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Amino Acids from a CometNASA's Stardust spacecraft returned samples from comet 81P/Wild 2 to Earth in January 2006. Examinations of the organic compounds in cometary samples can reveal information about the prebiotic organic inventory present on the early Earth and within the early Solar System, which may have contributed to the origin of life. Preliminary studies of Stardust material revealed the presence of a suite of organic compounds including several amines and amino acids, but the origin of these compounds (cometary- vs. terrestrial contamination) could not be identified. We have recently measured the carbon isotopic ratios of these amino acids to determine their origin, leading to the first detection of a coetary amino acid.
Document ID
20090042679
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Cook, Jamie Elisla
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
November 13, 2009
Subject Category
Astronomy
Meeting Information
Meeting: Randolph-Macon College Chemistry Senior Seminar
Location: Ashland, VA
Country: United States
Start Date: November 13, 2009
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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