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At least 829 records · Page 46

Characterizing the Effects of Thermal Profile and Gas Environment on the Heat Treatment of JSC-1A Lunar Simulant Using Combined Thermogravimetry and Mass Spectroscopy

As NASA strives towards a long duration presence on the Moon, it has become increasingly important to learn how to better utilize resources from the lunar surface for everything from habitats, vehicle infrastructure, and chemical extraction. To that end, a variety of lunar simulants have been sourced from terrestrially available volcanic minerals and glass as Apollo regolith is a finite resource unavailable for experimentation needing large masses. However, while mineralogy and chemical composition can approach that of lunar material in these simulants, there are still distinct non-lunar phases such as hydrates, carbonates, sulfates, and clays that can cause simulants to behave distinctly non-lunar in a variety of processing conditions that would ideally be applied to lunar material. Notably, severe glassy bubbling has been documented in a variety of vacuum sintering experiments on JSC-1A lunar Maria simulant heated via microwaves. The origins of this outgassing have not been well understood, but are normally attributed to the decomposition of non-lunar contaminates intrinsic to virtually all terrestrially sourced simulants. As such, a series of controlled environmental tests were performed to ascertain the origins of the high temperature outgassing and to develop heat treatments that can drive JSC-1A closer to lunar composition and behavior. It was found that in JSC-1A that distinct gas evolutions of water, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide occur in both inert gas and vacuum. Additionally, the presence of hydrogen during heat treatments was shown to dramatically change gas evolutions, leading to distinctly more lunar-like composition and behavior from JSC-1A simulant.

sinter↗

Observations of Phobos and Deimos with SpeX at NASA Infrared Telescope Facility

We measured near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectra of Phobos and Deimos, using the prism (0.7–2.52 μm) and long-wavelength cross dispersed (LXD: 1.9–4.2 μm) modes of NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF)’s SpeX instrument. The goal of this study is to investigate the surface composition of Phobos and Deimos and search for any mineralogical absorption signatures that may be present on their surfaces, especially in the LXD spectral range. Prism spectra of Phobos showed significant slope variation at shorter wavelengths (λ <1.3 μm), which indicates surface heterogeneity possibly due to regolith’s composition and grain size, and/or space weathering. Deimos’ prism spectra were found to be consistent with the more red-sloped prism spectra of Phobos. The measured LXD spectra of Deimos revealed evidence of hydration with 3-μm band depths at 2.90 μm of 4–5%. The 3-μm band in Deimos could be attributed to exogenic sources such as solar wind implantation or OH-bearingimpactors, or to an endogenic source and the presence of carbonaceous material on its surface. Phobos’ andDeimos’ prism and LXD spectra, however, show no indications for absorption signatures of mafic silicates (i.e.,pyroxene, olivine), organics nor carbonates.

D Takir↗

Impact of Space Radiation on Plant Seeds: from Arabidopsis thaliana to Crops

One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is radiation risk, primarily from solar particle events (SPE) and galactic cosmic rays (GCR). With the goal of manned Mars exploration, the production of fresh food during long-duration space missions provides critical nutritional supplementation and may also benefit astronauts’ behavioral health. However, the effects of space radiation on plants and plant propagules have not been sufficiently investigated and characterized. This is the final report of our project to summarize the findings of the effect of space radiation exposure on plant seeds from morphometrics, nutritional values, to molecular machenisms. In this study, we evaluated the effect of simulated GCR (using dry seeds) or SPE (using hydrated seeds) on seeds of Arabidopsis, Mizuna mustard, ‘Outredgeous’ red romaine lettuce, and ‘Red Robin’ dwarf tomato. Seeds were exposed to various doses of simulated space radiation scenarios, either acutely or at a low dose rate (LDR), using the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) facility at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). Exposure to simulated GCR or SPE at the levels tested had no significant impact on the germination rate in Arabidopsis and crop seeds; however, GCR reduced the viability of lettuce and tomato seeds. Overall, the morphological changes of the seedlings cultured from irradiated seeds were dose- and ion quality- dependent, with heavier ions causing more severe damage. These changes ranged from cotyledon deformation, shortened root length, smaller seedling size, and other signs of stress, depending on the seed types. Both 40 and 80 cGy (LDR) exposures of GCR or SPE significantly affected tomato early seedling development, delayed tomato fruiting, and reduced the total yield of tomato. Altered nutritional values were also found in edible biomass, especially for the GCR 80 cGy (LDR) groups. Underlying mechanisms were furtherly evaluated using transcriptomic analysis. For both GCR and SPE, 40 cGy showed some effects, but to a much lesser extent compared with 80 cGy, which can be considered as the “maximum permissible exposure” for the seed types we evaluated in this study. The impact of space radiation on seeds potentially affects the ability of plants to adapt to other environmental stresses (e.g. microgravity, water stress, and hardware constraints) as well as susceptibility to plant diseases, which need to be furtherly investigated. This research is funded by NASA’s Human Research Program.

