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NASA NTRS2016

Extending the Reach of IGSN Beyond Earth: Implementing IGSN Registration to Link Nasa's Apollo Lunar Samples and Their Data

The rock and soil samples returned from the Apollo missions from 1969-72 have supported 46 years of research leading to advances in our understanding of the formation and evolution of the inner Solar System. NASA has been engaged in several initiatives that aim to restore, digitize, and make available to the public existing published and unpublished research data for the Apollo samples. One of these initiatives is a collaboration with IEDA (Interdisciplinary Earth Data Alliance) to develop MoonDB, a lunar geochemical database modeled after PetDB (Petrological Database of the Ocean Floor). In support of this initiative, NASA has adopted the use of IGSN (International Geo Sample Number) to generate persistent, unique identifiers for lunar samples that scientists can use when publishing research data. To facilitate the IGSN registration of the original 2,200 samples and over 120,000 subdivided samples, NASA has developed an application that retrieves sample metadata from the Lunar Curation Database and uses the SESAR API to automate the generation of IGSNs and registration of samples into SESAR (System for Earth Sample Registration). This presentation will describe the work done by NASA to map existing sample metadata to the IGSN metadata and integrate the IGSN registration process into the sample curation workflow, the lessons learned from this effort, and how this work can be extended in the future to help deal with the registration of large numbers of samples.

Todd, Nancy S.↗

NASA NTRS2017

The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Concept Technology Development Overview

The Large Ultraviolet / Optical / Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor is one of four large mission concept studies being developed by NASA for consideration in the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey. LUVOIR will support a broad range of science objectives, including the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the epoch of reionization, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System bodies. The LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) has tasked a Technology Working Group (TWG), with more than 60 members from NASA centers, academia, industry, and international partners, with identifying technologies that enable or enhance the LUVOIR science mission. The TWG has identified such technologies in the areas of Coronagraphy, Ultra-Stable Opto-mechanical Systems, Detectors, Coatings, Starshades, and Instrument Components, and has completed a detailed assessment of the state-of-the-art. We present here a summary of this technology assessment effort, as well as the current progress in defining a technology development plan to mature these technologies to the required technology readiness level (TRL).

Decadal Study; Technology; LUVOIR↗

NASA NTRS2017

The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Concept Design Update

In preparation for the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey, NASA has commissioned the study of four large mission concepts, including the Large Ultraviolet / Optical / Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor. The LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) has identified a broad range of science objectives including the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the epoch of reionization, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System bodies. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is providing the design and engineering support to develop executable and feasible mission concepts that are capable of the identified science objectives. We present an update on the first of two architectures being studied: a 15-meter-diameter segmented-aperture telescope with a suite of serviceable instruments operating over a range of wavelengths between 100 nm to 2.5 microns. Four instruments are being developed for this architecture: an optical / near-infrared coronagraph capable of 10(exp -10) contrast at inner working angles as small as 2 lambda/D; the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), which will provide low- and medium-resolution UV (100 – 400 nm) multi-object imaging spectroscopy in addition to far-UV imaging; the High Definition Imager (HDI), a high-resolution wide-field-of-view NUV-Optical-IR imager; and a UV spectro-polarimeter being contributed by Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES). A fifth instrument, a multi-resolution optical-NIR spectrograph, is planned as part of a second architecture to be studied in late 2017.

Decadal Study; Astrophysics; LUVOIR↗

NASA NTRS2018

The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Study Update

NASA commissioned the study of four large mission concepts, including the Large Ultraviolet / Optical / Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor, to be evaluated by the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astrophysics. In response, the Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) identified a broad range of science objectives for LUVOIR that include the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the exchange of matter between galaxies, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System objects. To meet these objectives, the LUVOIR Study Office, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), completed the first design iteration of a 15-m segmented-aperture observatory that would be launched by the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 2 configuration. The observatory includes four serviceable instruments: the Extreme Coronagraph for Living Planetary Systems (ECLIPS), an optical / near-infrared coronagraph capable of delivering 10(exp -10) contrast at inner working angles as small as 2 lambda/D; the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), which will provide low- and medium-resolution UV (100 - 400 nm) multi-object imaging spectroscopy in addition to far-UV imaging; the High Definition Imager (HDI), a high-resolution wide-field-of-view NUV-Optical-NIR imager; and Pollux, a high-resolution UV spectro-polarimeter being contributed by Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). The study team has executed a second design iteration to further improve upon the 15-m concept, while simultaneously studying an 8-m concept. In these proceedings, we provide an update on these two architectures.

