ALBERT

Description: We report photometric observations of the trans-Neptunian object 2004 TT(sub 357) obtained in 2015 and 2017 using the 4.3 m Lowell's Discovery Channel Telescope. We derive a rotational period of 7.79 +/- 0.01 hr and a peak-to-peak lightcurve amplitude of 0.76 +/- 0.03 mag. 2004 TT(sub 357) displays a large variability that can be explained by a very elongated single object or can be due to a contact/close binary. The most likely scenario is that 2004 TT(sub 357) is a contact binary. If it is in hydrostatic equilibrium, we find that the lightcurve can be explained by a system with a mass ratio q(sub min) = 0.45 +/- 0.05, and a density of p(sub min) = 2 g/cu.cm, or less likely a system with q(sub max) = 0.8 +/- 0.05, and (sub max) = 5 g/cu.cm. Considering a single triaxial ellipsoid in hydrostatic equilibrium, we derive a lower limit to the density of 0.78 g/cu.cm, and an elongation (a/b) of 2.01 assuming an equatorial view. From Hubble Space Telescope data, we report no resolved companion orbiting 2004 TT(sub 357). Despite an expected high fraction of contact binaries in the trans-Neptunian belt, 2001 QG(sub 298) is the unique confirmed contact binary in the trans- Neptunian belt, and 2004 TT(sub 357) is only the second candidate to this class of systems, with 2003 SQ(sub 317).

Description: The crystallographic orientations of chondrule minerals can provide important insights into their formation and deformational history. For example, the orientations of the olivine bars and surrounding rim in barred olivine chondrules provide information and on the conditions of crystallization and the orientations and shapes of olivines within porphritic chondrules can record the reactions with the surrounding nebular gas during chondrule formation. Later deformation on the parent body can cause crystal-plastic deformation of chondrule minerals that is evident through their intracrystalline lattice misorientations. Typically these crystal orientations and lattice misorientations are determined using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) on thin sections but this gives only a 2D picture for what is actually a 3D texture. While it is possible to combine EBSD with serial sectioning to build a 3D dataset of texture, this is a destructive, time-intensive process. A recent technological development that enables non-destructive, 3D crystallographic orientation measurement is X-ray diffraction contrast tomography (DCT), which uses the X-ray diffraction of the crystal lattice to determine orientation. Originally only possible using monochromatic X-ray beams at 3rd generation synchrotron light sources, DCT has been recently adapted to polychromatic sources of laboratory X-ray microscopes (referred to as Lab-DCT). Up to this point LabDCT has only been applied to large, well-formed crystals of high symmetry (i.e., metals), but we recently acquired DCT datasets for a pair Bjurble chondrules to determine the applicability of the technique to natural, mutlimineralic samples composed predominately of olivine (i.e., chondrules).