J T Richards↗

Models, In situ, and Remote Sensing of Aerosols (MIRA)

There is a natural partitioning of scientific interest amongst three specialties of aerosol re-search: modeling, in situ measurements, and remote sensing. The broader aerosol community benefits when these groups interact, and this strengthens overall scientific impact on climate and air quality research and predictions. The new MIRA working group establishes a forum for identifying collaborations and improving discussions amongst specialties and across regional boundaries. One area of keen interest is uniting satellite and ground-based lidar groups with other aerosol disciplines. Elastic backscatter lidars depend upon a priori knowledge of aerosol properties to convert measured lidar profiles into aerosol extinction profiles. Acquiring additional insight on aerosol properties and transport is highly valuable to these lidar groups to improve the data quality and aid in their scientific interpretation. Another area of interest is to facilitate the incorporation of measurements into global aerosol models. Modelers need aerosol optical look-up tables that enable quick conversions of hydrated (and dry) polydisperse size distributions into aerosol optical properties (extinction, scattering, etc.), but many of the existing tables are based upon outdated measurements. Thus, MIRA is building the Tables of Aerosol Optics (TAO), which is a community collection of aerosol optical calculations. This expands on the historical efforts of Shettle and Fenn, d’Almeida, GADS, OPAC, etc., except that TAO seeks continual input from the community. Thus, as aerosol measurement and computational techniques advance, so does the TAO collective. Since TAO is a community collective, it is expected that users will optionally upload computations for aerosol type as well as computations for all of the traditional aerosol species(like amm sulfate, amm nitrate, organics, etc.). The near-term purpose of the MIRA working group is to: *Characterize regional aerosol lidar ratios to support improvements of aerosol extinction profiles and understanding of aerosol typing. *Create TAO --a community cooperative of aerosol optical tables. *Facilitate international communications between aerosol measurement and modeling groups. *Encourage the use of regional knowledge to develop and improve remote sensing techniques for current and future backscatter lidars located in space. *Enable and foster communication between the scientists who run global aerosol models and scientists who analyze space-based lidar data. We will discuss how a collaborative aerosol working group will be organized on this topic. Those who are interested in MIRA can sign up for the MIRA email listserver at https://forms.gle/qdbCnngzNJc5YJi57.

Greg Schuster↗

Hydraulic Jump Dynamics Above Supercell Thunderstorms

The strongest supercell thunderstorms typically feature an above-anvil cirrus plume (AACP), which is a plume of ice and water vapor in the lower stratosphere that occurs downwind of the ambient stratospheric flow in the lee of overshooting deep convection. AACP-origin hydration of the stratosphere has a poorly constrained role in ozone destruction and surface warming. In this study, we use large eddy simulations corroborated by radar observations to understand the physics of AACP generation. We show that the overshooting top of a simulated supercell can act as a topographic obstacle and drive a hydraulic jump downstream at the tropopause, similar to a windstorm moving down the slope of a mountain but without solid topography. Once the jump is established, water vapor injection deep into the stratosphere may exceed 7 tonnes per second.

Gerald M Heymsfield↗

Formation of Fe(III) (hydr)oxides from Fe(II) sulfides: Implications for akaganeite detection on Mars

