Methods and tools for handling, transportation, weighing, and pelletization applied to the initial analysis of volatile components in the Hayabusa2 samples

Abstract The Hayabusa2 spacecraft succeeded in sampling and returning materials from the C-type, near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu. As part of Initial Analyses, chemical isotopic compositions volatile species were measured. samples analyzed grains about 1 mm diameter individually treated without exposure to Earth’s atmosphere throughout entire analytical/experimental processes minimize alteration contamination effects by adsorption or reactions with reactive such as oxygen water atmosphere. In order perform spectroscopic electron-microscopic observations advance a series measurements, sample surface needed be smoothed. We employed pelletization method obtain required flatness for returned because is less sample-consuming compared mechanical polishing, microtomy, ion milling. subsequent analyses, must undergo minimal during procedure easy remove tools. Therefore, embedding resins low-melting-point metals was not employed. Under these constraints, tools methods pelletization, handling, transportation developed. developed housing also contributed easier handling small (less than diameter) samples. Here we describe that enable treatment pristine asteroidal under non-atmospheric conditions transportation, weighing, installation into instruments measurements. can applied other including meteorites, cosmic dust, future Graphical