The Case for Non-Cryogenic Comet Nucleus Sample Return
Whitepaper #168 submitted to the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032. Topics: life and prebiotic organics; primitive bodies
by Keiko Nakamura-Messenger, Alexander G. Hayes, Scott Sandford, Carol Raymond, Steven W. Squyres, Larry R. Nittler, Samuel Birch, Denis Bodewits, Nancy Chabot, Meenakshi Wadhwa, Mathieu Choukroun, Simon J. Clemett, Maitrayee Bose, Neil Dello Russo, Jason P. Dworkin, Jamie E. Elsila, Kenton Fisher, Perry Gerakines, Daniel P. Glavin, Julie Mitchell, Michael Mumma, Ann. N. Nguyen, Lisa Pace, Jason Soderblom, and Jessica M. Sunshine
Published onMar 18, 2021
The Case for Non-Cryogenic Comet Nucleus Sample Return
The viewpoints of three New Frontiers comet sample return missions proposal teams, CAESAR, CONDOR, and CORSAIR. Analysis of returned samples from a comet nucleus will provide unparalleled knowledge about the Solar System’s starting materials and how they came together to form planets and give rise to life.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0)