Akaganeite (β-FeO(OH,Cl)) is a Fe(III) (hydr)oxide with a tunnel structure typically occupied by chloride. This mineral was first proposed to be present in Meridiani Planum and Gusev crater on Mars and akaganeite was subsequently detected by X-ray diffraction in Yellowknife Bay and Vera Rubin Ridge locations in Gale crater. Akaganeite in Gale crater has been proposed to form from Fe(II) sulfides but formation conditions remain unconstrained. We investigated akageneite formation by oxidative alteration of natural Fe(II) sulfide pyrrhotite exposed to HCl and oxidation-hydrolysis of Fe(II) HCl-leached from pyrrhotite at initial pH0 1.5, 2, 3, and 4. X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer analyses revealed formation of poorly-crystallized akageneite in oxidative alteration experiments. Air-exposure of the HCl-reacted dry pyrrhotite led to an increase in akageneite formation and precipitation of Fe(II) hydrated sulfates, goethite, and hydronium jarosite. Iron(II) oxidation-hydrolysis was sensitive to Si dissolved from phyllosilicates in one pyrrhotite sample. Akaganeite and goethite formed at pH0 1.5 and 2 with akageneite more abundant at dissolved Si/Fe ratio of 0.08 and goethite more abundant at Si/Fe of 0.01. Akaganeite formed together with hematite, ferrihydrite, and goethite at pH0 3, and formation was suppressed at pH0 4. Well-crystallized akageneite precipitated at pH0 1.5 while akaganeite of poorer crystallinity formed at pH0 2 and 3. Akageneite in Gale crater could form from sulfides by both mechanisms: oxidative alteration of sulfide minerals and oxidation-hydrolysis of leached Fe(II). The processes likely occurred during late diagenetic events triggered by interactions of acidic Cl-bearing groundwater with Fe(II) sulfides. Akaganeite in Yellowknife Bay, Gale crater could have formed by Fe(II) oxidation-hydrolysis either as a sole Fe(III) (hydr)oxide at pH<2 or along with ferrihydrite and hematite at 2<pH<4 in Si-enriched conditions. Akaganeite formation at Vera Rubin Ridge, Gale crater could have occurred through oxidative alteration of sulfides in Cl-bearing pH 1.2-1.5 solutions. The presence of well-crystalline akageneite in Vera Rubin Ridge indicates that Fe(II) oxidation-hydrolysis contributed to akageneite formation.

Mars gale crater akaganeite↗

Barefoot Rover: a Sensor-Infused Rover Wheel Demonstrating In-Situ Engineering and Science Extractions using Machine Learning

In this work, we demonstrate an instrumented wheel concept which utilizes a 2D pressure grid, an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) sensor and machine learning (ML) to extract meaningful metrics from the interaction between the wheel and surface terrain. These include continuous slip/skid estimation, balance, and sharpness for engineering applications. Estimates of surface hydration, texture, terrain patterns, and regolith physical properties such as cohesion and angle of internal friction are additionally calculated for science applications. Traditional systems rely on post-processing of visual images and vehicle telemetry to estimate these metrics. Through in-situ sensing, these metrics can be calculated in near real time and made available to onboard science and engineering autonomy applications. This work aims to provide a deployable system for future planetary exploration missions to increase science and engineering capabilities through increased knowledge of the terrain.

Marchetti, Yuliya↗

Indigenous Organic Matter Associated with Unusual Low Temperature Aqueous Secondary Phases in the Mars Meteorite Nakhla

In freshly fractured chips of the Mars meteorite Nakhla, we found carbonaceous phases intimately associated with secondary aqueous alteration phases, both mineral and amorphous, interpreted to have formed through the low-temperature, mineral-water dissolution of the host Martian basalt.We have characterized the nature of carbonaceous matter and spatially associated secondary phases within Nakhla using a multidisciplinary suite of optical and electron beam instrumentation(Thomas-Keprta et al., 2022). Secondary Phases: The preserved secondary mineral phases are best described as ‘juvenile’ hydrated amorphous silica formed when water interacts with mafic rocks. Although amorphous silica on Earth rarely persists through geologic time due to alteration into other phases, e.g.,microcrystalline opal-CT and eventually quartz, the lack of maturation of primarily amorphous silica with embedded nano phase ferrihydrite in Nakhla infers these phases formed in a limited water environment by low temperature, circumneutral pH fluids stabilized by the presence of coexisting amorphous silica.Additionally, we report the presence of the ferrous hydroxycarbonate mineral chukanovite (Fe2(OH)2CO3)within some of the secondary mineral aggregates studied. Organic Matter:Indigenous Nakhla carbonaceous matter is present both in condensed phases and in a dispersed state spatially associated with secondary alteration phases. In the former, discrete refractory micron to submicron assemblages were identified that appear macromolecular in nature and, in several cases, associated with F and, in one case, significant N. While organically bound Fhas yet to be detected remotely on Mars, the identification of organic N within one of the carbonaceous phases is considered a prerequisite for Martian astrobiological potential. Summary: Neither the intimate association of carbonaceous matter with secondary phases nor the identification of chukanovite have been previously reported in any of the Martian meteorites.A variety of habitability-related metastable solid-phase, oxidation-reduction, and organic-molecular sample attributes in Nakhla formed hundreds of millions of years ago near Mars’ surface; these alteration products persisted on Mars until very recentlyand resemble the amorphous materials observed at Gale crater by Mars Science Laboratory CuriosityRover (Rampe et al., 2020).Similar phases may be expected to occur elsewhere on Mars (e.g., Jezerocrater). References: Rampe E. B. et al.(2020) Mineralogy and geochemistry of sedimentary rocks and eolian sediments in Gale crater, Mars: A review after six Earth years of exploration with Curiosity.Geochemistry80, 125605; Thomas-Keprta K.L. et al. (2022) Indigenous carbon-rich matter associated with unusual aqueous alteration features in Nakhla: Complex formation and preservation history. Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta320, 41-78 (online).

