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Volatiles in interplanetary dust particles: A comparison with CI and CM chondritesIn an effort to classify and determine the origin of interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), 14 of these particles were studied using a laser microprobe/mass spectrometer. The mass spectra for these particles varied dramatically. Some particles released hydroxide or water which probably originated in hydroxide-bearing minerals or hydrates. Others produced spectra which included a number of hydrocarbons and resembled meteorite spectra. However, none of the individual IDPs gave spectra which could be matched identically with a particular meteorite type such as a CI or CM carbonaceous chondrite. We believe this was due to the fact that 10-20 micron size IDPs are too small to be representative of the parent body. To verify that the diversity was due primarily to the small particle sizes, small grains of approximately the same size range as the IDPs were obtained from two primitive meteorites, Murchison and Orgueil, and these small meteorite particles were treated exactly like the IDPs. Considerable diversity was observed among individual grains, but a composite spectrum of all the grains from one meteorite closely resembled the spectrum obtained from a much larger sample of that meteorite. A composite spectrum of the 14 IDPs also resembled the spectra of the CM and CI meteorites, pointing to a possible link between IDPs and carbonaceous chondrites. This also illustrates that despite the inherent diversity in particles as small as 10-20 micron, conclusions can be drawn about the possible origin and overall composition of such particles by looking not only at results from individual particles but also by including many particles in a study and basing conclusions on some kind of composite data.
Document ID
19930016873
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Other
Authors
Bustin, Roberta
(Arkansas Coll. Batesville, AR, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: NASA. Johnson Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)(American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1992, Volume 1 14 p (SEE N93-26058
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
93N26062
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NGT-44-005-803
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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