. [PMID: 33523962 PMCID: PMC7787488 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc2962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Equilibrium condensation of solar gas is often invoked to explain the abundance of refractory elements in planets and meteorites. This is partly motivated, by the observation that the depletions in both the least and most refractory rare earth elements (REEs) in meteoritic group II calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) can be reproduced by thermodynamic models of solar nebula condensation. We measured the isotopic compositions of Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Er, and Yb in eight CAIs to test this scenario. Contrary to expectation for equilibrium condensation, we find light isotope enrichment for the most refractory REEs and more subdued isotopic variations for the least refractory REEs. This suggests that group II CAIs formed by a two-stage process involving fast evaporation of preexisting materials, followed by near-equilibrium recondensation. The calculated time scales are consistent with heating in events akin to FU Orionis- or EX Lupi-type outbursts of eruptive pre-main-sequence stars.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Y Hu
- Origins Laboratory, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, Enrico Fermi Institute, Chicago Center for Cosmochemistry, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - N Dauphas
- Origins Laboratory, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, Enrico Fermi Institute, Chicago Center for Cosmochemistry, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - F L H Tissot
- Origins Laboratory, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- The Isotoparium, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - R Yokochi
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, Enrico Fermi Institute, Chicago Center for Cosmochemistry, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - T J Ireland
- Origins Laboratory, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, Enrico Fermi Institute, Chicago Center for Cosmochemistry, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Z Zhang
- Origins Laboratory, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, Enrico Fermi Institute, Chicago Center for Cosmochemistry, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - A M Davis
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, Enrico Fermi Institute, Chicago Center for Cosmochemistry, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - F J Ciesla
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, Enrico Fermi Institute, Chicago Center for Cosmochemistry, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - L Grossman
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, Enrico Fermi Institute, Chicago Center for Cosmochemistry, The University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - B L A Charlier
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - M Roskosz
- IMPMC, CNRS, UMR 7590, Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CP 52, 57 rue Cuvier, Paris F-75231, France
| | - E E Alp
- Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
| | - M Y Hu
- Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
| | - J Zhao
- Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
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Zellner NEB, McCaffrey VP, Butler JHE. Cometary Glycolaldehyde as a Source of pre-RNA Molecules. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:1377-1388. [PMID: 32985898 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Over 200 molecules have been detected in multiple extraterrestrial environments, including glycolaldehyde (C2(H2O)2, GLA), a two-carbon sugar precursor that has been detected in regions of the interstellar medium. Its recent in situ detection on the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and through remote observations in the comae of others provides tantalizing evidence that it is common on most (if not all) comets. Impact experiments conducted at the Experimental Impact Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center have shown that samples of GLA and GLA mixed with montmorillonite clays can survive impact delivery in the pressure range of 4.5 to 25 GPa. Extrapolated to amounts of GLA observed on individual comets and assuming a monotonic impact rate in the first billion years of Solar System history, these experimental results show that up to 1023 kg of cometary GLA could have survived impact delivery, with substantial amounts of threose, erythrose, glycolic acid, and ethylene glycol also produced or delivered. Importantly, independent of the profile of the impact flux in the early Solar System, comet delivery of GLA would have provided (and may continue to provide) a reservoir of starting material for the formose reaction (to form ribose) and the Strecker reaction (to form amino acids). Thus, comets may have been important delivery vehicles for starting molecules necessary for life as we know it.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jayden H E Butler
- Department of Physics, Albion College, Albion, Michigan, USA
