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Robust Extraction and Multi-Technique Analysis of Micrometeoroids Captured in Low Earth OrbitThe use of low-density silica aerogel as the primary capture cell technology for the NASA Discovery mission Stardust to Comet Wild-2 [1] is a strong motivation for researchers within the Meteoritics community to develop techniques to handle this material. The unique properties of silica aerogel allow dust particles to be captured at hypervelocity speeds and to remain partially intact. The same unique properties present difficulties in the preparation of particles for analysis. Using tools borrowed from microbiologists, we have developed techniques for robustly extracting captured hypervelocity dust particles and their residues from aerogel collectors[2-3]. It is important not only to refine these extraction techniques but also to develop protocols for analyzing the captured particles. Since Stardust does not return material to Earth until 2006, researchers must either analyze particles that are impacted in the laboratory using light-gasgun facilities [e.g. 41 or examine aerogel collectors that have been exposed in low-Earth orbit (LEO) [5]. While there are certainly benefits in laboratory shots, i.e. accelerating known compositions of projectiles into aerogel, the LEO capture particles offer the opportunity to investigate real particles captured under real conditions. The aerogel collectors used in this research are part of the NASA Orbital Debris Collection Experiment that was exposed on the MIR Space Station for 18 months [5]. We have developed the capability at the UCB Space Sciences Laboratory to extract tiny volumes of aerogel that completely contain each impact event, and to mount them on micromachined fixtures so that they can be analyzed with no interfering support (Fig.1). These aerogel keystones simultaneously bring the terminal particle and the particle track to within 10 m (15 g cm- ) of the nearest aerogel surface. The extracted aerogel wedges containing both the impact tracks and the captured particles have been characterized using the synchrotron total external reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) microprobe at SSRL, the Nuclear Microprobe at LLNL, synchrotron infrared microscopy at the ALS facility at LBL and the NSLS at BNL, and the Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) facility at SLAC.
Document ID
20030073602
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Westphal, A. J.
(California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Graham, G. A.
(Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Livermore, CA, United States)
Bench, G.
(Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Livermore, CA, United States)
Brennan, S.
(Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Stanford, CA, United States)
Luening, K.
(Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Stanford, CA, United States)
Pianetta, P.
(Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Stanford, CA, United States)
Keller, L. P.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Flynn, G. J.
(State Univ. of New York Plattsburgh, NY, United States)
Snead, C.
(California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Dominquez, G.
(California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2003
Publication Information
Publication: Workshop on Cometary Dust in Astrophysics
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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