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Obtaining Extraterrestrial Dust by Balloon Probes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

L. Baufette*
Affiliation:
Association Astronomique de Franche-Comté, Pare de l’Observatoire, 34, av. de l’Observatoire, F-25000 Besançon, France

Extract

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The “Icare” experiment, involving a balloon at a height of about 30 km was described. The gondola was made of polystyrene, the reasoning being that micrometeorites, by virtue of their velocity, would embed themselves in this to a sufficient degree that they would not be lost during the payload’s recovery and subsequent handling.

Electron microscope examination revealed dust particles collected during the flights, and micro-analysis suggests that these are truly of extraterrestrial origin.

Type
Part II Observational Methods
Copyright
Copyright © Springer-Verlag 1988