20-EPN-064: Impact induced polypeptide synthesis on low-temperature astrochemical ices containing amino acids
Visit by Ragav Ramanchandran and Jaya Krishna Mekaof the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, (India), to TA2.7 Light Gas Gun Laboratory, University of Kent (UK)
Dates of visit: 25 June – 10 July 2023
Report summary: Impacts are the most common events across the solar system, shaping the evolution of planetary bodies,including icy satellites, such as Jupiter’s moon Europa, which are prime targets for future space missions finding signatures of life. Impacting bodies are known to deliver important organics, such as amino acids, to the planetary surface and sub-surface. Apart from this, high pressure and temperature created during impacts can provide pathways for chemical reactions leading to the formation of more complex molecules from simple precursors. Thus impacts have significant consequences for the potential habitability and synthesis of organic compounds.
We performed a series of experiments at the light gas gun facility of the University of Kent, simulating the impact on targets containing amino acids embedded in water ice. A stainless steel bolide of size 1.5 mm was used as a projectile and fired at a velocity of ~ 5 km s-1. After impact, the ejecta ice materials were collected in a specially designed chamber, and materials were also collected from crates and theirsurroundings that were formed after impact. The collected materials will be analyzed using different techniques for the identification of synthesized products after impact. Previous studies suggested that building blocks of life, such as amino acids, can be synthesized by impact-induced processes. However, it is unknown how the formation of macromolecular architectures from the combination of simple building blocks would have happened. Our objective with these experiments will be to explore the formation of such macromolecules through impact events and explore potential pathways toward life.
