Abstract
Whitepaper #014 submitted to the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032. Topics: life and prebiotic organics; primitive bodies; solar system formation, dynamics processes, and chronology
Highlights
A cryogenic comet return mission would require: Further studies of thermal requirements necessary for preservation of petrological contexts A trade study of mass and power requirements for cryogenic systems Development of sampling technology that maximizes the return of primitive ices A trade study on mission architecture for two possible return modes Continued investment in cryogenic sample curation Continued investment in cryogenic sample handling and analysis techniques
A decade later, the scientific importance of the mission remains and relevant technological advances have been made in both cryo instrumentation for flight and laboratory applications
Having formed in the protosolar disk outside the volatile snow lines, comets are rich in ices (Bockelee-Morvan et al, 2005), the origins of these ices are still unclear
Summary
Comets are unequalled repositories of the raw materials from which our solar system was made. The return of a sample of volatiles (i.e., ices and entrained gases), along with other components of a cometary nucleus, will yield numerous major scientific opportunities. Such samples will provide an unparalleled look at the primordial gases and ices present in the early solar nebula, enabling insights into the gas phase and gas-grain chemistry of the nebula. A decade later, the scientific importance of the mission remains and relevant technological advances have been made in both cryo instrumentation for flight and laboratory applications. Such a mission should be undertaken in the decade.
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