UV And Space Exposure Of Aromatic Compounds On The EXPOSE-R Facility Onboard ISS
Abstract
PAHs and fullerenes are thought to be among the carriers for numerous astronomical absorption and emission features and have been identified in meteorites. In addition, aromatic networks are likely the most abundant organic material in space. Thin films of selected PAHs and fullerenes will be subjected to the low Earth orbit environment as part of the Organics experiment on the multi-user facility EXPOSE-R onboard the International Space Station. EXPOSE-R will be mounted on the International Space Station ISS in spring 2009. The Organics experiment on EXPOSE-R will monitor the chemical evolution, survival, destruction and chemical modification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and fullerenes in space environment. The radiation dose that is collected by the samples during flight exceeds the limits of simulations in the laboratory and will greatly enhance our knowledge on the evolution of large molecules in space environments. Dark samples will be shielded from the UV photons and will enable us to differentiate between the effects of exposure to photons and cosmic rays. In addition, the experiment hosts pressurized and vented sample cells. All the samples will be monitored before and after exposure to space environment. We present spectra measured in the UV-Vis-NIR range of the flight samples prior to space exposure.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #214
- Pub Date:
- May 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009AAS...21440210B