NASA - Stardust Mission

[root]

For people like me who suspect "life" is seeded in outerspace then brought to the infinate number of planetory bodies within the universe by comets got a boost today as NASA announced it's early report on comet dust that has been returned to earth after a 7 year round trip.

NASA's Stardust Findings May Alter View of Comet Formation

Comets are born of fire as well as ice, the first results from the US space agency's (Nasa) Stardust mission show.

Scientists have long thought of comets as cold, billowing clouds of ice, dust and gases formed on the edges of the solar system. But comets may not be so simple or similar. They may prove to be diverse bodies with complex histories. Comet Wild 2 seems to have had a more complex history than thought.

Hawain beach sand present on comet temple - 2

As strange as it may sound, Olivine is the primary component of the green sand found on some Hawaiian beaches. It is among the most common minerals in the universe, but scientists were surprised to find it in cometary dust. Olivine is a compound of iron, magnesium and other elements. The Stardust sample is primarily magnesium. Along with olivine, the dust from Wild 2 contains high-temperature minerals rich in calcium, aluminum and titanium.

This is the very first basic analysis. Over the coming months we should see a whole host of new discoveries, I wander how good it is going to get:

below, a tiny dust particle one of thousands brought back on valentines day.

[Shadow]

wow that picture looks nice
is it a micropgraphic pic?
or is that the real size? :eek:

[root]

It's a photograph of the microscope image (it's very small, just a spec of dust). Imagine though the statistical chance of a heart shaped piece of star dust on valentines day out of thousands that were collected out of billions that could have been collected, some would say impossible odds.........

[Muezzin]

It's a photograph of the microscope image (it's very small, just a spec of dust). Imagine though the statistical chance of a heart shaped piece of star dust on valentines day out of thousands that were collected out of billions that could have been collected, some would say impossible odds.........

And some would say 'God'.

Oops. Can opened. Worms everywhere. :p

Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.

When you create an account, you can participate in the discussions and share your thoughts. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and make new friends.
Sign Up

[F.Y.]

Wow bro root - that is amazing! Thanks for sharing with us. The dust particle is beautiful.

Peace

[Muezzin]

Wow bro root - that is amazing! Thanks for sharing with us. The dust particle is beautiful.

Peace

Just to clarify - while Root is our brother in humanity, he is not our brother in Islam, as he is an athiest.

No offence meant to any parties, just clarifying. :brother:

[root]

Just to clarify - while Root is our brother in humanity, he is not our brother in Islam, as he is an athiest.

Yup, an atheist with his money backed on panpermia. And everyday recently gets better and better with the probability life is spread throughout the universe or seeded throughout all space planetory bodies.

Like today's announcement confirming "water" in the form of commetry ice does exist on comets as the Temple 1 mission displays in the oicture below with clear visibility (the blue stuff of life)

Also, we can confirm that crator impacta are also present which will allow comet material to spread with other comets.

Evidence too of a lot of "organic" molecules are present.

Recently, more impact crators have been found on earth, Egypt and Antarctica. So:

Comets Impact each other and exchange material.
Comets pick up debri from early formed stars
comets pick up intersteller space dust and release intersteller space dust
Comets contain water
comets contain organic material
comets impact with planetory bodies such as earth

Anyone seriously want to doubt that earth was seeded or had life brought directly to it by comets, further does anyone want to suggest it does not happen throughout the universe?

[Muezzin]

Anyone seriously want to doubt that earth was seeded or had life brought directly to it by comets, further does anyone want to suggest it does not happen throughout the universe?

That logic is cool because if it's true, it means everyone is Superman.

And I don't see how such a theory eliminates God from the equation, just in case anyone wants to go down that road. ;)

[root]

That logic is cool because if it's true, it means everyone is Superman.

I suppose, but as of yet "Kryptonite" has yet to be found!

And I don't see how such a theory eliminates God from the equation, just in case anyone wants to go down that road.

True, but it makes creationism/ID a folly, and eliminates the greatest question of all. How did life start? and why are we being told that god "created" us and placed us upon this earth when all the evidence suggests (as per usual) the complete opposite.

