[meteorite-list] Stardust Images from AAAS

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Feb 21 20:23:15 2006
Message-ID: <200602220121.k1M1LWD28589_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/news/status/2006_aaas.html

Stardust Images from AAAS

Below are three images released on February 20, 2006 by Don Brownlee
during a Stardust briefing at the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting held in St. Louis.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Washington .


[Image]
This image shows a comet particle collected by the Stardust spacecraft.
The particle is made up of the silicate mineral forsterite, also known
as peridot in its gem form. It is surrounded by a thin rim of melted
aerogel, the substance used to collect the comet dust samples. The
particle is about 2 micrometers across.

[Image]
This image shows the tracks left by two comet particles after they
impacted the Stardust spacecraft's comet dust collector. The collector
is made up of a low-density glass material called aerogel. Scientists
have begun extracting comet particles from these and other similar
tadpole-shaped tracks.

[Image]
This image illustrates one of several ways scientists have begun
extracting comet particles from the Stardust spacecraft's collector.
First, a particle and its track are cut out of the collector material,
called aerogel, in a wedge-shaped slice called a keystone. A specialized
silicon pickle fork is then used to remove the keystone from the
remaining aerogel for further analysis.
Received on Tue 21 Feb 2006 08:21:32 PM PST