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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

The Apollo program and amino acids

Apollo lunar sample analyses designed to detect the presence of organic compounds are reviewed, and the results are discussed from the viewpoint of relevance to laboratory experiments on the synthesis of amino acids and to theoretical models of cosmochemical processes resulting in the formation of organic compounds. Glycine, alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, serine, and threonine have been found repeatedly in the hydrolyzates of hot aqueous extracts of lunar dust. These compounds represent an early step in the sequence of events leading to the rise of living material and were probably deposited by the solar wind. The results of the Apollo program so far suggest that the pathway from cosmic organic matter to life as it evolved on earth could have been pursued on the moon to the stage of amino acid precursors and then may have been terminated for lack of sufficient water.

Fox, S. W.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Detection of Aromatic Amino Acids in CR Chondrites Suggests They are Prebiotically Plausible

Amino acids (AAs) are the building blocks of proteins and are essential for life on Earth. Sources of AAs on early Earth range from exogenous sources such as delivery from extraterrestrial materials(i.e., meteorites, interplanetary dust particles, comets, etc.) to endogenous sources including chemical reactions in hydrothermal vents or atmospheric mixtures. Analyses of AAs of extraterrestrial origin from meteorites and laboratory studies of simulated prebiotic environments revealed that a diverse set of abiotically produced AAs may have been present on early Earth. However only a fraction of these AAs is found within the proteins of living organisms. Of the22 genetically encoded (proteinogenic) AAs, 20 occur in the standard genetic code (SGC) and are used by nearly all living organisms to build proteins. The universality of this AA alphabet suggests the presence and incorporation of these specific AAs occurred early in the evolution of life.

A. S. Burton↗
NASA NTRS1987

Energy yields for hydrogen cyanide and formaldehyde syntheses - The HCN and amino acid concentrations in the primitive ocean

Simulated prebiotic atmospheres containing either CH4, CO, or CO2, in addition to N2, H2O, and variable amounts of H2, were subjected to the spark from a high-frequency Tesla coil, and the energy yields for the syntheses of HCN and H2CO were estimated from periodic (every two days) measurements of the compound concentrations. The mixtures with CH4 were found to yield the highest amounts of HCN, whereas the CO mixtures produced the highest yields of H2CO. These results model atmospheric corona discharges. From the yearly energy yields calculated and the corona discharge available on the earth, the yearly production rate of HCN was estimated; using data on the HCN production rates and the experimental rates of decomposition of amino acids through the submarine vents, the steady state amino acid production rate in the primitive ocean was calculated to be about 10 nmoles/sq cm per year.

Stribling, Roscoe↗
NASA NTRS2009

Decomposition of Alternative Chirality Amino Acids by Alkaliphilic Anaerobe from Owens Lake, California

The study of alkaliphilic microbial communities from anaerobic sediments of Owens and Mono Lakes in California led to the isolation of a bacterial strain capable of metabolizing amino acids with alternative chirality. According to the phylogenetic analysis, the anaerobic strain BK1 belongs to the genus Tindallia; however, despite the characteristics of other described species of this genus, the strain BK1 was able to grow on D-arginine and Dlysine. Cell morphology of this strain showed straight, motile, non-spore-forming rods with sizes 0.45 x 1.2-3 microns. Physiological characteristics of the strain showed that it is catalase negative, obligately anaerobic, mesophilic, and obligately alkaliphilic. This isolate is unable to grow at pH 7 and requires CO3 (2-) ions for growth. The strain has chemo-heterotrophic metabolism and is able to ferment various proteolysis products and some sugars. It plays the role of a primary anaerobe within the trophic chain of an anaerobic microbial community by the degradation of complex protein molecules to smaller and less energetic molecules. The new isolate requires NaCl for growth, and can grow within the range of 0.5-13 %, with the optimum at 1 % NaCl (w/v). The temperature range for the growth of the new isolate is 12-40 C with optimum at 35 C. The pH range for the growth of strain BK1 occurs between 7.8 and 11.0 with optimum at 9.5. This paper presents detailed physiological characteristics of the novel isolate from Owens Lake, a unique relic ecosystem of Astrobiological significance, and makes an accent on the ability of this strain to utilize L-amino acids.