@Islamicboy - I am not wanting to destroy this thread bickering absurdeties such as your post, all I can say is as an atheist I am probably more tolerant of religion(s) than you, and in the absence of a God's law we have social law and morality. To suggest islam took any role in bringing NASA or Science truly defies belief.

It's been a great week and it get's better and better all the time.

Earth could seed Titan with life

Terrestrial rocks blown into space by asteroid impacts on Earth could have taken life to Saturn's moon Titan, scientists have announced. Earth microbes in these meteorites could have seeded the organic-rich world with life, scientists believe. They think the impact on Earth that killed off the dinosaurs could have ejected enough material for some to reach far-off moons like Titan.

Titan Above:Using computer models, they plotted the behaviour of these fragments once they were in orbit. From this, they calculated the expected number that would hit certain moons of Jupiter and Saturn. The principal targets they chose, Titan and Europa, are of considerable interest to astrobiologists, the community of scientists who study the habitability of other planetary bodies. Titan is rich in organic compounds, which provide a potential energy source for primitive life forms, Europa is thought to harbour a liquid water ocean under its thick crust of ice.

To get terrestrial, life-bearing rocks to escape the Earth's atmosphere and reach space, an impact by an asteroid or comet between 10 and 50km is required. Only a handful of recorded strikes in geological history fit the bill.

Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4819370.stm

[cihad]

i dont get why everybody is wowing over sand particles?

[root]

i dont get why everybody is wowing over sand particles?

They are not sand particles? They are cosmic dust particles,(a big difference) however I suppose your point is a valid one, that what we find on our little planet is not unique, not special. The same material that makes us and our earth is littered throughout the universe. Just a short time ago in our history people of faith and others too would strongly object to this. Afterall, the earth was created by god for man. Or was it?

[Muezzin]

I suppose, but as of yet "Kryptonite" has yet to be found!

They already have. It's called Marmite.

:p

True, but it makes creationism/ID a folly, and eliminates the greatest question of all. How did life start? and why are we being told that god "created" us and placed us upon this earth when all the evidence suggests (as per usual) the complete opposite.

It still depends on how you look at it. A person who believes in God may see this as an affirmation of what an athiest might call the 'romanticism' of Divine creation - depending on how you look at it, this stardust could in fact be 'God's hand' that is 'placing' us on Earth from the 'heavens'. Of course, each person is entitled to their own views and are free to believe or deny the existence of God.

I'm just saying faith (or lack thereof ;)) can never be 'disproved', since we are all free to believe what we will.

It's been a great week and it get's better and better all the time.

Earth could seed Titan with life

Terrestrial rocks blown into space by asteroid impacts on Earth could have taken life to Saturn's moon Titan, scientists have announced. Earth microbes in these meteorites could have seeded the organic-rich world with life, scientists believe. They think the impact on Earth that killed off the dinosaurs could have ejected enough material for some to reach far-off moons like Titan.

Titan Above:Using computer models, they plotted the behaviour of these fragments once they were in orbit. From this, they calculated the expected number that would hit certain moons of Jupiter and Saturn. The principal targets they chose, Titan and Europa, are of considerable interest to astrobiologists, the community of scientists who study the habitability of other planetary bodies. Titan is rich in organic compounds, which provide a potential energy source for primitive life forms, Europa is thought to harbour a liquid water ocean under its thick crust of ice.

To get terrestrial, life-bearing rocks to escape the Earth's atmosphere and reach space, an impact by an asteroid or comet between 10 and 50km is required. Only a handful of recorded strikes in geological history fit the bill.

Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4819370.stm

Awesome. Let's send a squad of Marines there and they can fight aliens, Doom style.

Heh, it's lucky I'm not in charge of the space program, eh? :p

[Islamicboy]

If there is creation then there is a creator.....

[root]

If there is creation then there is a creator.....

This is probably the wrong thread to discuss this, since this is about panspermia with a little thought to abiogenesis which does not require a creator. True, one can merely regress creation and say God created the raw materials. However, evidence to show how from the raw materials within the universe life can develop, evolve and spread throughout the universe removes God as the designer of such life, such life as ours.

[Cheb]

Greetings root,

I am just curious to what you believe exactly. I dont fully understand panpermia because I heard there are different explanations to how the earth was seeded.

