Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Cerutti, H..
The Apollo program techniques for studying elemental and isotopic abundances in the solar wind are described. During Apollo 11, 12, 14 and 15 missions, aluminum foils were deployed on the lunar surface as targets for collecting solar wind ions. The foils were returned to earth, and the implanted solar wind particles were analyzed. The preliminary results showing the helium and neon concentrations are presented.
The Apollo 16 SWC experiment is a continuation of the earlier experiments; however, an essential change was introduced in the solar wind particle collection technique. Platinum surfaces were incorporated in the collector foil, and use was made of a layer technique for distinguishing particles of different energies and different directions of arrival. The improvements and the expanded scope of the Apollo 16 experiment, relative to the earlier SWC experiments, can be summarized as follows: elimination of possible residual dust contamination by treating the platinum foil sections with dilute hydrofluoric acid before analysis; increased accuracy of solar wind argon abundance; determination of solar wind albedo; and search for helium in the energy range above approximately 40 KeV/nucleon.
Aluminum foils for measuring solar wind ion composition