Mars meteorite↗

Plant Water Management in Microgravity

The NASA Plant Water Management (PWM) technology demonstrations aboard ISS apply recent advances in microgravity capillary fluidics research towards the mundane yet problematic challenges of simply watering plants in space. Plant growth in a low-g environment is often hampered by inadequate aeration and oversaturation of the root zone. The present effort aims to exploit the passive capillary forces of poorly wetting liquids (i.e., contaminated water) within unique system geometries that effectively replace the role of gravity in providing sufficient aeration and hydration for simulated plants. Several flight demonstrations have been completed on ISS, including soil and hydroponic models in single and parallel channel networks. The results demonstrate proof-of-concept, system stability, limits of operation, more. The implications are discussed in relation to plant growth facilities for further near-term microgravity plant science research as well as automated food production for long duration human exploration missions.

microgravity↗

OPTIMIZING MEASUREMENTS OF THE NEAR-SURFACE WATER CYCLE ON MARS: INSIGHTS FOR HABITABILITY.

The Martian regolith may act as a sink and source of water vapor for the lower atmosphere through processes such as frost formation, physisorption, solid-state hydration, and brine formation [e.g., 1- 12]. These processes are all dependent on temperature and humidity, as well as regolith properties such as porosity, tortuosity, and composition. In particular, the salty nature of the Martian regolith may increase its role in atmosphere-regolith interactions as hygroscopic salts interact with the ambient water vapor. Although to date experimental works near Mars-relevant conditions have constrained some of the potential effects of a salty regolith on water vapor exchange processes [e.g., 13-18], vital in situ measurements are lacking to link these to the near-surface water cycle on Mars. This is because previous and ongoing environmental payloads for landed Mars missions were not designed to investigate atmosphere-regolith exchange processes [12, 19-20]. Resolving the Martian near-surface water cycle is relevant to both climatic processes and astrobiology. There is the potential to presently form (meta)stable brines on Mars; their stability would be largely controlled by water vapor exchange processes [9, 21]. Here we argue for optimizing in situ measurements of water vapor exchange processes and regolith properties to advance our understanding of the local scale Martian water cycle and inform habitability studies.

E G Rivera-Valentin↗

The Aguas Zarcas Breccia - Similarities to Surface Features of C-Complex Asteroids Ryugu and Bennu

