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Distribution of Amino Acids in Lunar RegolithOne of the most eagerly studied questions upon initial return of lunar samples was whether significant amounts of organic compounds, including amino acids, were present. Analyses during the 1970s produced only tentative and inconclusive identifications of indigenous amino acids. Those analyses were hampered by analytical difficulties including relative insensitivity to certain compounds, the inability to separate chiral enantiomers, and the lack of compound-specific isotopic measurements, which made it impossible to determine whether the detected amino acids were indigenous to the lunar samples or the results of contamination. Numerous advances have been made in instrumentation and methodology for amino acid characterization in extraterrestrial samples in the intervening years, yet the origin of amino acids in lunar regolith samples has been revisited only once for a single lunar sample, (3) and remains unclear. Here, we present initial data from the analyses of amino acid abundances in 12 lunar regolith samples. We discuss these abundances in the context of four potential amino acid sources: (1) terrestrial biological contamination; (2) contamination from lunar module (LM) exhaust; (3) derivation from solar windimplanted precursors; and (4) exogenous delivery from meteorites.
Document ID
20140012790
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Elsila, J. E.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Callahan, M. P.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Glavin, D. P.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Dworkin, J. P.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Noble, S. K.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Gibson, E. K., Jr.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
October 2, 2014
Publication Date
March 17, 2014
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-30317
Meeting Information
Meeting: Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Country: United States
Start Date: March 17, 2014
End Date: March 21, 2014
Sponsors: Lunar and Planetary Inst., Universities Space Research Association, NASA Johnson Space Center
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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