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At least 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Stability and rheology of dispersions of silicon nitride and silicon carbide

The relationship between the surface and colloid chemistry of commercial ultra-fine silicon carbide and silicon nitride powders was examined by a variety of standard characterization techniques and by methodologies especially developed for ceramic dispersions. These include electrokinetic measurement, surface titration, and surface spectroscopies. The effects of powder pretreatment and modification strategies, which can be utilized to augment control of processing characteristics, were monitored with these technologies. Both silicon carbide and nitride were found to exhibit silica-like surface chemistries, but silicon nitride powders possess an additional amine surface functionality. Colloidal characteristics of the various nitride powders in aqueous suspension is believed to be highly dependent on the relative amounts of the two types of surface groups, which in turn is determined by the powder synthesis route. The differences in the apparent colloidal characteristics for silicon nitride powders cannot be attributed to the specific absorption of ammonium ions. Development of a model for the prediction of double-layer characteristics of materials with a hybrid site interface facilitated understanding and prediction of the behavior of both surface charge and surface potential for these materials. The utility of the model in application to silicon nitride powders was demonstrated.

Feke, Donald L.↗
NASA NTRS2012

The Origin of Carbon-Bearing Volatiles in a Continental Hydrothermal System in the Great Basin: Water Chemistry and Isotope Characterizations

Hydrothermal systems on Earth are active centers in the crust where organic molecules can be synthesized biotically or abiotically under a wide range of physical and chemical conditions [1-3]. Not only are volatile species (CO, CO2, H2, and hydrocarbons) a reflection of deep-seated hydrothermal alteration processes, but they also form an important component of biological systems. Studying carbon-bearing fluids from hydrothermal systems is of specific importance to understanding (bio-)geochemical processes within these systems. With recent detection of methane in the martian atmosphere [4-7] and the possibility of its hydrothermal origin [8, 9], understanding the formation mechanisms of methane may provide constraints on the history of the martian aqueous environments and climate.

Fu, Qi↗
NASA NTRS2019

Prebiotic Chemistry of Pluto

We present the case for the presence of complex organic molecules, such as amino acids and nucleobases, formed by abiotic processes on the surface and in near-subsurface regions of Pluto. Pluto's surface is tinted with a range of non-ice substances with colors ranging from light yellow to red to dark brown; the colors match those of laboratory organic residues called tholins. Tholins are broadly characterized as complex, macromolecular organic solids consisting of a network of aromatic structures connected by aliphatic bridging units (e.g., Imanaka et al.,2004; Materese et al.,2014, 2015). The synthesis of tholins in planetary atmospheres and in surface ices has been explored in numerous laboratory experiments, and both gas- and solid-phase varieties are found on Pluto. A third variety of tholins, exposed at a site of tectonic surface fracturing called Virgil Fossae, appears to have come from a reservoir in the subsurface. Eruptions of tholin-laden liquid H2O from a subsurface aqueous repository appear to have covered portions of Virgil Fossae and its surroundings with a uniquely colored deposit (D.P. Cruikshank, personal communication) that is geographically correlated with an exposure of H2O ice that includes spectroscopically detected NH3 (C.M. Dalle Ore, personal communication). The subsurface organic material could have been derived from presolar or solar nebula processes, or might have formed in situ. Photolysis and radiolysis of a mixture of ices relevant to Pluto's surface composition (N2, CH4, CO) have produced strongly colored, complex organics with a significant aromatic content having a high degree of nitrogen substitution similar to the aromatic heterocycles pyrimidine and purine (Materese et al.,2014, 2015; Cruikshank et al.,2016). Experiments with pyrimidines and purines frozen in H2O-NH3 ice resulted in the formation of numerous nucleobases, including the biologically relevant guanine, cytosine, adenine, uracil, and thymine (Materese et al.,2017). The red material associated with the H2O ice may contain nucleobases resulting from energetic processing on Pluto's surface or in the interior. Some other Kuiper Belt objects also exhibit red colors similar to those found on Pluto and may therefore carry similar inventories of complex organic materials. The widespread and ubiquitous nature of similarly complex organic materials observed in a variety of astronomical settings drives the need for additional laboratory and modeling efforts to explain the origin and evolution of organic molecules. Pluto observations reveal complex organics on a small body that remains close to its place of origin in the outermost regions of the Solar System.

