Amorphous Silicates in Primitive Meteoritic Materials: Acfer 094 and IDPs

The abundance of presolar grains is one measure of the primitive nature of meteoritic materials. Presolar silicates are abundant in meteorites whose matrices are dominated by amorphous silicates such as the unique carbonaceous chondrite Acfer 094. Presolar silicates are even more abundant in chondritic-porous interplanetary dust particles (CP-IDPs). Amorphous silicates in the form of GEMS (glass with embedded metal and sulfides) grains are a major component of CP IDPs. We are studying amorphous silicates in Acfer 094 matrix in order to determine whether they are related to the GEMS grains in CPIDP

Stardust Abundance Variations among Interplanetary Dust Particles

Presolar grain abundances reflect the degree of processing primitive materials have experienced. This is evidenced by the wide range of silicate stardust abundances among primitive meteorites (~10 to 300 ppm) [1], attributable to parent body hydrothermal processing. Stardust abundance variations are also pronounced in anhydrous interplanetary dust particles (CPIDPs), that have not experienced parent body processing (300 to > 10,000 ppm) [2-4]. The large range in stardust abundances among CP IDPs thus reflect nebular processing. Here we present results of a systematic search for stardust among cluster CP IDPs. Our goals are to establish mineralogical trends among IDPs with different stardust abundances. This may shed light into the nature of isotopically normal presolar grains (GEMS grains?; 5) if their abundances vary similarly to that of isotopically exotic stardust grains

Advances in Small Particle Handling of Astromaterials in Preparation for OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2: Initial Developments

The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation office at NASA Johnson Space Center has established an Advanced Curation program that is tasked with developing procedures, technologies, and data sets necessary for the curation of future astromaterials collections as envisioned by NASA exploration goals. One particular objective of the Advanced Curation program is the development of new methods for the collection, storage, handling and characterization of small (less than 100 micrometer) particles. Astromaterials Curation currently maintains four small particle collections: Cosmic Dust that has been collected in Earth's stratosphere by ER2 and WB-57 aircraft, Comet 81P/Wild 2 dust returned by NASA's Stardust spacecraft, interstellar dust that was returned by Stardust, and asteroid Itokawa particles that were returned by the JAXA's Hayabusa spacecraft. NASA Curation is currently preparing for the anticipated return of two new astromaterials collections - asteroid Ryugu regolith to be collected by Hayabusa2 spacecraft in 2021 (samples will be provided by JAXA as part of an international agreement), and asteroid Bennu regolith to be collected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft and returned in 2023. A substantial portion of these returned samples are expected to consist of small particle components, and mission requirements necessitate the development of new processing tools and methods in order to maximize the scientific yield from these valuable acquisitions. Here we describe initial progress towards the development of applicable sample handling methods for the successful curation of future small particle collections

FIB-NanoSIMS-TEM Coordinated Study of a Wark-Lovering Rim in a Vigarano Type A CAI

Wark-Lovering (WL) rims are thin multi layered mineral sequences that surround most Ca, Al-rich inclusions (CAIs). Unaltered WL rims are composed of the same primary high temperature minerals as CAIs, such as melilite, spinel, pyroxene, hibonite, perovskite, anorthite and olivine. It is still unclear whether the rim minerals represent a different generation formed by a separate event from their associated CAIs or are a byproduct of CAI formation. Several models have been proposed for the origins of WL rims including condensation, flashheating, reaction of a CAI with a Mg-Si-rich reservoir (nebular gas or solid); on the basis of mineralogy, abundances of trace elements, O and Mg isotopic studies. Detailed mineralogical characterizations of WL rims at micrometer to nanometer scales have been obtained by TEM observations, but so far no coordinated isotopic - mineralogical studies have been performed. Thus, we have applied an O isotopic imaging technique by NanoSIMS 50L to investigate heterogeneous distributions of O isotopic ratios in minerals within a cross section of a WL rim prepared using a focused ion beam (FIB) instrument. After the isotopic measurements, we determine the detailed mineralogy and microstructure of the same WL FIB section to gain insight into its petrogenesis. Here we present preliminary results from O isotopic and elemental maps by NanoSIMS and mineralogical analysis by FE-SEM of a FIB section of a WL rim in the Vigarano reduced CV3 chondrite

