The Cosmic Ice Laboratory

Our research group is part of the Astrochemistry Laboratory in the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. We also are affiliated with the Goddard Center for Astrobiology.

We specialize in studying the spectra, the chemistry, and the physical properties of ices relevant to comets, icy satellites and planets, and the coatings of dust grains in the interstellar medium.

Although many cosmic ices are dominated by H₂O, they also contain "prebiotic" molecules such as CO, CO₂, CH₄, NH₃, and CH₃OH. In studying these molecules we are probing the early, ancient chemistry that eventually led to the origin of life.