Knowledge of the materials originally present in the proto-solar nebula is one of the most significant constraints for models concerning the formation of our solar system. The physicochemical properties of these original materials can be determined through two distinct and complementary approaches: astronomical observations of nascent stellar systems and the dense clouds from which they originated; and laboratory studies of available astromaterials such as meteorites, interplanetary dust particles, comets, as well as returned mission samples (e.g., from Hayabusa -1 -2;OSIRIS -Rex). Laboratory study of these extraterrestrial materials provides valuable information about the first solids portion of the early solar system and their evolution. Here, we present petrographic and mineralogical characteristics of the polymic beccias Aguas Zarcas based on the research results of [1].On April 23, 2019, at 21:07 local time, a meteorite fall occurred in Aguas Zarcas, San Carlos County, Alajuela province, Costa Rica. The rapid recovery of this brecciated carbonaceous chondrite after its fall provides an opportunity to study a freshly fallen, relatively uncontaminated, and highly brecciated meteorite to compare with samples returned by theHayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from C-group asteroids. The study includes several pre-rain fragments [1].The X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) results show many different lithologies. We describe the petrography and mineralogy of five different lithologies of the Aguas Zarcas meteorite. We also present data on bulk oxygen isotopes. We describe all fragments in detail and attempt to classify each lithology in order to understand the origin and formation history of the Aguas Zarcas parent body. Our results show that some lithologies of Aguas Zarcas are similar to those in CM chondrites, but others are unique. The different lithologies [1] also represent different degrees of hydration and heating, which are good analogues for the types of materials returned by the Bennu and Ryugu asteroids. Spectroscopic observations of the Ryugu and Bennu asteroids compared to laboratory measurements of meteorites suggest that the asteroids have some similarities to heated CM, heated CI, or CI chondrites[2-5]. Both asteroids are thought to be composed of materials altered by aqueous alteration (e.g., [5]) and formed by reaccretion after destruction by impacts and brecciation (e.g., [6-7]). Considering the different lithologies in Aguas Zarcas [2] and other CM chondrites [8-9], these types of carbonaceous chondrites can be considered good analogues for samples from the Ryugu and Bennu asteroids. The presence of unique and rare lithologies in the Aguas Zarcas, different from the typical CM chondrite lithologies, suggests complex mixing of different materials in a highly dynamic environment.

Imene Kerraouch↗

Spectral and Mineralogical Analyses of Aguas Zarcas in Search of Its Parent Body

Aguas Zarcas is an intriguing carbonaceous chondrite that fell in Aguas Zarcas district, San Carlos, Alajulea, Costa Rica on 23 April 2019 [1]. This carbonaceous chondrite was found to be a breccia at al all scales with diverse lithologies (metal-rich, brecciated CM, and CI) [2]. Here we present spectroscopic and PSD-XRD analyses of a sample of Aguas Zarcas(donated to NASA JSC by Robert Ward) to better understand the origin and parent body for this meteorite. The spectral and mineralogical analyses are placed in the context of the published petrological and geochemical analyses of Aguas Zarcas, and its spectra are compared to a suite of spectra of asteroidal materials, including cabon-bearing asteroids, asteroid returned samples, and carbonaceous chondrites. The focus of this investigation will be on hydrated minerals and carbon-bearing materials, including organics and carbonates.

D. Takir↗

Heterogeneity of Bulk Oxygen Isotopic Compositions in Anhydrous Interplanetary Dust Particles