- Department of Physics, California State University - Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Rubin M, Engrand C, Snodgrass C, Weissman P, Altwegg K, Busemann H, Morbidelli A, Mumma M. On the Origin and Evolution of the Material in 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2020; 216:102. [PMID: 32801398 PMCID: PMC7392949 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-020-00718-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Primitive objects like comets hold important information on the material that formed our solar system. Several comets have been visited by spacecraft and many more have been observed through Earth- and space-based telescopes. Still our understanding remains limited. Molecular abundances in comets have been shown to be similar to interstellar ices and thus indicate that common processes and conditions were involved in their formation. The samples returned by the Stardust mission to comet Wild 2 showed that the bulk refractory material was processed by high temperatures in the vicinity of the early sun. The recent Rosetta mission acquired a wealth of new data on the composition of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (hereafter 67P/C-G) and complemented earlier observations of other comets. The isotopic, elemental, and molecular abundances of the volatile, semi-volatile, and refractory phases brought many new insights into the origin and processing of the incorporated material. The emerging picture after Rosetta is that at least part of the volatile material was formed before the solar system and that cometary nuclei agglomerated over a wide range of heliocentric distances, different from where they are found today. Deviations from bulk solar system abundances indicate that the material was not fully homogenized at the location of comet formation, despite the radial mixing implied by the Stardust results. Post-formation evolution of the material might play an important role, which further complicates the picture. This paper discusses these major findings of the Rosetta mission with respect to the origin of the material and puts them in the context of what we know from other comets and solar system objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Rubin
- Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Cécile Engrand
- CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
| | - Colin Snodgrass
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ UK
| | | | - Kathrin Altwegg
- Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Henner Busemann
- Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Michael Mumma
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Rd., Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
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Levasseur-Regourd AC, Agarwal J, Cottin H, Engrand C, Flynn G, Fulle M, Gombosi T, Langevin Y, Lasue J, Mannel T, Merouane S, Poch O, Thomas N, Westphal A. Cometary Dust. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2018; 214:64. [PMID: 35095119 PMCID: PMC8793767 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-018-0496-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
This review presents our understanding of cometary dust at the end of 2017. For decades, insight about the dust ejected by nuclei of comets had stemmed from remote observations from Earth or Earth's orbit, and from flybys, including the samples of dust returned to Earth for laboratory studies by the Stardust return capsule. The long-duration Rosetta mission has recently provided a huge and unique amount of data, obtained using numerous instruments, including innovative dust instruments, over a wide range of distances from the Sun and from the nucleus. The diverse approaches available to study dust in comets, together with the related theoretical and experimental studies, provide evidence of the composition and physical properties of dust particles, e.g., the presence of a large fraction of carbon in macromolecules, and of aggregates on a wide range of scales. The results have opened vivid discussions on the variety of dust-release processes and on the diversity of dust properties in comets, as well as on the formation of cometary dust, and on its presence in the near-Earth interplanetary medium. These discussions stress the significance of future explorations as a way to decipher the formation and evolution of our Solar System.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anny-Chantal Levasseur-Regourd
- Sorbonne Université; UVSQ; CNRS/INSU; Campus Pierre et Marie Curie, BC 102, 4 place Jussieu, F-75005 Paris, France, Tel.: + 33 144274875,
| | - Jessica Agarwal
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg, 3, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hervé Cottin
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA), UMR CNRS 7583, Université Paris-Est Créteil et Université Paris Diderot, Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, 94000 Créteil, France
| | - Cécile Engrand
- Centre de Sciences Nucléaires et de Sciences de la Matière (CSNSM), CNRS/IN2P3 Université Paris Sud - UMR 8609, Université Paris-Saclay, Bâtiment 104, 91405 Orsay Campus, France
| | - George Flynn
- SUNY-Plattsburgh, 101 Broad St, Plattsburgh, NY 12901, United States
| | - Marco Fulle
- INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico, Via Tiepolo 11, 34143 Trieste Italy
| | - Tamas Gombosi
- Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Yves Langevin
- Institut dAstrophysique Spatiale (IAS), CNRS/Université Paris Sud, Bâtiment 121, 91405 Orsay France
| | - Jérémie Lasue
- IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CNES, Toulouse, France
| | - Thurid Mannel
