Sulfur in the Apollo Lunar Basalts and Implications for Future Sample-Return Missions

doi:10.2138/gselements.16.5.361

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Existing thin sections prepared in the 1970s of the Steno crater basalts (71035,29; 71037,5; 71055;71) were characterized. New thick sections of the Steno crater basalts (71035,50; 71036,9; 71037,10; 71055,249) were prepared with customized procedures for anhydrous methods as part of a broader coordinated analytical campaign (Brounce et al., 2020, 2021; Pomeroy et al., 2022; Wilbur et al., 2021; Wilbur, Barnes, Eckley, Boyce, et al., 2022; Wilbur, Barnes, Eckley, Brounce, et al., 2022).…”

Section: Samples and Analytical Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Volatiles, vesicles, and vugs: Unraveling the magmatic and eruptive histories of Steno crater basalts

Wilbur,

Barnes,

Eckley

et al. 2023

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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In 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts returned 170.4 kg of lunar material. Within 1 month of their return, a subset of those samples was specially curated with the forethought that future analytical techniques would offer new insight into the formation and evolution of the Moon. Of interest in this work is sample 71036, a basalt collected from the rim of Steno crater in the Taurus–Littrow Valley, which was stored frozen and was processed and released for study 50 years later. We report, for the first time, the detailed mineralogy and petrology of 71036 and its companion samples 71035, 71037, and 71055 using a novel combination of 2‐D and 3‐D methods. We investigate lunar volatiles through in situ measurements of apatite and 3‐D measurements of vesicles to understand the degassing histories of the Steno crater basalts. Our coupled 2‐D petrography and 3‐D tomography data sets support a model of the Steno crater basalts crystallizing in the upper crust of a mare lava flow. Apatite F and OH chemistry and the late‐stage deformation of voids and formation of smaller vesicles provide evidence supporting coeval degassing of volatiles and crystallization of mesostasis apatite in Apollo 17 basalts. This work helps to close knowledge gaps surrounding the origin, magmatic evolution, emplacement, and crystallization history of high‐titanium basalts.

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Section: Samples and Analytical Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Volatiles, vesicles, and vugs: Unraveling the magmatic and eruptive histories of Steno crater basalts

Wilbur,

Barnes,

Eckley

et al. 2023

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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“…Interestingly, new mineral species have been identified on the Moon, for instance tranquillityite (Jolliff 2008 ). Sulphide-bearing apatite was also discovered in lunar rocks, although apatite is present only as accessory phases (Brounce et al 2019 , 2020 ), as well as sulphides (Anand et al 2012 ). Therefore, sulphur appears to be less abundant on the Moon compared to Mars and some asteroids (Righter et al 2017 ; Steenstra et al 2018 ).…”

Section: Space Biomining Principlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, rocks present on celestial bodies of mining interest have very diverse compositions. In some cases (e.g., the Moon and some asteroids) sulphide-containing minerals are scarce compared to oregrade sulphide minerals which are the focus of terrestrial biomining (Lewis 1992;Anand et al 2012;Righter et al 2017;Steenstra et al 2018Steenstra et al , 2020Brounce et al 2019Brounce et al , 2020. This poses restrictions on the possibility of directly transferring our current knowledge on bioleaching, which is mainly based on chemolithoautotrophic iron-and/or sulphuroxidising microorganisms, to space.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The smallest space miners: principles of space biomining

2022

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As we aim to expand human presence in space, we need to find viable approaches to achieve independence from terrestrial resources. Space biomining of the Moon, Mars and asteroids has been indicated as one of the promising approaches to achieve in-situ resource utilization by the main space agencies. Structural and expensive metals, essential mineral nutrients, water, oxygen and volatiles could be potentially extracted from extraterrestrial regolith and rocks using microbial-based biotechnologies. The use of bioleaching microorganisms could also be applied to space bioremediation, recycling of waste and to reinforce regenerative life support systems. However, the science around space biomining is still young. Relevant differences between terrestrial and extraterrestrial conditions exist, including the rock types and ores available for mining, and a direct application of established terrestrial biomining techniques may not be a possibility. It is, therefore, necessary to invest in terrestrial and space-based research of specific methods for space applications to learn the effects of space conditions on biomining and bioremediation, expand our knowledge on organotrophic and community-based bioleaching mechanisms, as well as on anaerobic biomining, and investigate the use of synthetic biology to overcome limitations posed by the space environments.

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