Cruikshank, D. P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Environment enhanced fatigue of advanced aluminum alloys and metal matrix composites

The environmental fatigue crack propagation behavior of advanced Al-Li-Cu based alloys and metal matrix composites is being characterized. Aqueous NaCl and water vapor, which produce atomic hydrogen by reactions on clean crack surfaces, are emphasized. The effects of environment sensitive crack closure, stress ratio, and precipitate microstructure are assessed. Mechanistic models are sought for intrinsic crack tip damage processes to enable predictions of cracking behavior outside of the data, metallurgical improvements in material cracking resistance, and insight on hydrogen compatibility.

Slavik, Donald C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Chemical environments of submarine hydrothermal systems

Perhaps because black-smoker chimneys make tremendous subjects for magazine covers, the proposal that submarine hydrothermal systems were involved in the origin of life has caused many investigators to focus on the eye-catching hydrothermal vents. In much the same way that tourists rush to watch the spectacular eruptions of Old Faithful geyser with little regard for the hydrology of the Yellowstone basin, attention is focused on the spectacular, high-temperature hydrothermal vents to the near exclusion of the enormous underlying hydrothermal systems. Nevertheless, the magnitude and complexity of geologic structures, heat flow, and hydrologic parameters which characterize the geyser basins at Yellowstone also characterize submarine hydrothermal systems. However, in the submarine systems the scale can be considerably more vast. Like Old Faithful, submarine hydrothermal vents have a spectacular quality, but they are only one fascinating aspect of enormous geologic systems operating at seafloor spreading centers throughout all of the ocean basins. A critical study of the possible role of hydrothermal processes in the origin of life should include the full spectrum of probable environments. The goals of this chapter are to synthesize diverse information about the inorganic geochemistry of submarine hydrothermal systems, assemble a description of the fundamental physical and chemical attributes of these systems, and consider the implications of high-temperature, fluid-driven processes for organic synthesis. Information about submarine hydrothermal systems comes from many directions. Measurements made directly on venting fluids provide useful, but remarkably limited, clues about processes operating at depth. The oceanic crust has been drilled to approximately 2.0 km depth providing many other pieces of information, but drilling technology has not allowed the bore holes and core samples to reach the maximum depths to which aqueous fluids circulate in oceanic crust. Such determinations rely on studies of pieces of deep oceanic crust uplifted by tectonic forces such as along the Southwest Indian Ridge, or more complete sections of oceanic crust called ophiolite sequences which are presently exposed on continents owing to tectonic emplacement. Much of what is thought to happen in submarine hydrothermal systems is inferred from studies of ophiolite sequences, and especially from the better-exposed ophiolites in Oman, Cyprus and North America. The focus of much that follows is on a few general features: pressure, temperature, oxidation states, fluid composition and mineral alteration, because these features will control whether organic synthesis can occur in hydrothermal systems.

Shock, Everett L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Geochemical constraints on chemolithoautotrophic reactions in hydrothermal systems

Thermodynamic calculations provide the means to quantify the chemical disequilibrium inherent in the mixing of reduced hydrothermal fluids with seawater. The chemical energy available for metabolic processes in these environments can be evaluated by taking into account the pressure and temperature dependence of the apparent standard Gibbs free energies of reactions in the S-H2-H2O system together with geochemical constraints on pH, activities of aqueous sulfur species and fugacities of H2 and/or O2. Using present-day mixing of hydrothermal fluids and seawater as a starting point, it is shown that each mole of H2S entering seawater from hydrothermal fluids represents about 200,000 calories of chemical energy for metabolic systems able to catalyze H2S oxidation. Extrapolating to the early Earth, which was likely to have had an atmosphere more reduced than at present, shows that this chemical energy may have been a factor of two or so less. Nevertheless, mixing of hydrothermal fluids with seawater would have been an abundant source of chemical energy, and an inevitable consequence of the presence of an ocean on an initially hot Earth. The amount of energy available was more than enough for organic synthesis from CO2 or CO, and/or polymer formation, indicating that the vicinity of hydrothermal systems at the sea floor was an ideal location for the emergence of the first chemolithoautotrophic metabolic systems.