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Schmiedlstrasse 6, 8042 Graz, Austria; Physics Institute, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 5, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Sihane Merouane
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg, 3, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Olivier Poch
- Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Nicolas Thomas
- Physikalisches Institut, Universität Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrew Westphal
- Space Sciences Laboratory, U.C. Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7450 USA
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Moses JI, Poppe AR. Dust Ablation on the Giant Planets: Consequences for Stratospheric Photochemistry. ICARUS 2017; 297:33-58. [PMID: 30842686 PMCID: PMC6398964 DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2017.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Ablation of interplanetary dust supplies oxygen to the upper atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Using recent dynamical model predictions for the dust influx rates to the giant planets (Poppe, A.R. et al. [2016], Icarus 264, 369), we calculate the ablation profiles and investigate the subsequent coupled oxygen-hydrocarbon neutral photochemistry in the stratospheres of these planets. We find that dust grains from the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt, Jupiter-family comets, and Oort-cloud comets supply an effective oxygen influx rate of1.0 - 0.7 + 2.2 × 10 7 O atoms cm-2 s-1 to Jupiter,7.4 - 5.1 + 16 × 10 4 cm-2 s-1 to Saturn,8.9 - 6.1 + 19 × 10 4 cm-2 s-1 to Uranus, and7.5 - 5.1 + 16 × 10 5 cm-2 s-1 to Neptune. The fate of the ablated oxygen depends in part on the molecular/atomic form of the initially delivered products, and on the altitude at which it was deposited. The dominant stratospheric products are CO, H2O, and CO2, which are relatively stable photochemically. Model-data comparisons suggest that interplanetary dust grains deliver an important component of the external oxygen to Jupiter and Uranus but fall far short of the amount needed to explain the CO abundance currently seen in the middle stratospheres of Saturn and Neptune. Our results are consistent with the theory that all of the giant planets have experienced large cometary impacts within the last few hundred years. Our results also suggest that the low background H2O abundance in Jupiter's stratosphere is indicative of effective conversion of meteoric oxygen to CO during or immediately after the ablation process - photochemistry alone cannot efficiently convert the H2O into CO on the giant planets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julianne I Moses
- Space Science Institute, 4750 Walnut Street, Suite 205, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
| | - Andrew R Poppe
- Space Sciences Laboratory, 7 Gauss Way, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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Abstract
Spectral remote sensing in the visible/near-infrared (VNIR) and mid-IR (MIR) regions has enabled detection and characterisation of multiple clays and clay minerals on Earth and in the Solar System. Remote sensing on Earth poses the greatest challenge due to atmospheric absorptions that interfere with detection of surface minerals. Still, a greater variety of clay minerals have been observed on Earth than other bodies due to extensive aqueous alteration on our planet. Clay minerals have arguably been mapped in more detail on the planet Mars because they are not masked by vegetation on that planet and the atmosphere is less of a hindrance. Fe/Mg-smectite is the most abundant clay mineral on the surface of Mars and is also common in meteorites and comets where clay minerals are detected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice L Bishop
- SETI Institute, Carl Sagan Center, 189 Bernardo Ave, Suite 200, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | | | - John Carter
- Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, CNRS/Paris-Sud University, Orsay, France
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13
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Meech KJ. Setting the scene: what did we know before Rosetta? PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2017; 375:rsta.2016.0247. [PMID: 28554969 PMCID: PMC5454221 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2016.0247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of our state of knowledge about comets prior to the Rosetta mission encounter. Starting with the historical perspective, this paper discusses the development of comet science up to the modern era of space exploration. The extent to which comets are tracers of solar system formation processes or preserve pristine interstellar material has been investigated for over four decades. There is increasing evidence that in contrast with the distinct dynamical comet reservoirs we see today, comet formation regions strongly overlapped in the protoplanetary disc and there was significant migration of material in the disc during the epoch of comet formation. Comet nuclei are now known to be very low-density highly porous bodies, with very low thermal inertia, and have a range of sizes which exhibit a deficiency of very small bodies. The low thermal inertia suggests that comets may preserve pristine materials close to the surface, and that this might be accessible to sample return missions.This article is part of the themed issue 'Cometary science after Rosetta'.
