Containerless high-pressure petrology experiments in the microgravity environment of the Space Station

Abstract

The genesis of igneous rocks on terrestrial planets can only be understood through experiments at pressures corresponding to those in planetary mantles (10 to 50 kbar). Such experiments typically require a piston-cylinder apparatus, and an apparatus that has the advantage of controllable pressure and temperature, adequate sample volume, rapid sample quench, and minimal danger of catastrophic failure. It is proposed to perform high-pressure and high-temperature piston-cylinder experiments aboard the Space Station. The microgravity environment in the Space Station will minimize settling due to density contrasts and may, thus, allow experiments of moderate duration to be performed without a platinoid capsule and without the sample having to touch the container walls. The ideal pressure medium would have the same temperatures. It is emphasized, however, that this proposed experimental capability requires technological advances and innovations not currently available