Bench Crater Meteorite: Hydrated Asteroidal Material Delivered to the Moon

D/H measurements from the lunar regolith agglutinates [8] indicate mixing between a low D/H solar implanted component and additional higher D/H sources (e.g., meteoritic/ cometary/volcanic gases). We have determined the range and average D/H ratio of Bench Crater meteorite, which is the first direct D/H analysis of meteoritic material delivered to the lunar surface. This result provides an important ground truth for future investigations of lunar water resources by missions to the Moon

New Manganese Silicide Mineral Phase in an Interplanetary Dust Particle

Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup was identified as a source of an Earth-crossing dust stream with low Earth-encounter velocities, with peak anticipated fluxes during April in 2003 and 2004 [1]. In response to this prediction, NASA performed dedicated stratospheric dust collections using high altitude aircraft to target potential interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) from this comet stream in April 2003. Several IDPs from this collection have shown unusually low noble gas abundances [2] consistent with the predicted short space exposure ages of Grigg-Skjellerup dust particles [1]. High abundances of large D enrichments [3] and presolar grains [4] in IDPs from this collection are also consistent with an origin from the comet Grigg-Skjellerup. Here we report a new mineral from one of the cluster IDPs of the "Grigg-Skjellerup" collection, L2055. Our report focuses on an unusual manganese-iron-chromium silicide phase that, to our knowledge, has not been observed previously in nature. This unique phase may also shed light on the genesis of the enigmatic low-Fe,Mn-enriched (LIME) olivine that has been previously reported in IDPs and meteorites [5]

The Formation of Wassonite: A New Titanium Monosulfide Mineral in the Yamato 691 Enstatite Chondrite

Wassonite, ideally stoichiometric TiS, is a titanium monosulfide not previously observed in nature, that was discovered within the Yamato 691 EH3 enstatite chondrite [1]. Because of the submicrometer size of the wassonite grains, it was not possible to determine conventional macroscopic properties. However, the chemical composition and crystal structure were well constrained by extensive quantitative energy dispersive x-ray analysis and electron diffraction using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The crystal system for wassonite is rhombohedral (a = 3.42 plus or minus 0.07, c = 26.50 plus or minus 0.53 Angstroms) with space group: R(sup 3 raised bar) m (R9 type), cell volume: 268.4 plus or minus 0.53 Angstroms(sup 3), Z=9, density (calculated): 4.452 grams per cubic centimeter, empirical formula: (Ti(sub 0.93), Fe(sub 0.06), Cr(sub 0.01))S. In this study, we discuss possible formation mechanisms of wassonite and its associated minerals based on the petrology, mineralogy, crystallography, thermodynamic calculations, Al/Mg isotopic systematics and the O-isotopic composition of the wassonite-bearing BO chondrule

The very faint X-ray binary IGR J17062-6143: a truncated disc, no pulsations, and a possible outflow

We present a comprehensive X-ray study of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary IGR J17062-6143, which has been accreting at low luminosities since its discovery in 2006. Analysing NuSTAR, XMM–Newton, and Swift observations, we investigate the very faint nature of this source through three approaches: modelling the relativistic reflection spectrum to constrain the accretion geometry, performing high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy to search for an outflow, and searching for the recently reported millisecond X-ray pulsations. We find a strongly truncated accretion disc at 77+22−18 gravitational radii (∼164 km) assuming a high inclination, although a low inclination and a disc extending to the neutron star cannot be excluded. The high-resolution spectroscopy reveals evidence for oxygen-rich circumbinary material, possibly resulting from a blueshifted, collisionally ionized outflow. Finally, we do not detect any pulsations. We discuss these results in the broader context of possible explanations for the persistent faint nature of weakly accreting neutron stars. The results are consistent with both an ultra-compact binary orbit and a magnetically truncated accretion flow, although both cannot be unambiguously inferred. We also discuss the nature of the donor star and conclude that it is likely a CO or O–Ne–Mg white dwarf, consistent with recent multiwavelength modelling

