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Scientists investigate pile of comet dust

Flecks of material collected during the Stardust spacecraft’s seven-year journey bear the unmistakable signature of an ancient comet, including sulfides, crystalline silicates and probably organic compounds as well.

The flecks of dust and grit are contained within 132 ice-cube-sized tiles of aerogel, an ultra-light, porous material that has been compared to "solid smoke." As the bits entered the tiles, they carved carrot-shaped or turnip-shaped tracks in the transparent aerogel.

There were preliminary indications of organic compounds, based on telltale infrared readings. A co-investigator for the Stardust mission, Scott Sandford of NASA’s Ames Research Center, cautioned that organic readings could be due to contamination.

In the weeks and months ahead, scientists will be analyzing the types of carbon found in the samples — not only to trace the organics, but also to determine whether such compounds predated the formation of the solar system.

So far, the Stardust team has not seen firm evidence that the cometary samples contained water — and that ingredient should be abundant in comets, which are popularly called "dirty snowballs." Water could not be detected directly. Rather, scientists would look for the presence of hydrated minerals created by interaction with water.

Scientists said that Stardust could eventually shed light on many of the puzzles surrounding comets and the solar system’s formation.

posted by: kyawoo at 00:38 | link | comments |
comets

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