Long Duration Exposure Facility
(LDEF) Archive System

NASA Langley Research Center
Hampton, Virginia

Experiments

Langley Home Page
Space Environments &Technology Archive System Home Page
Space Environments &Effects Home Page
NASA Home Page

If you would like to receive further information on SETAS, or have suggestions on what information you would like to see accessible through this archive, please fill out the SETAS request form.
SETAS Request Information
Last Update: February 10, 1998

Comments and Question concerning this WEB Page should be directed to Thomas H. See or Claire Dardano
Experiment: AO038

Experiment Title: Interstellar Gas Experiment

Original Principal Investigator(s): Geiss, Johannes - Invest. Role: Original, Lind, Dr. Don L. - Invest. Role: Present, Buhler, Dr. Fritz - Invest. Role: Original, Buhler, Dr. Fritz - Invest. Role: Present, Lind, Dr. Don L. - Invest. Role: Original,

Experiment Description:

In the vicinity of the solar system, interstellar particles are mostly individual neutral atoms. Because of their motion relative to the sun, a portion of this flux can penetrate into the solar system as far as the region of the inner planets. The presence of these particles near the Earth was first confirmed by the OGO-5 spacecraft in 1969 and they have provided us with considerable insight as to the nature of the nearby interstellar medium.

In the past, the observed regularities in the abundance of elements and their isotopes, upon which the theory of nucleosynthesis rests, have been obtained primarily from solar system abundances, in particular meteoritic, solar, terrestrial, and solarwind data. However, this sample represents only a tiny fraction of the material of the universe. Thus, even a small sample of extra-solar-system isotopes will give significant insight into the various element building processes that have occurred in the original nucleosynthesis and those which have occurred in our galaxy. Isotopic analysis of the noble-gas component of the interstellar gas will provide a significant new data source and will complement other promising techniques, such as millimeter wave, cosmic-ray, and nuclear-gamma-ray astronomy.

The thin foil detection technique for these interstellar particles which we propose for the Interstellar Gas Experiment (IGE) was first employed on the Apollo missions to the moon to measure the isotopic ratios of the solar wind. Later, on the Skylab mission this same technique was used to measure the isotopes of precipitating magnetospheric particles. The technique has also been utilized on a sounding rocket to analyze auroral particles. Thus, considerable experience has been accumulated in this method of collecting extraterrestrial particle samples.

Associated Tray(s) Tray Location: H06 - Orientation: Space-facing end, Tray Location: E12 - Orientation: 81.9 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: H09 - Orientation: Space-facing end, Tray Location: F06 - Orientation: 98.1 degrees off ram incidence angle

Photograph Classification: Postflight

Associated Photograph(s):
LaRC - L90-13488
KSC - KSC-390C-1069.09
JSC - None
LaRC - L90-10431
KSC - None
JSC - S32-78-031
LaRC - L89-04418
KSC - KSC-384C-538.06
JSC - None
LaRC - L89-04424
KSC - KSC-384C-538.12
JSC - None
LaRC - L90-10453
KSC - None
JSC - S32-82-002
LaRC - L90-13438
KSC - KSC-390C-1033.08
JSC - None
LaRC - L89-04416
KSC - KSC-384C-538.04
JSC - None
LaRC - L90-10369
KSC - None
JSC - S32-75-063
LaRC - L92-21197
KSC - None
JSC - S32-S-290
LaRC - L89-04420
KSC - KSC-384C-538.08
JSC - None
LaRC - L91-11828
KSC - KSC-390C-1641.03
JSC - None
LaRC - L91-11881
KSC - KSC-390C-1636.10
JSC - None
LaRC - L90-10367
KSC - None
JSC - S32-75-061
LaRC - L92-21193
KSC - None
JSC - S32-S-286


Back to Experiments Page

LDEF Archive System Home Page