Consortium Study of Organic Matter in Mars Meteorites

火星陨石中有机物的联合研究

• 批准号: 1616195
• 负责人: Lisa Danielson
• 金额: $ 49.32万
• 依托单位: Jacobs Technology Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-10-01 至 2021-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1616195&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Consortium; Study; Organic; Matter; Mars

Many spacecraft have gone to Mars; none has returned samples to the Earth. The only samples of material from Mars that we can study here on Earth are the Mars meteorites. Organic matter has been found in some of the Mars meteorites, but scientists cannot agree on when, where, and how the organic matter formed. The investigators will study a sample of six Mars meteorites to learn about the composition and structure of the organics. This research will provide answers on how carbon in the young Mars formed and changed with time. These answers can then be used to address questions about how organic material formed on the young Earth, which places in the Solar System can host life, and what processes lead to the formation of life. This research serves the national interest by advancing our understanding of the processes that create life in and beyond the Solar System. The investigators will give at least two lessons on this study every year though NASA's Johnson Space Center's Classroom Connection Webinars, reaching 500 - 1700 students for each lesson. These lessons are also recorded. The investigators also interact with visiting educators through tours of the laboratory facilities.Mars meteorites are the only samples of the Martian crust currently available for laboratory analysis. This study will investigate the nature and origin of organic matter present within a suite of Mars meteorites. Although the presence of likely indigenous organic matter has been established in some Mars meteorites, scientists do not agree on when, where or how such matter formed. The answers to these questions are critical to understanding the Martian carbon cycle, the abiotic organic evolution of the early Mars (and by inference the early Earth), the identification of potentially habitable environments in the Solar System, and the processes leading to the origins of life. A selected group of six Mars meteorites will be studied systematically with the objectives of determining: [1] the molecular composition and abundance of organic phases and, where applicable, the texture and morphology of any discrete organic assemblage; and, [2] the spatial distribution of organics in relation to the underlying mineralogy. The investigators have pioneered these procedures and techniques in the analysis of extraterrestrial samples, and bring their collective expertise to the study. The investigators will give at least two lessons annually though NASA JSC ARES' Classroom Connection Webinars, reaching 500 - 1700 students live, with the lectures archived as recordings. The investigators also interact with visiting educators through tours of the laboratory facilities.

许多航天器已经前往火星，但没有一个将样品送回地球。我们在地球上唯一能研究的火星物质样本是火星陨石。在一些火星陨石中发现了有机物，但科学家们对有机物形成的时间、地点和方式无法达成一致。研究人员将研究六块火星陨石的样本，以了解有机物的组成和结构。这项研究将为年轻火星中的碳如何形成和随时间变化提供答案。这些答案可以用来解决有机物质如何在年轻的地球上形成，太阳系中哪些地方可以容纳生命，以及什么过程导致生命的形成。这项研究通过推进我们对太阳系内外创造生命的过程的理解来服务于国家利益。研究人员每年将通过美国宇航局约翰逊航天中心的课堂网络研讨会至少讲授两堂关于这项研究的课程，每堂课将有500 - 1700名学生参加。这些教训也被记录下来。研究人员还通过图尔斯参观实验室设施与来访的教育工作者进行交流。火星陨石是目前可供实验室分析的唯一火星地壳样品。这项研究将调查一组火星陨石中存在的有机物质的性质和起源。虽然在一些火星陨石中已经确定了可能存在的本土有机物质，但科学家们对这些物质何时、何地或如何形成并不一致。这些问题的答案对于理解火星的碳循环、早期火星的非生物有机演化（以及由此推断的早期地球）、太阳系中潜在宜居环境的识别以及导致生命起源的过程至关重要。将对选定的一组六块火星陨石进行系统研究，目的是确定：[1]有机相的分子组成和丰度，并在适用的情况下确定任何离散有机组合的结构和形态;[2]有机物与底层矿物学的空间分布。研究人员在分析外星样本方面开创了这些程序和技术，并将他们的集体专业知识带到了这项研究中。调查人员将通过NASA JSC战神的课堂连接网络研讨会每年至少上两节课，现场有500 - 1700名学生参加，讲座以录音形式存档。调查人员还通过图尔斯参观实验室设施与来访的教育工作者进行互动。