Detection of intact amino acids with a hypervelocity ice grain impact mass spectrometer.

ABSTRACT: Astrobiology studies are a top priority in answering one of the most fundamental questions in planetary science: Is there life beyond Earth? Saturn's icy moon Enceladus is a prime target in the search for life in our solar system, identified by NASA as the second-highest priority site for a flagship mission in the next decade. The orbital sampling technique of impact ionization mass spectrometry indicated the presence of complex organics in the small icy plume particles ejected by Enceladus encountered previously by Cassini. However, high interaction velocities caused ambiguity as to the origin and identity of the organics. Laboratory validation of this technique is needed to show that biosignature molecules can survive an impact at hypervelocity speeds for detection. Here, we present resu

SUBMITTER: Burke SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10723046 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature