NASA | Inside Astrobiology: Jaime Cook

The video discusses work in an Astrobiology analytical lab, focusing on analytical astrochemistry to understand the chemical makeup of extraterrestrial materials like meteorites and comets. The goal is to find life's ingredients, such as amino acids and nucleobases, and understand their origins and distribution in the solar system. A significant discovery involved analyzing material from NASA's Stardust mission, which returned cometary material. The process required extensive preparation and optimization of techniques to analyze these ancient materials, which are billions of years old.

What is the primary focus of the Astrobiology analytical lab?

• Understanding the chemical makeup of extraterrestrial materials

• Studying the atmosphere of distant planets

• Analyzing the geology of Earth

• Developing new space travel technologies

What was the main objective of the NASA Stardust mission?

• To explore the surface of Mars

• To collect samples from a comet

• To study the rings of Saturn

• To map the surface of the Moon

What was a significant challenge faced during the analysis of cometary material?

• Difficulty in launching the spacecraft

• Lack of funding for the project

• Limited amount of material available for study

• Inability to transport samples back to Earth

How long did the preparation for the measurement day take?

• Six months

• One year

• Three years

• Two years

What makes working with meteorites and cometary material special?

• They are abundant in the solar system

• They are ancient and rare materials

• They are only a few years old

• They are easy to find on Earth