[root]

I am just curious to what you believe exactly. I dont fully understand panpermia because I heard there are different explanations to how the earth was seeded.

I believe in evolution first and foremost. Of course the theory of evolution is only representative of how life evolves and does not concern how life began. This is not a flaw in evolution, it's just that evolution is not about how life "began" only how it evolved once it began.

The theory of how life "might" have begun on eart is covered by Abiogenesis which is not part of the evolutionary theory. Abiogenesis is only concerned with how life spontaniously started from the young earth or the primordial soup. Thus it does not include panspermia.

Panspermia, is the theory that the building blocks of life (that abiogenesis) is interested in originated in space and was delivered to earth by comets/meteorites. Additionally, Exogenesis is the theory that living cells were delivered to the planet directly by the same means as panspermia. However, panspermia and Exogenesis use the same principles and as you probably have worked out the only difference between Panspermia & Exogenesis is one theorises the delivery of the raw materials required for life, the other theorises actual life being delivered.

As for which is true Abiogenesis, Panspermia or Exogenesis then I would not like to say, perhaps a balance of two of them or indeed all three. Your right to point out that thier are multiple notions put forward and it may not turn out to be one particular issue but a combination of many.

Hope this helps make it a little clearer.

[Muezzin]

If any members would like an illustration of the above theory, watch 'Evolution' - it's like Ghostbusters :D

[root]

If any members would like an illustration of the above theory, watch 'Evolution' - it's like Ghostbusters

Don't get it?

[Muezzin]

Don't get it?

No, seriously. The film 'Evolution' with David Duchovny. It illustrates panspermia when a meteorite hits Earth. Life then springs from it, first in the form of amoebas. They soon rapidly evolve due to Earth's atmosphere.

[root]

No, seriously. The film 'Evolution' with David Duchovny. It illustrates panspermia when a meteorite hits Earth. Life then springs from it, first in the form of amoebas. They soon rapidly evolve due to Earth's atmosphere

Ah, now I understand. though the deception in that title is "Evolution" since this is not evolution at all which is a common misconception (often peddled by creationists). Evolution is not concerned with how life began only how it evolved once it began.

[root]

News Update

It's a great time for cometry science. Date from swift telescope that observed the NASA projectile slamming into comet Temple 1 last year has shown for the first time the ammount of water comets actually hold. During the impact with an object only the size of a standard washing machine noted above, the Comet realeased 250,000 tonnes of water.

Not only are comets thought of as a strong contender for spreading life around the universe they are implicated as the method of delivery for water to planets.

[nimrod]

Root I have been following the news articals about Titan and Europa, interesting stuff indeed.

Thanks
Nimrod

[extinction]

Atheist I say to you what I say all non-muslims say Laa-ilaha-illahu-muhammadur-rasoolullah/There is none worthy of worship besides Allah and Mohammad SAW is his messenger

[extinction]

otherwise if you are wrong(which you are) there will be hell to pay...literally

[root]

Atheist I say to you what I say all non-muslims say Laa-ilaha-illahu-muhammadur-rasoolullah/There is none worthy of worship besides Allah and Mohammad SAW is his messenger

Muslim, I say to thee like I say to all faiths. Be free (figure of speech) to have faith in what you choose, you could be just as wrong as I. But I wish you peace and please don't double post your BS on this great thread.

[root]

New Update

Meteorites that have fallen to Earth contain some of the most primitive stuff of life, a new study has found. Contrary to popular belief, they are packed with ancient carbon-rich (organic) molecules that were essential for life to get started on Earth.

Pre-solar origin

UK planetary expert Ian Wright, of the Open University in Milton Keynes, believes we now have the potential to be able to study pre-solar organic molecules in the laboratory.

"That organic molecules in carbonaceous chondrites are, at least in part, pre-solar in origin, is not a new idea," he told the BBC News website.

"What is presented here are data that show that the distribution of isotopic compositions within the organic complex is [highly varied].

"I guess it is possible that we could be looking at the remnants of precursor organic molecules, formed in the interstellar medium before the Solar System even existed, embedded in a complex that formed at a later time (perhaps within the solar nebula itself)."

Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4973696.stm

[Soldier2000]

True, one can merely regress creation and say God created the raw materials.

that means God must exists?

[root]

Root:
True, one can merely regress creation and say God created the raw materials.

that means God must exists?

Sorry, unfortunately for religion it offers no such proof.

[Soldier2000]

So who created the Raw materials

[Halima]

that means God must exists?

Of course he exists-well, maybe not to the athesits..however, it's all a matter of how he created things like the universe, the stars, rocks and the clouds, it's pretty interesting if you ask me.

The amazing fact that he created the earth in just 7 days...

[Soldier2000]

but i dont understand why atheist belief God does not exist when science cannot disprove with certainty the existance of God!

[root]

So who created the Raw materials

If the raw materials are enough for life to begin that to me is a prity amazing piece of information which we don't yet have. Personally, since this thread is more to do with abiogenesis more precisely the fundamental building blocks required for abiogenesis. research may yet show how primitive life was able to form from the otgaanic material from space, I think it's implications will be far reaching especially for religion & science.

but i dont understand why atheist belief God does not exist when science cannot disprove with certainty the existance of God!

Simply because science cannot give you absolute proof on anything, even Gravity. All it can say is that the evidence of "God" is not consistent with the scientific data, only religion offers an absolute proof based on faith.

This is going off-topic though, the purpose of this thread is to discuss the possibility that life or the componants required for life originates in space and is delivered to planets such as earth.

[Soldier2000]

Your right root, hence i have started a new thread titled "if god existed..., i would very much appreaciate your participation on that thread

[root]

Just to reiterate the latest information:

New Update

Meteorites that have fallen to Earth contain some of the most primitive stuff of life, a new study has found. Contrary to popular belief, they are packed with ancient carbon-rich (organic) molecules that were essential for life to get started on Earth.

Pre-solar origin

UK planetary expert Ian Wright, of the Open University in Milton Keynes, believes we now have the potential to be able to study pre-solar organic molecules in the laboratory.

"That organic molecules in carbonaceous chondrites are, at least in part, pre-solar in origin, is not a new idea," he told the BBC News website.

"What is presented here are data that show that the distribution of isotopic compositions within the organic complex is [highly varied].

"I guess it is possible that we could be looking at the remnants of precursor organic molecules, formed in the interstellar medium before the Solar System even existed, embedded in a complex that formed at a later time (perhaps within the solar nebula itself)."

Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4973696.stm

[root]

The world of scientific discovery rarely stands still. Yet more discoveries are made.

Relic of ancient asteroid found

A large fragment of an asteroid that punched 160km-wide (100 miles) hole in the Earth's surface has been found. The beachball-sized fossil meteorite was dug out of the 145-million-year-old Morokweng crater in South Africa. It is a unique discovery because large objects are widely believed to completely melt or vaporise as they collide with the planet.

We now know that large objects do not always vaporise. The Morokweng crater is one of the largest on Earth, and was formed at the boundary of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Created by an asteroid measuring about 5-10km (3-6 miles) in diameter, the impact bowl lies hidden beneath the sand of the Kalahari Desert.

This would have been a mass extinction event for localised species, the "crator" is hidden beneath the Kalahari desert but is apparent to satellite instruments that can detect anomalies in the Earth's gravitational field linked to unusual structures in the rock can clearly be seen.

[root]

Asteroid set for close encounter

A large asteroid is set to pass Earth in a close encounter which scientists say will pose no danger. The asteroid, estimated at half a mile (800m) wide, will sweep within 270,000 miles (433,000km) of the planet - only slightly further away than the moon. "It's not Earth-threatening," said Don Yeomans, who heads Nasa's Near Earth Object Program.

The asteroid, 2004 XP14, should be visible by telescope from N America and Europe, most clearly on Monday 3rd July 2006.

