TY  - JOUR
AB  - We performed experiments of implantation of energetic sulfur ions (105 keV) into 2:1 water:propane ices at 80 K and analyzed the resulting refractory organic matter with ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry. Our goal was to characterize the organic matter processed in the surface conditions of Europa, where it would receive a heavy flux of energetic particles, including sulfur ions, and determine whether organosulfurs could be formed in these conditions, using the simplest alkane that can exist in solid form on Europa’s surface. We find that the produced organic matter contains a large variety of both aliphatic and aromatic compounds (several thousand unique formulae), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), with masses up to 900 amu. A large number of aromatic hydrocarbons is found along with oxygenated, mostly aliphatic, compounds. Organosulfurs are found in both CHS and CHOS form, demonstrating they can be formed from any organic compound through sulfur implantation. These organosulfurs’ properties (aromaticity, mass) appear similar to the rest of the organic matter, albeit their low quantity does not allow for a thorough comparison. Our results have implications for the type of refractory organic matter that could be observed by the JUICE and Europa Clipper space missions and how the surface of Europa could generate complex organics, including PAHs and organosulfurs, that could then enrich the subsurface ocean. In particular, they indicate that a large diversity of organic matter, including organosulfurs, can be formed from simple precursors in a geologically short time frame under the ion flux that reaches Europa.
AU  - Bouquet, A.*
AU  - da Costa, C.A.P.*
AU  - Boduch, P.*
AU  - Rothard, H.*
AU  - Domaracka, A.*
AU  - Danger, G.*
AU  - Schmitz, I.*
AU  - Afonso, C.*
AU  - Schmitt-Kopplin, P.
AU  - Hue, V.*
AU  - Nordheim, T.A.*
AU  - Ruf, A.*
AU  - Duvernay, F.*
AU  - Napoleoni, M.*
AU  - Khawaja, N.*
AU  - Postberg, F.*
AU  - Javelle, T.*
AU  - Mousis, O.*
AU  - Tenelanda Osorio, L.I.*
C1  - 70606
C2  - 55596
CY  - Temple Circus, Temple Way, Bristol Bs1 6be, England
TI  - Sulfur implantation into water ice with propane: Implications for organic chemistry on the surface of Europa.
JO  - Plant. Sci. J.
VL  - 5
IS  - 4
PB  - Iop Publishing Ltd
PY  - 2024
ER  - 

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn, possesses an internal water ocean and jets expelling ocean material into space. Cassini investigations indicated that the subsurface ocean could be a habitable environment having a complex interaction with the rocky core. Further investigation of the composition of the plume formed by the jets is necessary to fully understand the ocean, its potential habitability, and what it tells us about Enceladus's origin. Moonraker has been proposed as an ESA M-class mission designed to orbit Saturn and perform multiple flybys of Enceladus, focusing on traversals of the plume. The proposed Moonraker mission consists of an ESA-provided platform with strong heritage from JUICE and Mars Sample Return and carrying a suite of instruments dedicated to plume and surface analysis. The nominal Moonraker mission has a duration of similar to 13.5 yr. It includes a 23-flyby segment with 189 days allocated for the science phase and can be expanded with additional segments if resources allow. The mission concept consists of investigating (i) the habitability conditions of present-day Enceladus and its internal ocean, (ii) the mechanisms at play for the communication between the internal ocean and the surface of the South Polar Terrain, and (iii) the formation conditions of the moon. Moonraker, thanks to state-of-the-art instruments representing a significant improvement over Cassini's payload, would quantify the abundance of key species in the plume, isotopic ratios, and the physical parameters of the plume and the surface. Such a mission would pave the way for a possible future landed mission.
AU  - Mousis, O.*
AU  - Bouquet, A.*
AU  - Langevin, Y.*
AU  - Andre, N.*
AU  - Boithias, H.*
AU  - Durry, A.*
AU  - Faye, F.*
AU  - Hartogh, P.*
AU  - Helbert, J.*
AU  - Iess, L.*
AU  - Kempf, S.J.*
AU  - Masters, A.*
AU  - Postberg, F.*
AU  - Renard, J.-.*
AU  - Vernazza, P.*
AU  - Vorburger, A.*
AU  - Wurz, P.*
AU  - Atkinson, D.H.*
AU  - Barabash, S.*
AU  - Berthomier, M.*
AU  - Brucato, J.*
AU  - Cable, M.*
AU  - Carter, J.*
AU  - Cazaux, S.*
AU  - Coustenis, A.*
AU  - Danger, G.*
AU  - Dehant, V.*
AU  - Fornaro, T.*
AU  - Garnier, P.*
AU  - Gautier, T.*
AU  - Groussin, O.*
AU  - Hadid, L.Z.*
AU  - Ize, J.-.*
AU  - Kolmasova, I.*
AU  - Lebreton, J.-.*
AU  - Le Maistre, S.*
AU  - Lellouch, E.*
AU  - Lunine, J.I.*
AU  - Mandt, K.E.*
AU  - Martins, Z.*
AU  - Mimoun, D.*
AU  - Nenon, Q.*
AU  - Munoz Caro, G.M.*
AU  - Rannou, P.*
AU  - Rauer, H.*
AU  - Schmitt-Kopplin, P.
AU  - Schneeberger, A.*
AU  - Simons, M.*
AU  - Stephan, K.E.*
AU  - Van Hoolst, T.*
AU  - Vaverka, J.*
AU  - Wieser, M.*
AU  - Wörner, L.*
C1  - 69532
C2  - 53882
CY  - Temple Circus, Temple Way, Bristol Bs1 6be, England
TI  - Moonraker: Enceladus multiple flyby mission.
JO  - Plant. Sci. J.
VL  - 3
IS  - 12
PB  - Iop Publishing Ltd
PY  - 2022
ER  - 

TY  - JOUR
AB  - The insoluble organic matter (IOM) contained in carbonaceous chondrites 
      has witnessed a diverse suite of processes possibly starting from the 
      evolution of the parent molecular cloud down to the protosolar nebula 
      and finally to asteroidal processes that occurred on the chondrites' 
      parent bodies. Laser desorption coupled with ultra-high-resolution mass 
      spectrometry reveals that the IOM of the Paris meteorite releases a 
      large diversity of molecules. Various molecular families ranging from 
      hydrogenated amorphous carbon to CHNOS aromatic molecules were detected 
      with heteroatoms (nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur) mainly incorporated 
      within aromatic structures. Molecules bearing nitrogen atoms present a 
      significant variation in aromaticity. These unprecedented results allow 
      the proposal that small molecules bearing heteroatoms could be trapped 
      in the large macromolecular network of the IOM by hydrophobic 
      interactions. This molecular diversity could originate from different 
      sources, such as the soluble organic matter, the hydrothermal alteration
       inside the Paris's parent body, or even generated during the IOM 
      extraction procedure. It has to be noted that some of the molecular 
      diversity may reflect fragmentation and rearrangement of the IOM 
      constituents during the laser desorption ionization, although care was 
      taken to minimize such damage.
AU  - Danger, G.*
AU  - Ruf, A.*
AU  - Maillard, J.*
AU  - Hertzog, J.
AU  - Vinogradoff, V.*
AU  - Schmitt-Kopplin, P.
AU  - Afonso, C.*
AU  - Carrasco, N.*
AU  - Schmitz-Afonso, I.*
AU  - Le Sergeant D'Hendecourt, L.*
C1  - 61353
C2  - 49795
TI  - Unprecedented molecular diversity revealed in meteoritic insoluble organic matter: The Paris meteorite's case.
JO  - Plant. Sci. J.
VL  - 1
IS  - 3
PY  - 2020
ER  -