Townsend, Alisa↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Effect of Salts on Electrospray Ionization of Amino Acids in the Negative Mode

The continued search for organics on Mars will require the development of simplified procedures for handling and processing of soil or rock core samples prior to analysis by onboard instrumentation. Extraction of certain organic molecules such as amino acids from rock and soil samples using a liquid solvent (H2O) has been shown to be more efficient (by approximately an order of magnitude) than heat extraction methods. As such, liquid extraction (using H2O) of amino acid molecules from rock cores or regolith material is a prime candidate for the required processing. In this scenario, electrospray ionization (ESI) of the liquid extract would be a natural choice for ionization of the analyte prior to interrogation by one of a variety of potential analytical separation techniques (mass spectroscopy, ion mobility spectroscopy, etc.). Aside from the obvious compatibility of ESI and liquid samples, ESI offers simplicity and a soft ionization capability. In order to demonstrate that liquid extraction and ESI can work as part of an in situ instrument on Mars, we must better understand and quantify the effect salts have on the ESI process. In the current work, we have endeavored to investigate the feasibility and limitations of negative mode ESI of Martian surface samples in the context of sample salt content using ion mobility spectroscopy (IMS).

H I Kim↗
NASA NTRS2018

Indigenous Amino Acids in Iron Meteorites

Understanding the organic content of meteorites and the potential delivery of molecules relevant to the origin of life on Earth is an important area of study in astrobiology. There have been many studies of meteoritic organics, with much focus on amino acids as monomers of proteins and enzymes essential to terrestrial life. The majority of these studies have involved analysis of carbonaceous chondrites, primitive meteorites containing approx. 3-5 wt% carbon. Amino acids have been observed in varying abundances and distributions in representatives of all eight carbonaceous chondrite groups, as well as in ungrouped carbonaceous chondrites, ordinary and R chondrites, ureilites, and planetary achondrites [1 and references therein].

carbonaceous chondrites↗
NASA NTRS2003

Amino acid chiral recognition using X-ray diffraction of thin films

The astrobiological search for life, both extinct and extant, on other solar system bodies will take place via several planned lander missions to Mars, Europa and Titan. The detection and identification of organic molecules that have been associated with life is a major technical achievement. Terrestrial life utilizes organic molecules, such as amino acids, as its basic building block. Detection of an entometeric excess of L over D forms of amino acids would be a powerful sign that life had existed on Mars at one time.

ESI/IMS/CIT↗
NASA NTRS1971

Effects of hydrostatic pressure and temperature on the uptake and respiration of amino acids by a facultatively psychrophilic marine bacterium.

Studies of pressure and temperature effects on glutamic acid transport and utilization indicated that hydrostatic pressure and low temperature inhibit glutamate transport more than glutamate respiration. The effects of pressure on transport were reduced at temperatures near the optimum. Similar results were obtained for glycine, phenylalanine, and proline. Pressure effects on the transport systems of all four amino acids were reversible to some degree. Both proline and glutamic acid were able to protect their transport proteins against pressure damage. The data presented indicate that the uptake of amino acids by cells under pressure is inhibited, which is the cause of their inability to grow under pressure.

Paul, K. L.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Excess of L-Alanine in Amino Acids Synthesized in a Plasma Torch Generated by a Hypervelocity Meteorite Impact Reproduced in the Laboratory

We present a laboratory reproduction of hypervelocity impacts of a carbon containing meteorite on a mineral substance representative of planetary surfaces. The physical conditions of the resulting impact plasma torch provide favorable conditions for abiogenic synthesis of protein amino acids: We identified glycine and alanine, and in smaller quantities serine, in the produced material. Moreover, we observe breaking of alanine mirror symmetry with L excess, which coincides with the bioorganic world. Therefore the selection of L-amino acids for the formation of proteins for living matter could have been the result from plasma processes occurring during the impact meteorites on the surface. This indicates that the plasma torch from meteorite impacts could play an important role in the formation of biomolecular homochirality. Thus, meteorite impacts possibly were the initial stage of this process and promoted conditions for the emergence of a living matter.

George G Managadze↗