Understanding the Geologic Evolution of the Solar System through Meteorites and other Planetary Samples

陨石是我们无法轻易到达的地方的样本，包括月球、火星和小行星；他们的研究使我们能够在时间和空间上探索太阳系。一些陨石保存了太阳系最初几百万年历史的记录，而另一些陨石则记录了火星表面2亿年前的熔岩喷发。对这些样本的详细研究提供了关于它们的母行星的信息，这些信息只能通过对太空任务收集的样本进行类似的研究来匹配。以来自火星的陨石为例，陨石提供的信息补充和扩展了目前正在探索火星的着陆和轨道航天器所知的信息。今天地球表面的条件对陨石标本是有害的——主要是因为地球的地质演化与陨石母行星的地质演化有很大的不同。因此，陨石在坠落到地球后会迅速受到污染、修饰和改变；对于研究来说，最好的样本是那些坠落后很快就能找回来的陨石，这些陨石经过精心保管和处理，不会被修改或篡改。***我的研究项目包括应用最先进的工具来分析陨石，以及一个世界级的设施来管理陨石，以便对我们太阳系的起源和地质演化进行限制。两个主要目标包括确定碳质球粒陨石小行星和彗星之间的关系，以及缩小火星陨石可能的火成岩单位来源。此外，我将建立一个全球火球天文台（GFO）的加拿大西部分部，它将允许快速检测和检索新坠落的陨石。再加上独特的陨石零度以下管理设施，这将为加拿大西部的陨石坠落提供一个完整的端到端方法，最大限度地利用这些样本的科学知识，并有效地将其转化为样本返回任务。从阿尔伯塔大学收集的陨石中吸取的教训，以及通过GFO回收的陨石，将为空间机构今后从小行星、火星和彗星上返回样本的努力提供信息。

Meteorites are samples of places to which we cannot readily go including the Moon, Mars and asteroids; their study enables us to explore the Solar System in time and space. Some meteorites preserve a record of the very first few million years of our Solar System's history, while others capture eruptions of lava on the surface of Mars a mere 200 million years ago. The detailed study of these samples provides information about their parent planets which can only be matched by similar studies on samples retrieved by space missions. In the case of meteorites from Mars, the meteorites provide information which complements and extends what is known from landed and orbiting spacecraft that are exploring Mars today.***The conditions at the surface of the Earth today are detrimental to meteorite specimens - fundamentally because the geologic evolution of the Earth has differed so vastly from those of the meteorites' parent planets. For this reason, meteorites can quickly undergo contamination, modification and alteration after their fall to Earth; the best samples for research are those meteorites that are rapidly retrieved after their fall, and which have been carefully curated and handled so that they are preserved against modification or alteration.***My research program involves applying state-of-the-art tools to analyze meteorites, and a world-class facility to curate meteorites, in order to place constraints on the origin and geologic evolution of our Solar System. Two main objectives include determining the relationship between carbonaceous chondrite asteroids and comets, and narrowing down the possible source igneous units of the Martian meteorites. In addition, I will establish the Western Canadian arm of a Global Fireball Observatory (GFO), which will allow for the rapid detection and retrieval of freshly fallen meteorites. Coupled with the unique Subzero Curation Facility for meteorites, this will enable a complete, end-to-end approach to meteorite falls in western Canada, maximizing the science from these samples and effectively converting them into sample return missions. Lessons learned from the meteorites in the University of Alberta Collection, as well as meteorites recovered through the GFO, will inform future efforts by space agencies to return samples from asteroids, Mars and comets.