Introduction: Anhydrous interplanetary dust particles are one of the least altered ancient solar systemmaterials. Their bulk chemical compositions match those of CI chondrites within a factor of 2-3, except for carbonwhich is enriched in both anhydrous and hydrated IDPs by ~4x CI [1]. Hydrous IDPs often show 16O-poor isotopiccompositions, likely due to the interaction with isotopically heavy H2O [2]. Anhydrous IDPs are interpreted tooriginate from comets from the outer solar system [3]. Oxygen isotopic data for these materials is scarce, but resultspoint to a wider range of compositions [4]. This heterogeneity might be a result of mixing between a 16O-rich and a16O-poor reservoir formed via self-shielding and photodissociation of CO [5]. Here, we report bulk oxygen isotopiccompositions of three anhydrous IDPs in context of their mineralogical composition and discuss possible origins ofisotopic heterogeneity. Experimental: Bulk chemical composition and mineralogy of 70 nm thin ultramicrotomed sections of threeanhydrous IDPs (L2099A7, L2099A8, and L2071AB1) were analyzed using a Thermo Scientific Titan Themis G360-300 TEM equipped with a four-quadrant energy-dispersive X-ray detector (Super-X G2) at University ofMünster. Bulk oxygen isotopic compositions were measured using a NanoSIMS 50 at the Max-Planck-Institut fürChemie in Mainz. A focused Cs+ ion beam (~1 pA, ~100 nm) was rastered over a field of view varying from 5 x 5 to6 x 6 μm2, depending on particle size for 15 layers. Negative secondary ions of 16O, 17O, 18O, 12C14N, and 28Si werecollected on electron multipliers. The 16OH contribution to the 17O peak was 1-2 ‰. As a standard, a matrix regionof meteorite CR2 Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 99177 was used, whose oxygen isotopic composition wasmeasured by [6]. Results and Discussion: Particles A7 and A8 are both fine-grained, consisting mostly of small, 100 nm-sizedequilibrated aggregates (EA). Both particles exhibit discontinuous magnetite rims with thicknesses up to 50 nm inA7 and 100 nm in A8 on the outsides. In Particle AB1, the upper part of the particle consists of a few EAs, while thelower part contains lots of small GEMS grains with 100-200 nm diameter clustered together. Magnetite rims arenearly absent, the rare rims reaching maximum 20 nm thickness, indicating that AB1 is of more primitive naturethan the other two IDPs [1]. Furthermore, it contains several diffuse GEMS-like areas, identified by an amorphoussilicate groundmass with small nano-inclusions of Fe,Ni-metal and Fe-sulfides. All three particles are subsolar forall major element/Si ratios. Mean S/Si of particles A7 and A8 is 0.046 and 0.048, respectively, while it is an order ofmagnitude higher in AB1 (0.184). This reflects the higher degree of thermal alteration in A7 and A8, resulting in theloss of volatile S and oxidation of Fe-sulfides and FeNi-metal to magnetite as present in particle rims. A8 is rather16O-poor with δ17OSMOW = 7.8 ± 3.4 ‰ and δ18OSMOW = 9.5 ± 3.1 ‰ (1σ), followed by A7 with δ17OSMOW = − 0.8 ±4.6 ‰ and δ18OSMOW = −2.2 ± 3.4 ‰. In contrast to that, AB1 has the most 16O-rich bulk composition with δ17OSMOW= −24.2 ± 5.4 ‰ and δ18OSMOW = −25.3 ± 3.6 ‰. All investigated IDPs plot slightly above the CCAM line aspreviously reported for other anhydrous IDPs [4], maybe due to a contribution from circumstellar dust from AGBstars enriched in 17O [7]. The 16O-rich composition of AB1 is similar to the most 16O-rich anhydrous IDP U2015D21measured by [8] which is dominated by GEMS [9] and the GEMS-rich IDP GM4-2 reported by [10]. Nevertheless,it is unlikely that GEMS are the carrier for the 16O-rich composition of AB1 because most GEMS have O isotopiccompositions indistinguishable from terrestrial values, although errors on these analyses are large [11]. The isotopicheterogeneity is best explained by contribution of grains from different regions in the protoplanetary disk, samplingdifferent O isotope reservoirs, created by self-shielding and photodissociation of CO. This process resulted in 16O-rich CO gas and 16O-poor H2O that froze as ice-mantles onto dust grains [12]. Alternatively, the higher degree ofheating in A7 and A8 could have influenced isotopic fractionation, because higher δ17,18O values are reported fromthe regions of the atmosphere where small particles are heated and oxidized, as observed for the thermal alteration ofcosmic spherules [13]. Acknowledgements: We would like to thank NASA Astromaterials Acquisition & Curation Office for providing IDPsamples and DFG for funding this project (VO1816/5-1)

B Schulz↗

Models, In situ, and Remote sensing of Aerosols (MIRA): Formation of an International Working Group

There is a natural partitioning of scientific interest amongst three specialties of aerosol re- search: modeling, in situ measurements, and remote sensing. The broader aerosol community benefits when these groups interact, and this strengthens overall scientific impact on climate and air quality research and predictions. The new MIRA working group establishes a forum for identifying collaborations and improving discussions amongst specialties and across regional boundaries. One area of keen interest is uniting satellite and ground-based lidar groups with other aerosol disciplines. Elastic backscatter lidars depend upon a priori knowledge of aerosol properties to convert measured lidar profiles into aerosol extinction profiles. Acquiring additional insight on aerosol properties and transport is highly valuable to these lidar groups to improve the data quality and aid in their scientific interpretation. Another area of interest is to facilitate the incorporation of measurements into global aerosol models. Modelers need aerosol optical look-up tables that enable quick conversions of hydrated (and dry) polydisperse size distributions into aerosol optical properties (extinction, scattering, etc.), but many of the existing tables are based upon outdated measurements. Thus, MIRA is building the Tables of Aerosol Optics (TAO), which is a community collection of aerosol optical calculations. This expands on the historical efforts of Shettle and Fenn, d’Almeida, GADS, OPAC, etc., except that TAO seeks continual input from the community. Thus, as aerosol measurement and computational techniques advance, so does the TAO collective. Since TAO is a community collective, it is expected that users will optionally upload computations for aerosol type as well as computations for all of the traditional aerosol species (like amm sulfate, amm nitrate, organics, etc.). The near-term purpose of the MIRA working group is to: * Characterize regional aerosol lidar ratios to support improvements of aerosol extinction profiles and understanding of aerosol typing. * Create TAO -- a community cooperative of aerosol optical tables. * Facilitate international communications between aerosol measurement and modeling groups. * Encourage the use of regional knowledge to develop and improve remote sensing techniques for current and future backscatter lidars located in space. * Enable and foster communication between the scientists who run global aerosol models and scientists who analyze space-based lidar data. We will discuss how a collaborative aerosol working group will be organized on this topic. Send email to calipso_v5alr-join@lists.nasa.gov with the word `subscribe' in the subject line to join MIRA.