cosmic origins↗

NASA NTRS2019

The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Concept Study Update

In preparation for the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics, NASA commissioned the study of four large mission concepts: the Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR), the Habitable Exoplanet Imager (HabEx), the far-infrared surveyor Origins Space Telescope (OST), and the X-ray surveyor Lynx. The LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) has identified a broad range of science objectives for LUVOIR that include the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the exchange of matter between galaxies, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System objects. The LUVOIR Study Office, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), is developing two mission concepts to achieve the science objectives. LUVOIR-A is a 15-meter segmented-aperture observatory that would be launched in an 8.4-m extended fairing on the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 2 configuration. LUVOIR-B is an 8-meter unobscured segmented aperture telescope that fits in a smaller, conventional 5-meter fairing, but still requires the lift capacity of the SLS Block 1B Cargo vehicle. Both concepts include a suite of serviceable instruments: the Extreme Coronagraph for Living Planetary Systems (ECLIPS), an optical/near-infrared coronagraph capable of delivering 10 (sup minus10) contrast at inner working angles as small as 2 lambda divided by D; the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), which will provide low- and medium-resolution UV (100-400 nanometer) multi-object imaging spectroscopy in addition to far-UV imaging; the High Definition Imager (HDI), a high-resolution wide-field-of-view NUV-Optical-NIR imager. LUVOIR-A also has a fourth instrument, Pollux, a high-resolution UV spectro-polarimeter being contributed by Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). This paper provides an overview of the LUVIOR science objectives, design drivers, and mission concepts.

Decadal Study↗

NASA NTRS2019

The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Concept Study Update

In preparation for the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics, NASA commissioned the study of four large mission concepts: the Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR), the Habitable Exoplanet Imager (HabEx), the far-infrared surveyor Origins Space Telescope (OST), and the X-ray surveyor Lynx. The LUVOIR Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) has identified a broad range of science objectives for LUVOIR that include the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the exchange of matter between galaxies, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System objects. The LUVOIR Study Office, located at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), is developing two mission concepts to achieve the science objectives. LUVOIR-A is a 15-meter segmented-aperture observatory that would be launched in an 8.4-meter extended fairing on the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 2 configuration. LUVOIR-B is an 8-meter unobscured segmented aperture telescope that fits in a smaller, conventional 5-meter fairing, but still requires the lift capacity of the SLS Block 1B Cargo vehicle. Both concepts include a suite of serviceable instruments: the Extreme Coronagraph for Living Planetary Systems (ECLIPS), an optical/near-infrared coronagraph capable of delivering 10 (sup minus 10) contrast at inner working angles as small as 2 lambda divided by D; the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), which will provide low- and medium-resolution UV (100-400 nanometer) multi-object imaging spectroscopy in addition to far-UV imaging; the High Definition Imager (HDI), a high-resolution wide-field-of-view NUV-Optical-NIR imager. LUVOIR-A also has a fourth instrument, Pollux, a high-resolution UV spectro-polarimeter being contributed by Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). This paper provides an overview of the LUVIOR science objectives, design drivers, and mission concepts.