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Affiliation(s)
- K J Meech
- Institute for Astronomy, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
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14
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Ziurys LM, Halfen DT, Geppert W, Aikawa Y. Following the Interstellar History of Carbon: From the Interiors of Stars to the Surfaces of Planets. ASTROBIOLOGY 2016; 16:997-1012. [PMID: 28001448 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The chemical history of carbon is traced from its origin in stellar nucleosynthesis to its delivery to planet surfaces. The molecular carriers of this element are examined at each stage in the cycling of interstellar organic material and their eventual incorporation into solar system bodies. The connection between the various interstellar carbon reservoirs is also examined. Carbon has two stellar sources: supernova explosions and mass loss from evolved stars. In the latter case, the carbon is dredged up from the interior and then ejected into a circumstellar envelope, where a rich and unusual C-based chemistry occurs. This molecular material is eventually released into the general interstellar medium through planetary nebulae. It is first incorporated into diffuse clouds, where carbon is found in polyatomic molecules such as H2CO, HCN, HNC, c-C3H2, and even C60+. These objects then collapse into dense clouds, the sites of star and planet formation. Such clouds foster an active organic chemistry, producing compounds with a wide range of functional groups with both gas-phase and surface mechanisms. As stars and planets form, the chemical composition is altered by increasing stellar radiation, as well as possibly by reactions in the presolar nebula. Some molecular, carbon-rich material remains pristine, however, encapsulated in comets, meteorites, and interplanetary dust particles, and is delivered to planet surfaces. Key Words: Carbon isotopes-Prebiotic evolution-Interstellar molecules-Comets-Meteorites. Astrobiology 16, 997-1012.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Ziurys
- 1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Astronomy, and Arizona Radio Observatory, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - D T Halfen
- 1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Astronomy, and Arizona Radio Observatory, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - W Geppert
- 2 Physics Department, Stockholm University , Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Y Aikawa
- 3 Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba , Tsukuba, Japan
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15
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Tanner A, Boyajian TS, von Braun K, Kane S, Brewer JM, Farrington C, van Belle GT, Beichman CA, Fischer D, Brummelaar TAT, McAlister HA, Schaefer G. STELLAR PARAMETERS FOR HD 69830, A NEARBY STAR WITH THREE NEPTUNE MASS PLANETS AND AN ASTEROID BELT. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1088/0004-637x/800/2/115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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16
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Abstract
Large planetary seedlings, comets, microscale pharmaceuticals, and nanoscale soot particles are made from rigid, aggregated subunits that are compacted under low compression into larger structures spanning over 10 orders of magnitude in dimensional space. Here, we demonstrate that the packing density (θf) of compacted rigid aggregates is independent of spatial scale for systems under weak compaction. The θf of rigid aggregated structures across six orders of magnitude were measured using nanoscale spherical soot aerosol composed of aggregates with ∼ 17-nm monomeric subunits and aggregates made from uniform monomeric 6-mm spherical subunits at the macroscale. We find θf = 0.36 ± 0.02 at both dimensions. These values are remarkably similar to θf observed for comet nuclei and measured values of other rigid aggregated systems across a wide variety of spatial and formative conditions. We present a packing model that incorporates the aggregate morphology and show that θf is independent of both monomer and aggregate size. These observations suggest that the θf of rigid aggregates subject to weak compaction forces is independent of spatial dimension across varied formative conditions.
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McCaffrey VP, Zellner NEB, Waun CM, Bennett ER, Earl EK. Reactivity and survivability of glycolaldehyde in simulated meteorite impact experiments. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2014; 44:29-42. [PMID: 24934564 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-014-9358-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/01/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Sugars of extraterrestrial origin have been observed in the interstellar medium (ISM), in at least one comet spectrum, and in several carbonaceous chondritic meteorites that have been recovered from the surface of the Earth. The origins of these sugars within the meteorites have been debated. To explore the possibility that sugars could be generated during shock events, this paper reports on the results of the first laboratory impact experiments wherein glycolaldehyde, found in the ISM, as well as glycolaldehyde mixed with montmorillonite clay, have been subjected to reverberated shocks from ~5 to >25 GPa. New biologically relevant molecules, including threose, erythrose and ethylene glycol, were identified in the resulting samples. These results show that sugar molecules can not only survive but also become more complex during impact delivery to planetary bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- V P McCaffrey
- Department of Chemistry, Albion College, Albion, MI, 49224, USA,
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Yang B, Jewitt D. IDENTIFICATION OF MAGNETITE IN B-TYPE ASTEROIDS. THE ASTRONOMICAL JOURNAL 2010; 140:692-698. [DOI: 10.1088/0004-6256/140/3/692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
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19
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Rimola A, Sodupe M, Ugliengo P. Deep-space glycine formation via Strecker-type reactions activated by ice water dust mantles. A computational approach. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2010; 12:5285-94. [DOI: 10.1039/b923439j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Morris MA, Desch SJ. Phyllosilicate emission from protoplanetary disks: is the indirect detection of extrasolar water possible? ASTROBIOLOGY 2009; 9:965-978. [PMID: 20041749 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2008.0316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Phyllosilicates are hydrous minerals formed by interaction between rock and liquid water, and are commonly found in meteorites that originate in the asteroid belt. Collisions between asteroids contribute to zodiacal dust, which therefore reasonably could include phyllosilicates. Collisions between planetesimals in protoplanetary disks may also produce dust that contains phyllosilicates. These minerals possess characteristic emission features in the mid-infrared and could be detectable in extrasolar protoplanetary disks. We have determined whether phyllosilicates in protoplanetary disks are detectable in the infrared, using instruments such as those on board the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). We calculated opacities for the phyllosilicates most common in meteorites and, using a two-layer radiative transfer model, computed the emission of radiation from a protoplanetary disk. We found that phyllosilicates present at the 3% level lead to observationally significant differences in disk spectra and should therefore be detectable with the use of infrared observations and spectral modeling. Detection of phyllosilicates in a protoplanetary disk would be diagnostic of liquid water in planetesimals in that disk and would demonstrate similarity to our own Solar System. We also discuss use of phyllosilicate emission to test the "water worlds" hypothesis, which proposes that liquid water in planetesimals should correlate with the inventory of short-lived radionuclides in planetary systems, especially (26)Al.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa A Morris
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA.
