Long Duration Exposure Facility
(LDEF) Archive System

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Experiment: AO187-02

Experiment Title: Chemical and Isotropic Measurements of Micrometeoroids by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

Original Principal Investigator(s): Zinner, Dr. Ernst - Invest. Role: Original, Zinner, Dr. Ernst - Invest. Role: Present, Walker, Dr. Robert - Invest. Role: Original, Walker, Dr. Robert - Invest. Role: Present, Bahr, Dieter - Invest. Role: Original, Fechtig, Hugo - Invest. Role: Original, Foote, John - Invest. Role: Original, Igenbergs, Eduard - Invest. Role: Original, Jessberg, Elmar - Invest. Role: Original, Kreitmayr, Uwe - Invest. Role: Original, Kuczera, Heribert - Invest. Role: Original, Pailer, Norbert - Invest. Role: Original, Schneider, Eberhard - Invest. Role: Original, Swan, Patrick - Invest. Role: Original,

Experiment Description:

In the past, the study of interplanetary dust particles has been restricted mainly to measurements of their flux, mass and velocity distribution, and variation with direction and solar distance. Chemical and isotopic compositional information could be obtained from the Brownlee particles collected in the upper atmosphere. The launch of LDEF provided the first opportunity to collect micrometeoroid material in space which then can be subjected to isotopic analysis in the laboratory. Isotopic measurements of interplanetary dust are of great interest since at least part of the interplanetary dust is believed to be derived from comets. Because comets originate in the out region of the solar system they probably have never been subjected to mixing of material during formation of the solar system, and thus they might have preserved presolar isotopic features.

Interplanetary dust particles are difficult to collect because of their high speed. Upon impact, much of the particle mass is evaporated and ejected from the target. This experiment utilizes a target covered with a thin foil to trap the ejected material.

Associated Tray(s) Tray Location: C02 - Orientation: 141.9 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: E08 - Orientation: 38.1 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: E03 - Orientation: 171.9 degrees off ram incidence angle; trailing edge

Photograph Classification: Prelaunch

Associated Photograph(s):
LaRC - L84-07057
KSC - KSC-384C-144.08
JSC - None
LaRC - L92-17835
KSC - KSC-390C-609.09
JSC - None
LaRC - L90-10498
KSC - None
JSC - S32-89-029
LaRC - L91-10443
KSC - KSC-390C-1839.02
JSC - None
LaRC - L84-07293
KSC - KSC-383C-4209.06
JSC - None
LaRC - L90-10417
KSC - None
JSC - S32-77-067
LaRC - L84-07045
KSC - KSC-384C-143.03
JSC - None
LaRC - L91-10614
KSC - KSC-390C-1767.02
JSC - None


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