[meteorite-list] UK Scientists Sift Superfine Stardust

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:11:16 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <200704192311.l3JNBGc17608_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/UK_Scientists_Sift_Superfine_Stardust_999.html

UK Scientists Sift Superfine Stardust
Space Daily
April 19, 2007

Leicester UK (SPX) - UK scientists are preparing to analyse miniscule
impact craters collected by NASA's Stardust mission as it flew through
interstellar dust streams. These craters contain the residues of the
dust particles that are the seeds of our own Solar System.

A UK consortium of researchers from the University of Leicester, Natural
History Museum, Kent University, Glasgow University and Open University
have been studying the cometary samples which were delivered a few weeks
after the samples were returned to Earth.

The interstellar dust particles are about ten nanometres across (one
hundred thousandth of a millimetre) and they are even smaller than many
of the particles that Stardust collected when it flew through the coma
of Comet Wild 2.

In a presentation at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy
Meeting in Preston on 18th April, Dr John Bridges from the University of
Leicester will describe how techniques developed to analyse material
from the comet's tail will be used to study the interstellar particles.

A focussed beam of electrically charged particles will be used to
extract the residue of the dust from the craters. Once the material is
no longer shielded by the crater walls, it can be examined using a
transmission electron microscope.

"The interstellar dust particles collected by Stardust are so tiny that
they pose huge analytical challenges," said Dr Bridges. "Having spent
the time perfecting our techniques and analysing Comet Wild 2, we are
very excited by the prospect of these samples.

"Our analysis of samples from the comet's tail revealed that its
composition was more complex than we'd thought and indicated an
unexpected mixing of refractory and volatile material in the early Solar
System. The interstellar particles will take us one step farther back
and allow us to look at the composition of the dust cloud from which the
Solar System formed."

The Stardust mission spent 4 months collecting interstellar dust during
its 2.88 million mile journey to Comet Wild-2 and back to Earth. The
return capsule, containing the dust and samples from the comet's tail,
landed in the desert in Utah in January 2006. Since then, samples have
been distributed to selected researchers around the world.
Received on Thu 19 Apr 2007 07:11:16 PM PDT