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Searching for Amino Acids in Meteorites and Comet SamplesChemistry plays an important role in the interdisciplinary field of astrobiology, which strives to understand the origin, distribution, and evolution of life throughout the universe. Chemical techniques are used to search for and characterize the basic ingredients for life, from the elements through simple molecules and up to the more complex compounds that may serve as the ingredients for life. The Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory at NASA Goddard uses state-of-the-art laboratory analytical instrumentation in unconventional ways to examine extraterrestrial materials and tackle some of the big questions in astrobiology. This talk will discuss some of the instrumentation and techniques used for these unique samples, as well as some of our most interesting results. The talk will present two areas of particular interest in our laboratory: (1) the search for chiral excesses in meteoritic amino acids, which may help to explain the origin of homochirality in life on Earth; and (2) the detection of amino acids and amines in material returned by NASA's Stardust mission, which rendevouzed with a cornet and brought back cometary particles to the Earth.
Document ID
20100031177
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Cook, Jamie Elsila
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
August 1, 2010
Subject Category
Exobiology
Meeting Information
Meeting: Gordon Research Conference on Organic Geochemistry
Location: Holderness, NH
Country: United States
Start Date: August 1, 2010
End Date: August 6, 2010
Sponsors: Gordon Research Conferences, Inc.
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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