Investigating the ability of Stardust capture media to preserve collected particles intact

N. J. Foster; P. J. Wozniakiewicz; A. T. Kearsley; M. J. Burchell; M. J. Cole; P. A. Bland

doi:10.1051/eas/1041031

All issues

Volume 41 (2010)

EAS Publications Series, 41 (2010) 395-398

Abstract

Issue		EAS Publications Series Volume 41, 2010 Physics and Astrophysics of Planetary Systems


Page(s)		395 - 398
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1051/eas/1041031
Published online		08 January 2010

Physics and Astrophysics of Planetary Systems
T. Montmerle, D. Ehrenreich and A.-M. Lagrange (eds)
EAS Publications Series, 41 (2010) 395-398

Investigating the ability of Stardust capture media to preserve collected particles intact

N. J. Foster¹, P. J. Wozniakiewicz²^,3, A. T. Kearsley², M. J. Burchell¹, M. J. Cole¹ and P. A. Bland³

¹ Centre for Astrophysics & Planetary Science, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, UK
² Impacts & Astromaterials Research Centre, Department of Mineralogy, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
³ Impacts & Astromaterials Research Centre, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK

Corresponding authors: nf40@kent.ac.uk ; p.wozniakiewicz@nhm.ac.uk

Abstract

We briefly summarise our ongoing efforts to evaluate the success of cometary particle capture by NASA's Stardust mission. We demonstrate the use of a variety of analysis techniques to investigate the state of preservation in laboratory analogues of the Stardust encounter at 6.1 km s^-1, using well characterised projectiles and flight grade foils and aerogel.