M. J. Burchell
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View article: The mysterious Martian potato: An experimental investigation into the origin of Phobos
The mysterious Martian potato: An experimental investigation into the origin of Phobos Open
Background:Despite extensive study, the Mars system still possesses many mysteries, one of which is the formation of its moons Phobos and Deimos. Several mechanisms have been proposed but weather the moons formed as re-accreted ejecta [1] …
View article: Experimental ice:silicate craters and their application to Mars
Experimental ice:silicate craters and their application to Mars Open
Background:The morphology of impact craters has been used to study the surface and near-surface properties of many bodies throughout the Solar System. Comparative planetological methods have then furthered this to infer specific parameters…
View article: Preliminary results of experimental investigations of the transfer of Martian material to Phobos
Preliminary results of experimental investigations of the transfer of Martian material to Phobos Open
The transfer of material between the surfaces of Mars and Phobos is thought to be a key parameter in understanding the formation/evolution of the Martian moons. Past numerical investigations have predicted that, on average, 255 ppm of Mart…
View article: Synthesis of Phenanthrene/Pyrene Hybrid Microparticles: Useful Synthetic Mimics for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Based Cosmic Dust
Synthesis of Phenanthrene/Pyrene Hybrid Microparticles: Useful Synthetic Mimics for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Based Cosmic Dust Open
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are found throughout the interstellar medium and are important markers for the evolution of galaxies and both star and planet formation. They are also widely regarded as a major source of carbon, whi…
View article: DISC-the Dust Impact Sensor and Counter onboard the comet interceptor/ESA space mission: performance evaluation through simulations and laboratory tests.
DISC-the Dust Impact Sensor and Counter onboard the comet interceptor/ESA space mission: performance evaluation through simulations and laboratory tests. Open
Comet Interceptor is an ESA Fast-class space mission, which will be launched in 2029 towards an as-yet-undiscovered dynamically new comet, i.e., never having approached the Sun before. Such objects are difficult to target, they can only be…
View article: Experimental investigation of impact cratering on Phobos
Experimental investigation of impact cratering on Phobos Open
JAXA’s Martian Moon eXploration (MMX) sample return mission aims to solve the long-debated origin of Martian moons Phobos and Deimos [1].This will be the first attempt to sample an object that either formed in the outer solar system …
View article: Cosmic dust impacts on the Hubble Space Telescope
Cosmic dust impacts on the Hubble Space Telescope Open
Exposure of the Hubble Space Telescope to space in low Earth orbit resulted in numerous hypervelocity impacts by cosmic dust (micrometeoroids) and anthropogenic particles (orbital debris) on the solar arrays and the radiator shield of the …
View article: Brecciation at the grain scale within the lithologies of the Winchcombe Mighei‐like carbonaceous chondrite
Brecciation at the grain scale within the lithologies of the Winchcombe Mighei‐like carbonaceous chondrite Open
The Mighei‐like carbonaceous (CM) chondrites have been altered to various extents by water–rock reactions on their parent asteroid(s). This aqueous processing has destroyed much of the primary mineralogy of these meteorites, and the degree…
Icy ocean worlds, plumes, and tasting the water Open
This paper considers how space missions that fly through the plumes known, or suspected, to erupt naturally from some icy ocean worlds (IOW), such as Enceladus, or that aim to intercept icy ejecta from impact cratering processes on such bo…
View article: Hypervelocity impact induced light flash experiments on single and dual layer Kapton targets to develop a time of flight space dust and debris detector
Hypervelocity impact induced light flash experiments on single and dual layer Kapton targets to develop a time of flight space dust and debris detector Open
The impact flash from hypervelocity impact on thin (12.5 µm) Kapton film was observed. The projectile sizes ranged from 0.1 to 1 mm, with speeds from 2 to 5 km s−1 and penetrated the Kapton intact, leaving holes the same size as the projec…
A new compact, self-compressing, vertical one and two-stage gas gun at the University of Kent Open
A new gas gun configuration has been developed at the Centre for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, University of Kent, to produce vertical impacts at up to 2 km s−1. The vertical arrangement allows impact into non-cohesive target materia…
View article: Synthesis of Autofluorescent Phenanthrene Microparticles via Emulsification: A Useful Synthetic Mimic for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Based Cosmic Dust
Synthesis of Autofluorescent Phenanthrene Microparticles via Emulsification: A Useful Synthetic Mimic for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Based Cosmic Dust Open
Phenanthrene is the simplest example of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). Herein, we exploit its relatively low melting point (101 °C) to prepare microparticles from molten phenanthrene droplets by conducting high-shear homogenizati…
View article: Insoluble macromolecular organic matter in the Winchcombe meteorite
Insoluble macromolecular organic matter in the Winchcombe meteorite Open
The Winchcombe meteorite fell on February 28, 2021 in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. As the most accurately recorded carbonaceous chondrite fall, the Winchcombe meteorite represents an opportunity to link a tangible sample of known chemi…
