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Cryogenic Cometary Sample Return | | Andrew J. Westphal
; Larry R. Nittler
; Rhonda Stroud
; Michael E. Zolensky
; Nancy L. Chabot
; Neil Dello Russo
; Jamie E. Elsila
; Scott A. Sandford
; Daniel P. Glavin
; Michael E. Evans
; Joseph A. Nuth
; Jessica Sunshine
; Ronald J. Vervack Jr
; Harold A. Weaver
; | | Date: |
31 Aug 2020 | | Abstract: | Comets likely formed in the outer regions of the protosolar nebula where they
incorporated and preserved primitive presolar materials, volatiles resident in
the outer disk, and more refractory materials from throughout the disk. The
return of a sample of volatiles (i.e., ices and entrained gases), along with
other components of a cometary nucleus, will yield numerous major scientific
opportunities. We are unaccustomed to thinking of ices through a
mineralogical/petrological lens, but at cryogenic temperatures, ices can be
regarded as mineral components of rocky material like any other. This is truly
Terra Incognita, as a sample from a natural cryogenic (10s of K) environment is
unprecedented in any setting; currently, we can only make educated guesses
about the nature of these materials on a microscopic scale. Such samples will
provide an unparalleled look at the primordial gases and ices present in the
early solar nebula, enabling insights into the gas phase and gas-grain
chemistry of the nebula. Understanding the nature of the ices in their
microscopic, petrographic relationship to the refractory components of the
cometary sample will allow for the study of those relationships and
interactions and a study of evolutionary processes on small icy bodies. The
previous 2013-2022 Planetary Decadal Survey included a study of a
Flagship-class cryogenic comet nucleus sample return mission, given the
scientific importance of such a mission. However, the mission was not
recommended for flight in the last Decadal Survey, in part because of the
immaturity of critical technologies. Now, a decade later, the scientific
importance of the mission remains and relevant technological advances have been
made in both cryo instrumentation for flight and laboratory applications. Such
a mission should be undertaken in the next decade. | | Source: | arXiv, 2009.00101 | | Services: | Forum | Review | PDF | Favorites | |
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