For something of this size to come this close is unusual

[jss]

Kewl info and pics root bruv

[Abdul Fattah]

Soem comments although that picture of a hearth shaped dustparticle is pretty amasing, it is not that rare since the molecular shape of these particles lie very close to a hearthsape. Also note, this is not an organic molecule. Here's the wiki of it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivine
That it contains water is not such an oddity. it is one of teh most simple basic molecules in chemistry. In fact I would consider it odd if there wasn't any water found on difrent planets and comets. I've seemed to have missed your link where you showed the comet contains organic material, could you please repost that?
And finally, this still does not answer how life came to be. Panspermia is simply a theory that states how the difrent building blocks were gathered at a certain time at a certain place. It still fails to explain how these building blocks build up a complex RNA molecule.

[root]

All quotes by Steve

QUOTE=steve;382453]Soem comments although that picture of a hearth shaped dustparticle is pretty amasing, it is not that rare since the molecular shape of these particles lie very close to a hearthsape. Also note, this is not an organic molecule. Here's the wiki of it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivine

Firstly let's clear up some misunderstandings in the first part of your post. In reference to heart shaped particles and your reference to the molecular shape of these particles. I cannot make no sense of that, could you please expand (briefly) and provide a source. Are you sure you have not made the mistake in thinking the heart shaped dust particle was an Olivine mineral?

Secondly, your point in bold. Nobody has stated at any time that the Olivine mineral was organic, afterall it's a mineral as you have pointed out. The reason why the presence of Olivine is an intrueging one is that meteorites were suppose to have been formed in the outer edge of the solar system where it is extremely cold, yet Olivine is formed in the hottest, innermost regions of the disk of gas and dust that formed the Sun and planets. If these minerals in the comet are from our solar system then they probably formed close to the young Sun and were transported all the way from inside the orbit of Mercury past the orbit of Neptune. Another option is that these "hottest minerals found in the coldest place" actually formed around other stars. The distinction between solar system and extra-solar origin of these minerals will be determined by measuring their isotopic compositions. The abundances of the isotopes of elements like oxygen is quite different in true stardust grains, formed around other stars, than it is for materials formed in our solar system. One of the most exciting outcomes of the workshop was preliminary data suggesting that the comet is a mix of both stardust grains from other stars as well as materials formed in the solar system.

That it contains water is not such an oddity. it is one of teh most simple basic molecules in chemistry.

Of course it is easy to make such a statement currently. Only 40 years in our past and it was a very difficult question to answer. Of course now with scientific discovery we find water is quite common within our solar-system.

I've seemed to have missed your link where you showed the comet contains organic material, could you please repost that?

I could post the link but I am not going to. the reason for this is that the Nasa - Stardust team was broken down into the following areas of study;

1. bulk composition
2. organics
3. mineralogy
4. isotopes
5. spectroscopy and craters in the aluminum holding frame.

These groups are now currently involved in co-ordinating all the data and analysis into a research paper due to be released into peer reviewed scientific institutions & released to the general public in a little over 4 weeks time. Perhaps, given this it would be best to wait until such time as this. I for one cannot wait.

And finally, this still does not answer how life came to be. Panspermia is simply a theory that states how the difrent building blocks were gathered at a certain time at a certain place. It still fails to explain how these building blocks build up a complex RNA molecule.

Quite right too. currently Panspermia is implicated in bringing organic matter to the planet or even bringing "life" itself to the planet since either option is clearly now on the table as two "possible" means of how life began on our planet. Again, 40 years ago such notions were very unpopular and heavilycriticised. Whilst organic material & water is very big news for panspermia and Abiogenesis we have to reserve further discussion until the research papers are released very soon.

[Abdul Fattah]

Firstly let's clear up some misunderstandings in the first part of your post. In reference to heart shaped particles and your reference to the molecular shape of these particles. I cannot make no sense of that, could you please expand (briefly) and provide a source. Are you sure you have not made the mistake in thinking the heart shaped dust particle was an Olivine mineral?

Oh you got me there. I indeed made that mistake of thinking the picture was an olivine mineral, sorry for the confusion.
So do they have an Idea what it really is?

Of course it is easy to make such a statement currently. Only 40 years in our past and it was a very difficult question to answer. Of course now with scientific discovery we find water is quite common within our solar-system.

Yes that's the narrowmindedness of the past. What I was actually refering to was from a chemical point of view, it's only natural to expect to find water, since hydrogen and oxygen are quite simple atoms (respectivle 1 neutron and 8 neutrons) and since these two bind quite easely.

