C
Sampling of International Laboratories Engaged in Extraterrestrial Sample Analysis
The data in Table C.1 were gathered by individual committee members who sought information from scientists at the institutions represented in the table. This is not meant as (nor could possibly be) a comprehensive listing of all laboratories outside the United States where analyses of extraterrestrial samples are carried out. Laboratories in the table were selected based on discussion among the committee members.
TABLE C.1 Sampling of International Laboratories Engaged in Extraterrestrial Sample Analysis
Institution | Primary Use of Facility | Major Instrumentation | Service Contracts | People Employed by Institution a | Institutionally Funded Technical Support | Comments | |
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Japan | Pheasant Memorial Laboratory, Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University at Misasa | Chemical and isotopic analyses of extraterrestrial materials including meteorites and return samples from Hayabusa. The lab is designated a Phase2 Curation System that will undertake comprehensive initial analysis for the samples to be returned by Hayabusa2. | 1 gas source IRMS for stable isotope analyses (H, C, N, O), 1 multichannel gas chromatograph, 2 gas source mass spectrometers for noble gas analyses and K-Ar dating, 1 TEM, 1 FIB, 2 SEM, 1 electron microprobe, 1 CAMECA 1280HR SIMS, 1 CAMECA IMS5f SIMS, 1 FTIR, 1 micro-Raman microscope, 1 XRF, 1 quadrupole ICP-MS, 1 triple-quadrupole ICP-MS, 1 magnetic sector single collector ICP-MS, 1 MC-ICP-MS, 1 193 nm ArF laser, 3 TIMS, 1 orbitrap MS, 1 single quadrupole GC-MS, 1 scanning system of desorptionelectro-sprayionization source. | Equipment is not covered by service contracts. Repairs are covered by the maintenance fee charged to the machine allowed through annual budget in the institute. | 5 faculty members, 3 super-technicians, 2 postdoctoral fellows, 3 technical staff. | All technical staff are supported by the government through Okayama University and the Institute for Planetary Materials. |
Japan Aerospace ExplorationAgency (JAXA) | Characterization of asteroid samples. | 1 SEM, 1 FE-SEM with EDS-EBSD, 1 XRD, 1 FTIR, 1 micro-FTIR, 1 micro-Raman spectrometer, 1 TEM, 1 EPMA. | Equipment is not covered by service contracts. Repairs are covered by the maintenance fee charged to the machine allowed through annual budget in the institute. | 4 faculty, 2 technical staff. | All technical staff are paid by the institute. | ||
Tokyo Institute of Technology | Trace element and high-precision isotope analyses of meteorites and their components. | 1 TIMS, 1 quadrupole ICP-MS with laser ablation capabilities, SEM-EDS. | No service contracts. | 2 professors, 3 postdoctorates, 6 graduate students. | 0 | ||
Natural History Sciences Isotope Imaging Laboratory, Hokkaido University | In situ analyses of extraterrestrial materials. | Two multicollector SIMS (CAMECA IMS-1270+SCAPS, CAMECA IMS1280HR+SCAPS), 1 SIMS (CAMECA IMS-6f), 1 isotope nanoscope (homemade laser ionization sputtered neutral mass spectrometer [SNMS]), 1 FE-SEM with EDS-EBSD, 1 micro-laser Raman spectrometer, 1 micro-IR spectrometer. | Spot service paid by soft money grants obtained by the professors—for example, from Kakenhi grants and Program to Support the Establishment of a Shared Platform. | 3 professors, no technical staff. | 0 |
China | University of Science and Technology, Hefei | Chemical and isotopic analyses of meteorites, particularly nontraditional stable isotopes and the daughter products of short-lived radionuclides. | 1 MC-ICP-MS, 1 quadrupole ICP-MS, 1 TIMS, several piston cylinders. | Service contract for the MC-ICP-MS. | 2 faculty, 1 technical staff, 1 postdoctorate. | 0 | |
Australia | Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University | Isotopic and chemical analyses of extraterrestrial materials, collaborating on Hayabusa, OSIRIS-REx, and Hayabusa2. | Three SHRIMPs, 2 TIMS, 1 FTIR spectrometer, 1 XRD. | All maintenance done by professional staff, repairs covered by cost recovery and user fees. There are no service contracts. | 3 professors, 6 full-time professional staff, 1 postdoctoral fellow, 3 graduate students. | 2.5 FTE. | University is stepping back its support of facilities including workshops. |
