Hayabusa Post-Landing & Science Results Options

[nprev]

The capsule began its return to Japan a few moments ago as I write this. Seems like a good time to start a new topic for the much-anticipated final results of this epic mission.

[Juramike]

...organic materials on such a tiny body like Itokawa in near vacuum out in deep space in such cold temperatures.

The definition of "organic molecules" are molecules with covalent bonds with carbon-carbon or carbon-nitrogen or carbon-hydrogen bonds.
(see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_compound" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_compound</a>)

This definition excludes things like: CO, CO2, carbonate (anion), -CN (anion). These are all considered inorganic.

Small organics include little things like: H2CO, CH4, and HCN. I'd also throw in that reactive intermediates such as: .C2. (diradical), .:CH (radical carbene), :CH2 (carbene) and .CH3 (radical) are all organic and will undergo organic reactions.

[Bonus trivia: Things with organic bonds but covalently bound to a metal center are considered organometallic. Most of the chemistry fun these undergo is based on the properties of the metal center. An example is ferrocene: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrocene]

It is really important to keep in mind that most organic molecules can be easily accessed by non-biotic organic chemistry. (Biochemistry is a subset of organic chemistry.)

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There was a very recent discovery of a "pretty complex" organic molecule in deep space - anthracene. Check out:
http://www.physorg.com/news196334906.html

Finding organics on Itokawa is not weird at all, but which compounds and how much will give interesting information on the chemistry of asteroids, solar system objects, and molecular exchanges with deep space. (Isotope ratios will be very useful.)
It will be exciting to see the analysis results. Keep us posted!

[pandaneko]

It will be exciting to see the analysis results. Keep us posted!

A little more detailed info about the gas detection is as follows. This is from another local newspaper, Mainichi, date, am not sure, but after detection, of course.

The gas was found on 22 June during the preparatory opening of the container's outershell and it was recovered. The container is made up of inner and outer cylinders, diam. 5 cm and height 6 cm.

The tube had been designed to be exposed directly to vacuum while travelling in deep space and there are apparently 3 possibilities about the gas.

1. Itokawa origin, 2. air on landing, 3. the gas coming from resins and metals of the spacecraft itself

From now on the inner tube will be disassembled carefully and it is expected to be able to observe the inside some time during early part of July.

Even if something is found in there the possibility still remains of it being of Earth origin and careful analysis will be undertaken over the following few months.

What follows is the URL of the analysis team working on it.

http://mainichi.jp/select/science/news/ima...4000p_size6.jpg

Pandaneko

Reason for edit: Inserted pandanenko's own correction, for clarity