I could post the link but I am not going to. the reason for this is that the Nasa - Stardust team was broken down into the following areas of study;

1. bulk composition
2. organics
3. mineralogy
4. isotopes
5. spectroscopy and craters in the aluminum holding frame.


These groups are now currently involved in co-ordinating all the data and analysis into a research paper due to be released into peer reviewed scientific institutions & released to the general public in a little over 4 weeks time. Perhaps, given this it would be best to wait until such time as this. I for one cannot wait.

Fair enough, I'm sure you'll keep us updated since this is really your cup of tea.

Quite right too. currently Panspermia is implicated in bringing organic matter to the planet or even bringing "life" itself to the planet since either option is clearly now on the table as two "possible" means of how life began on our planet. Again, 40 years ago such notions were very unpopular and heavilycriticised. Whilst organic material & water is very big news for panspermia and Abiogenesis we have to reserve further discussion until the research papers are released very soon.

Yes well if any of those two possibilitys were actually true without devine intervention, I'd put my money on the comet bringing life itself since I'm having a real hard time imagening it being formed in teh heat of collision. But this of course begs the quetsion, where did the comet got it from?

[Joe98]

roots is atheist that means you dont believe in Gods Law

The laws are writen by men. If god wrote the laws then everybody in the world would have the same laws.

[root]

Steve - Yes well if any of those two possibilitys were actually true without devine intervention, I'd put my money on the comet bringing life itself since I'm having a real hard time imagening it being formed in teh heat of collision.

The fine line between abiogenesis & panspermia. You are right though in concluding that "if" life can be spread around the universe via the theory of panspermia which is very credible then abiogenesis still needs to discover how the first life (or any kind of life) can form using the raw ingredients of the universe, Perhaps the new findings may give science some revealing clues.

Steve - But this of course begs the quetsion, where did the comet got it from?

Totally agree...... i don't think "life" has been discovered, news like that would already be out. Looks like we are going to be treated to a whole new story very soon a story of the raw ingredients, where they came from and how they formed. The idea that some of the "stuff" is not even from our solar system is very very exciting.

[root]

11 July 2006

New Cometry Space Dust Found

Many of them seem to be in remarkably good condition: fluffy, fragile grains that somehow entered the atmosphere without vaporising or melting. Presumably they arrived slowly

A REMOTE region of Antarctica has yielded what may be the best-preserved comet dust yet found, perhaps in better condition than the samples NASA's Stardust mission brought back from a comet's tail. A team of meteorite experts led by Jean Duprat of the University of Paris South, France, found the dust in snow collected near Concordia base, high on the Antarctic plateau. When they melted the snow and filtered out anything more than 25 micrometres across, almost a third of the particles they found were from space. "It's the only place on Earth where you've got this number," Duprat says. Preliminary tests show that some of the particles have a composition close to what one would expect from comet dust.

[root]

Multiple delivery methods now taken seriously

pamspermia (the idea that life on planets such as Earth was seeded from space) took another boost this week with the idea that seeding of life would not require a lift on a meteor as it's only means of inter-solar travel or even Galactic travel.

a new study suggests there may be a much gentler and steadier way for microbial life to leave a planet and travel to other worlds - and even from one solar system to another, something even the biggest impacts could not do.

The startling conclusion grew out of work by Tom Dehel, an electrical engineer at the US Federal Aviation Administration, who was investigating how electromagnetic fields in the Earth's atmosphere can affect GPS satellites and disrupt their use for aircraft navigation. He presented his findings at the biennial meeting of the international Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), in Beijing, China, this week.

Dehel calculated the effect of electric fields at various levels in the atmosphere on a bacterium that was carrying an electric charge. He showed that such bacteria could easily be ejected from the Earth's gravitational field by the same kind of electromagnetic fields that generate auroras.

http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/mg18925411.900

[Woodrow]

I believe we can all agree that the universe is very big and is very diverse. I believe it is a safe assumption to say that if it is possible for something to happen, it probably has already happened some place.

We may give different reasons as to WHY events occur and why things are as they appear. But, we can not deny the fact that the univers is a very woderful place.