DISC - the dust impact sensor and counter on-board Comet Interceptor: Characterization of the dust coma of a dynamically new comet Open
The Comet Interceptor space mission, selected by ESA in June 2019 as the first F-Class mission, will study a dynamically new comet or an interstellar object by a unique multi-point ’snapshot’ measurement. The mission design will allow to c…
View article: The fusion crust of the Winchcombe meteorite: A preserved record of atmospheric entry processes
The fusion crust of the Winchcombe meteorite: A preserved record of atmospheric entry processes Open
Fusion crusts form during the atmospheric entry heating of meteorites and preserve a record of the conditions that occurred during deceleration in the atmosphere. The fusion crust of the Winchcombe meteorite closely resembles that of other…
View article: The Winchcombe meteorite—A regolith breccia from a rubble pile <scp>CM</scp> chondrite asteroid
The Winchcombe meteorite—A regolith breccia from a rubble pile <span>CM</span> chondrite asteroid Open
The Winchcombe meteorite is a CM chondrite breccia composed of eight distinct lithological units plus a cataclastic matrix. The degree of aqueous alteration varies between intensely altered CM2.0 and moderately altered CM2.6. Although no l…
View article: The Winchcombe meteorite, a unique and pristine witness from the outer solar system
The Winchcombe meteorite, a unique and pristine witness from the outer solar system Open
Direct links between carbonaceous chondrites and their parent bodies in the solar system are rare. The Winchcombe meteorite is the most accurately recorded carbonaceous chondrite fall. Its pre-atmospheric orbit and cosmic-ray exposure age …
View article: Palladium-coated kapton for use on dust detectors in low earth orbit: Performance under hypervelocity impact and atomic oxygen exposure
Palladium-coated kapton for use on dust detectors in low earth orbit: Performance under hypervelocity impact and atomic oxygen exposure Open
Observation of dust and debris in the near Earth environment is a field of great commercial and scientific interest, vital to maximising the operational and commercial life-cycle of satellites and reducing risk to increasing numbers of ast…
A study on the capabilities and accuracy of Kapton based TOF space dust and debris detectors Open
The growing population of space debris in the near-Earth environment means there is an increased need for space-based detectors, capable of measuring and distinguishing natural space dust and anthropogenic orbital debris populations, to mo…
Catastrophic disruption by hypervelocity impact of multi-layered spherical ice targets Open
The catastrophic disruption of tri-layered spherical icy bodies is reported. The bodies are 19 cm in total diameter, with a central core, an intermediate water layer and an icy surface (each layer respectively approximately 25, 55 and 20% …
New Signatures of Bio-Molecular Complexity in the Hypervelocity Impact Ejecta of Icy Moon Analogues Open
Impact delivery of prebiotic compounds to the early Earth from an impacting comet is considered to be one of the possible ways by which prebiotic molecules arrived on the Earth. Given the ubiquity of impact features observed on all planeta…
View article: Raman analysis of a shocked planetary surface analogue: Implications for habitability on Mars
Raman analysis of a shocked planetary surface analogue: Implications for habitability on Mars Open
The scientific aims of the ExoMars Raman laser spectrometer (RLS) include identifying biological signatures and evidence of mineralogical processes associated with life. The RLS instrument was optimised to identify carbonaceous material, i…
View article: Automatic detection of impact craters on Al foils from the Stardust interstellar dust collector using convolutional neural networks
Automatic detection of impact craters on Al foils from the Stardust interstellar dust collector using convolutional neural networks Open
NASA's Stardust mission utilized a sample collector composed of aerogel and aluminum foil to return cometary and interstellar particles to Earth. Analysis of the aluminum foil begins with locating craters produced by hypervelocity impacts …
Salt grains in hypervelocity impacts in the laboratory: Methods to sample plumes from the ice worlds Enceladus and Europa Open
The plumes naturally erupting from the icy satellite Enceladus were sampled by the Cassini spacecraft in high‐speed fly‐bys, which gave evidence of salt. This raises the question of how salt behaves under high‐speed impact, and how it can …
Hypervelocity impact on amino acids embedded in water ice Open
Impacts are prevalent in the solar system and have played a profound role in the evolution of the solar system bodies. The delivery of prebiotic compounds through impact events is thought to be a crucial step in developing habitable condit…
Tardigrade Survival Limits in High-Speed Impacts—Implications for Panspermia and Collection of Samples from Plumes Emitted by Ice Worlds Open
The ability of tardigrades to survive impact shocks in the kilometer per second and gigapascal range was investigated. When rocks impact planetary surfaces, the impact speeds and shock pressures are in the kilometer per second and gigapasc…
View article: Automatic detection of impact craters on Al foils from the Stardust\n interstellar dust collector using convolutional neural networks
Automatic detection of impact craters on Al foils from the Stardust\n interstellar dust collector using convolutional neural networks Open
NASA's Stardust mission utilized a sample collector composed of aerogel and\naluminum foil to return cometary and interstellar particles to Earth. Analysis\nof the aluminum foil begins with locating craters produced by hypervelocity\nimpac…