Gregory Schuster↗

Fayalite Formation Through Hydrothermal Experiments: Insights into Early Fluid-assisted Aqueous Alteration Processes on Asteroids

In order to understand the effects of the earliest fluid-assisted hydration processes on asteroids, we performed one hydrothermal experiment using three different reactants (FeO-rich amorphous silicates, iron metal powder, and water) at conditions informed by our current state of knowledge of asteroidal alteration. This experiment provides, for the first time, clear evidence that the growth of fayalite can occur during hydrotherma lalteration, as described previously in meteorites. These newly formed fayalite crystals are elongated and porous, similar to the ones described in CV3, CK, and ordinary chondrites. The results show that (1) fayalite could form even if chemical equilibrium was not reached in the experiment, at a water to rock mass ratio (0.4 W/R at the beginning of the experiment) higher than the values calculated to be thermodynamically viable at equilibrium(W/R > 0.2); (2) the composition and the texture of the reactants changed during the hydrothermal alteration process, suggesting that the reactants, especially the amorphous silicates, underwent dissolution and reprecipitation; (3) fayalite can form at low temperature(220°C), which is at the transition between hydrothermal alteration and fluid-assisted metamorphism in chondrites. The results are consistent with previous mineralogical observations and thermodynamic models, which suggest that fayalite crystals are formed on asteroidal parent bodies by the interaction between a hydrothermal fluid and disequilibrium assemblages that compose the pristine materials that condensed in the early solar nebula. This experiment suggests that two variables play a very important role in the formation off ayalite during the hydrothermal growth (W/R mass ratio and the fluid composition). These results are similar to the recent observations of the fine-grained matrix of ordinary chondrites.

E Dobrică↗

Impact of Space Radiation on Plant Seeds: from Arabidopsis thaliana to Crops

One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is radiation risk, primarily from solar particle events (SPE) and galactic cosmic rays (GCR). With the goal of manned Mars exploration, the production of fresh food during long-duration space missions provides critical nutritional supplementation and may also benefit astronauts’ behavioral health. However, the effects of space radiation on plants and plant propagules have not been sufficiently investigated and characterized. This is the final report of our project to summarize the findings of the effect of space radiation exposure on plant seeds from morphometrics, nutritiaonal values, to molecular machenisms. In this study, we evaluated the effect of simulated GCR (using dry seeds) or SPE (using hydrated seeds) on seeds of Arabidopsis, Mizuna mustard, ‘Outredgeous’ red romaine lettuce, and ‘Red Robin’ dwarf tomato. Seeds were exposed to various doses of simulated space radiation scenarios, either acutely or at a low dose rate (LDR), using the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) facility at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). Exposure to simulated GCR or SPE at the levels tested had no significant impact on the germination rate in Arabidopsis and crop seeds; however, GCR reduced the viability of lettuce and tomato seeds. Overall, the morphological changes of the seedlings cultured from irradiated seeds were dose- and ion quality- dependent, with heavier ions causing more severe damage. These changes ranged from cotyledon deformation, shortened root length, smaller seedling size, and other signs of stress, depending on the seed types. Both 40 and 80 cGy (LDR) exposures of GCR or SPE significantly affected tomato early seedling development, delayed tomato fruiting, and reduced the total yield of tomato. Altered nutritional values were also found in edible biomass, especially for the GCR 80 cGy (LDR) groups. Underlying mechanisms were furtherly evaluated using transcriptomic analysis. For both GCR and SPE, 40 cGy showed some effects, but to a much lesser extent compared with 80 cGy, which can be considered as the “maximum permissible exposure” for the seed types we evaluated in this study. The impact of space radiation on seeds potentially affects the ability of plants to adapt to other environmental stresses (e.g. microgravity, water stress, and hardware constraints) as well as susceptibility to plant diseases, which need to be furtherly investigated. This research is funded by NASA’s Human Research Program.

