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Atmospheric entry of sub-millimetre-sized grains into Mars atmosphere: white soft mineral micrometeoroids

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2022

Gaia Micca Longo  and
Savino Longo Open the ORCID record for Savino Longo [Opens in a new window]
Gaia Micca Longo
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Via Orabona 4 – 70125, Bari, Italy Istituto per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Plasmi – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Bari Section – Via Amendola 122/D – 70125, Bari, Italy
Savino Longo*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Via Orabona 4 – 70125, Bari, Italy Istituto per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Plasmi – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Bari Section – Via Amendola 122/D – 70125, Bari, Italy
*
Author for correspondence: Savino Longo, E-mail: savino.longo@uniba.it
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Abstract

In this work, we study the passage through the Martian atmosphere of micrometeorites with a white soft mineral (WSM) composition, which have been proposed as transporters of organic molecules in the solar system. The atmospheric entry model includes the dynamics of the atmospheric entry and the physico-chemical aspects of the thermal decomposition process. The results show that, due to the reduced entry speed, Mars may have been a promising collector of matter in this form. In particular, the chemical decomposition process is much more effective than in the case of the Earth's atmosphere in maintaining a moderate temperature of the micrometeorite during most of the entry process.

Keywords

Marsmicrometeoroidsatmospheric entrywhite soft mineralspanspermia
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 21 , Special Issue 5: Open Question and Next Steps in Astrobiology in Europe – Celebrating 20 Years of EANA , October 2022 , pp. 392 - 404
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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