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user-inactivated · 3320 days ago · link · · parent · post: In unexpected discovery, comet contains alcohol, sugar
Sugars and "complex" hydrocarbons have been found on comets and asteroids before. I'm not sure why this find is "unexpected" as one of the main goals for the Rosetta mission was to verify that these molecules exited, and to see if they were created via UV bombardment or if they came from the comet itself. Either way, this is neat from an exploration standpoint. Alcohols can be converted into rocket fuel, and they can also be converted into water.