Shock, Everett L.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Iron-Nickel Sulfide Compositional Ranges in CM Chondrites: No Simple Plan

Iron-nickel sulfides are found in most or all solar system environments, and are probably the only minerals found in all extraterrestrial materials on hand. Despite this ubiquity, they have only just begun the attention they deserve. The most common Fe-Ni sulfides in chondrites are troilite (FeS), pyrrhotite (Fe(1-x)S) and pentlandite (Fe,Ni)9S8. Troilite is believed to have resulted from sulfidation of metal (Fe-Ni) grains in an H2S-containing environment. Pyrrhotite is produced when friable troilite grains, which are exfoliated from the metal nucleus, are submitted to continued sulfidation. Some asteroids are known to have experienced aqueous alteration, forming products including new generations of sulfides (pyrrhotite and pentlandite). Pentlandite in particular is known to form during such alteration. However, experimental work by Lauretta has indicated that pentlandite may also have been formed during the initial sulfidation process, due to the faster diffusion rate of nickel into the forming sulfide, as compared to iron. Finally, there is considerable evidence for a family of phases intermediate between pyrrhotite and pentlandite, following the trend of the high temperature monosulfide solid solution, something not encountered in terrestrial rocks. Each sulfide has its own particular stability conditions, which have been determined for most phases. The long-term objective of our research is to characterize sulfides in chondritic materials in order to better establish the conditions under which they formed, and the subsequent processes they experienced. Ultimately, it will be possible to infer whether the sulfides in the chondrites were formed in the solar nebula or on asteroids, and if formed on the asteroids, deduce how much alteration has occurred there. Here we explore the relationships between the finest grain size portions of carbonaceous chondrites, these being matrix and chondrule rims; fine-grained materials are the most sensitive to their environment. This abstract is one of a series reporting results for chondrites, earlier work reported results for a much more limited set of CMs, as well as for CVs and CIs.

Zolensky, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2012

Widespread Weathered Glass on the Surface of Mars

Low albedo sediments cover >10(exp 7) sq km in the northern lowlands of Mars, but the composition and origin of these widespread deposits have remained ambiguous despite many previous investigations. Here we use near-infrared spectra acquired by the Mars Express OMEGA (Observatoire pour la Mineralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces, et l'Activite') imaging spectrometer to show that these sediments exhibit spectral characteristics that are consistent with both high abundances of iron-bearing glass and silica-enriched leached rinds on glass. This interpretation is supported by observations of low-albedo soil grains with possible rinds at the Phoenix Mars Lander landing site in the northern lowlands. By comparison with the extensive glass-rich dune fields and sand sheets of Iceland, we propose an explosive volcanic origin for these glass-rich sediments. We also propose that the glassy remnant rinds on the sediments are the result of post-depositional alteration, as these rinds are commonly formed in arid terrestrial volcanic environments during water-limited, moderately acidic leaching. These weathered, glass-rich deposits in the northern lowlands are also colocated with the strongest concentrations of a major global compositional surface type previously identified in mid-infrared spectra, suggesting that they may be representative of global processes. Our results provide potential confirmation of models suggesting that explosive volcanism has been widespread on Mars, and also raise the possibilities that glass-rich volcaniclastics are a major source of eolian sand on Mars and that widespread surficial aqueous alteration has occurred under Amazonian climatic conditions.

Horgan, Briony↗
NASA NTRS1984

Evolutionary history of CI and CM chondrites

It is now clear that several different processes have acted upon various components of carbonaceous chondrites, and that at least some of those processes occurred very early in solar system history. Because these meteorites are breccias, petrographic relationships are seldom informative about the order in which those processes took place. Nonetheless, information about such an evolutionary sequence would be of potential value in defining the nature of the source region for these meteorites. Implantation of solar wind derived noble gases into CI magnetite apparently postdated the period of aqueous activity believed to be responsible for magnetite production. Carbonate crystallization roughly coincided with one or more episodes of impact driven brecciation.

Kerridge, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Properties of TGS aqueous solution for crystal growth

A study has been made of the properties of triglycine sulfate (TGS) aqueous solution relevant to its use for single crystal growth. Measurements of the solubility, index of refraction, density, viscosity, diffusivity, and optical dispersion are presented and discussed. A knowledge of these properties is of importance for controlling and modeling the growth process and for obtaining high quality single crystals.