Canada | University of Alberta | Meteorite curation lab undertakes cold and ambient curation of extraterrestrial materials. | 2 EPMAs, 2 SEMs, 1 TIMS, 1 ICP-MS, 1 LA-ICP-MS, 1 LA-MC-ICP-MS, 1 SIMS, 1 TIMS are used in analyses of extraterrestrial samples. | Service contract for both EPMAs, both SEMS, and SIMS. | 1 faculty, 8 technical staff (associated with the various instruments), 3 graduate students. | ~6 FTE-based funded. |
University of Saskatchewan—User Facility for the Canadian Light Source (CLS) | University hosts the Canadian Light Source, which is the national synchrotron light source facility. | Synchrotron facility, which generates intense beams of far-IR to hard X-ray for analytical purposes. Measurements on minerals, geological samples, as well as other materials. Techniques for analysis of extraterrestrial materials, such as high-resolution imaging and tomography, X-ray spectroscopy for elemental analysis, and x-ray scattering/diffraction for crystal structure analysis and phase identification. | Some of the equipment is covered by service contracts. The synchrotron and beamlines are highly customized infrastructure, which are mainly serviced by CLS staff. The service charges are covered by the operational fund. CLS has a technical services department to support the operation of the whole facility. | CLS has over 20 beamlines, each specialized on several techniques and particular length scales. Each beamline has 2 or 3 scientists for the operation and maintenance of the beamline. | Technical staff of the CLS is funded by several Canadian funding agencies including Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Nuclear Regulatory Commission, CIHR, provincial governments, and so on. |
University of Ottawa | In addition to analysis capabilities for the “standard” AMS isotopes (14C, 3H, 10Be, 26Al, 36Cl, 129I, and the actinides), the Lalonde AMS has specialized equipment for noble gas analyses (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) for a wide range of geological samples. Currently, they do not undertake analyses of extraterrestrial materials, but this facility could be used for such analyses in the future. | André E. Lalonde Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) laboratory. | No service contracts. | 1 director, 2 research scientists, 8 technical staff. | 1 staff position funded by the university, remaining 7 staff positions are funded 40% from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Major Science Initiatives (MSI) Program and 60% by user fees. | Funds for instrument repairs are included in the CFI-MSI budget and recharge. |
University of Toronto and the Royal Ontario Museum | Analyses of mineralogy, microstructure, physical properties, element and isotopic compositions of meteorites. Remote sensing of lunar impact craters. | The University of Toronto hosts the Jack Satterly Geochronology Laboratory, which was the birthplace of the modern isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) method and several mass spectrometers. Stable isotope laboratory with a gas source mass spectrometer and a gas chromatograph. Several mass spectrometers such as a LA-ICP-MS, SIMS, EPMA, SEM, and X-ray fluorescence spectrometers. The Royal Ontario Museum has capabilities for Raman spectroscopy and single-crystal and powder diffraction, as well as advanced meteorite curation facilities. | University of Toronto: government (NSERC, CFI) and services. Royal Ontario Museum private donations and government (NSERC). | University of Toronto: 4 faculty members, 4 technicians, 5 postdoctoral fellows. Royal Ontario Museum: 1 curator, 3 technicians, 1 postdoctoral fellow. | Staff funded by the university and the museum. Postdoctoral fellows funded by government funding, university funding, and Royal Ontario Museum: private donations |
University of Western Ontario | Analyses of mineralogy, microstructure, physical properties, element and isotopic compositions of lunar samples and meteorites, as well as the meteorite falls recovered in Canada (e.g., Tagish Lake, Grimsby). | 1 ICP-MS, 1 XRF, 1 field-emission SEM (Nanomapper) with EBSD and CL, 1 X-ray micro CT scanner, 1 micro-XRD, Raman spectroscopy, a paleomagnetism laboratory and laboratories for the study of physical properties of meteorites. | Government (NSERC, CFI). | 5 faculty members, 1 technician. | Technical staff funded by the university. | ||
McMaster University | Astrobiology of carbonaceous chondrites and microstructural analyses of martian and lunar meteorites. | The Canadian Centre of Electron Microscopy (CCEM) is located in this university and consists in a TEM, SEM, and an atom probe. McMaster University also has an ICP-MS and an astrobiology laboratory and the Origins Institute. | Government (NSERC, CFI). | 2 faculty members, 2 technicians. | |||
