Laboratory and simulation studies

The study of Solar System bodies by remote and in situ measurements provides information about geological, chemical and physical properties of materials present in different space environments. Processes (e.g., thermal annealing, UV irradiation, ion bombardment, gas-solid interactions) contribute with different efficiencies to determine the characteristics of materials, depending on both the local environment properties and on the sensitivity of species to active mechanisms. Identifying the properties and tracing the evolution of compounds may tell us the past history and present status of the Solar System and shed light on the different behaviour of planetary bodies. A thorough interpretation of the data acquired in situ and remotely is based on the fundamental contribution coming from simulations in laboratory. Experiments are aimed at reproducing environmental conditions, at studying properties of species observed in different environments and at simulating their evolution according to mechanisms active in space. Large scale installations are suitable to provide proper conditions for the test and calibration of systems and experiments used in space missions. Analogues of organic and refractory cosmic compounds are synthesised in laboratory, with controlled chemical and physical status, and studied by different analytical techniques. The application of treatments, similar to those active in space, to well characterised samples provides information both on the reactivity of materials and on the efficiency of processing. The comparison of laboratory results with data coming from space measurements provides a powerful tool to understand the real nature of cosmic materials and, therefore, to place constraints on their actual evolution in space. This also in the view of a potential bio-genetic evolution of materials.