Kroes, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Aqueous Alteration Mineralogy in CM Carbonaceous Chondrites

Iron-nickel sulfides are found in most or all solar system environments, and are probably the only minerals found in all extraterrestrial materials on hand. Despite the ubiquity, they have not received the attention they deserve. The most common Fe-Ni sulfides in chondrites are troilite (FeS), pyrrhotite (Fe1- XS) and pentlandite (Fe,Ni)9S8. Troilite is believed to have resulted from sulfidation of metal (Fe-Ni) grains in an H2Scontaining environment. Pyrrhotite is produced when friable troilite grains, which are exfoliated from the metal nucleus, are submitted to continued sulfidation [1]. Some asteroids are known to have experienced aqueous alteration, forming products including new generations of sulfides (pyrrhotite and pentlandite). Pentlandite in particular is known to form during such alteration [1]. However, experimental work by Lauretta has indicated that pentlandite may also have been formed during the initial sulfidation process [2], due to the faster diffusion rate of nickel into the forming sulfide, as compared to iron. Finally, there is considerable evidence [1,3&4] for a family of phases intermediate between pyrrhotite and pentlandite, following the trend of the high temperature monosulfide solid solution [5], something not encountered in terrestrial rocks.

Chokai, J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Meteoritic Carbonates - The Key to Sampling Extraterrestrial Fluids?

Fluid inclusions are naturally occurring mineral features that preserve trapped fluid phases inside a solid phase. These cavities exist as a closed system, recording the environmental conditions present during entrapment – both physical and chemical. As a result, fluid inclusions are great candidates for directly studying past fluid activity on extraterrestrial bodies within the Solar System. On Earth, fluid inclusions are abundant as they occur within numerous host minerals. They are a powerful tool for accurately and directly understanding the driving processes in various geological environments. In contrast, extraterrestrial fluid inclusions have only been positively identified on three separate occasions within host materials ranging from ordinary chondrites to C/B-type asteroid mission return samples. The possibility of directly studying the fluids involved in aqueous alteration and accurately constraining their heliocentric distances drives the hunt for these elusive capsules. Our goals are to locate new fluid inclusion candidates (hereon referred to as candidates) and assess whether fluid inclusions are a common feature within meteoritic carbonates and why they may have eluded detection for so long. We also aim to characterize the host grain’s mineralogical properties and assess the potentially preferential conditions for fluid entrapment on the asteroid parent body.

P A B Krizan↗
NASA NTRS2024

Preliminary Analyses of Asteroid Bennu Samples Returned by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission returned ~122 g of pristine carbonaceous regolith from Bennu on September 24, 2023. The science team is performing analyses of the mineralogy, chemical and isotopic compositions, and physical properties of the samples. The returned samples consist of particles ranging up to 3.5 cm in size with angular and hummocky morphologies predominating. Reflectance spectra over the visible and infrared wavelengths collected during the spacecraft encounter contained features indicating abundant hydrated phyllosilicates, carbonates, magnetite, organic matter, and rare anhydrous silicates. Laboratory analyses confirmed these detections and identified several other major and minor phases including abundant FeNi sulfides, minor hydrated Mg-rich phosphates as encrustations and in veins, and presolar grains. The Bennu samples show evidence for extensive aqueous alteration and resemble the rare and chemically primitive CI carbonaceous chondrites and samples returned from Ryugu by JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission. Samples of Bennu’s uppermost surface, collected by contact pads, help us to understand how recent impacts and irradiation processes have changed the optical properties of Bennu surface materials measured by remote sensing. The analyses thus far highlight the value of sample return by illustrating the pristine nature of the samples compared to meteorites that have been compromised and altered by exposure to the terrestrial environment.

Lindsay P Keller↗
NASA NTRS1985

Cell Partition in Two Polymer Aqueous Phases

In a reduced gravity environment the two polymer phases will not separate via density driven settling in an acceptably short length of time. It is to be expected that a certain amount of phase separation will take place, however, driven by the reduction in free energy gained when the interfacial area is reduced. This stage of separation process will therefore depend directly on the magnitude of the interfacial tension between the phases. In order to induce complete phase separation in a short time, electric field-induced separation which occurs because the droplets of one phase in the other have high electrophoretic mobilities which increase with droplet size was investigated. These mobilities are significant only in the presence of certain salts, particularly phosphates. The presence of such salts, in turn has a strong effect on the cell partition behavior in dextran-poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) systems. The addition of the salts necessary to produce phase drop mobilities has a large effect on the interfacial tensions in the systems.

