Author
Arnaud Buch
Other affiliations: University of Paris, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Université Paris-Saclay ...read more
Bio: Arnaud Buch is an academic researcher from CentraleSupélec. The author has contributed to research in topics: Mars Exploration Program & Sample Analysis at Mars. The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 38 publications receiving 203 citations. Previous affiliations of Arnaud Buch include University of Paris & Centre national de la recherche scientifique.
Papers
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Goddard Space Flight Center1, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory2, University of Maryland, College Park3, Planetary Science Institute4, Cornell University5, Sapienza University of Rome6, University of Virginia7, California Institute of Technology8, European Space Agency9, Johns Hopkins University10, University of Grenoble11, University of Arizona12
TL;DR: The entry of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft into orbit around Saturn in July 2004 marked the start of a golden era in the exploration of Titan, Saturn's giant moon.
44 citations
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TL;DR: A solid-liquid extraction method able to perform in situ extraction of organic compounds on Mars is proposed and propanol gives the highest yield of extraction for all the targeted compounds except for benzoic acid.
29 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the analytical capabilities of the MXT-CLP GC column (SAM GC-5 channel) were evaluated for nearly all of the GC-MS analyses of the martian soil samples carried out with SAM to date.
28 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented a one-pot process for extracting, derivatization and transfer of organic molecules to a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer for analysis, and showed that such a system is able to detect 10 pmol of refractive material from a 100mg sample of Atacama desert.
26 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper, a room-temperature dusty plasma experiment was used to detect nitrogen and oxygen atoms in Pluto aerosol analogues, and the results showed that the molecules constituting samples P400 and P600 are very rich in nitrogen atoms (up to 45% in mass of N elements).
18 citations
Cited by
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Goddard Space Flight Center1, Jet Propulsion Laboratory2, Centre national de la recherche scientifique3, Institut Universitaire de France4, University of Michigan5, Carnegie Institution for Science6, Georgia Institute of Technology7, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute8, University of Hawaii9, University of Colorado Boulder10, Concordia University Wisconsin11, Cornell University12, National Autonomous University of Mexico13, Ames Research Center14, École Centrale Paris15, Honeybee Robotics16
TL;DR: The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) investigation of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) addresses the chemical and isotopic composition of the atmosphere and volatiles extracted from solid samples.
Abstract: The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) investigation of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) addresses the chemical and isotopic composition of the atmosphere and volatiles extracted from solid samples. The SAM investigation is designed to contribute substantially to the mission goal of quantitatively assessing the habitability of Mars as an essential step in the search for past or present life on Mars. SAM is a 40 kg instrument suite located in the interior of MSL’s Curiosity rover. The SAM instruments are a quadrupole mass spectrometer, a tunable laser spectrometer, and a 6-column gas chromatograph all coupled through solid and gas processing systems to provide complementary information on the same samples. The SAM suite is able to measure a suite of light isotopes and to analyze volatiles directly from the atmosphere or thermally released from solid samples. In addition to measurements of simple inorganic compounds and noble gases SAM will conduct a sensitive search for organic compounds with either thermal or chemical extraction from sieved samples delivered by the sample processing system on the Curiosity rover’s robotic arm.
475 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, a low viscosity, cheap, biodegradable and hydrophobic eutectic solvents from natural resources were synthesized and analyzed using NMR and FTIR spectroscopy in order to check their structures and purities.
Abstract: Inspired by one of the major problems in the pharmaceutical industry, we advantageously used the formation of eutectic mixtures to synthesize new solvents. The aim of this work is to identify low viscosity, cheap, biodegradable and hydrophobic eutectic solvents from natural resources. Consequently, novel eutectic mixtures based on dl-menthol and naturally occurring acids, namely pyruvic acid, acetic acid, l-lactic acid, and lauric acid, were synthesized and are here reported for the first time. The obtained dl-menthol-based eutectic mixtures were analyzed using NMR and FTIR spectroscopy in order to check their structures and purities and to confirm the interaction of the two compounds leading to the eutectic formation. Important solvent thermophysical properties, such as density and viscosity, of the prepared eutectic solvents with different water contents (dried and water-saturated) were measured. Finally, taking advantage of their hydrophobic character, namely the formation of two phases with water at r...
371 citations
27 Sep 2013
TL;DR: The Curiosity rover Curiosity scooped samples of soil from the Rocknest aeolian bedform in Gale crater and analyzed the soil with the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) x-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument revealed plagioclase, forsteritic olivine, augite, and pigeonite, with minor K-feldspar, magnetite, quartz, anhydrite, hematite and ilmenite.
Abstract: The Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity scooped samples of soil from the Rocknest aeolian bedform in Gale crater. Analysis of the soil with the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) x-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument revealed plagioclase (~An57), forsteritic olivine (~Fo62), augite, and pigeonite, with minor K-feldspar, magnetite, quartz, anhydrite, hematite, and ilmenite.
The minor phases are present at, or near, detection limits. The soil also contains 27 ± 14 weight percent x-ray amorphous material, likely containing multiple Fe^(3+)- and volatile-bearing phases, including possibly a substance resembling hisingerite. The crystalline component is similar to the normative mineralogy of certain basaltic rocks from Gusev crater on Mars and of martian
basaltic meteorites. The amorphous component is similar to that found on Earth in places such as soils on the Mauna Kea volcano, Hawaii.
237 citations
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TL;DR: The European Space Agency's ExoMars mission will seek evidence of organic compounds of biological and non-biological origin at the martian surface, and it is necessary to define and prioritize specific molecular targets for antibody development.
Abstract: The European Space Agency's ExoMars mission will seek evidence of organic compounds of biological and non-biological origin at the martian surface. One of the instruments in the Pasteur payload may be a Life Marker Chip that utilizes an immunoassay approach to detect specific organic molecules or classes of molecules. Therefore, it is necessary to define and prioritize specific molecular targets for antibody development. Target compounds have been selected to represent meteoritic input, fossil organic matter, extant (living, recently dead) organic matter, and contamination. Once organic molecules are detected on Mars, further information is likely to derive from the detailed distribution of compounds rather than from single molecular identification. This will include concentration gradients beneath the surface and gradients from generic to specific compounds. The choice of biomarkers is informed by terrestrial biology but is wide ranging, and nonterrestrial biology may be evident from unexpected molecular distributions. One of the most important requirements is to sample where irradiation and oxidation are minimized, either by drilling or by using naturally excavated exposures. Analyzing regolith samples will allow for the search of both extant and fossil biomarkers, but sequential extraction would be required to optimize the analysis of each of these in turn.
187 citations
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TL;DR: The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer instrument onboard the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars rover (to launch in July, 2020) will analyze volatile and refractory organic compounds in martian surface and subsurface sediments.
Abstract: The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) instrument onboard the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars rover (to launch in July, 2020) will analyze volatile and refractory organic compounds in martian surface and subsurface sediments. In this study, we describe the design, current status of development, and analytical capabilities of the instrument. Data acquired on preliminary MOMA flight-like hardware and experimental setups are also presented, illustrating their contribution to the overall science return of the mission. Key Words: Mars—Mass spectrometry—Life detection—Planetary instrumentation. Astrobiology 17, 655–685.
169 citations