Abstract
Acquisition of data on the charge spectrum of ultra heavy cosmic ray nuclei in the region Z≥65 is made difficult by the extremely small abundances of these nuclei in our Galaxy. Several experiments carried out on balloons and spacecraft in the nineteen seventies resulted in the collection of a sample totalling no more than several hundred events. Here we report on some initial results from an experiment with a very large area-time factor which was designed specifically for the study of ultra heavy nuclei and which was flown in earth orbit aboard the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) for 69 months. Current scanning estimates indicate that approximately 3000 nuclei with Z>65 have been recorded. Details of the preliminary analysis of a sample are presented, future plans and prospects are discussed and the impact of the expected results on cosmic ray astrophysics is addressed.
Published Version
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