Scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, recently received frozen samples of the Moon’s surface at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston since the Apollo 17 astronauts brought them back to Earth in December 1972.
This study is part of Apollo’s Next Generation Sample Analysis Program, or ANGSAan attempt to study samples returned from the Apollo Program before Artemis mission to the Moon’s South Pole.
Scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, recently received samples of the Moon’s surface that have been curated in a freezer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston since NASA’s Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston. the Apollo 17 astronauts brought them back to Earth in December 1972. Flight CenterDownload videos
However, the process brought samples from Johnson to researchers at Goddard – as well as researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. and the University of Arizona, Tucson – it’s not that simple. . It’s a process that began more than four years ago when NASA’s Julie Mitchell and her Artemis team at Johnson began designing and retrofitting a facility to process frozen Apollo 17 samples. This is a new approach, and scientists are excited to use a technique that could be applied to future moon missions.
A frozen Apollo 17 sample is processed inside a denitrifying glove box at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. This sample is one of many being studied as part of the ANGSA program.
“We started this in early 2018 and there were a lot of technical challenges we had to overcome to get to this point,” says Mitchell. “This is supposed to be a practice to prepare a facility for future cold processing.”
Mitchell added: “By doing this work, we are not only facilitating the discovery of Artemis, but also facilitating future sample return and human exploration into the rest of the world. solar system. “I feel very honored to have made this small contribution by developing our ability to collect these documents, bring them home safely, and manage them for the long term.”
When the facility was ready, Apollo sample curator Ryan Zeigler in Laboratory for astronomical materials research and discovery (ARES) at Johnson, and his team had to adapt to the unique conditions designed by Mitchell’s team to keep samples frozen during processing, including reduced visibility from frost and challenges when handling samples when working with thick gloves in a denitrified glove box, all of which took place inside a walk-in freezer maintained at minus 4 degrees F (minus 20 C). The ability to freeze samples will be important to Artemis because the astronauts have the ability to return ice samples from the Moon’s South Pole.
“Everything we do involves logistics and a lot of infrastructure, but adding in the cold makes that a lot more difficult,” says Zeigler. “It was an important lesson learned for Artemis, as the ability to process samples in the cold will be even more important for the Artemis mission than it is for Apollo. This work gives us some lessons and is a good resource for Artemis. “
After the frozen samples were processed and broken down at Johnson by lunar sampler Jeremy Kent, the samples were then rapidly transferred in a refrigerator with dry ice, immediately opened at Goddard, and stored in safe freezer. For the scientists currently working with the treasures, there is something special about receiving specimens that have not been investigated in nearly five decades.
Jamie Elsila, a scientist who studies Astronomical Analysis Laboratory at Goddard, is focusing on the study of small, volatile organic compounds for her research and sample analysis. Previous research has shown that some lunar samples contain amino acids, which are essential for life on Earth. Her team wanted to understand their origin and distribution in the solar system.
“We think that some of the amino acids in lunar soil may be formed from precursor molecules, which are smaller, more volatile compounds like formaldehyde or hydrogen cyanide,” said Elsila. “The goal of our study was to identify and quantify these small volatile organic compounds, as well as any amino acids, and use the data to understand the Moon’s prebiotic organic chemistry. .”
Natalie Curran, principal investigator of the Mid-Atlantic Noble Gas Research Laboratory at Goddard, focuses on understanding the history that samples may have experienced during their existence on the Moon . The Moon’s surface is an inhospitable environment, and unlike Earth, it has no atmosphere to protect it from space exposure.
“Our work allows us to use noble gases, such as argon, helium, neon and xenon, to measure how long a sample is exposed to cosmic rays, and this could help,” Curran said. we understand the history of that pattern. “Cosmic rays can damage organic matter that may be present in the sample, so understanding the time period helps determine the effects that exposure has had on organic matter.”
Both Elsila and Curran possess frozen and unfrozen lunar samples. When these samples were returned to Earth, one part was preserved at room temperature and the other part was frozen, allowing comparisons between the two groups. Scientists will analyze both sets of samples to determine if there is a difference in organic content. Understanding any variation caused by different assessment methods could inform future decisions about how to store samples returned by Artemis astronauts, part of what the team ARES at Johnson will do.
For Elsila, “it’s great to think about all the work of collecting samples on the Moon and then all the thought and concern about preserving them so we can analyze them at this time,” she noted.
For Curran, “when you think about how these specimens came from another world, how far they’ve come and the history of the solar system they’ve kept inside them, it always amazes me,” She added.
Learn more about how NASA studied samples of Apollo and other celestial bodies at:
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