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22
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Flynn GJ, Wirick S, Keller LP, Jacobsen C. STXM search for carbonate in samples of Comet 81P/Wild 2. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/186/1/012085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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23
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Ábrahám P, Juhász A, Dullemond CP, Kóspál Á, van Boekel R, Bouwman J, Henning T, Moór A, Mosoni L, Sicilia-Aguilar A, Sipos N. Episodic formation of cometary material in the outburst of a young Sun-like star. Nature 2009; 459:224-6. [PMID: 19444209 DOI: 10.1038/nature08004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2008] [Accepted: 03/19/2009] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Rimola A, Ugliengo P. The role of defective silica surfaces in exogenous delivery of prebiotic compounds: clues from first principles calculations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2009; 11:2497-506. [DOI: 10.1039/b820577a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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Li A. PAHs in Comets: An Overview. DEEP IMPACT AS A WORLD OBSERVATORY EVENT: SYNERGIES IN SPACE, TIME, AND WAVELENGTH 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-76959-0_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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Sandford SA. Terrestrial analysis of the organic component of comet dust. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (PALO ALTO, CALIF.) 2008; 1:549-578. [PMID: 20636089 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.anchem.1.031207.113108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The nature of cometary organics is of great interest, both because these materials are thought to represent a reservoir of the original carbon-containing materials from which everything else in our solar system was made and because these materials may have played key roles in the origin of life on Earth. Because these organic materials are the products of a series of universal chemical processes expected to operate in the interstellar media and star-formation regions of all galaxies, the nature of cometary organics also provides information on the composition of organics in other planetary systems and, by extension, provides insights into the possible abundance of life elsewhere in the universe. Our current understanding of cometary organics represents a synthesis of information from telescopic and spacecraft observations of individual comets, the study of meteoritic materials, laboratory simulations, and, now, the study of samples collected directly from a comet, Comet P81/Wild 2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott A Sandford
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035-1000, USA.
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Dello Russo N, Vervack RJ, Weaver HA, Biver N, Bockelée-Morvan D, Crovisier J, Lisse CM. Compositional homogeneity in the fragmented comet 73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann 3. Nature 2007; 448:172-5. [PMID: 17625560 DOI: 10.1038/nature05908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2007] [Accepted: 05/02/2007] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The remarkable compositional diversity of volatile ices within comets can plausibly be attributed to several factors, including differences in the chemical, thermal and radiation environments in comet-forming regions, chemical evolution during their long storage in reservoirs far from the Sun, and thermal processing by the Sun after removal from these reservoirs. To determine the relevance of these factors, measurements of the chemistry as a function of depth in cometary nuclei are critical. Fragmenting comets expose formerly buried material, but observational constraints have in the past limited the ability to assess the importance of formative conditions and the effects of evolutionary processes on measured composition. Here we report the chemical composition of two distinct fragments of 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3. The fragments are remarkably similar in composition, in marked contrast to the chemical diversity within the overall comet population and contrary to the expectation that short-period comets should show strong compositional variation with depth in the nucleus owing to evolutionary processing from numerous close passages to the Sun. Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 is also depleted in the most volatile ices compared to other comets, suggesting that the depleted carbon-chain chemistry seen in some comets from the Kuiper belt reservoir is primordial and not evolutionary.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Dello Russo
- Space Department, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, Maryland 20723-6099, USA.
