P52A-03
Compositional Analysis of Primitive and Icy Planetary Surfaces with In Situ Two-Step Laser Mass Spectrometry
Friday, 18 December 2015: 10:50
2007 (Moscone West)
Stephanie Getty1, Kyle Uckert2, Andrej Grubisic3, Xiang Li4, Timothy Cornish5 and William B Brinckerhoff1, (1)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States, (2)New Mexico State University Main Campus, Las Cruces, NM, United States, (3)University of Maryland College Park, Department of Astronomy, College Park, MD, United States, (4)UMBC Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST), Baltimore, MD, United States, (5)C&E Research, Inc., Columbia, MD, United States
Abstract:
Small bodies represent a diverse class of solar system objects that offer insights into the earliest composition and nascent alteration pathways that provided the chemical inventory available during planetary formation. Many of these bodies remain enigmatic and are compelling targets for in situ ground truth measurements by a simple but capable analytical instrument that would complement volatile and spectroscopic analyses. Such an instrument would also provide the benefit of guiding scientifically based sample selection and prioritization for a sample return mission. We have developed a prototype laser time-of-flight mass spectrometer that is able to detect both inorganic and organic species generated directly from an unprepared powdered sample or rock chip. Our L2MS (two-step laser mass spectrometer) instrument is sensitive over a wide mass range and employs advanced mass spectrometric techniques to distinguish between compounds of the same nominal mass by selected ion fragmentation and selective desorption/ionization techniques. A series of small body-relevant analog mixtures have been used to characterize the capabilities of this instrument, and results from an L2MS prototype will be presented.