Curating NASA's Past, Present, and Future Astromaterial Sample Collections

The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office at NASA Johnson Space Center (hereafter JSC curation) is responsible for curating all of NASA's extraterrestrial samples. JSC presently curates 9 different astromaterials collections in seven different clean-room suites: (1) Apollo Samples (ISO (International Standards Organization) class 6 + 7); (2) Antarctic Meteorites (ISO 6 + 7); (3) Cosmic Dust Particles (ISO 5); (4) Microparticle Impact Collection (ISO 7; formerly called Space-Exposed Hardware); (5) Genesis Solar Wind Atoms (ISO 4); (6) Stardust Comet Particles (ISO 5); (7) Stardust Interstellar Particles (ISO 5); (8) Hayabusa Asteroid Particles (ISO 5); (9) OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Coupons and Witness Plates (ISO 7). Additional cleanrooms are currently being planned to house samples from two new collections, Hayabusa 2 (2021) and OSIRIS-REx (2023). In addition to the labs that house the samples, we maintain a wide variety of infra-structure facilities required to support the clean rooms: HEPA-filtered air-handling systems, ultrapure dry gaseous nitrogen systems, an ultrapure water system, and cleaning facilities to provide clean tools and equipment for the labs. We also have sample preparation facilities for making thin sections, microtome sections, and even focused ion-beam sections. We routinely monitor the cleanliness of our clean rooms and infrastructure systems, including measurements of inorganic or organic contamination, weekly airborne particle counts, compositional and isotopic monitoring of liquid N2 deliveries, and daily UPW system monitoring. In addition to the physical maintenance of the samples, we track within our databases the current and ever changing characteristics (weight, location, etc.) of more than 250,000 individually numbered samples across our various collections, as well as more than 100,000 images, and countless "analog" records that record the sample processing records of each individual sample. JSC Curation is co-located with JSC's Astromaterials Research Office, which houses a world-class suite of analytical instrumentation and scientists. We leverage these labs and personnel to better curate the samples. Part of the cu-ration process is planning for the future, and we refer to these planning efforts as "advanced curation". Advanced Curation is tasked with developing procedures, technology, and data sets necessary for curating new types of collections as envi-sioned by NASA exploration goals. We are (and have been) planning for future cu-ration, including cold curation, extended curation of ices and volatiles, curation of samples with special chemical considerations such as perchlorate-rich samples, and curation of organically- and biologically-sensitive samples

Establishing the financial burden of alopecia areata and its predictors

Background Alopecia areata (AA) can have a significant impact on wellbeing. Consequently, individuals with AA often seek treatments or products to promote hair regrowth or camouflage their hair loss that incur a financial cost to the individual. Objectives The current study aimed to examine the direct financial burden of AA to understand the wider impact of the condition and the factors which influence spending on products and services. Methods A total of 829 United Kingdom based participants completed an online survey. Demographic and condition-specific data were collected, alongside spending on AA-related products and services. Participants were asked about their use of products and services, the associated costs, how they financed these costs, and their household income to determine what percentage of income they spent on products and services. Results Participants predominantly identified as female (85.9%), white (92.7%) with a mean age of 42.7 years and a median AA duration of 10.94 years. Female gender, Asian ethnicity, lower income, and worse AA symptoms predicted higher spend from income. Wigs were the most common product used and incurred the greatest cost (median £700). The highest cost for men was private dermatology services (median = £550). On average people spent 3% of their disposable income (prior to housing costs) on AA-related products and services. Conclusions This study outlines the risk factors associated with higher financial burden from managing AA which require consideration by health providers, commissioners, and policy makers when designing services to support the wellbeing of people living with AA