As chemists, we are accustomed to working with traditional resources to solve the many mysteries of chemistry. Over the centuries, chemists modified these variables to create new fields of chemistry, and chemistry has diversified into many cross-disciplinary fields. I work where chemistry meets astronomy and where gravity, one of our traditional resources, may not be present. This alternate career in chemistry offers a diversity of experiences from studying the lack of gravitational effects on crystal growth, plant biology, fluid dynamics, or chemical synthesis. NASA studies atmospheric and regolith chemistries not only on Earth, but other planetary bodies to determine if we can use these resources to sustain life. And to do all of this, NASA must launch vehicles into space, using the very chemistry that make rocket science what it is today. This talk will provide a glimpse into the many areas of chemistry that NASA uses to understand our universe as humanity expands beyond the cradle of Earth.

Chemistry of space exploration

251st National Meeting (2016)

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