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Abstract
Planar array infrared spectroscopy (PA-IR) is shown to be a powerful new approach to infrared emission spectroscopy (IRES). A proof-of-concept study of selected polymers indicates that PA-IRES allows acquisition of emission spectra with a high signal-to-noise ratio at temperatures as low as 80 degrees C. It is shown that a time resolution below 20 ms is readily achievable for time-resolved characterization of single non-repeatable events. The possibility of recording spatially resolved emission spectra is also demonstrated, and potential applications of this novel technique are finally described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Pellerin
- Département de Chimie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3J7, Canada.
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31
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Zolensky ME, Zega TJ, Yano H, Wirick S, Westphal AJ, Weisberg MK, Weber I, Warren JL, Velbel MA, Tsuchiyama A, Tsou P, Toppani A, Tomioka N, Tomeoka K, Teslich N, Taheri M, Susini J, Stroud R, Stephan T, Stadermann FJ, Snead CJ, Simon SB, Simionovici A, See TH, Robert F, Rietmeijer FJM, Rao W, Perronnet MC, Papanastassiou DA, Okudaira K, Ohsumi K, Ohnishi I, Nakamura-Messenger K, Nakamura T, Mostefaoui S, Mikouchi T, Meibom A, Matrajt G, Marcus MA, Leroux H, Lemelle L, Le L, Lanzirotti A, Langenhorst F, Krot AN, Keller LP, Kearsley AT, Joswiak D, Jacob D, Ishii H, Harvey R, Hagiya K, Grossman L, Grossman JN, Graham GA, Gounelle M, Gillet P, Genge MJ, Flynn G, Ferroir T, Fallon S, Fakra S, Ebel DS, Dai ZR, Cordier P, Clark B, Chi M, Butterworth AL, Brownlee DE, Bridges JC, Brennan S, Brearley A, Bradley JP, Bleuet P, Bland PA, Bastien R. Mineralogy and petrology of comet 81P/Wild 2 nucleus samples. Science 2006; 314:1735-9. [PMID: 17170295 DOI: 10.1126/science.1135842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 531] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The bulk of the comet 81P/Wild 2 (hereafter Wild 2) samples returned to Earth by the Stardust spacecraft appear to be weakly constructed mixtures of nanometer-scale grains, with occasional much larger (over 1 micrometer) ferromagnesian silicates, Fe-Ni sulfides, Fe-Ni metal, and accessory phases. The very wide range of olivine and low-Ca pyroxene compositions in comet Wild 2 requires a wide range of formation conditions, probably reflecting very different formation locations in the protoplanetary disk. The restricted compositional ranges of Fe-Ni sulfides, the wide range for silicates, and the absence of hydrous phases indicate that comet Wild 2 experienced little or no aqueous alteration. Less abundant Wild 2 materials include a refractory particle, whose presence appears to require radial transport in the early protoplanetary disk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Zolensky
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA.
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32
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Abstract
Recent advances in cometary science have indicated the importance of mixing of materials in the disk where the planets of our solar system formed. Now, the results from the Stardust Discovery Mission unambiguously show that even more extensive and earlier mixing of the material took place, raising new challenges for theories of the protoplanetary disk and the formation of comets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael F A'Hearn
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421, USA.
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33
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Keller LP, Bajt S, Baratta GA, Borg J, Bradley JP, Brownlee DE, Busemann H, Brucato JR, Burchell M, Colangeli L, d'Hendecourt L, Djouadi Z, Ferrini G, Flynn G, Franchi IA, Fries M, Grady MM, Graham GA, Grossemy F, Kearsley A, Matrajt G, Nakamura-Messenger K, Mennella V, Nittler L, Palumbo ME, Stadermann FJ, Tsou P, Rotundi A, Sandford SA, Snead C, Steele A, Wooden D, Zolensky M. Infrared Spectroscopy of Comet 81P/Wild 2 Samples Returned by Stardust. Science 2006; 314:1728-31. [PMID: 17170293 DOI: 10.1126/science.1135796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Infrared spectra of material captured from comet 81P/Wild 2 by the Stardust spacecraft reveal indigenous aliphatic hydrocarbons similar to those in interplanetary dust particles thought to be derived from comets, but with longer chain lengths than those observed in the diffuse interstellar medium. Similarly, the Stardust samples contain abundant amorphous silicates in addition to crystalline silicates such as olivine and pyroxene. The presence of crystalline silicates in Wild 2 is consistent with mixing of solar system and interstellar matter. No hydrous silicates or carbonate minerals were detected, which suggests a lack of aqueous processing of Wild 2 dust.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay P Keller
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate, Mail Code KR, NASA-Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA.
