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Final reports of the Stardust Interstellar Preliminary Examination
Author(s) -
Westphal Andrew J.,
Bechtel Hans A.,
Brenker Frank E.,
Butterworth Anna L.,
Flynn George,
Frank David R.,
Gainsforth Zack,
Hillier Jon K.,
Postberg Frank,
Simionovici Alexandre S.,
Sterken Veerle J.,
Stroud Rhonda M.,
Allen Carlton,
Anderson David,
Ansari Asna,
Bajt Saša,
Bastien Ron K.,
Bassim Nabil,
Borg Janet,
Bridges John,
Brownlee Donald E.,
Burchell Mark,
Burghammer Manfred,
Changela Hitesh,
Cloetens Peter,
Davis Andrew M.,
Doll Ryan,
Floss Christine,
Grün Eberhard,
Heck Philipp R.,
Hoppe Peter,
Hudson Bruce,
Huth Joachim,
Hvide Brit,
Kearsley Anton,
King Ashley J.,
Lai Barry,
Leitner Jan,
Lemelle Laurence,
Leroux Hugues,
Leonard Ariel,
Lettieri Robert,
Marchant William,
Nittler Larry R.,
Ogliore Ryan,
Ong Wei Ja,
Price Mark C.,
Sandford Scott A.,
Tresseras JuanAngel Sans,
Schmitz Sylvia,
Schoonjans Tom,
Silversmit Geert,
Solé Vicente A.,
Srama Ralf,
Stadermann Frank,
Stephan Thomas,
Stodolna Julien,
Sutton Steven,
Trieloff Mario,
Tsou Peter,
Tsuchiyama Akira,
Tyliszczak Tolek,
Vekemans Bart,
Vincze Laszlo,
Korff Joshua,
Wordsworth Naomi,
Zevin Daniel,
Zolensky Michael E.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
meteoritics and planetary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.09
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1945-5100
pISSN - 1086-9379
DOI - 10.1111/maps.12221
Subject(s) - astrobiology , cosmic dust , extraterrestrial life , interplanetary dust cloud , impact crater , meteorite , interstellar medium , solar system , physics , astronomy , geology , galaxy
With the discovery of bona fide extraterrestrial materials in the Stardust Interstellar Dust Collector, NASA now has a fundamentally new returned sample collection, after the Apollo, Antarctic meteorite, Cosmic Dust, Genesis, Stardust Cometary, Hayabusa, and Exposed Space Hardware samples. Here, and in companion papers in this volume, we present the results from the Preliminary Examination of this collection, the Stardust Interstellar Preliminary Examination ( ISPE ). We found extraterrestrial materials in two tracks in aerogel whose trajectories and morphology are consistent with an origin in the interstellar dust stream, and in residues in four impacts in the aluminum foil collectors. While the preponderance of evidence, described in detail in companion papers in this volume, points toward an interstellar origin for some of these particles, alternative origins have not yet been eliminated, and definitive tests through isotopic analyses were not allowed under the terms of the ISPE . In this summary, we answer the central questions of the ISPE : How many tracks in the collector are consistent in their morphology and trajectory with interstellar particles? How many of these potential tracks are consistent with real interstellar particles, based on chemical analysis? Conversely, what fraction of candidates are consistent with either a secondary or interplanetary origin? What is the mass distribution of these particles, and what is their state? Are they particulate or diffuse? Is there any crystalline material? How many detectable impact craters (>100 nm) are there in the foils, and what is their size distribution? How many of these craters have analyzable residue that is consistent with extraterrestrial material? And finally, can craters from secondaries be recognized through crater morphology (e.g., ellipticity)?