York University | The Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science (CRESS) focuses on planetary exploration and instrumentation. | Lidar, LIBS, Raman spectroscopy, and a custom-made variable Mars chamber. | Government (NSERC, CFI). | 2 faculty members, 1 technician, 1 post-doctoral fellow. | Technician funded by the university. |
Institution | Primary Use of Facility | Major Instrumentation | Service Contracts | People Employed by Institution a | Institutionally Funded Technical Support | Comments | |
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Germany | Bayerisches Geoinstitut, University of Bayreuth | Researchers in the institute have analyzed material returned by Apollo sample return missions and meteorites for their mineralogy and impact processes. The institute is currently setting up ultra-clean laboratory and mass spectrometry facilities for meteorite and future sample return mission analyses. | Mossbauer spectroscopy, micro-beam FIB, SEM-EBSD, EPMA, TEM, Raman, XRD, micro-XRD, XRF, FTIR analyses and laser ablation ICP-MS analyses, (soon) MC-ICP-MS. | Paid for by the government. | 2 faculty members, 4 technicians/researchers. | Technical staff supported by the institution. |
University of Münster | Isotopic and trace element analyses of lunar samples and meteorites. | 1 MC-ICP-MS, 1 TIMS, and 1 quadrupole ICP-MS. | There are no service contracts. Facilities repairs are performed by permanent staff, as long as they can solve the issues. Occasionally, engineers are hired from the manufacturing company, but this has so far only happened twice. Cost for consumables and exchange parts are to some extent covered by the annual budget received from the university. The amount of this budget depends on various parameters, but mostly on how much external funding the PIs have. In reality, PIs try to pay all the repairs out of external funds, basically through a lump rate of 350€/ day instrument time, which PIs charge to the individual projects. If PIs have enough funded projects, this works out quite well, and PIs actually save some money. Even if their funding drops, PIs would still have university money to keep the lab running, at least for a while. | 1 professor, 1 lab manager, and 1 lab technician. Other technicians work part time in the group, including a secretary, a sample preparer, and an IT specialist. | All positions are permanent positions from the university. | The lab manager is a permanent FTE. In addition, there is a fixed-term research associate position, in which more experienced people can be hired for up to 6 years. This position is refilled by a different person when the previous person has to leave after the 6 years are over. The research associate contributes to the maintenance of the lab. |
Institution | Primary Use of Facility | Major Instrumentation | Service Contracts | People Employed by Institution a | Institutionally Funded Technical Support | Comments | |
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France | Centre de Recherches Petrographiques et Geochimiques (CRPG), Nancy | The laboratory has analyzed materials returned by dedicated sample return missions (Apollo, Luna, Genesis, Stardust, and Hayabusa), and is collaborating on OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2. | Two CAMECA large-sector SIMS, 4 noble gas mass spectrometers, 5 extraction lines, 1 automated U-He and cosmogenic 3He line, 2 excimer lasers, 2 TIMS, 1 MC-ICP-MS. | SIMS and SARM instruments are covered by service contracts, paid by the national facility funds from CNRS. For facilities repairs, other than SIMS and SARM, costs are covered by grants from the European Research Council, the national funding agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR) and current support from CNRS. Once a group at CRPG is officially involved in a space mission, the national space agency, CNES, supports related research. For instance, CNES supported the development of a dedicated facility to analyze nitrogen isotopes in target material from Genesis. | SIMS: 2 researchers, 4 technicians/engineers. Noble gas lab: 5 researchers, 3 technicians/engineers. TIMS/ICP: 3 researchers, 3 technicians/engineers. Stable isotope lab: 2 researchers, 1 technician/engineer. SARM: 10 technicians/engineers. | All are full-time government employees, paid by CNRS and Université de Lorraine. | The SIMS lab is a CNRS national facility. CRPG also hosts the CNRS analytical facility called Service d’Analyse des Roches et Minéraux (SARM). |
Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans (LMV), Clermont-Ferrand | Study of meteorites and lunar samples for their mineral and trace elements and isotopic composition. | 1 electron microprobe, 1 SEM, 1 quadrupole ICP-MS with laser ablation capabilities, 1 MC-ICPMS, 2 TIMS. | Equipment is covered by the payment of the analyses. Repairs are performed by permanent staff (engineers) for older instruments, or paid by contracts or the department. | For every instrument, there is an engineer with a permanent position, so there are 6 technical support (engineers) working for the laboratory. | All are funded through hard money via CNRS or the university (University of Clermont Auvergne). |
Institute Physique du Globe Paris (IPGP) | Chemical and isotopic analyses of lunar and meteoritic materials. | 2 MC ICP-MS, 1 TIMS, 1 quadrupole ICP-MS, laser ablation capabilities. | No service contracts. | 1 engineer (Ph.D.) on the ICP-MS and 1 technician (full-time salaried, civil servants). 2 technicians for the clean labs (full-time civil servants). | Civil servants, paid by the institution. | ||
United Kingdom | Manchester University | Elemental and isotopic analyses of meteorites, interplanetary dust particles, and returned samples from the Genesis and Stardust missions. | 1 MC-ICP-MS, 2 ToF-SIMS with laser post-ionization for analyzing micron to submicron samples such as presolar grains, cometary dust, and material brought back by the Stardust mission (IDLE), 1 conventional noble gas MS, 2 MC-noble gas mass spectrometers. RELAX (Refrigerator Enhanced Laser Analyzer for Xenon) is a unique resonance ionization ToF MS, RIMSKI (Resonance Ionisation Mass Spectrometer for Krypton Isotopes), 1 EPMA, 1 ESEM, 1 FTIR, 1 laser Raman, 1 CL, 1 nanoSIMS. | EPMA and nanoSIMS covered by service contracts. | 3 professors, 2 readers, 1 senior lecturer, 2 research fellows, 2 technical staff, 4 postdoctorates, 5-8 graduate students. Within the school there are a further 2 technical staff, and within material science an additional technician for the nanoSIMS. | All technical staff paid by the university, with buy-back from grant income. | The technical support funding model means that technical staff employment is facilitated by research income, but their jobs are secured during fluctuating research cycles. Service contracts on nanoSIMS and EPMA instruments recover income from charging daily rates on budgeted research grants, teaching projects, and raising new income from commercial payments. |
Institution | Primary Use of Facility | Major Instrumentation | Service Contracts | People Employed by Institution a | Institutionally Funded Technical Support | Comments | |
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Natural History Museum, London | Chemical and isotopic analyses of meteorites. | 2 quadrupole ICP-MS, 1 ion chromatograph, 1 CT scanner, 1 FE-SEM, 2 variable pressure SEM, 1 TEM, 1 XRD. | 1 staff scientist, 6 technical staff. |
Open University | Purpose-built laboratories for handling, processing, and studying extraterrestrial materials, including samples from Apollo, Luna, Stardust, IDPs, and meteorites. | Laser-fluorination assisted 3 oxygen isotopes analysis on gas source IRMS, 1 nanoSIMS, 1 custom-built Finesse mass spectrometry system for simultaneous measurements of C, N, and noble gases (abundance and isotopes) using a step-combustion technique, a miniature version of which has flown on Beagle2 and Rosetta spacecraft with the next version slated to fly on Russian Luna-27 lander mission. 1 MC-ICP-MS, 1 LA-quadrupole ICP-MS, 1 GC-IRMS, 1 FIB-SEM, 1 electron microprobe. | All major equipment is covered by service contracts. This is underwritten by the university, although in the past several years, a greater emphasis has been paid toward raising sufficient external grant income to cover some of the service costs. | 12 professors, 10 technical staff, 9 postdoctorates, 12 graduate students. | Technical staff supported mainly by the internal funds of the university. | There is an ever-increasing expectation that funding for technical staff should be raised through external funding as much as possible, which is also reflected in an increase in fixed-term appointments for technical staff tied to specific externally funded project(s). Currently, there is a balance of staff on permanent and fixed-term contracts, allowing the maintenance of research activities, but there are growing concerns about the future possibility of not being able to replace lost expertise (i.e., retiring staff) with new, longer-term appointments in a timely manner. |
