University of Hawaii at Manoa

The overall goal of this project is to comprehend the chemical evolution of the Solar System. This will be achieved through an understanding of the formation of carbon-, hydrogen-, oxygen-, and nitrogen-bearing (CHON) molecules in ices of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) by reproducing the space environment in a specially designed experimental setup. KBOs are small planetary bodies orbiting the sun beyond the planet Neptune, and are considered as the most primitive objects in the Solar System. A study of KBOs is important because they resemble natural “time capsules” at a frozen stage before life developed on Earth. The methodology is based on a comparison of the molecules formed in the experiments with the current composition of KBOs; such an approach provides the potential to reconstruct the composition of icy Solar System bodies at the time of their formation billions of years ago. The significance of this project is that it will elucidate the origin of biologically relevant molecules and help unravel the chemical evolution of the Solar System. Since KBOs are believed to be the main reservoir of short-period comets, which are considered as “delivery systems” of biologically important molecules to the early Earth, the project will also bring a better understanding of how life might have emerged on Earth.