Determining water concentrations in the polar regions of the Moon is one of the priority tasks of a number of space missions and, in particular, the Luna-27 mission. The complex of scientific equipment of the Luna-27 spacecraft includes time-of-flight laser ionization mass spectrometer LASMA-LR, the main task of which is to analyze the elemental composition of the regolith at the landing site. The design and configuration of the flight instrument is adapted for the analysis of regolith and was not originally intended for the study of volatile compounds. However, due to the importance of determining the water content in regolith, we reviewed some approaches to analyzing samples during lunar missions and assessed the applicability of LASMA-LR and the laser ionization mass spectrometry method in general for identifying water in regolith. It has been established that using this instrument it is possible to detect water in regolith, including determining its state (chemically bound and unbound water). Moreover, the conditions for sampling the regolith and delivering it to the soil receiving device of the instrument are critically important for the analysis, since under the conditions of the lunar surface, sublimation of ice is possible before the samples are analyzed. This technique has advantages over some other methods of analyzing water and/or ice used in space experiments, and can be used in the study of a number of planets and bodies of the Solar System.
Recent studies have revealed the abundance of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in snow/glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Here, we present a comprehensive study on the chemical compositions of snowpit samples collected from widely distributed eight glaciers in the western China (six from the TP) to investigate the spatial variation of deposited atmospheric aerosols. An Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) was used to chemically characterize the DOM in snow samples which can offer chemical properties of DOM. Highest mass concentration of dissolved species mass was observed in Tienshan Baishui No 1 glacier (TS, 6.55 +/- 0.85 mg/L) close to Takalamagan Desert, whereas lowest (0.89 +/- 0.18 mg/L) was observed in Zadang Glacier (ZD) in the central TP. DOM (8-40%) and calcium as well as magnesium (9-67%) were generally the most abundant chemical species. Average DOM concentration in the TP glaciers among the investigated sites were comparable. DOM was found highly oxidized with an oxygen to carbon ratio (O/C ratio) ranging from 0.82 to 1.03. Highly oxidized DOM could have related with aerosol aqueous processes as illustrated by observed organic acids. This study provides insights into the spatial variations of the DOM and dissolved inorganic matter, as well as oxidized organic aerosol, were most likely due to local and regional contribution. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.