Large Area Dust Collection - On the International Space Station
Abstract
The Large Area Dust Collection (LADC), greater than 10 m^2 of instrumented silica aerogel mounted externally on the International Space Station, will capture and return large dust particles intercepted in Earth orbit. The uniqueness of LADC is that it carries a self-contained acoustic impact recording and locationing system to offer the opportunity to determine the particles' trajectories nondestructively and, for the first time, an opportunity to ascertain the particles' parent sources. Another uniqueness of LADC is that the flight cost for space deployment, integration and Earth return will be provided by the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program (STP). LAD-C flight will also provide statistical significant samples of ~thirty 100 microns large extraterrestrial particles and the retrieval of samples themselves for detailed Earth based laboratory analysis to determine the chemical and physical nature of the particles.
- Publication:
-
Dust in Planetary Systems
- Pub Date:
- January 2007
- Bibcode:
- 2007ESASP.643..219T