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Chemical composition of particles impacting LDEF
Jessberger E. K. and Stadermann F. J. (1992). COSPAR 29,
Washington, Abstract B.8-M.2.03, p. 133.
ABSTRACT
LDEF was exposed for 5 a to the extraterrestrial
environment which includes interplanetary dust, man-made
debris and natural terrestrial dust, and is potentially
hazardous for extended space missions. LDEF provided the
unique opportunity to study the effects of long-term
exposure in the laboratory after its retrieval to Earth. The
distinction of various types of particles, which is also of
scientific value to understand the Earth's environment, is
possible by studying the residues of the impactors in
craters which requires sophisticated techniques for the
analysis of the chemical and isotopic composition of
micro-layers. This is a report on the first study of impact
residues using SIMS. Its results demostrate that this type
of analysis is difficult, but yields useful information on
the near-Earth dust environment if fractionation effects are
properly taken into account.
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