[meteorite-list] Magnet Lab to Analyze Stardust Mission's Comet Dust

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Jan 16 20:46:26 2006
Message-ID: <200601170144.k0H1inb08593_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

Florida State University

Contact:
Munir Humayun, 850-644-1908
Pat Dixon, 850-644-4707

January 13, 2006

MAGNET LAB TO ANALYZE STARDUST MISSION'S COMET DUST
By Susan Ray

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Stardust spacecraft that left Florida seven years
ago is expected to have its homecoming early Sunday in Utah, bringing with
it tiny particles of comet dust that are expected to unlock big secrets
about the origin of our solar system. A few months later, scientists in
the Geochemistry Program at Tallahassee's National High Magnetic Field
Laboratory will study some of those particles as they seek to discover our
cosmic ancestry.

With grants from NASA and the National Science Foundation and matching
funds from Florida State University, the magnet lab will acquire a
mass-spectrometry-based "microanalysis" system for studying this and other
extraterrestrial material. The state-of-the-art instrument will be housed
in the lab's forthcoming Plasma Analytical Facility.

A supplemental grant also will fund educational outreach to local schools
and the development of additional science-education materials for teachers
through the Research Experiences for Teachers program run by the lab's
Center for Integrating Research and Learning (CIRL
<http://education.magnet.fsu.edu>).

Munir Humayun, an associate professor of geochemistry at FSU and one of
the principal investigators on the grant, said the magnet lab's new
spectrometers will be able to glean 40 times more information from the
sample than traditional microanalysis techniques allow.

"The genealogy of the solar system is recorded in comets," said Humayun, a
cosmochemistry expert. "These grains of authentic cometary material,
together with the new techniques for studying them, will help us develop a
deeper understanding of the formation of asteroids and comets.
Understanding their origins will help us better understand our own."

Mass spectrometry -- a technique for measuring the mass of atoms or
molecules -- is a key strength of the scientists at the magnet lab. The
technique converts molecules to ions that then are separated, using
magnetic fields, according to the ratio of their mass to electric charge.
At the lab, scientists will "shoot" the cosmic dust with a laser,
vaporizing the grains and turning them into an aerosol. That aerosol then
will be simultaneously directed to two different mass spectrometers for
analyses; one spectrometer will scan the sample for major elements, while
the other measures a selection of the trace constituents. This will tell
the scientists what elements are in the grains; from that, insights into
the processes that formed the comets will be learned.

A covered patio area at the lab will be converted into the Plasma
Analytical Facility. Construction will start after the lab's annual Open
House, scheduled this year for Feb. 18. (See <http://www.magnet.fsu.edu>
for more information).

Educational outreach is a special component of the grant. Mabry Gaboardi,
an FSU graduate student in geochemistry, will work with local teachers to
bring "Comet Tales" -- a hands-on educational program based on the
Stardust mission -- into the classroom.

"If you want to teach science, you have to capture the imagination of the
student," Gaboardi said. "That is why we are so excited to share this NASA
mission with local students. The grains Stardust is bringing back will
allow us to peer through time into the very birth of the solar system.
That should fascinate anyone!"

"Comet Tales" is a two- to three-week science inquiry unit. Fifteen
Tallahassee-area classrooms will be selected to participate, based on
teacher interest and application. Five each of fifth-, sixth- and
ninth-grade teachers will receive supplies and assistance to complete the
NASA-approved unit "Technology for Studying Comets" with their students.

In this educational unit, students work cooperatively, exploring
technology and creating collection tools like the ones used on the
Stardust mission. Gaboardi said the focus is on technology, because
without recent innovations such as aerogel (see
<http://stardust1.jpl.nasa.gov/tech/aerogel.html>), scientists would not
have the chance to make leaps of learning in space science. During the
unit, Gaboardi will visit each classroom to introduce comet properties,
answer questions, and assist the students in "cooking up a comet."

Teacher training is scheduled for March 17, and the unit is expected to
run from March 27 to April 21. After the unit ends, each teacher will
choose one student to represent his or her classroom at the magnet lab for
a day as "Stellar Students." These students will tour the lab, where they
will observe research activities in the Cosmochemistry Lab and meet the
researchers.

Gaboardi and Humayun also will work with four teachers in the lab's
Research Experience for Teachers program this summer, with the teachers
ultimately translating their research experience into teaching and
learning opportunities for their classrooms.

For more information about "Comet Tales" or for an application, please
e-mail Mabry Gaboardi at gaboardi _at_ magnet.fsu.edu .

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory develops and operates
state-of-the-art, high-magnetic-field facilities that faculty and visiting
scientists and engineers use for research in physics, biology,
bioengineering, chemistry, geochemistry, biochemistry and materials
science. The laboratory is sponsored by the National Science Foundation
and the State of Florida and is the only facility of its kind in the
United States. To learn more, please visit
     http://www.magnet.fsu.edu
Received on Mon 16 Jan 2006 08:44:49 PM PST