NanoSIMS Analyses of Stardust Samples. Preliminary Results on Stable Isotopic Compositions, Organics and Mineralogy

As part of the preliminary examination team for the Stardust sample return mission, the NanoSIMS facility at the Museum of Natural History in Paris has analyzed materials from the comet Wild2. We report C and N isotopic compositions and C/N ratios of organics trapped in the aerogel collector. We also report data of relevance to the mineralogical characterization of the cometary materials, such as the distribution and size- distribution of sulfides and the distribution of S associated with organics.