 About
4.6 billion years ago, the solar nebula transformed
into the present solar system. In order to chemically
model the processes which drove that transformation,
we would, ideally, like to have a sample of that
original nebula to use as a baseline from which
we can track changes. NASA’s Genesis sample-return
mission 1 is designed to give us just such a
baseline composition 2. It has collected solar
wind, material which is ejected from the outer
portion of the sun, and returned it to Earth.
This material can be thought of as a fossil of
our nebula because the preponderance of scientific
evidence suggests that the outer layer of our
sun has not changed measurably for billions of
years. Moreover, for most rock-forming elements,
there appears to be little fractionation of either
elements or isotopes between the sun and the
solar wind.
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