Title: | "Volatile, isotope, and organic analysis of martian fines with the Mars Curiosity rover" |
Author(s): | Leshin LA; Mahaffy PR; Webster CR; Cabane M; Coll P; Conrad PG; Archer PD; Atreya SK; Brunner AE; Buch A; Eigenbrode JL; Flesch GJ; Franz HB; Freissinet C; Glavin DP; McAdam AC; Miller KE; Ming DW; Morris RV; Navarro-Gonzalez R; Niles PB; Owen T; Pepin RO; Squyres S; Steele A; Stern JC; Summons RE; Sumner DY; Sutter B; Szopa C; Teinturier S; Trainer MG; Wray JJ; Grotzinger JP; Team MSLS; |
Address: | "Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and School of Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA. leshin@rpi.edu" |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1095-9203 (Electronic) 0036-8075 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Samples from the Rocknest aeolian deposit were heated to ~835 degrees C under helium flow and evolved gases analyzed by Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite. H2O, SO2, CO2, and O2 were the major gases released. Water abundance (1.5 to 3 weight percent) and release temperature suggest that H2O is bound within an amorphous component of the sample. Decomposition of fine-grained Fe or Mg carbonate is the likely source of much of the evolved CO2. Evolved O2 is coincident with the release of Cl, suggesting that oxygen is produced from thermal decomposition of an oxychloride compound. Elevated deltaD values are consistent with recent atmospheric exchange. Carbon isotopes indicate multiple carbon sources in the fines. Several simple organic compounds were detected, but they are not definitively martian in origin" |
Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINELeshin, L A Mahaffy, P R Webster, C R Cabane, M Coll, P Conrad, P G Archer, P D Jr Atreya, S K Brunner, A E Buch, A Eigenbrode, J L Flesch, G J Franz, H B Freissinet, C Glavin, D P McAdam, A C Miller, K E Ming, D W Morris, R V Navarro-Gonzalez, R Niles, P B Owen, T Pepin, R O Squyres, S Steele, A Stern, J C Summons, R E Sumner, D Y Sutter, B Szopa, C Teinturier, S Trainer, M G Wray, J J Grotzinger, J P eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2013/09/28 Science. 2013 Sep 27; 341(6153):1238937. doi: 10.1126/science.1238937" |