NASA NTRS · 20070000532
Elemental Compositions of Comet 81P/Wild 2 Samples Collected by Stardust
Abstract
We measured the chemical compositions of material from 23 particles in aerogel and residue in 7 craters in aluminum foil, collected during passage of the Stardust spacecraft through the coma of Comet 81P/Wild 2. These particles are chemically heterogeneous at the largest size-scale analyzed, ~180 nanograms. The mean chemical composition of this Wild 2 material agrees with the CI meteorite composition for the refractory elements Mg, Si, Cr, Fe, and Ni to 35%, and for Ca and Mn to 50%. The data suggest the moderately volatile elements Cu, Zn, and Ga may be enriched in this Wild 2 material.
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Flynn, G. J., Bleuet, P., Borg, J., Bradley, J., Brenker, F., Brennan, S., Bridges, J., Brownlee, D. E., Bullock, E., Clark, B. C., Papanastassiou, D. A., Schwandt, C. S., See, T. H., Taylor, S., Tsou, P.. 2006-01-01. Elemental Compositions of Comet 81P/Wild 2 Samples Collected by Stardust. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20070000532
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.