Decadal Study↗

NASA NTRS2018

Novel Applications of Focused Ion Beam Technique for Planetary Sample Analyses

We are using innovative FIB techniques to prepare samples of planetary materials for different types of coordinated analyses using ion microprobes, synchrotron beamlines, and specialized transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. In these cases, the FIB sample preparation is the critical step in enabling these specialized analyses. We discuss several examples below utilizing the FEI Quanta3D instrument at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Trace element analyses utilizing synchrotron x-ray fluorescence. The trace element content of mineral grains in comet dust provides important clues on their formation and processing in the early solar system. We preformed coordinated analyses of a comet dust particle that had been prepared using ultramicrotomy for TEM analysis. Following the TEM analyses, we extracted a 70 nm thick section from a region of the carbon (C) film of the TEM grid, for additional analyses. A carbon ring ~2-3 μm thick was deposited on top of the C film using the FIB. The C film on the outer rim of the ring was milled away using various patterns to uniformly release the stresses on the film, preventing rupture and collapse, and was attached to the micromanipulator needle. We then isolated the ring completely and transferred the section to a silicon sample holder for analysis using the HXN (hard X-ray nanoprobe) beamline at NSLSII at Brookhaven National Lab. Coordinated Analyses of Presolar Grains. Rare sub-m presolar grains that originate in evolved stars and supernovae, occur in primitive astromaterials and are identified by their exotic isotopic compositions. Coordinated analyses of these grains using NanoSIMS, TEM, and other techniques on the same grain is enabled by innovative FIB sample preparation. In order to obtain subsequent isotopic analyses of Mg and Fe, contributions from surrounding grains were minimized. We precisely deposited a protective cap of Pt on top of the grain to preserve the grain of interest and then milled away about 5 μm diameter of the surrounding material. Following the isotopic analyses, the spindle was extracted and thinned to electron transparency for TEM microstructural analyses. In situ heating TEM experiments on lunar samples. We extracted a FIB thin section from Apollo 17 lunar rock 76015. To avoid ion-beam damage, e-beam deposition was used to deposit the first 500 nm of the C strap, followed by ion beam-assisted deposition of ~3 μm carbon. We performed an ex situ lift-out of the section and placed the section on one of the elements of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) - specialized heating substrate and attached the section to the substrate by depositing small C straps with the FIB. The heating chips utilize silicon nitride windows to support the samples and provide uniform heating while enabling TEM imaging. The heating chip was loaded into a Hitachi “Blaze” heating holder and analyzed using a Hitachi HF5000 at the University of Arizona.

Rahman, Z.↗

NASA NTRS2018

The Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR): Decadal Mission Study Update

NASA commissioned the study of four large mission concepts, including the Large Ultraviolet / Optical / Infrared (LUVOIR) Surveyor, to be evaluated by the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astrophysics. In response, the Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) identified a broad range of science objectives for LUVOIR that include the direct imaging and spectral characterization of habitable exoplanets around sun-like stars, the study of galaxy formation and evolution, the exchange of matter between galaxies, star and planet formation, and the remote sensing of Solar System objects. To meet these objectives, the LUVOIR Study Office, located at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), completed the first design iteration of a 15-m segmented-aperture observatory that would be launched by the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 2 configuration. The observatory includes four serviceable instruments: the Extreme Coronagraph for Living Planetary Systems (ECLIPS), an optical / near-infrared coronagraph capable of delivering 10^-10contrast at inner working angles as small as 2 O/D; the LUVOIR UV Multi-object Spectrograph (LUMOS), which will provide low- and medium-resolution UV (100 – 400 nm) multi-object imaging spectroscopy in addition to far-UV imaging; the High Definition Imager (HDI), a high-resolution wide-field-of-view NUV-Optical-NIR imager; and Pollux, a high-resolution UV spectro-polarimeter being contributed by Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES).The study team has executed a second design iteration to further improve upon the 15-m concept, while simultaneously studying an 8-m concept. In these proceedings, we provide an update on these two architectures.

space telescopes↗

NASA NTRS2021

VAPRE: A tool to support the design optimization of planetary entry probe missions

The importance of the atmospheric data collected by planetary entry probes has been emphasized since the results of Galileo in 1995 and are reflected in the interest . The results add to our fundamental understanding about the formation and the evolution of our solar system. Of special interest are the Outer Planets Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, serving as missing puzzle pieces to the existing data sets. In order to maximize the data and science return from those missions, the tool VAPRE is developed to facilitate the design optimization of planetary entry probe missions by increasing the trade-space. Using a data set of interplanetary trajectories, it assesses the change in availability and accessibility of entry sites on the planets with respect to their latitudes depending on the hyperbolic arrival velocity. In this paper, we introduce the motivation behind the implementation of VAPRE, the science and engineering input gathered to bridge the knowledge between both fields, the design structure of the implementation as well as the significance and future development and potential of the tool VAPRE for future mission concept developments for planetary probe and lander missions.

