Invited Talk

Prebiotic Matter in Space: Recent Results from Observations, Laboratory Analyses and Space Experiments

Pascale Ehrenfreund (Space Policy Institute)

A significant number of molecules that are used in contemporary biochemistry on Earth are found in interstellar and circumstellar regions as well as solar system environments. Recent observations obtained from space missions and Earth-based telescopes have led to important discoveries in the field of molecular detection. Small solar system bodies hold clues to processes that formed our solar system and probably contributed most of the carbonaceous compounds during the heavy bombardment phase ~3.9 billion years ago to the young planets, a process which may have jump-started life's origin on Earth. A large amount of organic molecules has been identified in cometary comae and the presence of organic material in asteroids is inferred from reflectance spectra. Laboratory measurements of the carbon fraction of carbonaceous meteorites revealed extraterrestrial organic compounds including amino acids, N-heterocycles, carboxylic acids and aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. In-depth understanding of the organic reservoir in different space environments as well as data on the stability of organic and prebiotic material in solar system environments are vital to assess and quantify the extraterrestrial contribution of prebiotic sources available to the young Earth. Two decades of successful experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) and free-flying satellites have provided new information about the evolution of organic and biological material in space and planetary environments. We review and compare recent data on organic and prebiotic material in different space environments including the carbonaceous fraction of meteorites and report on the results of research platforms in low Earth orbit that have contributed to our knowledge on extraterrestrial delivery processes.

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