missing particles...

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stevekrz
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jun 05, 2006 10:26 am
Location: Pennsylvania, USA

missing particles...

Post by stevekrz »

Is it possible to find a perfect track left but no particle in the end?
My thinking was -
- what if the particle was made of some frozen gas or liquid when it hit the aerogel in the cold of space and it has now evaporated in the lab's enviroment on earth.

Or is this line of thinking wrong.

Just thinking out loud...

:wink:
Sharqua
DustMod
Posts: 245
Joined: Thu May 18, 2006 1:02 am
Location: Bradenton, FL

Re: missing particles...

Post by Sharqua »

stevekrz wrote:Is it possible to find a perfect track left but no particle in the end?
My thinking was -
- what if the particle was made of some frozen gas or liquid when it hit the aerogel in the cold of space and it has now evaporated in the lab's enviroment on earth.
Wow! Interesting concept!

What if they ALL were like that and we ended up with trails but nothing to show for it?

Heh...

-D
spk72
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Jun 02, 2006 8:29 am
Location: Spring Grove, IL
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Post by spk72 »

Could that be proof of dark matter?
Well done is better than well said.
Benjamin Franklin
Sundevil
Posts: 41
Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 7:19 pm
Location: Ohio, USA

Post by Sundevil »

I think dark matter is something else...

But, I wonder what a small piece of frozen H2O or what a solid particle in space, but a gas at Earth pressure and temperature would show up as? Are they interested in finding those elements? Or are they trying to figure out what the composition of 'dust' particles are?

I never really considered that possibility. I guess that is why I don't work for NASA yet.
dashadeaux
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2006 9:19 am
Location: USA, Peoria Arizona

Post by dashadeaux »

As long as we're just talking...

From the StarDust Mission details:
"Interstellar dust forms by condensation in circumstellar regions around evolved stars, including red giants, carbon stars, AGB stars, novae and supernovae. The process gives rise to silicate grains when there is more oxygen than carbon in the star, and carbonaceous grains when the carbon content exceeds that of oxygen."

Solid grains are the expected.

As for vacant trails in the gel. I believe we can assume the frozen particle to be very small, otherwise it's presence would have been duly noted when the aerogel was first exposed in the lab. Continuing along this line of thought, the heat generated by the decelerating particle during capture, would have vaporized the particle long before the aerogel's return to the lab. Still it is intriquing to wonder what the evidence of any such particle would look like.

Back to solid grains. The heat of capture is expected to cause a molten, protective shield of gel to form on the leading side of the grain, thereby preserving the grains itself.

Just talkin,
Dash
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