01-045

Planetary Atmospheres

Cover Page/Proposal Summary

ROSS-00    NRA 00-OSS-01

Date Due: 4/28/2000

 
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Proposal Type: New Proposal

Proposal Category: Atmosphere Structures and Particles

Major Equipment Proposal? No

Do you intend to submit an Education/Public Outreach (E/PO) proposal? No

Proposal Title:
The Effect of Entrained Exogenous Material on the Shock Heating of Non-reducing Atmospheres

Abbreviated Proposal Title:
Exogenous Materials & Shock Heating of Atmospheres

Principal Investigator:
Dr. David Summers
Mail Stop 239-4
SETI Institute
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000
Phone: 650-604-6206   Fax: 650-604-1088   E-mail: dsummers@mail.arc.nasa.gov

SignatureDate
_________________________________________________

Co-Investigators and Collaborators:
Type    Name    Affiliation    E-mail
Sci Collab   Dr. Chris McKay   NASA Ames   cmckay@mail.arc.nasa.gov
Sci Co-I   Dr. Peter Jenniskens   SETI Institute   peter@max.arc.nasa.gov


Proposal Summary:

The shock heating of a non-reducing atmosphere has been shown to produce mostly NO and CO. However, early in a planetary history the entrainment of exogenous material has the potential to alter the products of shock heating to produce products associated with a more reducing atmosphere. Early on, the influx of extraterrestrial material was much higher. Some of this arrives as dust and settles through, or is suspended in, the atmosphere. The fragmentation, or vaporization & recondensation, of meteors would also have been a source of extraterrestrial dust in the atmosphere. This material was made up of relatively reducing species such as FeCO3, FeO, organics, and metallic iron and would have become entrained in the shock heating of the atmosphere. By changing the net redox level it would then change the products of that shock synthesis. We propose to use a thermodynamic equilibrium model to determine whether dust and the debris from meteoroids might have affected the shock heating of the early atmosphere by meteoritic passage, lightning, impacts, etc. We will use data from the Leonid Multi-instrument Airborne Campaign to estimate the amounts and kinds of such material that might have been present, looking at the effect of a variety of types of meteoritic debris and dust on the shock heating of a CO2/N2 atmosphere with varying amounts of CO and H2. We will consider both the background flux of such material as well as localized concentrations. Code for the calculations will be supplied by Chris McKay and Peter Jenniskens will provide Leonid data. This novel approach, that looks at the combination of exogenous delivery and planetary atmospheric processes, can provide a more comprehensive look at the problem and reveal how meteoric material can provide a path to more interesting shock synthesis products under the traditional non-reducing atmosphere.



Certification of Compliance with Applicable Executive Orders and U.S. Code


By submitting the proposal identified in this Cover Sheet/Proposal Summary in response to this NRA or AO, the Authorizing Official of the proposing institution (or the individual proposer if there is no proposing institution) as identified below:

  • certifies that the statements made in this proposal are true and complete to the best of his/her knowledge;
  • agrees to accept the obligations to comply with NASA award terms and conditions if an award is made as a result of this proposal; and
  • confirms compliance with all provisions, rules, and stipulations set forth in the three Certifications contained in this NRA [namely, (i) Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters Primary Cover Transactions, (ii) Certification Regarding Lobbying, and (iii) Certification of Compliance with the NASA Regulations Pursuant to Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs].
    Willful provision of false information in this proposal and/or its supporting documents, or in reports required under an ensuing award, is a criminal offense (U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1001).