Cosmic Dust News
Marc Fries, Cosmic Dust Curator
Volume 5 No. 1 • March 2023
South Pole Water Well (SPWW) Micrometeorite Collection Released!
The SPWW collection is comprised of micrometeorites retrieved from a water well melted into the Antarctic ice at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
The micrometeorites were collected as part of a PI-led investigation encompassing two expeditions in 1995 and 2000. The collection includes over 6,900
micrometeorites as well as the specialized hardware used to collect them. Descriptions of the collection efforts can be found
here
and
here, and an
overall description of the micrometeorites is found
here.
A more expansive list of references can be obtained on request from the
curator. The SPWW collection of micrometeorites has been accessioned by NASA into its broader Cosmic Dust Collection. Now that we have completed the sample catalog for the
SPWW collection, we are ready to start accepting sample requests for these samples as of 8 weeks after the release of this newsletter! The SPWW collection
description and database can be found on the
Cosmic Dust website. Most of the micrometeorites we received have been mounted in epoxy disks, polished to
expose their interiors, and imaged via SEM. Descriptions and SEM images of these micrometeorites are available in the database. Other samples in the SPWW
collection include bulk sample with the micrometeorites removed and unprocessed particulate samples from the water well floor.
2020 Geminids Timed Collection Catalog Release
Catalog 25,1 has been updated with particles from collectors W7321, W7323, W7325, and W7327 from the December 2020 "timed collection" flight. As detailed
in the previous newsletter, this flight was an attempt to collect material from the Geminids meteor shower.
Results of Aircraft Collected Particle (ACP) Collection for 2022
Two collectors were flown on a series of ER-2 flights in 2022. A "dry" collector included a fluorinated polymer foam to test its resistance to
UV degradation, as well as a honeycomb mesh collector. Post-flight examination revealed significant damage to the foam structures, suggestive of
exposure to high windspeed. Flight data may indicate that the collector was deployed prior to takeoff on the first collection flight.
Update on Balloon-Borne Collection
A Cosmic Dust Collection Prototype (CDCP) has been under development for collecting cosmic dust using NASA high altitude balloons. This approach is
intended to supplement the current practice of collecting dust using high-altitude aircraft, but would be better suited for "timed collection"
sampling because of the long flight times of NASA balloons. The CDCP was developed by two development projects by Texas A&M undergraduate students,
and then modified after ground testing. CDCP has been rebuilt with a sturdier structure, COTS electronics, and Python code using a simple text-based interface.
It has been named Muninn after a crow belonging to Odin in Norse mythology, whose task was to travel the world in search of knowledge. Muninn is assembled
and has passed preliminary function tests. The next task to submit is a structural analysis model, and a flight request for calendar year 2023 is under
consideration by the NASA Balloon office. If approved, it will perform a short test flight from either the Texas or New Mexico balloon flight facility.
Once Muninn successfully completes a test flight and any modifications deemed necessary, it will be eligible for long-duration cosmic dust collection flights
from locations worldwide.