J.T. Richards↗

Recommendations For Developing Space Suit Integrated Food Systems and Delivering Nutrition Before, During, and After Lunar Eva

INTRODUCTION Artemis missions will include a higher tempo and frequency of extravehicular activities (EVAs) than any previous space program. Because of the physical demands expected from the crew, future space suit designs are required to incorporate nutritional support to the astronauts during lunar surface EVAs lasting longer than 4 hours. The purpose of this project was to provide recommendations to aid the development of an in-suit system that can adequately, safely, and acceptably deliver nutrition to a crewmember while confined to a space suit during EVA. METHODS Physiological, logistical, and engineering aspects of potential in-suit nutrition approaches were assessed through literature reviews, assessments of commercial off the shelf (COTS) foods, suit volumetric modeling, and feedback from subject matter experts and crewmembers. Key driving factors in the development of in-suit nutrition requirements included how much and what type of nutrition should be included, what food formulations are appropriate and safe, what are inherent limitations of space suits, what are the potential risks to the crewmember in the suit, and what practices and preferences from astronauts should be considered. Design references were conceptualized and assessed for strengths and limitations as potential in-suit nutrition systems for surface EVA. RESULTS Acute exogenous energy demands vary greatly depending on activity intensity and duration, and partial energy replenishment (i.e., 60–80 kcal∙hr-1 of EVA, or 460–680 kcal for EVAs lasting up to 8 hours) during activities could improve performance, safety, and recovery. COTS foods capable of providing these energy requirements exist; however, no COTS foods have been identified that pass NASA flight standards for microbiological safety and stability. In-suit nutrition delivery design references that were considered included in-suit concepts for a prefilled drink bag, a hydratable drink bag, and a solid food stick. In addition, a helmet feed port concept was considered for use with drink bags external to the suit. Volumetric models of the in-suit drink bag concepts, based on xEMU dimensions, indicate challenges of fitting formulations > 200 ml (equating to approximately 200 kcal). Astronaut feedback on the four concepts indicated that despite some individual preferences for inclusion of solid foods and helmet port designs, the prefilled drink bag concept was the most preferred. A prefilled drink bag can only be used if food safety and stability can be ensured, possibly requiring advancements in food delivery hardware. CONCLUSION The ability to meet the increased need for nutrition during surface EVAs through provision of nutrients in the suited configuration would benefit overall crew health, performance, and morale, and thus increase the likelihood of mission success. It is recommended that in-suit nutrition capabilities provide at least 400–600 kcal within the suit during EVAs lasting > 4 hours and that suit designs include a dedicated volume for food grade nutrition systems. The developed food system should either allow for 1) installation of prefilled (sealed sterile) liquid nutrition in the suit and provide a mechanism to break the seal at the time that consumption is desired or 2) demonstrate that the unsealed food product shelf life allows for safe consumption after at least 12 hours of EVA.

E L Dillon↗

Plant Water Management in Microgravity

The NASA Plant Water Management (PWM) technology demonstrations aboard ISS apply recent advances in microgravity capillary fluidics research towards the mundane yet problematic challenges of simply watering plants in space. Plant growth in a low-g environment is often hampered by inadequate aeration and over-saturation of the root zone. The present effort aims to exploit the passive capillary forces of poorly wetting liquids (i.e., contaminated water) within unique system geometries that effectively replace the role of gravity in providing sufficient aeration and hydration for simulated plants. Several flight demonstrations have been completed on ISS, including soil and hydroponic models in single and parallel channel networks. Two future demonstrations are still in work and plan to further develop the system to handle sustained plant growth with additional sensors to monitor the growth environment. The results to date demonstrate proof-of-concept, system stability, limits of operation, and more, for simulated plant models. Eventually, real plants will be incorporated into these systems and tested on orbit. The implications are discussed in relation to plant growth facilities for further near-term microgravity plant science research as well as for automated food production for long duration human exploration missions.

microgravity↗