Search

How Life has emerged on Earth? Can we find signs of Life on other celestial bodies in the Solar System? Are they harboring liquid water and complex-enough organic matter to initiate Life? What actually complex-enough organic matter means? Among other scientific questions, those related to astrobiology drive the future space missions for decades to come. The search for organic compounds in the Solar System, such as bio- and prebiotic molecules, has been defined as one of the highest priority by the Space Agencies [1, 2]. Significant improvements of the analytical performances of the future instruments will increase our knowledge of targets of interest for the search of Life, present or past, such as comets, asteroids, icy moons or ocean worlds. New generation of High Resolution Mass Spectrometers (HRMS) is currently being developed in order to provide univocal identifications, study of isotopic abundances and determination of mixing ratios with high analytical performances [3-6], including very HRMS-CosmOrbitrap based under collaborative development with University of Maryland/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The CosmOrbitrap mass analyzer is mainly funded by CNES, the French space agency, and developed by a consortium of 6 laboratories (LPC2E, LATMOS, LISA, IPAG, IJC lab, J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry) [7]. Here we address the results of a repeatability study based on three organic compounds and obtained with the LAb-CosmOrbitrap (Laser Ablation CosmOrbitrap) equipped with a commercial laser ionization system at 266 nm and no C-trap system. Organics studied are nitrogenous and sulfurous compounds, HOBt (C6H5N3O+H) at m/z 136 and BBOT (C26H26N2O2S+H) at m/z 431; and a prebiotic compound, the well-known adenine (C5H5N5+H) at m/z 136. Hundreds of mass spectra have been recorded to demonstrate the reproducible analytical performances of the laser-CosmOrbitrap set-up. Mass resolving power has been studied as a function of the acquisition time and the FFT length. Different kind of mass calibrations have been tried to show the effect on the mass accuracy (internal mass calibration on the species of interest and external mass calibration on the metallic sample-holder). Finally, preliminary results on isotopic abundances (13C/12C, 15N/14N and 34S/32S replacements) have been obtained. This work provides key information for specifying the required performances of future HRMS space instruments. Acknowledgement: We thank the Centre National des Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French space agency, for their financial support. References: [1] National Academies (2022) Origins, Worlds and Life. [2] ESA (2021) Voyage 2050 [3] Waite et al. (2019) Abstract Vol.13, EPSC-DPS2019-559-1 [4] Shimma et al. (2010) Anal. Chem. 82, 20, 8456-8463 [5] Willhite et al. (2021) IEEE Aerospace, 1 – 13 [6] Willhite et al. (2021) Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, LPI Contribution No. 2635, id.5034 [7] Briois et al. (2016) PSS 131, 33 – 45 more...

Over the next few decades, top-level planetary mission objectives will pivot towards the in situ chemical analysis of silicate- and/or ice-rich bodies in order to augment our understanding of: i) planetary geology, informing on processes such as protracted accretion, internal differentiation, and interior dynamics; ii) prospects for habitability and biosignature preservation potential of surface and subsurface environments; and ultimately, iii) the detection of organic matter and identification of alien biological systems (if present). Lander and rover platforms continue to become more enabling, offering expanded payload capacities (i.e., more mass, volume, and energy resources for instruments), drills capable of acquiring materials from depths at the km-scale, and precision sample manipulation with advanced robotic systems. Mission concepts that incorporate elements of both fundamental geology and astrobiology are highly prioritized by the scientific community, NASA Science Mission Directorate, and ESA Cosmic Vision Program; viable mission candidates include comet, asteroid, and/or lunar sample return, and the progressive exploration of Mars and its moons. The addition of "Ocean Worlds" to the New Frontiers 4 Announcement of Opportunity served to underscore the critical need for in situ chemical analyzers capable of characterizing solid planetary materials, such as salts, ices, and sublimated residues (in addition to more traditional silicate minerals and accessory phases). The M-CLASS (Measurement of Composition via Laser Ablation Sampling and Spectrometry) Laboratory, a joint venture between the University of Maryland, NASA GSFC, and international partners, is advancing a number of pioneering technologies geared specifically towards analyzing elemental composition, isotopic abundances, and organic content of solid planetary materials via in situ laser ablation mass spectrometry. For geological investigations, a miniaturized inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICPMS) equipped with a heritage quadrupole mass analyzer (a la the SAM QMS) is in development. The innovative plasma source, which was designed originally through the NASA SBIR Program, requires as little as 1 W of power (tunable per science requirements) but provides access to trace element signals. Because trace elements (defined by abundances at ppmw levels or below) are too depleted to form accessory phases, they can vary by more than three orders of magnitude in geological samples and serve as sensitive tracers to a host of planetary processes (global differentiation, weathering/erosion, biomineralization, etc.). For astrobiological investigations, we are building and qualifying for spaceflight an engineering model of a laser-enabled Orbitrap mass analyzer capable of detecting organic compounds and contextual mineralogical indicators via high sensitivity and active beam scanning, resulting in 2D chemical imaging without extensive sample handling requirements. A prototype version of this instrument has been shown to distinguish organic molecules as potential biomarkers with ultrahigh mass resolution (m/Δm ≥ 120,000, FWHM at m/z 100) and highly accurate peak assignments within 3 ppm of absolute values. The quantification of isotopic abundances with ≤1.0% (2σ) precision, and the detection of a variety of amino acids at concentrations as low as ≤1 pmol/mm2, were also demonstrated. more...

International audience

International audience; Instruments on the Cassini-Huygens mission have allowed the collection of a big amount of data about Titan and revealed part of the complex organic chemistry in the dense atmosphere of this moon. Complementarily to the data received, analyses of laboratory analogues of Titan aerosols help the understanding of chemical mechanisms occurring on Titan. These analyses are also preparing the new generation of space mass spectrometer, such as the LAb-CosmOrbitrap, new high-resolution mass analyser based on the Orbitrap TM technology and coupled with laser ablation ionisation. more...

International audience; The Cometary Secondary Ion Mass Analyser (COSIMA), a miniaturized time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer (ToF-SIMS), is one of the dust particle instruments onboard the orbiter of the Rosetta mission that arrived to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in mid-2014. COSIMA analyses the mineral and organic composition of dust particles that are captured on metal targets exposed to space [1, 2]. The mass spectra acquired by COSIMA show that refractory organic matter is ubiquitous in cometary dust particles [2]. The nature of this carbonaceous material will be discussed. We will highlight the abundance of organic matter in these dust particles as well as the nitrogen to carbon elemental ratio of this refractory organic matter. These results obtained on the dust particles of 67P will be compared to those from other astrophysical objects (carbonaceous chondrites, IDPs, micro-meteorites). This comparison could provide clues on the origin and evolution of the cometary organic matter. References: [1] Hilchenbach, M. et al. (2016) ApJ, 816, L32. [2] Schulz, R. et al. (2015) Nature, 518, 216-218. [3] Fray, N. et al. (2016) Nature, 538, 72-74. more...