Research field
Cosmochemistry
Cosmochemistry investigates the chemical composition of the solar system, using meteorites, lunar samples, cometary dust, and interplanetary missions as natural archives of planetary formation 4.6 billion years ago. Isotopic analysis of presolar grains found in chondritic meteorites reveals nucleosynthetic signatures from ancient stellar explosions that pre-date our Sun. Returned samples from the Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx missions to carbonaceous asteroids are providing uncontaminated primordial organic material unavailable from Earth-based collections. Cosmochemistry informs planetary science, stellar physics, and the origins of the volatile elements—including water and organic molecules—that made life on Earth possible.
Top institutions
Washington University St. Louis
University of Chicago
Arizona State University
JAXA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
Natural History Museum London
Subfields
Key technologies
SIMS Ion Microprobe
Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry
Neutron Activation Analysis
Transmission Electron Microscopy
Sample Return Missions
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