Yes, I believe there is life in many places besides earth. I also believe there will be life forms we will never be able to see or have tangible evidence of.

To myself this is evidence of the grander of Allah(swt), to others it may be evidence of the natural order of physical interactions.

We each will have our own conclusions based on what we know and on what we have faith in.

[root]

Scientists Gaining Clearer Picture Of Comet Makeup And Origin

When the above probe sent an dead weight into the path of a comet, much was anticipated about the result which included the release of 250,000 tonnes of water.

Spitzer's infrared spectrograph closely observed the materials ejected from Tempel 1 when Deep Impact's probe dove into the comet's surface. Astronomers spotted the signatures of solid chemicals never seen before in comets, such as carbonates (chalk) and smectite (clay), metal sulfides (like Fool's Gold), and carbon-containing molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, found in barbecue grills or automobile exhaust on Earth.

Clay and carbonates were surprises because they typically require liquid water to make -- and liquid water isn't found in the regions of deep space where comets form. We do know water is now very common:

Also surprising was the superabundance of crystalline silicates, material formed only at red-hot temperatures found inside the orbit of Mercury.

"In the same body, you have material formed in the inner solar system, where water can be liquid, and frozen material from out by Uranus and Neptune," Lisse says. "Except for the lightest elements, the total abundances of atoms in the comet are practically the same as makes up the Sun. It implies there was a great deal of churning in the primordial solar system, with high- and low-temperature materials mixing over great distances."

[root]

Update:

December 14th 2006:

Comets As Toolkits For Jump-Starting Life

The idea that comets delivered the chemical "seeds" for life to the early Earth has been given a big boost. Scientists studying the tiny grains of material recovered from Comet Wild-2 by Nasa's Stardust mission have found large, complex carbon-rich molecules.

"These results show that comets could have delivered nitrogen rich organic compounds to the early Earth where they would have been available for the origin of life," said Scott Sandford of NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news109.html

"That's of interest because we know that in laboratory simulations where we irradiate ice analogues of types we know are out there, these same experiments produce a lot of organic compounds, including amino acids and a class of compounds called amphiphiles which if you put them in water will spontaneously form a membrane so that they make little cellular-like structures."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5173992.stm

NASA Study Finds New Kind of Organics in Stardust Mission

Our studies of the comet dust show that the organics are very rich in oxygen and nitrogen," Sandford said. "The data are not incompatible with some of it being in the PAHs, but we still have a lot to learn in this area."

Although some of the other organics captured by the Stardust spacecraft look somewhat similar to the fairly stable organics found in meteorites, Sandford noted that many of the organic compounds appear to be very volatile. One sample even showed an abundance of material containing alcohols.

Many scientists believe that comets are largely made of the original material from which our solar system formed and could contain pre-solar system, interstellar grains. According to scientists, continued analysis of these celestial specks may well yield important insights into the evolution of the sun, its planets and possibly, even the origin of life.

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news108.html

Stardust Findings Suggest Comets More Complex Than Thought

One of the major discoveries from the analysis of the comet samples was finding particles rich in organic matter. "Comets are believed to have brought water and organic matter to the early Earth, and it is important to understand the nature of these materials because they are necessary ingredients for the origin of life," said Lindsay Keller, NASA scientist at JSC and Stardust co-investigator. "One of the first analyses we obtained on the samples showed abundant hydrocarbons in many of the particles."

Subsequent analyses revealed that some of the organic matter formed in the cold cloud of dust and gas that was the precursor to the solar system.

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news110.html

[root]

More evidence suggests that comet Collisions between comets may be kicking up copious amounts of dust observed around a dead star. This again demonstrates the turbulent role played by comets in exchanging raw materials around planetary formations and spreading them throughout space:

Collisions between comets may be kicking up copious amounts of dust observed around a dead star. This has surprised astronomers, because when the star died and expelled its outer layers, the dust in this system should have been blown away.

A favoured explanation is that the dust is being freshly churned up by comets smashing into each other in the outer fringes of the white dwarf's system.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6357765.stm

[root]

Off topic me thinks.......


True My fault.......Woodrow

[Pygoscelis]

We are stardust. We are golden. And we have to find our way, back to the garden.