Simon, Amy↗

DOE OSTI2020

Sensors of world’s largest digital camera snap first 3,200-megapixel images at SLAC

Vera C. Rubin Observatory will conduct the 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), which will collect 60 petabytes of data to address some of the most pressing questions about the structure and evolution of the universe and the objects in it. LSST is designed to address four science areas: Understanding Dark Matter and Dark Energy Hazardous Asteroids and the Remote Solar System The Transient Optical Sky The Formation and Structure of the Milky Way Vera C. Rubin Observatory is a federal project jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy Office of Science, with early construction funding received from private donations through the LSST Corporation. The NSF-funded LSST (now Rubin Observatory) Project Office for construction was established as an operating center under the management of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). The DOE-funded effort to build the Rubin Observatory LSST Camera (LSSTCam) is managed by SLAC.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Evidence for Asteroid Scattering and Distal Solar System Solids From Meteorite Paleomagnetism

Asteroid-sized bodies are predicted to have been scattered throughout the solar system following gravitational interactions with the giant planets. This process could have delivered water-rich small bodies to the inner solar system. However, evidence from the meteorite record supporting this scattering is limited due to difficulties in recovering the formation distance of meteorite parent bodies from laboratory measurements. Moreover, ancient millimeter-sized solids that formed in the inner solar system (calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions and chondrules) have also been proposed to have migrated throughout the solar system, which could have been key to their survival. Our understanding of the driving mechanisms, distances and timings involved in this motion is also restricted for the same reasons. Here, we address these limitations by recovering the formation distance of the parent asteroid of the Tagish Lake meteorite from measurements of its natural remanent magnetization. We find that this meteorite experienced an ancient field intensity <0.15 µT. Accounting for the average effect of a tilted parent body rotation axis and possible uncertainties associated with the remanence acquisition mechanism, this result argues that the Tagish Lake parent body formed at >8 - 13 AU, suggesting this body originates from the distal solar system. Tagish Lake came to Earth from the asteroid belt, which, combined with our recovered formation distance, suggests that some small bodies travelled large distances throughout the solar system. Moreover, Tagish Lake contains calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions and chondrules, indicating that these solids were capable of traveling to the distal solar system within just a few million years.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1984

Mass loss from the proto-sun - Formation and evolution of the solar nebula

It is argued that the solar nebula and hence the planetary system were formed from the mass ejected by the protosun, whose strong magnetic field controlled the azimuthal and radial flow of the ejected material. The formation and evolution of the solar nebula is discussed in the light of observations of T Tauri stars, oxygen-isotopic anomalies in meteorites, and the mass and angular momentum distribution in the present solar system.

Trivedi, B. M. P.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Comet Dust: The Story of Planet Formation as Told by the Tiniest of Particles

Our planetary system formed out of a gas-rich disk-shaped nebula with the early Sun at its center. Many small icy bodies were consumed by the formation of the giant planets. However, many km-size icy bodies were tossed out of the giant-planet region to the cold, distant reaches of our solar system. Comets remained in their places of cold storage until perturbed into orbits that carry them into the inner solar system where they pass relatively close to the Sun. Comets are warmed by the Sun and shed material from their outer layers. The ices and gases shed by comets reveal simple and complex organic molecules were present at the time and in the region of the formation of the giant planets. Where the Earth was forming was too hot and had too intense sunlight for many of these ices and molecules to survive. The dust shed by comets tells us that some stardust survived unaltered but much of the dust was heated and crystallized before becoming part of the comet. Therefore, comet dust grains tell of large radial migrations from the cold outer reaches near Neptune into the hot regions near the forming Sun, and then back out to the cold regions where icy comets were accreting and forming. On 2005 July 4, the NASA Deep Impact Mission hit a comet and ejected primitive materials fiom its interior. These materials were not released into the comet s coma during normal activity. Despite the many passages of this comet close to the Sun, these primitive volatile gases and dust grains survived in its interior. Comet dust grains show that cold and hot materials were mixed into the same tiny particle very early in the formation of the solar system, and these aggregate dust grains never saw high temperatures again. The survival of primitive materials in comet nuclei suggests comets could have delivered organic molecules and primitive dust grains to early Earth.

