Solid/gas heterogeneous chemistry of organic compounds related to comets, Titan and Mars, through experiments in the laboratory and in Earth orbit
Abstract
Solar UV radiation is a major source of energy to initiate chemical evolution towards complex organic structures but it can also photodissociate the most elaborate molecules Thus Solar UV can erase the organic traces of past life on the surface of planets like Mars or it can influence the production of extended sources in comets AMINO PROCESS and UV-olution are three experiments selected to be flown on the EXPOSE facility on the International Space Station or on the BIOPAN facility during the next FOTON M3 space capsule mission The goal of our experiments is to improve our knowledge of the chemical nature and evolution of organic molecules involved in extraterrestrial environments with astrobiological implications Similar experiments implemented in space so far were carried out in vented cells exposed to solar UVs For the first time sealed exposition cells will be used which will allow us to study chemical evolution in the gaseous phase as well as heterogeneous processes degradation of solid compounds and release of gaseous fragments Three kinds of experiments will be carried out The first ones deal with comets and are related to the Rosetta mission the second ones deal with Titan and are related to the Cassini-Huygens mission while the third ones are related to the search for life-related organic compounds on Mars Concerning comets we plan to study the photodegradation of high molecular weight organic compounds which might be responsible for the wide range of organics polyoxymethylene hexamethylenetetramine HCN polymers and carbon suboxide
- Publication:
-
36th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2006
- Bibcode:
- 2006cosp...36.2009C