UKCAN

我们的研究涉及（i）行星系统的起源和演化，以及（ii）更完整地了解什么定义了一个可居住的世界。这些主题被欧空局认为是其当前极光计划和“2015- 2025年宇宙愿景”规划战略的主要主题。我们的目标是加强英国CAN，以便为实现PPARC太阳系战略中规定的相关目标提供最有效的工具。提出这一请求的动力来自：目前正在运行的空间飞行任务即将向地球返回地外物质;行星和空间探索计划为今后的样品返回飞行任务开发技术和仪器提供了一个及时的框架;技术发展正在提高仪器的分析精度和空间分辨率。我们将开发新的分析技术，用于研究地外物质，并将其应用于初级核合成凝聚物、星周颗粒、星际分子、原始太阳系凝聚物、月球和火星样品、彗星尘埃、小行星样品返回和太阳风收集器。该提案将在开放大学建立170万英镑的NanoSIMS 50 L。这是最新一代的西姆斯仪器，能够生成50 nm分辨率的同位素成像图，以及微米级的高精度（每密耳）同位素比测量。为了实现这样的性能水平，需要在开发协议和方法，软件程序，广泛的校准和优化的仪器的性能，等资金寻求相当大的努力是发展这种尖端设备的状态，它可以经常用于广泛的行星和cosmochemical应用所需的英国cosmochemical社区。除了提供尖端科学的基础设施，我们将：培养新一代的宇宙化学家和行星科学家从事实验室天文学;提供实验室设施，与英国社会的其他合作研究;进一步提高行星科学在英国人口的形象，以激发下一代对科学和科学事业的兴趣;为学生和博士后研究人员提供可以在学术界内外转移到职业生涯中的技能和技术，为日益技术胜任的劳动力做出贡献。

Our research concerns (i) the origin and evolution of planetary systems and (ii) a more complete understanding of what defines an habitable world. These subjects are recognised by the ESA as major themes in its current Aurora programme, and in the planning strategy for its 'Cosmic Vision 2015-2025'. Our goal is to strengthen the UK CAN, in order to provide the most effective instrumentation for delivering the relevant objectives laid out in the PPARC's Solar System strategy. The impetus for this request comes from: the forthcoming return of extraterrestrial material to Earth from currently operational space missions; plans for planetary and space exploration that provide a timely framework in which to develop techniques and instrumentation for future sample-return missions; technological developments that are advancing the analytical precision and spatial resolution of instrumentation. We will develop new analytical techniques for the study of extraterrestrial materials, and apply these to primary nucleosynthetic condensates, circumstellar grains, interstellar molecules, primitive Solar System condensates, samples from Moon and Mars, cometary dust, asteroid sample-returns and solar wind collectors. This proposal is to establish the £1.7M NanoSIMS 50L at the Open University. This is the latest generation SIMS instrument, capable of generating isotope imaging maps at 50nm resolution as well as high precision (per mil) isotope ratio measurements at the micron scale. To achieve such levels of performance requires considerable effort in developing protocols and methods, software routines, extensive calibration and optimisation of the performance of the instrument, etc. The funding sought is to develop this cutting edge equipment to a state where it can be used routinely for a wide range of planetary and cosmochemical applications required by the UK cosmochemical community. In addition to providing the infrastructure for cutting-edge science, we will: train a new generation of cosmochemists and planetary scientists to engage in laboratory-based astronomy; provide laboratory facilities for collaborative research with the rest of the UK community; further enhance the profile of planetary science in the UK population in order to stimulate interest in science and careers in science for the next generation; provide students and post-doctoral researchers with skills and techniques that can be transferred into careers within and beyond academia, contributing towards an increasingly technologically competent workforce.