Recent studies indicated that meteorite material, when UV irradiated has the potential to emit carbon, in the form of methane (CH4) gas. Modern analytical techniques, like NanoSIMS, allow us to measure this decay of meteoritic carbon under the influence of UV irradiation. Several analytical methods, such as cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS) and mass spectrometry will give us an insight in the pathways of methane production and its isotopic fingerprints. Future missions to Mars, where we know CH4 is an atmospheric componenet, will provide new data on (meteoritic) organic material which may be present. Comparing future data to our laboratory studies will give us a better understanding of the relation between carbon in meteorites and the Martian CH4 budget.

• prof. dr. T. (Thomas) Roeckmann
• dr. ir. Inge Loes ten Kate