Description: This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first Martian meteorite found in Antarctica by ANSMET, ALH 77005. Since then, an additional 14 Martian meteorites have been found by the ANSMET team making for a total of 15 Martian meteorites in the Antarctic collection at Johnson Space Center. Of the 15 meteorites, some have been paired so the 15 meteorites actually represent a total of approximately 9 separate meteorites. The first Martian meteorite found by ANSMET was ALH 77005 (482.500 g), a lherzolitic shergottite. When collected, this meteorite was split as a part of the joint expedition with the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) Japan. Originally classified as an "achondrite-unique", it was re-classified as a Martian lherzolitic shergottites in 1982 [1]. This meteorite has been allocated to ~125 scientists for research and there are 181.964 g remaining at Johnson Space Center (JSC). Two years later, one of the most significant Martian meteorites of the collection at JSC was found at Elephant Moraine, EET 79001 (7942.000 g), a shergottite. This meteorite is the largest in the Martian collection at JSC and was the largest stony meteorite sample collected during the 1979 season. In addition to its size, this meteorite is of particular interest because it contains a linear contact separating two different igneous lithologies, basaltic and olivine-phyric. EET 79001 has glass inclusions that contain chemical compositions that are proportionally identical to the Martian atmosphere, as measured by the Viking spacecraft [2]. This discovery helped scientists to identify where the "SNC" meteorite suite had originated, and that we actually possessed Martian samples. This meteorite has been allocated to ~195 scientists for research and there are 5304.770 g of sample is available. Five years later, ANSMET found ALH 84001 (1930.900 g), the only Martian orthopyroxenite. This meteorite was initially classified as a diogenite but was reclassified as being a Martian meteorite in 1993 [3,4]. ALH 84001 is known as the "Life on Mars" meteorite, sparked debate about whether it contained evidence of Martian life [5] and significantly influenced the field of astrobiol-ogy. This sample has been allocated to 173 scientists for research and has 1426.694 g remaining at JSC. In 1988, another lherzolitic shergottite was found, LEW 88516, (13.203 g). This meteorite wasn't recognized in the field as an achondrite until it was broken during processing 2 years later. LEW 88516 has been allocated to 43 scientists for research and 5.351 g of this meteorite remains at JSC. Six years later a basaltic shergottite was found in the Queen Alexandra Range, QUE 94201 (12.020 g). This meteorite was believed to be of terrestrial origin until maskelynite was seen in a thin section. QUE 94201 has been allocated to 57 scientists for research and there are 3.629 g of this meteorite left at JSC. In 2003, the NASA Mars Exploration Program joined the ANSMET team with the hopes of finding another Martian mete-orite. During this expedition, MIL 03346 (715.200 g) was found. This meteorite is a nakhlite. MIL 03346 has been allocated to 98 scientists for research and there are 579.046 g of this sample remaining at JSC. Six years later, 3 more meteorites that have been paired with MIL 03346 were found, MIL 090030 (452.630 g), 090032 (532.190 g ) and 090136 (170.980 g). MIL 090030 has been allocated to 21 scientists for research and has 434.420 g remaining at JSC, MIL 090032 has been allocated to 21 scientists for re-search and has 508.710 g remaining at JSC and MIL 090136 has been allocated to 14 scientists for research and has 156.790 g remaining at JSC. During the 2004 expedition, 2 identical meteorites where found together on the ice, RBT 04261 (78.763 g) and RBT 04262 (204.600 g). These paired meteorites are olivine-phyric shergottites. RBT 04261 has been allocated to 33 scientists for research and has 32.335 g remaining at JSC. RBT 04262 has been allocated to 46 scientists for research and has 171.886 g remaining. In 2006, another olivine-phyric shergottite was found, LAR 06319 (78.572 g). This meteorite has 61.414 g remaining at JSC and has been allocated to 39 scientists for research. During the 2012 season, 3 more olivine-phyric shergottites were found at Larkman Nunatak, LAR 12011 (701.170 g), LAR 12095 (133.132 g) and LAR 12240 (57.596 g). LAR 12011 is paired with LAR 06319 and LAR 12095 and LAR 12240 are paired with each other. LAR 12011 has been allocated to 43 scientists for research and there are 685.778 g of LAR 12011 remaining at JSC. LAR 12095 has been allocated to 18 scientists for research and has 119.744 g remaining at JSC. LAR 12240 has been allocated to 10 scientists for research and has 52.231 g remaining at JSC. Martian meteorites are the only samples available from Mars because no mission has returned samples from there to date. All Martian meteorites are crustal rocks with most of them being crystallized magmas, so they are an important source for under-standing Martian geological history and volcanism. The ANSMET program has greatly contributed to the scientific community by collecting these meteorites