Brooks, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Fluids During Diagenesis and Sulfate Vein Formation in Sediments at Gale Crater, Mars

We model the fluids involved in the alteration processes recorded in the Sheep bed Member mudstones of Yellowknife Bay (YKB), Gale crater, Mars, as revealed by the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover investigations. We compare the Gale crater waters with fluids modeled for shergottites, nakhlites, and the ancient meteorite ALH 84001, as well as rocks analyzed by the Mars Exploration rovers, and with terrestrial ground and surface waters. The aqueous solution present during sediment alteration associated with phyllosilicate formation at Gale was high in Na, K, and Si; had low Mg, Fe, and Al concentrations relative to terrestrial ground waters such as the Deccan Traps and other modeled Mars fluids; and had near neutral to alkaline pH. Ca and S species were present in the 10(exp -3) to 10(exp -2) concentration range. A fluid local to Gale crater strata produced the alteration products observed by Curiosity and subsequent evaporation of this ground water- type fluid formed impure sulfate- and silica-rich deposits veins or horizons. In a second, separate stage of alteration, partial dissolution of this sulfate-rich layer in Yellowknife Bay,or beyond, led to the pure sulfate veins observed in YKB. This scenario is analogous to similar processes identified at a terrestrial site in Triassic sediments with gypsum veins of the Mercia Mudstone Group in Watchet Bay, UK.

Gale Crater↗
NASA NTRS1986

Kinetics of the hydrolysis of guanosine 5'-phospho-2-methylimidazolide

The hydrolysis kinetics of guanosine 5'-phospho-2-methylimidazolide (2-MeImpG) in aqueous buffered solutions of various pH's was studied at 75 and 37 C, using spectrophotometric and HPLC techniques. The hydrolysis was found to be very slow even at low pH. At 75 C and pH at or below l.0, two kinetic processes were observed: the more rapid one was attributed to the hydrolysis of the phosphoimidazolide P-N bond; the second, much slower one, was attributed to the cleavage of the glycosidic bond. It is noted that the P-N hydrolysis in phosphoimidazolides is very slow compared to other phosphoramidates, and that this might be one of the reasons why the phosphoimidazolides showed an extraordinary ability to form long oligomers under template-directed conditions.

Kanavarioti, Anastassia↗
NASA NTRS1993

Precision aqueous cleaner for RSRM

Chlorinated solvents such as freon and 1,1,1 trichloroethane (TCA) are both environmental and physiological hazards which deplete stratospheric ozone. These chemicals are the primary degreasing solvents (vapor, vat, and hand operations) in redesigned solid rocket motor (RSRM) manufacturing. Due to the mandates of the Clean Air Act, substitutes must be identified for RSRM cleaning processes. The initial phase of laboratory testing identified candidate cleaners to replace 1,1,1 trichloroethane for cleaning, potentially reducing annual TCA consumption by 800,000 lbs. This paper describes RSRM testing which elucidated the effects of several interdependent variable including: definition of surface cleanliness criteria, validation of cleaning power of new candidates, the effect of immersion cleaning versus spray cleaning on cleaning, any effect of the cleaner and/or inhibitor upon bondline aging, and compatibility of the cleaners with nonmetallic tooling and processing materials.

Hutchens, D. E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Hematite Formation and Growth in Gale Crater Seen Through MSL Chemin X-Ray Diffraction Data

For more than 10 Earth years, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has been studying modern sediments and ancient sedimentary rocks deposited by lacustrine, fluvial, deltaic, and eolian processes in Gale crater. The mineral and X-ray amorphous abundances in rocks and sediments have been quantified via X-ray diffraction (XRD) data from the CheMin instrument. The received data demonstrate significant mineralogical variations within the stratigraphy, including changes in the type and abundances of Fe-oxides/oxyhydroxides silica polymorphs, phyllosilicates, and sulfate minerals. Characterizing Fe-oxides/oxyhydroxide minerals in Gale crater is especially important for constraining past aqueous environments because their formation depends on a variety of conditions, including pH, Eh, temperature, and salinity. Hematite, magnetite, goethite, and akaganeite have been identified by CheMin in different portions of the stratigraphic section. Hematite is the most prevalent Fe-bearing oxide mineral and has been detected (>1 wt.%) in 34 of the studied 36 drill targets. Variations in hematite crystallite size were reported in association with Vera Rubin ridge, which has a strong hematite signature in orbital reflectance spectroscopy. Here, we calculate hematite crystallite sizes and shapes for the entire stratigraphic section to date, to characterize trends and evaluate the processes by which hematite formed and transformed in Gale crater.

M. Szczerba↗