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34
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Brownlee D, Tsou P, Aléon J, Alexander CMO, Araki T, Bajt S, Baratta GA, Bastien R, Bland P, Bleuet P, Borg J, Bradley JP, Brearley A, Brenker F, Brennan S, Bridges JC, Browning ND, Brucato JR, Bullock E, Burchell MJ, Busemann H, Butterworth A, Chaussidon M, Cheuvront A, Chi M, Cintala MJ, Clark BC, Clemett SJ, Cody G, Colangeli L, Cooper G, Cordier P, Daghlian C, Dai Z, D'Hendecourt L, Djouadi Z, Dominguez G, Duxbury T, Dworkin JP, Ebel DS, Economou TE, Fakra S, Fairey SAJ, Fallon S, Ferrini G, Ferroir T, Fleckenstein H, Floss C, Flynn G, Franchi IA, Fries M, Gainsforth Z, Gallien JP, Genge M, Gilles MK, Gillet P, Gilmour J, Glavin DP, Gounelle M, Grady MM, Graham GA, Grant PG, Green SF, Grossemy F, Grossman L, Grossman JN, Guan Y, Hagiya K, Harvey R, Heck P, Herzog GF, Hoppe P, Hörz F, Huth J, Hutcheon ID, Ignatyev K, Ishii H, Ito M, Jacob D, Jacobsen C, Jacobsen S, Jones S, Joswiak D, Jurewicz A, Kearsley AT, Keller LP, Khodja H, Kilcoyne ALD, Kissel J, Krot A, Langenhorst F, Lanzirotti A, Le L, Leshin LA, Leitner J, Lemelle L, Leroux H, Liu MC, Luening K, Lyon I, Macpherson G, Marcus MA, Marhas K, Marty B, Matrajt G, McKeegan K, Meibom A, Mennella V, Messenger K, Messenger S, Mikouchi T, Mostefaoui S, Nakamura T, Nakano T, Newville M, Nittler LR, Ohnishi I, Ohsumi K, Okudaira K, Papanastassiou DA, Palma R, Palumbo ME, Pepin RO, Perkins D, Perronnet M, Pianetta P, Rao W, Rietmeijer FJM, Robert F, Rost D, Rotundi A, Ryan R, Sandford SA, Schwandt CS, See TH, Schlutter D, Sheffield-Parker J, Simionovici A, Simon S, Sitnitsky I, Snead CJ, Spencer MK, Stadermann FJ, Steele A, Stephan T, Stroud R, Susini J, Sutton SR, Suzuki Y, Taheri M, Taylor S, Teslich N, Tomeoka K, Tomioka N, Toppani A, Trigo-Rodríguez JM, Troadec D, Tsuchiyama A, Tuzzolino AJ, Tyliszczak T, Uesugi K, Velbel M, Vellenga J, Vicenzi E, Vincze L, Warren J, Weber I, Weisberg M, Westphal AJ, Wirick S, Wooden D, Wopenka B, Wozniakiewicz P, Wright I, Yabuta H, Yano H, Young ED, Zare RN, Zega T, Ziegler K, Zimmerman L, Zinner E, Zolensky M. Comet 81P/Wild 2 Under a Microscope. Science 2006; 314:1711-6. [PMID: 17170289 DOI: 10.1126/science.1135840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 740] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The Stardust spacecraft collected thousands of particles from comet 81P/Wild 2 and returned them to Earth for laboratory study. The preliminary examination of these samples shows that the nonvolatile portion of the comet is an unequilibrated assortment of materials that have both presolar and solar system origin. The comet contains an abundance of silicate grains that are much larger than predictions of interstellar grain models, and many of these are high-temperature minerals that appear to have formed in the inner regions of the solar nebula. Their presence in a comet proves that the formation of the solar system included mixing on the grandest scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Don Brownlee
- Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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