Description: This year marks the 40th year anniversary for the Antarctic Search for Meteorite (ANSMET) program. In 1976, the ANSMET program led the first expedition to Antarctica. The ANSMET program is a US-led field-based science project that recovers meteorite samples from Antarctica. Once a year from late November to late January, a field team consisting of 8 to 12 people, spends 6-8 weeks camping on the ice and collecting meteorites. Since 1976, more than 22,000 meteorite samples have been recovered. These meteorites come from asteroids, planets and other bodies of the solar system. Once collected, the Antarctic meteorites are shipped to NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC) Houston, TX. in a refrigerated truck and are kept frozen to minimize oxidation until they are ready for initial processing. In Antarctica each meteorite is given a field tag which consists of numbers, once in the lab, this is replaced by an official tag, consisting of the Antarctic field location and year collected. The types and numbers of meteorites that have been classified include 849 carbonaceous chondrites, 135 enstatites, 512 achondrites, 64 stony, 115 irons, 48 others (27 R chondrites, 7 ungrouped), 6,161 H chondrites, 7,668 L chondrites, and 4,589 LL chondrites. Although 80-85 percent of the collected meteorites fall in the ordinary chondrite group, the other approximately 15 percent represent rare types of achondrites and carbonaceous chondrites. These rare meteorites include 25 lunar meteorites, 15 Martian meteorites, scores of various types of carbonaceous chondrites, and unique achondrites. The Antarctic meteorites that have been collected are processed in the Meteorite Processing Lab at JSC in Houston, TX. Initial processing of the meteorites begins with thawing/drying the meteorites in a nitrogen glove box for 24 to 48 hours. The meteorites are then photographed, measured, weighed and a description of the interior and exterior of each meteorite is written. The meteorite is broken and a representative sample, either a 1-3 gram chip or thin section is sent to the Smithsonian Institution for classification. After Antarctic meteorites have been classified and approved by the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society, they are announced in the Antarctic Meteorite Newsletter, which is published twice per year (fall and spring) so that scientists may review which meteorites are available to study. Requests for Antarctic Meteorite samples are welcomed from research scientists, regardless of their current state of funding for meteorite studies. Since its inception over 3,300 requests have been made for pieces of these meteorites and over 400 investigators worldwide are active in the study of meteorites.. Research on these samples has been published in more than1500 peer reviewed articles; a listing of papers for any meteorite sample can be generated by accessing http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/antmet/referencesearch.cfm. Antarctic meteorite samples requested by scientists are prepared several different ways. Most samples are prepared as chips, either using a rock splitter or using a chisel and chipping bowl. In special situations, a researcher may request a meteorite slab in which case the samples are cut using a diamond-bladed bandsaw inside of a dry nitrogen glove box. The meteorites are always cut in a 100 percent liquid-free environment. Additionally, thin/thick sections of Antarctic meteorites are also prepared at JSC. The meteorite thin section lab at JSC can prepare standard 30-micron thin sections, thick sections of variable thickness (100 to 200 microns), or demountable sections using superglue, all section are prepared without using water. Although many of the techniques used back in the '70's are still used today, advances in computers, software, databases, available tools and instrumentation have helped to streamline and shorten the duration of the classification process. In conjunction with present day missions to asteroids and other planets, meteorite studies have not only led to a better understanding of the complex histories of these bodies but have also tied certain meteorite groups to particular asteroid bodies. New meteorite discoveries by the ANSMET program provide a cost effective method for obtaining samples of previously unsampled bodies, allowing scientists to learn more about the origin, composition, and evolution of the solar system. Preservation in our cleanrooms at NASA allows material to be archived for future generations and advances in instrumentation and analysis.

Description: The generally young K/Ar and 40Ar/39Ar ages of CM chondrites made us wonder whether carbonaceous xenoliths (CMX) entombed in HowarditeEucriteDiogenite (HED) meteorites might retain more radiogenic 40Ar than do free-range CM-chondrites. To find out, we selected two HED breccias with carbonaceous inclusions in order to compare the 40Ar/39Ar release patterns and ages of the inclusions with those of nearby HED material. Carbonaceous inclusions (CMXs) in two HED meteorites lost a greater fraction of radiogenic 40Ar than did surrounding host material, but a smaller fraction of it than did free-range CM-chondrites such as Murchison or more heavily altered ones. Importantly, however, the siting of the CMXs in HED matrix did not prevent the 40Ar loss of about 40 percent of the radiogenic 40Ar, even from phases that degas at high laboratory temperatures. We infer that carbonaceous asteroids with perihelia of 1 astronomical unit probably experience losses of at least this size. The usefulness of 40Ar/39Ar dating for samples returned from C-type asteroids may hinge, therefore, on identifying and analyzing separately small quantities of the most retentive phases of carbonaceous chondrites.

Description: Humankind may only have a short window of 50 years to become a space-faring civilization, after which time the opportunity to do so may become too difficult or impractical to pursue. Current policies for space exploration and infrastructure development implicitly assume a gradualistic approach to technology, budgets, and mission execution -- the common thought has been that there will be plenty of time in humankind's future to become a space-based species, and whatever we are unable to accomplish will be borne by the generations that follow. However, considering natural events, available energy, and human tendencies, the timing to make the most effective effort to achieve multi-planet status might be now, before momentum is lost and we become distracted by Peak Oil and changing energy economies -- restarting a space program after such turmoil may be more difficult than would be practical without cheap, storable, high-energy density petroleum. "Space-faring civilization" is defined as an economically profitable space-based economy that demands the presence of humans off-world in order to sustain a high level of prosperity. An initial foothold for a space-based economy that would fit within the 50-year window might include Earth dependence on rare-earth elements or other hard-to-obtain minerals mined from moons or asteroids, or a permanent settlement on another planet. Using published sources, notional mass and energy requirements for a minimal self-sustaining Mars settlement is calculated, and the number of launch vehicles discussed. Setting the launch schedule to match that of current NASA projections, it could take more than 26 years of semi-annual launches to build up such a self-sustaining human settlement -- a cost and commitment that has not been acknowledged nor planned for. Considering the time required to establish a multi-planet species, this paper frames the required window of decision that, if not taken, could condemn the species to Earth subject to whatever natural or human-made calamities that endanger single-planet civilizations.

