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Planetary Environments Laboratory

Hannah L McLain

(RESEARCH ASSOCIATE)

Hannah L McLain's Contact Card & Information.
Email: hannah.l.mclain@nasa.gov
Phone: 301.614.6920
Org Code: 691
Address:
NASA/GSFC
 Mail Code 691
 Greenbelt, MD 20771
Employer: CATHOLIC UNIV OF AMERICA

Missions & Projects

Brief Bio

Hannah McLain is an analytical astrobiologist and research scientist with the Catholic University of America at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. With over 15 years of experience in ultra-trace analytical chemistry, her work focuses on detecting the building blocks of life—such as amino acids, amines, and other soluble organics—in extraterrestrial materials including meteorites, asteroids, lunar samples, and Mars analogs.


Since joining NASA Goddard in 2013, Hannah has contributed to multiple flagship planetary science missions. Her early work with the Mars Science Laboratory mission earned her NASA Group Achievement Awards in 2015 and 2017 for her pyrolysis GC-MS analysis of Mars simulants in support of the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument.

Hannah has played a leading role in contamination control for the OSIRIS-REx mission, developing ISO-compliant workflows and solvent tracing protocols to ensure the returned asteroid sample remains pristine. Her contributions to OSIRIS-REx were recognized with NASA Group Achievement Awards in 2017, 2020, and 2022. Since the sample’s return in 2023, she has begun analyzing it for amino acids and other biosignatures.


In recognition of the OSIRIS-REx team’s achievements, Hannah shares in several prestigious national honors, including the Robert J. Collier Trophy, the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy, and the Neil Armstrong Space Flight Achievement Award, all awarded in 2024 for the mission’s historic success in returning the first U.S. asteroid sample and advancing planetary science.


Internationally, Hannah has collaborated with JAXA on the Hayabusa2 mission, conducting rehearsals in Japan and analyzing the first returned Ryugu samples in 2021. Her work was honored with JAXA’s Special Thanks and Recognition award and NASA’s Robert H. Goddard Award in 2022.

In recognition of her contributions to meteoritic and astrobiological research, the International Astronomical Union named asteroid (117614) Hannahmclain in her honor. She is also a recipient of the Collier Trophy, RNASA Stellar Award, and Armstrong Achievement Award, and is an active member of the American Geophysical Union, the Meteoritical Society, and the NASA Astrobiology Program.

Research Interests

Survivability, transformation, and degradation of amino acids and other prebiotic molecules under space-relevant irradiation conditions

Solar System: Astrobiology

Hannah McLain’s research focuses on the survivability, transformation, and degradation of amino acids and other prebiotic molecules under space-relevant irradiation conditions. She investigates how various forms of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation—including gamma rays, protons, ultraviolet light, plasma, neutrons, and X-rays—affect the stability, racemization, and chemical alteration of organic compounds.

Her work includes studies on:

  • Radiolytic effects in icy environments, such as Europa and Enceladus, to understand how shallow subsurface ices influence the preservation of biological and abiotic amino acids.
  • X-ray microtomography-induced degradation in meteorites, assessing how imaging techniques may alter the native organic content of carbonaceous chondrites.
  • Fresh meteorite falls, such as asteroid 2018 LA, to evaluate the preservation state of organics shortly after atmospheric entry.
  • Mars-like permafrost conditions, modeling the slow radiolysis of amino acids in cold, dry, oxidizing environments to inform the search for extant life on Mars.
  • Lunar regolith survivability, examining how amino acids persist in lunar soil matrices exposed to harsh radiation environments, as presented at EPSC-DPS 2025.

By comparing laboratory-irradiated standards with naturally exposed materials from meteorites, lunar regolith, and returned asteroid samples, Hannah seeks to better understand the chemical evolution of amino acids in space. This work supports the development of biosignature detection strategies for current and future planetary missions.

Current Projects

Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx)

Asteroids

Hannah McLain is a Science Team Collaborator in the Sample Organics Analysis Working Group Team that is investigating the organic composition of the samples that returned to Earth from asteroid Bennu in 2023.

Lunar Environment And Dynamics for Exploration Research (LEADER)

Moons

Hannah McLain is collaborating with surface scientists to constrain the origin of small organic compounds by simulating the lunar environment and measuring the survivability of those compounds on the lunar regolith

Survivability of amino acids under ionizing radiation in Mars-Like conditions

Mars

Since the presence of amino acids in future planetary samples is indicative of extraterrestrial life, it is imperative to determine the timescale of radiolytic alteration. Hannah is working with realistic Mars analog samples to determine the survival of biomolecules at various depths on Mars. 

Hayabusa2

Asteroids

Collaborated with JAXA to determine the initial amount of amino acids and amines in the JAXA allotted sample (2021) and was able to search for amines and amino acids in a larger specifically allotted sample in 2023.

Meteorites of Opportunity

Meteorites

Analysis of amines and amino acids in the Aguas Zarcas, Tarda, Murchison, Asuka 12236, Saricicek, and Dingle Dell meteorites.

