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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 415 records · Page 23

Compositional Diversity of the Vestan Regolith Derived from Howardite Compositions and Dawn VIR Spectra

Howardite, eucrite and diogenite meteorites likely come from asteroid 4 Vesta [1]. Howardites - physical mixtures of eucrites and diogenites - are of two subtypes: regolithic howardites were gardened in the true regolith; fragmental howardites are simple polymict breccias [2]. The Dawn spacecraft imaged the howarditic surface of Vesta with the visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR) resulting in qualitative maps of the distributions of distinct diogenite-rich and eucrite-rich terranes [3, 4]. We are developing a robust basis for quantitative mapping of the distribution of lithologic types using spectra acquired on splits of well-characterized howardites [5, 6]. Spectra were measured on sample powders sieved to <75 μm in the laboratories of the Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali and Brown University. Data reduction was done using the methods developed to process Dawn VIR spectra [4]. The band parameters for the ~1 and ~2 μm pyroxene absorption features (hereafter BI and BII) can be directly compared to Dawn VIR results. Regolithic howardites have shallower BI and BII absorptions compared to fragmental howardites with similar compositions. However, there are statistically significant correlations between Al or Ca contents and BI or BII center wavelengths regardless of howardite subtype. Diogenites are poor in Al and Ca while eucrites are rich in these elements. The laboratory spectra can thus be directly correlated with the percentage of eucrite material contained in the howardites. We are using these correlations to quantitatively map Al and Ca distributions, and thus the percentage of eucritic material, in the current regolith of Vesta.

Mittlefehldt, D. W.↗

Valence State Partitioning of V between Pyroxene and Melt for Martian Melt Compositions Y 980459 and QUE 94201: The Effect of Pyroxene Composition and Crystal Structure

A spiked (with REE, V, Sc) martian basalt Y980459 composition was used to synthesize olivine, spinel, and pyroxene at 1200 C at 5 oxygen fugacities: IW-1, IW, IW+1, IW+2, and QFM. The high spike levels for REE were used for two specific reasons. First, we wanted to be able to analyze REE by both electron microprobe and ion probe. Second, we wanted the most important "Others" components, (i.e., those outside the pyroxene quadrilateral such as Al, Cr3+, Fe3+, REE3+, V3+, V4+, etc.) to be REE3+Mg (Si,Al)2O6. At the doped levels we used, the most important "Others" component is REE3+ in the M2 site coupled with Al in the tetrahedral site. The goal of this paper is to explain the significant increase in the value of D(sub V)(sup pyroxene/melt) with increased Wo content of the pyroxene. We compare augite (Wo approx. 33), pigeonite (Wo approx. 13) and orthopyroxene (Wo approx 3.8). We also show olivine for comparison. The crystal chemical factors which account for this remarkable increase of DV with Wo are twofold. First, with Ca in the M2 site (as in diopside, CaMgSi2O6) the site is large and 8-coordinated while Mg in the M2 site (as in enstatite, Mg2Si2O6) the site is smaller and 6- coordinated. Second, tetrahedral Al in the pyroxene chains provides charge balance and makes the M2 site larger and more compliant for the introduction of REE.

Papike, J. J.↗

Composition and Structure of the EGS Collab Test Bed 1 Based Upon Electrical Resistivity Tomography, Core Compositions, and Wireline Logging

The nature of core from the EGS Collab project was characterized with high resolution XRF analyses on selected core intervals and wireline geophysical logs. Electrical resistivity profiles from the wireline geophysical surveys are consistent with the electrical resistivity tomographic three-dimensional images, and the XRF profiles show elevated levels of sulfur in the vicinity of the interpreted conductivity anomalies. The compositional and wireline logging data are consistent with interpretations from the electrical resistivity tomography data. Based upon these observations the best candidate for the source of the high electrical conductivities is the presence of significant amounts of sulfides within the unit.

Roggenthen, William↗

Local composition activity coefficient model for mixed-gas adsorption equilibria

Taking into consideration the adsorbate–adsorbent interactions, a novel activity coefficient model is derived from the non-random two-liquid theory for mixed-gas adsorption equilibria. In contrast with the conventional activity coefficient models developed for bulk liquids, the new model correctly predicts negative deviations from ideality for adsorbed phase mixtures including azeotropic behavior exhibited by selected gas-adsorbent systems. Here, the requiring a single binary interaction parameter per adsorbate–adsorbate pair, the model successfully correlates wide varieties of binary adsorption isotherm data and it should be a powerful engineering thermodynamic tool in correlating and predicting mixed-gas adsorption equilibria.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Dynamic changes in dissolved organic matter composition in a Mountain Lake under ice cover and relationships to changes in nutrient cycling and phytoplankton community composition

We studied Bear Lake, a sub-alpine oligotrophic lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado U.S.A, during the winter ice cover period of 2018. Our goal was to understand relationships between biogeochemical processes and the chemical quality of the dissolved organic matter, a major pool of organic carbon in all lakes. The lake exhibited a highly stratified environment with limited light availability, a consistent oxycline at 7 meters, and dilute hydrochemistry. Nutrient concentrations were low and depletion of nitrogen, particularly for NH4 to a lesser extent NO3, were related to increasing phytoplankton abundance. The deep chlorophyll maxima that developed above the oxycline was dominated by a potentially mixotrophic dinoflagellate. DOM chemical quality as measured through high-resolution mass spectrometry was related to these shifts in aquatic ecosystem structure. However, CDOM spectroscopy of the whole water was a poor indicator of biogeochemical changes in the DOM pool. The spectrometry data highlighted an evolving and contrasting reservoir of phosphorus, nitrogen, and sulfur-containing organic compounds sensitive to nutrient cycling and redox conditions. We also observed reduced chemodiversity between the surface and bottom water DOM molecular formulas over time. Homogeneity increased in the surface and more unique compounds were produced in the bottom waters, where an overall increase occurred in the favorability of carbon to support microbial respiration. Our results show dynamic chemical changes in the DOM pool reflect dynamic nutrient cycling under ice cover, potentially driven by mixotrophic growth of the dinoflagellate Gymnodinium sp.

Rue, Garrett↗