Advanced Curation of Astromaterials for Planetary Science

McCubbin, F. M.; Herd, C. D. K.; Yada, Toru; Hützler, Aurore; Calaway, M. J.; Allton, J. H.; Corrigan, C. M.; Fries, M.; Harrington, A. D.; McCoy, Timothy J.; Mitchell, J. L.; Regberg, A. B.; Righter, K.; Snead, C. J.; Tait, K. T.; Zolensky, M. E.; Zeigler, R. A.

doi:10.1007/s11214-019-0615-9

Cited by 55 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 146 publications

(153 reference statements)

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“…2016; McCubbin et al. 2019). Regardless of the materials used, our study highlights a fact with which curators of astromaterials are well familiar: that detailed documentation of the conditions under which specimens are collected, the materials with which the specimens may have come into contact, and the conditions of curation are crucial to the study of the intrinsic properties of meteoritic specimens and to maximizing the scientific analysis of astromaterials.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regardless of our best efforts in a curation setting to minimize contamination, the terrestrial contamination to which astromaterials (both meteorites and returned samples) are exposed between entry to Earth and recovery is out of our control (McCubbin et al. 2019). Nevertheless, there exists an extensive set of best practices for curation and handling of astromaterials, as outlined by McCubbin et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, there exists an extensive set of best practices for curation and handling of astromaterials, as outlined by McCubbin et al. (2019). Included in the best practices is the importance of documenting the current state of the specimens once received or collected to determine their prior contamination history, as the degree and type of contamination vary depending on the circumstances of recovery and prior handling; this documentation can also provide a baseline for monitoring any future contamination during curation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Organic contamination on the surface of meteorites as a function of space and time: A case study of the Buzzard Coulee H4 chondrite

Tunney

Herd

Hilts

2020

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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The study of organic compounds in astromaterials represents a unique window into organic matter in the interstellar medium, the solar nebula, and asteroid parent bodies, and insights into pathways that may relate organic matter in these diverse environments. Unfortunately, the Earth's surface is awash in organic material, which forms a significant source of contamination, especially for specimens of meteorite falls. Here, we employ specimens of the Buzzard Coulee H4 ordinary chondrite, the fall of which in western Saskatchewan, Canada, on November 20, 2008 was widely documented, and from which meteorites were recovered starting shortly after the fall and continuing to over 10 years later. The low intrinsic organic matter content of these H4 specimens enables their use as "blanks" for terrestrial contamination. Using dichloromethane rinses of meteorite specimen exteriors, and analysis of organic compounds by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry, we document the sources of terrestrial contamination as a function of location, time of collection relative to the fall, and curation and handling since collection. We find numerous terrestrial organic compounds, most of which can be attributed to the terrestrial surface on which the meteorite specimens were collected, and we consider a variety of factors that may influence the degree of contamination. To determine the source of each contaminant more accurately, we advocate for the collection of terrestrial materials (e.g., soil, vegetation) alongside meteorites. Our results have implications for how specimens from meteorite falls-especially for meteorites expected to have high intrinsic organic content-are collected, documented, and curated.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Organic contamination on the surface of meteorites as a function of space and time: A case study of the Buzzard Coulee H4 chondrite

Tunney

Herd

Hilts

2020

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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“…Contamination of indigenous carbonates with these terrestrial carbonates could obscure/modify their pre‐terrestrial isotopic signature. Although such terrestrial contamination cannot be avoided during the meteorite’s fall to Earth, some precautions could be taken to avoid further contamination during the curation of fall meteorite and/or future returned samples from Mars (e.g., Beaty et al 2019; McCubbin et al 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxygen and carbon stable isotope composition of the weathering Mg‐carbonates formed on the surface of the LEW 85320 ordinary chondrite: Revisited

El-Shenawy

Niles

Ming

et al. 2020

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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New δ 13 C and δ 18 O values were measured to constrain the formation mechanisms of two previously identified generations (Antarctica and Houston) of terrestrial weathering carbonates, nesquehonite, which formed on the surface of the Lewis Cliff 85320 ordinary chondrite. These two nesquehonite generations exhibit a characteristic carbon and oxygen isotopic trend which starts with a linear δ 13 C-δ 18 O covariation followed by a continuous increase in δ 18 O with little to no change in δ 13 C. Based on the newly developed nesquehonite-water oxygen isotope thermometry and the measured δ 18 O value of melted ice from Antarctica, the formation temperature of the Antarctic nesquehonite generation was estimated to be −1.9 AE 3°C. Houston nesquehonite generation was most likely formed from an evaporative residue of the melted Antarctic ice at 30 AE 4°C. Modeling the isotopic trend of the two generations suggests that evaporation created large δ 18 O variations in the nesquehonite while carbon isotopes were stabilized by exchange between the parent liquid and atmospheric CO 2. Thus, we suggest that carbonates formed by terrestrial weathering in Antarctica should possess a wide spread in δ 18 O values and a narrow range in δ 13 C values under dry and cold conditions. Finally, the observed wide spread of δ 18 O in Martian carbonates (e.g., Allan Hills 84001 and Nakhla) can be explained by evaporation near 0°C and may have formed by a similar mechanism to that of the nesquehonite in the LEW 85320. Meanwhile, the wide spread of δ 13 C suggests that two carbon reservoirs with distinct isotope compositions on Mars (e.g., the atmospheric carbon and magmatic carbon) may be actively participating in the formation process.

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“…Despite the dedicated efforts in the design and execution of contamination control (Allen et al 2011;Calaway et al 2019;Dworkin et al 2017;McCubbin et al 2019;, it is impossible to completely eliminate sources of organic contamination. The complex nature of a sample return mission elucidates the diversity of potential scenarios where various sources of organic contamination could be introduced into the returned samples (Table 1 and Fig.…”

Section: Potential Sources Of Contaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concerns of Organic Contamination for Sample Return Space Missions

et al. 2020

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Analysis of organic matter has been one of the major motivations behind solar system exploration missions. It addresses questions related to the organic inventory of our solar system and its implication for the origin of life on Earth. Sample return missions aim at returning scientifically valuable samples from target celestial bodies to Earth. By analysing the samples with the use of state-of-the-art analytical techniques in laboratories here on Earth, researchers can address extremely complicated aspects of extra-terrestrial organic matter. This level of detailed sample characterisation provides the range and depth in organic analysis that are restricted in spacecraft-based exploration missions, due to the limitations of the on-board in-situ instrumentation capabilities. So far, there are four completed and in-process sample return missions with an explicit mandate to collect organic matter: Stardust and OSIRIS-REx missions of NASA, and Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions of JAXA. Regardless of the target body, all sample return missions dedicate to minimise terrestrial organic contamination of the returned samples, by applying various degrees or strategies of organic contamination mitigation methods. Despite the dedicated efforts in the design and execution of contamination control, it is impossible to completely eliminate sources of organic contamination. This paper aims at providing an overview of the successes and lessons learned with regards to the identification of indigenous organic matter of the returned samples vs terrestrial contamination.

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Advanced Curation of Astromaterials for Planetary Science

Cited by 55 publications

References 146 publications

Organic contamination on the surface of meteorites as a function of space and time: A case study of the Buzzard Coulee H4 chondrite

Organic contamination on the surface of meteorites as a function of space and time: A case study of the Buzzard Coulee H4 chondrite

Oxygen and carbon stable isotope composition of the weathering Mg‐carbonates formed on the surface of the LEW 85320 ordinary chondrite: Revisited

Concerns of Organic Contamination for Sample Return Space Missions

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