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, and is a member of 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 H
2O, they also contain "prebiotic"
molecules such as CO, CO
2, CH
4, NH
3, and CH
3OH. In studying these molecules we are probing the
early, ancient chemistry which eventually led to the origin of life.