Titan Chemistry Simulations

Moons

Simulate conditions that are observed when Dragonfly arrives in the atmosphere of Titan. These analyses include the simulation of Titan like conditions in the laboratory and the detection of amino acids, amines, and nucleobases from these laboratory simulations.

Positions/Employment

Research Scientist

The Catholic University of America and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD

October 2013 - Present

Research Scientist

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Chamblee, GA

May 2010 - May 2011

Education

Masters of Science (Chemistry -2010) Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Bachelors of Science (Chemistry – 2006) Warren Wilson College, Asheville, NC

 

Awards

2024: Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) Stellar Award, OSIRIS-REx Team

2024: National Aeronautic Association’s Robert J. Collier Trophy, OSIRIS-REx Team

2024: The National Space Club and Foundation Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy, OSIRIS-REx Team

2024: American Astronautical Society Neil Armstrong Space Flight Achievement Award, OSIRIS-REx Team

2023: NASA Group Achievement Award, OSIRIS-REx Team

2023: NASA Group Achievement Award, NASA Hayabusa2 Team

2022: Robert H. Goddard for the Consortium for Hayabusa2 Analysis of Organic Solubles

2022: Special Thanks And Recognition (STAR) analysis of JAXA Hayabusa2 samples

2022: Space Foundation John L. “Jack” Swigert Jr. Award for Space Exploration, OSIRIS-REx Team

2020: American Astronautical Society Space Technology Award, OSIRIS-REx Team

2019: NASA Goddard Code 690 Special Thanks and Recognition (STAR) Award

2017: NASA Group Achievement Award, OSIRIS-REx Team

2017: Asteroid discovered at Mount Lemmon was renamed 117614 Hannahmclain

2017: NASA Group Achievement Award, MSL Extended Mission-1 Science and Operations Team

2015: NASA Group Achievement Award, MSL Prime Mission Science and Operations Team

Publications

Refereed

2025. "Slow Radiolysis of Amino Acids in Mars-Like Permafrost Conditions: Applications to the Search for Extant Life on Mars." Astrobiology 25 (9): 601-610 [10.1177/15311074251366249] [Journal Article/Letter]

2025. "Stable Nitrogen Isotope Analysis of Amino Acids by Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry: Application for Extraterrestrial Samples." Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 39 (23): e10127 [10.1002/rcm.10127] [Journal Article/Letter]

2025. "Challenges and Opportunities in Using Amino Acids to Decode Carbonaceous Chondrite and Asteroid Parent Body Processes." Astrobiology [Full Text] [10.1089/ast.2025.0017] [Journal Article/Letter]

2025. "Abundant ammonia and nitrogen-rich soluble organic matter in samples from asteroid (101955) Bennu." Nature Astronomy [Full Text] [10.1038/s41550-024-02472-9] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "Simplified Meteorite Parent Body Alteration of Amino Acids by Hydrothermal Processes." Astrobiology 24 1063-1073 [10.1089/ast.2024.0096] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "Operational considerations for approximating molecular assembly by Fourier transform mass spectrometry." Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 11 [10.3389/fspas.2024.1485483] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "Understanding Titan’s Prebiotic Chemistry: Synthesizing Amino Acids Through Aminonitrile Alkaline Hydrolysis." ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 8 (12): 2380–2392 [10.1021/acsearthspacechem.4c00114] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "Analyzing the Mineralogy and Space Weathering Characteristics of the Finest Fraction in Apollo Core Sample 73002." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 129 e2024JE008528 [Full Text] [10.1029/2024JE008528] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "Analyzing the Mineralogy and Space Weathering Characteristics of the Finest Fraction in Apollo Core Sample 73002." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 129 e2024JE008528 [Full Text] [10.1029/2024JE008528] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "Radiolytic Effects on Biological and Abiotic Amino Acids in Shallow Subsurface Ices on Europa and Enceladus." Astrobiology 24 (7): 698-709 [10.1089/ast.2023.0120] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "Enantioselective three-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of amino acids in the Hayabusa2 returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu." Journal of Chromatography Open 5 100134 [10.1016/j.jcoa.2024.100134] [Journal Article/Letter]

2024. "Soluble Organic Compounds and Cyanide in Apollo 17 Lunar Samples: Origins and Curation Effects." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 129 (4): [10.1029/2023je008133] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in samples of Ryugu formed in the interstellar medium." Science 382 (6677): 1411-1416 [10.1126/science.adg6304] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Investigating the impact of x‐ray computed tomography imaging on soluble organic matter in the Murchison meteorite: Implications for Bennu sample analyses." Meteoritics and Planetary Science [10.1111/maps.14111] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Soluble organic matter Molecular atlas of Ryugu reveals cold hydrothermalism on C-type asteroid parent body." Nature Communications 14 (1): 6525 [Full Text] [10.1038/s41467-023-42075-y] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Chemical evolution of primordial salts and organic sulfur molecules in the asteroid 162173 Ryugu." Nature Communications 14 (1): 5284 [10.1038/s41467-023-40871-0] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "The spatial distribution of soluble organic matter and their relationship to minerals in the asteroid (162173) Ryugu." Earth, Planets and Space 75 (1): 73 [10.1186/s40623-023-01792-w] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "PAHs, hydrocarbons, and dimethylsulfides in Asteroid Ryugu samples A0106 and C0107 and the Orgueil (CI1) meteorite." Earth, Planets and Space 75 (1): 28 [Full Text] [10.1186/s40623-022-01758-4] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Extraterrestrial Amino Acids and Amines Identified in Asteroid Ryugu Samples Returned by the Hayabusa2 Mission." Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 347 42-57 [Full Text] [10.1016/j.gca.2023.02.017] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Soluble organic molecules in samples of the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu." Science 379 (6634): eabn9033 [Full Text] [10.1126/science.abn9033] [Journal Article/Letter]