Description: The Apollo program's Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL), building 37 at NASA's Manned Spaceflight Center (MSC), now Johnson Space Center (JSC), in Houston, TX, was the world's first astronaut and extraterrestrial sample quarantine facility (Fig. 1). It was constructed by Warrior Construction Co. and Warrior-Natkin-National at a cost of $8.1M be-tween August 10, 1966 and June 26, 1967. In 1969, the LRL received and curated the first collection of extra-terrestrial samples returned to Earth; the rock and soil samples of the Apollo 11 mission. This year, the JSC Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office (here-after JSC curation) celebrates 50 years since the opening of the LRL and its legacy of laying the foundation for modern curation of extraterrestrial samples.

Description: Infrared excesses due to dusty disks have been observed orbiting white dwarfs with effective temperatures between 7200 and 25,000 K, suggesting that the rate of tidal disruption of minor bodies massive enough to create a coherent disk declines sharply beyond 1 Gyr after white dwarf formation. We report the discovery that the candidate white dwarf LSPM J0207+3331, via the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 citizen science project and Keck Observatory follow-up spectroscopy, is hydrogen dominated with a luminous compact disk (L IR/L star = 14%) and an effective temperature nearly 1000 K cooler than any known white dwarf with an infrared excess. The discovery of this object places the latest time for large-scale tidal disruption events to occur at ~3 Gyr past the formation of the host white dwarf, making new demands of dynamical models for planetesimal perturbation and disruption around post-main-sequence planetary systems. Curiously, the mid-infrared photometry of the disk cannot be fully explained by a geometrically thin, optically thick dust disk as seen for other dusty white dwarfs, but requires a second ring of dust near the white dwarf's Roche radius. In the process of confirming this discovery, we found that careful measurements of WISE source positions can reveal when infrared excesses for white dwarfs are co-moving with their hosts, helping distinguish them from confusion noise.

Description: The Almahata Sitta (AhS) polymict ureilite is the first meteorite to originate from a spectrally classified asteroid (2008 TC3) [1-3], and provides an unprecedented opportunity to correlate properties of meteorites with those of their parent asteroid. AhS is also unique because its fragments comprise a wide variety of meteorite types. Of approximately140 stones studied to-date, ~70% are ureilites (carbon-rich ultramafic achondrites) and 30% are various types of chondrites [4,5]. None of these show contacts between ureilitic and chondritic lithologies. It has been inferred that 2008 TC3 was loosely aggregated, so that it disintegrated in the atmosphere and only its most coherent clasts fell as individual stones [1,3,5]. Understanding the structure and composition of this asteroid is critical for missions to sample asteroid surfaces. We are studying [6] the University of Khartoum collection of AhS [3] to test hypotheses for the nature of 2008 TC3. We describe a sample that consists of both ureilitic and chondritic materials.

Description: Since early 2006, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has observed over 330 impact flashes on the Moon, produced by meteoroids striking the lunar surface. On 17 March 2013 at 03:50:54.312 UTC, the brightest flash of a 9-year routine observing campaign was observed by two 0.35 m telescopes at MSFC. The camera onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a NASA spacecraft mapping the Moon from lunar orbit, discovered the fresh crater associated with this impact [1] approximately 3 km from the location predicted by a newly developed geolocation technique [2]. The meteoroid impactor responsible for this event may have been part of a stream of large particles encountered by the Earth/Moon associated with the Virginid Meteor Complex, as evidenced by a cluster of five fireballs seen in Earth's atmosphere on the same night by the NASA All Sky Fireball Network [3] and the Southern Ontario Meteor Network [4]. Crater size calculations based on assumptions derived from fireball measurements yielded an estimated crater diameter of 10-23 m rim-to-rim using the Holsapple [5] and Gault [6] models, a result consistent with the observed crater measured to be 18 m across. This is the first time a lunar impact flash has been associated with fireballs in Earth's atmosphere and an observed crater.