The Search for Organic Compounds of Martian Origin in Gale Crater by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument on Curiosity
One of the key objectives of the Mars Science Laboratory rover and the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite is to determine the inventory of organic and inorganic volatiles in the atmosphere and surface regolith and rocks to help assess the habitability potential of Gale Crater. The SAM in...
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ftnasantrs:oai:casi.ntrs.nasa.gov:20150018795 2023-05-15T18:45:44+02:00 The Search for Organic Compounds of Martian Origin in Gale Crater by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument on Curiosity Archer, Douglas, Jr. Brunner, Anna Glavin, Daniel Navarro-Gonzales, Rafael Szopa, Cyril Eigenbrode, Jennifer Mahaffy, Paul Cabane, Michel Summons, Roger Martin, Mildred Steele, Andrew Coll, Patrice Buch, Arrnaud Grotzinger, John Freissinet, Caroline Conrad, Pamela Dworkin, Jason Ming, Douglas Miller, Kristen Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available July 6, 2014 application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20150018795 unknown Document ID: 20150018795 http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20150018795 Copyright, Distribution as joint owner in the copyright CASI Lunar and Planetary Science and Exploration GSFC-E-DAA-TN13374 Origins 2014; 6-11 Jul. 2014; Nara; Japan|Joint Conference of the International Astrobiology Society and Bioastronomy; 6-11 Jul. 2014; Nara; Japan 2014 ftnasantrs 2019-07-21T00:03:41Z One of the key objectives of the Mars Science Laboratory rover and the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite is to determine the inventory of organic and inorganic volatiles in the atmosphere and surface regolith and rocks to help assess the habitability potential of Gale Crater. The SAM instrument on the Curiosity rover can detect volatile organic compounds thermally evolved from solid samples using a combination of evolved gas analysis (EGA) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) (Mahaffy et al. 2012). The first solid samples analyzed by SAM, a scoop of windblown dust and sand at Rocknest, revealed several chloromethanes and a C4-chlorinated hydrocarbon derived primarily from reactions between a martian oxychlorine phase (e.g. perchlorate) and terrestrial carbon from N-methyl-N-(tertbutyldimethylsilyl)- trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) vapor present in the SAM instrument background (Glavin et al. 2013). After the analyses at Rocknest, Curiosity traveled to Yellowknife Bay and drilled two separate holes in a fluvio-lacustrine sediment (the Sheepbed unit) designated John Klein and Cumberland. Analyses of the drilled materials by both SAM and the CheMin X-Ray Diffraction instrument revealed a mudstone consisting of ~20 wt% smectite clays (Ming et al. 2013; Vaniman et al. 2013), which on Earth are known to aid the concentration and preservation of organic matter. Oxychlorine compounds were also detected in the Sheepbed mudstone during pyrolysis; however, in contrast to Rocknest, much higher levels of chloromethanes were released from the Sheepbed materials, suggesting an additional, possibly martian source of organic carbon (Ming et al. 2013). In addition, elevated abundances of chlorobenzene and a more diverse suite of chlorinated alkanes including dichloropropane and dichlorobutane detected in Cumberland compared to Rocknest suggest that martian or meteoritic organic carbon sources may be preserved in the mudstone (Freissinet et al. 2013). Chloromethane and dichloromethane were also identified after thermal volatilization of the surface soils by the GCMS instruments at the Viking landing sites, although no other chlorinated hydrocarbons were reported (Biemann et al. 1977). Here we focus on the origin of the chlorinated hydrocarbons detected in the Sheepbed mudstone by SAM and the implications for the preservation of organic matter in near-surface materials on Mars. Other/Unknown Material Yellowknife NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) Yellowknife Yellowknife Bay ENVELOPE(-114.336,-114.336,62.367,62.367) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
op_collection_id |
ftnasantrs |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Lunar and Planetary Science and Exploration |
spellingShingle |
Lunar and Planetary Science and Exploration Archer, Douglas, Jr. Brunner, Anna Glavin, Daniel Navarro-Gonzales, Rafael Szopa, Cyril Eigenbrode, Jennifer Mahaffy, Paul Cabane, Michel Summons, Roger Martin, Mildred Steele, Andrew Coll, Patrice Buch, Arrnaud Grotzinger, John Freissinet, Caroline Conrad, Pamela Dworkin, Jason Ming, Douglas Miller, Kristen The Search for Organic Compounds of Martian Origin in Gale Crater by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument on Curiosity |
