¹I. P. Wright, ¹S. Sheridan, ¹S. J. Barber, ¹G. H. Morgan, ¹D. J. Andrews, ¹A. D. Morse
¹Department of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK.

The surface and subsurface of comets preserve material from the formation of the solar system. The properties of cometary material thus provide insight into the physical and chemical conditions during their formation. We present mass spectra taken by the Ptolemy instrument 20 minutes after the initial touchdown of the Philae lander on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Regular mass distributions indicate the presence of a sequence of compounds with additional -CH2- and -O- groups (mass/charge ratios 14 and 16, respectively). Similarities with the detected coma species of comet Halley suggest the presence of a radiation-induced polymer at the surface. Ptolemy measurements also indicate an apparent absence of aromatic compounds such as benzene, a lack of sulfur-bearing species, and very low concentrations of nitrogenous material.

Reference
Wright IP, Sheridan S, Barber SJ, Morgan GH, Andrews DJ, Morse AD (2015) CHO-bearing organic compounds at the surface of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko revealed by Ptolemy. Science 349, 6247
Link to Article [DOI: 10.1126/science.aab0673]
Reprinted with permission from AAAS

¹Tatsuaki Okada, ²Michael E Zolensky, ³Trevor Ireland, ¹Toru Yada
¹Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
²Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston 77058, TX, USA
³Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia

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Reference
Okada T, Zolensky ME, Ireland T, Yada T (2015) Science of solar system materials examined from Hayabusa and future missions. Earth, Planets and Space 67:116
Link to Article [doi:10.1186/s40623-015-0235-x]