ORGAnic-MIneral systems evolution simulating aqueous alteration in Solar System bodies – ORGAMISS

While organic matter is a pivotal component of all Life on Earth, many unknowns surround its origin and evolution throughout the Solar System. Observation and identification of organic matter are major questions in planetary science and primary objectives for space missions. Meteorite analyses, remote planetary sensing and in situ analyses by landers provide some hints on the current organic matter composition in Solar Systems bodies, but little is known about the original organic matter composition as it underwent pervasive chemical evolution over millions years throughout the Solar System and was often intimately mixed with minerals. In addition, despite numerous new discoveries of organic matter in different Solar System bodies (including Mars and carbon-rich asteroids such as Ceres), more questions regarding the complexity of the observational data, biases due to the surface physical changes (space weathering) or instrument limitations, have risen for its identification and history researches. These processes are extremely difficult to comprehend and need laboratory studies that simulate them in a controlled environment.
The ORGAMISS project will focus on the evolution of organic matter in solar system through different alteration steps to retrieve its history, constrain its transformation and proceed to its characterization as finest as possible. It is tailored for application to carbonaceous asteroids, but also to the Mars surface. The two following sciences objectives are: A) constrain the evolution of organic matter with mineral phases in Solar System bodies, during aqueous alteration and space weathering; B) scrutinize the signature of organic matter coming from space missions to retrieve its history. This will be achieved by 1/ experiment the evolution of complex organic matter with mineral in the context of aqueous alteration following different parameters to define the main factors influencing organic matter transformation; 2/ perform irradiation experiments on these organic-mineral samples to simulate space weathering similar to asteroids or Mars surface in order to constrain organic matter evolution mixed with minerals phases under radiation; 3/ comprehensive analysis by coupling analyses using laboratory and flight spare instruments of current or future space missions to explore the limit parameters for the preservation and identification of organic matter in mineral matrices and assess the ability of space-borne instrument for organic matter detection.
The project will in fine deliver pertinent organic-mineral samples, analogues of different Solar System bodies, that will provide unprecedented information to treat data from space missions and to help refine methods or instruments for current or future space missions searching for organic matter.