QUEST: A New Frontiers Uranus Orbiter Mission Concept Study

The ice giant planets, Uranus and Neptune, are fundamentally different from the gas giant and terrestrial planets. Though ice giants represent the most common size of exoplanet and possess characteristics that challenge our understanding of the way our solar system formed and evolved, they remain the only class of planetary object without a dedicated spacecraft mission. The inclusion of a Uranus orbiter as the third highest priority Flagship mission in the NASA Planetary Science Decadal Survey “Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013–2022” indicates a high level of support for exploration of the ice giants by the planetary science community. However, given the substantial costs associated with a flagship mission, it is critical to explore lower cost options if we intend to visit Uranus within an ideal launch window of 2029 - 2034 when a Jupiter gravity assist becomes available. In this paper, we describe the Quest to Uranus to Explore Solar System Theories (QUEST), a New Frontiers class Uranus orbiter mission concept study performed at the 30th Annual NASA/JPL Planetary Science Summer Seminar. The proposed QUEST platform is a spin-stabilized spacecraft designed to undergo highly elliptical, polar orbits around Uranus during a notional one-year primary science mission. The proposed major science goals of the mission are (1) to use Uranus as a natural laboratory to better understand the dynamos that drive magnetospheres in the solar system and beyond and (2) to identify the energy transport mechanisms in Uranus' magnetic, atmospheric, and interior environments in contrast with the other giant planets. With substantial mass, power, and cost margins, this mission concept demonstrates a compelling, feasible option for a New Frontiers Uranus orbiter mission

Data for: CALCITE AND DOLOMITE FORMATION IN THE CM PARENT BODY: INSIGHT FROM IN SITU C AND O ISOTOPE ANALYSES

This is the data for Table 1, Figures 6, 7 and 8 in the article CALCITE AND DOLOMITE FORMATION IN THE CM PARENT BODY: INSIGHT FROM IN SITU C AND O ISOTOPE ANALYSES

S6 _SEM BSE and EDS images for calcite, dolomite and magnetite in CM chondrites

SEM BSE and EDS images for calcite, dolomite and magnetite in CM chondrites ALH 83100, ALH 84034, and MET 0107

Figure S7: Cathodoluminescence map of MET 01070 CM Chondrite

Cathodoluminescence map of MET 01070 CM Chondrite. Spectral feature mapped include 600 nm in red and 375nm in blue. Variations in these CL features can be seen across the thin section

Table S5: SEM-EDS compositional data for calcite and dolomite

SEM-EDS data for dolomite and calcite in CM chondrites, ALH 83100, MET 01070, and ALH 84034

Figures S1, S2, and S3: Elemental maps of CM chondrites MET01070, ALH84034, and ALH83100

Elemental maps of CM chondrites MET01070, ALH84034, and ALH83100Magnesium in red, calcium in green, and aluminum in blue

Table S4: C and O isotope data of SIMS standards

C and O isotope composition of calcite, dolomite and magnetite standards analyzed during ALH 84034 dolomite analyses using secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS at DTM Carnegie)