topic_facet |
Lunar and Planetary Science and Exploration |
description |
One of the key objectives of the Mars Science Laboratory rover and the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite is to determine the inventory of organic and inorganic volatiles in the atmosphere and surface regolith and rocks to help assess the habitability potential of Gale Crater. The SAM instrument on the Curiosity rover can detect volatile organic compounds thermally evolved from solid samples using a combination of evolved gas analysis (EGA) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) (Mahaffy et al. 2012). The first solid samples analyzed by SAM, a scoop of windblown dust and sand at Rocknest, revealed several chloromethanes and a C4-chlorinated hydrocarbon derived primarily from reactions between a martian oxychlorine phase (e.g. perchlorate) and terrestrial carbon from N-methyl-N-(tertbutyldimethylsilyl)- trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) vapor present in the SAM instrument background (Glavin et al. 2013). After the analyses at Rocknest, Curiosity traveled to Yellowknife Bay and drilled two separate holes in a fluvio-lacustrine sediment (the Sheepbed unit) designated John Klein and Cumberland. Analyses of the drilled materials by both SAM and the CheMin X-Ray Diffraction instrument revealed a mudstone consisting of ~20 wt% smectite clays (Ming et al. 2013; Vaniman et al. 2013), which on Earth are known to aid the concentration and preservation of organic matter. Oxychlorine compounds were also detected in the Sheepbed mudstone during pyrolysis; however, in contrast to Rocknest, much higher levels of chloromethanes were released from the Sheepbed materials, suggesting an additional, possibly martian source of organic carbon (Ming et al. 2013). In addition, elevated abundances of chlorobenzene and a more diverse suite of chlorinated alkanes including dichloropropane and dichlorobutane detected in Cumberland compared to Rocknest suggest that martian or meteoritic organic carbon sources may be preserved in the mudstone (Freissinet et al. 2013). Chloromethane and dichloromethane were also identified after thermal volatilization of the surface soils by the GCMS instruments at the Viking landing sites, although no other chlorinated hydrocarbons were reported (Biemann et al. 1977). Here we focus on the origin of the chlorinated hydrocarbons detected in the Sheepbed mudstone by SAM and the implications for the preservation of organic matter in near-surface materials on Mars. |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
Archer, Douglas, Jr. Brunner, Anna Glavin, Daniel Navarro-Gonzales, Rafael Szopa, Cyril Eigenbrode, Jennifer Mahaffy, Paul Cabane, Michel Summons, Roger Martin, Mildred Steele, Andrew Coll, Patrice Buch, Arrnaud Grotzinger, John Freissinet, Caroline Conrad, Pamela Dworkin, Jason Ming, Douglas Miller, Kristen |
author_facet |
Archer, Douglas, Jr. Brunner, Anna Glavin, Daniel Navarro-Gonzales, Rafael Szopa, Cyril Eigenbrode, Jennifer Mahaffy, Paul Cabane, Michel Summons, Roger Martin, Mildred Steele, Andrew Coll, Patrice Buch, Arrnaud Grotzinger, John Freissinet, Caroline Conrad, Pamela Dworkin, Jason Ming, Douglas Miller, Kristen |
author_sort |
Archer, Douglas, Jr. |
title |
The Search for Organic Compounds of Martian Origin in Gale Crater by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument on Curiosity |
title_short |
The Search for Organic Compounds of Martian Origin in Gale Crater by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument on Curiosity |
title_full |
The Search for Organic Compounds of Martian Origin in Gale Crater by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument on Curiosity |
title_fullStr |
The Search for Organic Compounds of Martian Origin in Gale Crater by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument on Curiosity |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Search for Organic Compounds of Martian Origin in Gale Crater by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument on Curiosity |
title_sort |
search for organic compounds of martian origin in gale crater by the sample analysis at mars (sam) instrument on curiosity |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20150018795 |
op_coverage |
Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-114.336,-114.336,62.367,62.367) |
geographic |
Yellowknife Yellowknife Bay |
geographic_facet |
Yellowknife Yellowknife Bay |
genre |
Yellowknife |
genre_facet |
Yellowknife |
op_source |
CASI |
op_relation |
Document ID: 20150018795 http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20150018795 |
op_rights |
Copyright, Distribution as joint owner in the copyright |
_version_ |
1766236885710012416 |