2023. "Meteorite Parent Body Aqueous Alteration Simulations of Interstellar Residue Analogs." ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 7 (1): 156-167 [Full Text] [10.1021/acsearthspacechem.2c00274] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Rapid Radiolytic Degradation of Amino Acids in the Martian Shallow Subsurface: Implications for the Search for Extinct Life." Astrobiology 22 (9): 1099-1115 [Full Text] [10.1089/ast.2021.0166] [Journal Article/Letter]

2022. "Experimental and Theoretical Constraints on Amino Acid Formation from PAHs in Asteroidal Settings." ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 6 468-481 [Full Text] [10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00329] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Low total abundances and a predominance of n ‐ω‐amino acids in enstatite chondrites: Implications for thermal stability of amino acids in the inner solar system." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 56 (11): 2118–2127 [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.13757] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "Extraterrestrial hydroxy amino acids in CM and CR carbonaceous chondrites." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 56 (6): 1005-1023 [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.13661] [Journal Article/Letter]

2021. "The impact and recovery of asteroid 2018 LA." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 56 (4): 844–893 [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.13653] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Analysis of amino acids, hydroxy acids, and amines in CR chondrites." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 55 (11): 2422-2439 [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.13586] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Analysis of amino acids, hydroxy acids, and amines in CR chondrites." Meteoritics & Planetary Science [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.13586] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Prokaryotic and Fungal Characterization of the Facilities Used to Assemble, Test, and Launch the OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft." Frontiers in Microbiology 11 530661 [Full Text] [10.3389/fmicb.2020.530661] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Abundant extraterrestrial amino acids in the primitive CM carbonaceous chondrite Asuka 12236." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 55 (9): 1979–2006 [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.13560] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Impact of Phyllosilicates on Amino Acid Formation under Asteroidal Conditions." ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 4 (8): 1398-1407 [Full Text] [10.1021/acsearthspacechem.0c00137] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Extraterrestrial organic compounds and cyanide in the CM2 carbonaceous chondrites Aguas Zarcas and Murchison." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 55 (7): 1509-1524 [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.13531] [Journal Article/Letter]

2020. "Extraterrestrial amino acids and L-enantiomeric excesses in the CM2 carbonaceous chondrites Aguas Zarcas and Murchison." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 56 (1): 148–173 [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.13451] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "New insights into the heterogeneity of the Tagish Lake meteorite: Soluble organic compositions of variously altered specimens." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 54 1283-1302 [10.1111/maps.13276] [Journal Article/Letter]

2019. "The Sariçiçek howardite fall in Turkey: Source crater of HED meteorites on Vesta and impact risk of Vestoids." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 54 (5): 953-1008 [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.13258] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "OSIRIS-REx Contamination Control Strategy and Implementation." Space Science Reviews 214 (1): 19 [Full Text] [10.1007/s11214-017-0439-4] [Journal Article/Letter]

2018. "Effect of polychromatic X-ray microtomography imaging on the amino acid content of the Murchison CM chondrite." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 54 (1): 220–228 [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.13188] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Aliphatic Amines in Antarctic CR2, CM2, and CM1/2 Carbonaceous Chondrites." Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 189 296-311 [Full Text] [10.1016/j.gca.2016.06.018] [Journal Article/Letter]

2016. "Evaluation of the robustness of chromatographic columns in a simulated highly radiative Jovian environment." Planetary and Space Science 122 38-45 [10.1016/j.pss.2016.01.004] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "DISTRIBUTION AND ORIGIN OF AMINO ACIDS IN LUNAR REGOLITH SAMPLES." 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2015) [Proceedings]

2015. "The origin of amino acids in lunar regolith samples." Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 172 357-369 [Full Text] [10.1016/j.gca.2015.10.008] [Journal Article/Letter]

2015. "Amino acid analyses of R and CK chondrites." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 50 (3): 470-482 [Full Text] [10.1111/maps.12433] [Journal Article/Letter]

2010. "Guanine, Adenine, and Hypoxanthine Production in UV-Irradiated Formamide Solutions: Relaxation of the Requirements for Prebiotic Purine Nucleobase Formation." ChemBioChem 11 (9): 1240 [10.1002/cbic.201000074] [Journal Article/Letter]

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Charles Malespin
Chief
301-614-6042
charles.a.malespin@nasa.gov

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