Characterizing the mineralogy and organic inventory of regolith-covered airless bodies is essential not only for target and landing site selection in missions, but also for understanding the origin and evolution of these bodies and the organic material on their surfaces. Most of this characterization is performed via remote spectroscopy; however, features and slopes in these observational spectra can often be dramatically altered space weathering processes in the harsh cosmic environment (e.g. solar rays, electron and UV irradiation, impact shock). Controlled laboratory experiments are therefore necessary to identify specific spectral changes caused by the different types of space weathering. In this work, meteorite samples as well as regolith simulants of the moon, Mars, Phobos, and various asteroids will undergo simulated space weathering (specifically, electron and UV irradiation and laser-induced impact shock melting) in an ultra-high vacuum chamber. Chemical and morphological changes in the samples will be observed <i>in situ</i> via Vis-IR spectroscopy and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). Samples will also be analyzed before and after irradiation with surface analysis techniques (e.g. energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)) to link spectral features to specific changes on the samples’ surfaces. Prior to these experiments, to ensure spectral integrity, preliminary transmission and diffuse reflection spectra will be collected outside of the chamber to determine how parameters such as grain size and reference material used for background subtraction affect the spectra. This work aims to aid remote data interpretation as well as further elucidate how space weathering alters cosmic mineral surfaces.

Analyzing spectral effects of laboratory-simulated space weathering on meteorites and regolith simulants

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

[Author Benefits](https://scimeetings.acs.org/?utm_source=pubs_content_marketing&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=0320_MCF_NPI_Launch_Spring_Homepage&ref=pubs_content_marketing)

[How to use SciMeetings](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMeetings-ACSSpring2020-HowToGuide_M3020-Final.pdf)

[Frequently Asked Questions](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMtng_ACSNMSp2020_FAQ_M3120_Final.pdf)

ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.