Wooden, D. H.↗

NASA NTRS1990

The formation and structure of fluffy cometary nuclei from random accumulation of grains

It is now generally accepted that solid bodies in the solar system are formed by accumulation of solid grains. The mechanism of formation of smaller bodies, less than some tens of kilometers in radius, is investigated. These include planetesimals and comets. Results indicate that essentially complete agglomeration occurs for relative velocities of less than about 1000 cm/sec and fairly efficient mass build-up occurs up to 5000/cm. These velocities are consistent with current models of the primordial solar nebula. The temperature produced in a collision will be under 20 K. For ice/dust grains, the resultant aggregates will be of low density with their volatiles preserved. Cometary nuclei with radii of a few km will be irregularly shaped and fragile with low mean density and significant interanl density variations. The characteristics of such a structure could account for the observed properties of comets.

Donn, B. D.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comparing the Volatile Contents of Basaltic Rocks Through the Inner Solar System

Volatiles in planetary interiors play important roles in magma genesis, crust formation, eruption style, and even habitability of planetary surfaces. Allan Treiman’s career has touched on volatiles in the Moon, Mars, HED-parent body, the Earth, Venus, and other planetary bodies through studies of igneous rocks, volatile-bearing igneous minerals within these rocks, and the secondary alteration products produced from these rocks and minerals. His seminal work in many of these fields has inspired our careers and many others in our field. Here, we will build on and summarize what we know of the volatile content of basaltic rocks in the inner solar system. Specifically, this talk will focus on using volatile-bearing minerals (amphibole and apatite) along with bulk compositions to constrain the pre-eruptive, and potentially predegassed, volatile content of the magma and their source regions. We will then use these estimates to compare the volatile content of the Earth, Moon, Mars, Venus, and Mercury and what open questions there are for each planetary body.

Justin Filiberto↗

NASA NTRS1986

Non-solar noble gas abundances in the atmosphere of Jupiter

The thermodynamic stability of clathrate hydrate is calculated to predict the formation conditions corresponding to a range of solar system parameters. The calculations were performed using the statistical mechanical theory developed by van der Waals and Platteeuw (1959) and existing experimental data concerning clathrate hydrate and its components. Dissociation pressures and partition functions (Langmuir constants) are predicted at low pressure for CO clathrate (hydrate) using the properties of chemicals similar to CO. It is argued that nonsolar but well constrained noble gas abundances may be measurable by the Galileo spacecraft in the Jovian atmosphere if the observed carbon enhancement is due to bombardment of the atmosphere by clathrate-bearing planetesimals sometime after planetary formation. The noble gas abundances of the Jovian satellite Titan are predicted, assuming that most of the methane in Titan is accreted as clathrate. It is suggested that under thermodynamically appropriate conditions, complete clathration of water ice could have occurred in high-pressure nebulas around giant planets, but probably not in the outer solar nebula. The stability of clathrate in other pressure ranges is also discussed.

Lunine, Jonathan I.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Protostars and planets II

Various papers on the formation of stars and planets are presented. The general topics addressed include: molecular clouds and star formation, young stellar objects and circumstellar disks, chemistry and grains in molecular clouds and the solar nebula, formation of giant planets, and models of the solar nebula and other planetary systems. Individual papers address: molecular cloud cores, physical conditions in isolated dark globules, rotation in dark clouds, and turbulence in molecular clouds. Also discussed are: fragmentation and hierarchical structure in the interstellar medium, formation of bound stellar clusters, ambient radiation field of young solar systems, and magnetic fields.

Black, D. C.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Lunar origin: role of giant impacts

The explanation that lunar origin involved giant impacts remains attractive. Large planetesimals are consistent with current accretion models, and may have been widely scattered in the early solar system; their existence is a reasonable, assumption in Moon origin models. Isotopic data require the Moon's formation primarily from local material resembling Earth's upper mantle, not material from elsewhere in the solar system. Giant impacts are stochastic, class predictable events that would provide the required type of ejected Earth mantle material without requiring large moons to form near other planets (a problem with less stochastic processes). Such material may have mixed with incoming meteorites during lunar formation, affecting lunar chemistry.

Hartmann, W. K.↗