Institution | Primary Use of Facility | Major Instrumentation | Service Contracts | People Employed by Institution a | Institutionally Funded Technical Support | Comments | |
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Oxford University | Isotopic and trace element analyses of meteorites and lunar samples. | Three MC-ICP-MS, 1 TIMS, 1 ICP-MS. | Formerly had a Finnigan service contract for a while, paid from a PI start-up (14 years ago). Some instrument repairs are performed by PIs (e.g., simple electronics); some are done by the manufacturer. Machine shop can fabricate new devices for chemistry or mass spectrometry. Components are also fabricated externally (including a novel robotic chemistry system). Funding for these projects comes from PI grants. | 4 technical staff. | Staffing covered through hard money (full-time university salary) partially reimbursed from charges for machine use or as direct salary costs on grants. |
University of Bristol | High-precision measurements of isotope ratios of bulk meteorites and meteoritic components (for all elements other than the standardly gaseous elements—C, O, H, N and noble gases), in situ isotope ratio analyses by laser ablation. | Prototype collision cell MC-ICPMS (Proteus), 2 MC-ICP-MS, 1 quadrupole ICP-MS, 1 TIMS, 2 excimer laser ablation systems that can be coupled to the plasma mass spectrometers. | There are no service contracts. The lab manager maintains and repairs all of the mass spectrometers. Spare parts are paid for from grants. | 1 professor, 1 full-time permanent “academic-related” member of staff (lab manager) who maintains the instruments, troubleshoots applications, and helps train users. One part-time (3 days per week), soft money technician, who helps keep the clean labs running and assists and trains other users. | The lab manager is core funded by the department/university. The part-time technician is funded by grant income of the 4 PIs who use the lab. |
Institution | Primary Use of Facility | Major Instrumentation | Service Contracts | People Employed by Institution a | Institutionally Funded Technical Support | Comments | |
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Switzerland | ETH, Zurich | High-precision elemental and isotope analyses of noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) and metals and their isotopes (Ti, Cr, Zr, Pd, Ag, Sr, Cd, Sn, Te, Pt) in extraterrestrial materials. | 1 HR IRMS, 1 magnetic sector single-collector ICP-MS, 3 MC-ICPMS, 1 TIMS. | No service contracts. | 1 professor, 1.5 senior scientists, 2.5 technical staff, 5 postdoctorates, 8 Ph.D. students. | Technical staff supported by the university. | Additional support staff through sharing of part of the lab infrastructure. Funding for repairs from ETH laboratory and institutional funding, limited external funds: Swiss SNF, ERC, and so on. New instrumentation funded from ETH professorial (start-up)/ institute support, Swiss SNF “R’equip,” ERC and so on grants. |
Institut für Geologie and Center for Space and Habitability Universität Bern | Isotopic and trace element analyses of meteorites and lunar samples. | 1 TIMS, 1 MC-ICPMS, 1 CAMECA 1280 SIIMS (housed at the Univeristy of Lausanne). | Service contracts paid via user fees and contribution from the department. Repairs paid through the university. | 3 full-time research staff, 1.5 full-time technical staff. | Technical staff supported by the university. |
Denmark | Center for Star and Planet Formation, Natural History Museum of Denmark | Destructive analysis of extraterrestrial material to elucidate the timing of processes in the early solar system. Absolute age dating based on the U-Pb and Pb-Pb systems, various short-lived radioisotope systems (e.g., Al-Mg, Mn-Cr, Fe-Ni, Hf-W), nucleosynthetic tracers (e.g., 54Cr, 48Ca, 50Ti), as well as noble gases and trace-element analyses. | 1 TIMS, 2 MC-ICP-MS, 1 triple quad ICP-MS, 2 gas source mass spectrometers for noble gas analyses. | Most instruments covered by service contracts paid through research grants. | 3 professors, 2 technical staff, 5 postdoctorates, 8 graduate students. | 0 |
NOTE: Acronyms are defined in Appendix F.
a Includes those involved with extraterrestrial analyses only; does not include undergraduate research assistants, and “faculty” are ladder faculty, not research scientists, who may be considered faculty in some institutions.