Advances in Mass Spectrometers for Flyby Space Missions for the Analysis of Biosignatures and Other Complex Molecules

被引:6
作者
Fausch, Rico G. [1 ]
Schertenleib, Janis A. [1 ]
Wurz, Peter [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Bern, Phys Inst, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
关键词
amino acids and fatty acids fragmentation; Enceladus; exosphere; hypervelocity flybys; hypervelocity sampling; Io; mass spectrometer; planetary atmosphere; space biosignatures; space instrumentation; WATER-VAPOR; RADIATION ENVIRONMENT; MCP DETECTOR; AMINO-ACIDS; CASSINI ION; ENCELADUS; SURFACE; IMPACT; PLUME; DUST;
D O I
10.3390/universe8080416
中图分类号
P1 [天文学];
学科分类号
0704 ;
摘要
Spacecraft flybys provide access to the chemical composition of the gaseous envelope of the planetary object. Typical relative encounter velocities range from km/s to tens of km/s in flybys. For speeds exceeding about 5 km/s, modern mass spectrometers analyzing the rapidly encountering gas suffer from intrinsic hypervelocity impact-induced fragmentation processes causing ambiguous results when analyzing complex molecules. In this case, instruments use an antechamber, inside which the incoming species collide many times with the chamber wall. These collisions cause the desired deceleration and thermalization of the gas molecules. However, these collisions also dissociate molecular bonds, thus fragmenting the molecules, and possibly forming new ones precluding scientists from inferring the actual chemical composition of the sampled gas. We developed a novel time-of-flight mass spectrometer that handles relative encounter velocities of up to 20 km/s omitting an antechamber and its related fragmentation. It analyzes the complete mass range of m/z 1 to 1000 at an instance. This innovation leads to unambiguous analysis of complex (organic) molecules. Applied to Enceladus, Europa or Io, it will provide reliable chemical composition datasets for exploration of the Solar System to determine its status, origin and evolution.
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页数:18
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