Abstract
When the VEGA and GIOTTO spacecrafts flew by comet p/Halley in 1986 the mass-spectrometers Puma and PIA measured the composition of cometary dust particles impacting at speeds of well above 65 km/s. Ion formation upon impact lead to mostly atomic ions. However, a small fractions of the ions measured could be related to molecules. A sophisticated analysis allowed for the first time to point to the chemical nature of cometary organics based on actual mass spectra. With the instrument CoMA for the NASA-BMFT mission CRAF much higher mass-resolution and molecule masses become accessible for in situ measurement, and will yield complementary information to the gas chromatograph CIDEX also on-board CRAF.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
