First Polymer in Space Identified in Comet Halley

The heavy-ion mass spectrum obtained in the inner coma of comet Halley with the PICCA instrument on the Giotto spacecraft has been examined. Short polymer chains of polyoxymethylene and their decay products are identified as the source for the spectrum with six mass peaks between about 45 and 120 at...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1987-08, Vol.237 (4815), p.628-630
Main Author: Huebner, W. F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Atoms
Atoms & subatomic particles
Cometary comas
Comets
Composition
Discovery and exploration
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Halley's comet
Hydrogen
Interplanetary space
Mass spectra
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectroscopy
Molecular spectra
Nitrogen
Outer space
Oxygen
Physics
Polymers
Solar system
Space exploration
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Summary:The heavy-ion mass spectrum obtained in the inner coma of comet Halley with the PICCA instrument on the Giotto spacecraft has been examined. Short polymer chains of polyoxymethylene and their decay products are identified as the source for the spectrum with six mass peaks between about 45 and 120 atomic mass units. The properties of polyoxymethylene are consistent with many of the unexpected observations in the coma.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.237.4815.628