[meteorite-list] Magnet Lab to Analyze Stardust Mission's Comet Dust

[Ron Baalke]

Florida State University

Contact:
Munir Humayun, 850-644-1908
Pat Dixon, 850-644-4707

January 13, 2006

MAGNET LAB TO ANALYZE STARDUST MISSION'S COMET DUST
By Susan Ray

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Stardust spacecraft that left Florida seven years 
ago is expected to have its homecoming early Sunday in Utah, bringing with 
it tiny particles of comet dust that are expected to unlock big secrets 
about the origin of our solar system. A few months later, scientists in 
the Geochemistry Program at Tallahassee's National High Magnetic Field 
Laboratory will study some of those particles as they seek to discover our 
cosmic ancestry.

With grants from NASA and the National Science Foundation and matching 
funds from Florida State University, the magnet lab will acquire a 
mass-spectrometry-based "microanalysis" system for studying this and other 
extraterrestrial material. The state-of-the-art instrument will be housed 
in the lab's forthcoming Plasma Analytical Facility.

A supplemental grant also will fund educational outreach to local schools 
and the development of additional science-education materials for teachers 
through the Research Experiences for Teachers program run by the lab's 
Center for Integrating Research and Learning (CIRL 
<http://education.magnet.fsu.edu>).

Munir Humayun, an associate professor of geochemistry at FSU and one of 
the principal investigators on the grant, said the magnet lab's new 
spectrometers will be able to glean 40 times more information from the 
sample than traditional microanalysis techniques allow.

"The genealogy of the solar system is recorded in comets," said Humayun, a 
cosmochemistry expert. "These grains of authentic cometary material, 
together with the new techniques for studying them, will help us develop a 
deeper understanding of the formation of asteroids and comets. 
Understanding their origins will help us better understand our own."

Mass spectrometry -- a technique for measuring the mass of atoms or 
molecules -- is a key strength of the scientists at the magnet lab. The 
technique converts molecules to ions that then are separated, using 
magnetic fields, according to the ratio of their mass to electric charge. 
At the lab, scientists will "shoot" the cosmic dust with a laser, 
vaporizing the grains and turning them into an aerosol. That aerosol then 
will be simultaneously directed to two different mass spectrometers for 
analyses; one spectrometer will scan the sample for major elements, while 
the other measures a selection of the trace constituents. This will tell 
the scientists what elements are in the grains; from that, insights into 
the processes that formed the comets will be learned.

A covered patio area at the lab will be converted into the Plasma 
Analytical Facility. Construction will start after the lab's annual Open 
House, scheduled this year for Feb. 18. (See <http://www.magnet.fsu.edu> 
for more information).

Educational outreach is a special component of the grant. Mabry Gaboardi, 
an FSU graduate student in geochemistry, will work with local teachers to 
bring "Comet Tales" -- a hands-on educational program based on the 
Stardust mission -- into the classroom.

"If you want to teach science, you have to capture the imagination of the 
student," Gaboardi said. "That is why we are so excited to share this NASA 
mission with local students. The grains Stardust is bringing back will 
allow us to peer through time into the very birth of the solar system. 
That should fascinate anyone!"

"Comet Tales" is a two- to three-week science inquiry unit. Fifteen 
Tallahassee-area classrooms will be selected to participate, based on 
teacher interest and application. Five each of fifth-, sixth- and 
ninth-grade teachers will receive supplies and assistance to complete the 
NASA-approved unit "Technology for Studying Comets" with their students.

In this educational unit, students work cooperatively, exploring 
technology and creating collection tools like the ones used on the 
Stardust mission. Gaboardi said the focus is on technology, because 
without recent innovations such as aerogel (see 
<http://stardust1.jpl.nasa.gov/tech/aerogel.html>), scientists would not 
have the chance to make leaps of learning in space science. During the 
unit, Gaboardi will visit each classroom to introduce comet properties, 
answer questions, and assist the students in "cooking up a comet."

Teacher training is scheduled for March 17, and the unit is expected to 
run from March 27 to April 21. After the unit ends, each teacher will 
choose one student to represent his or her classroom at the magnet lab for 
a day as "Stellar Students." These students will tour the lab, where they 
will observe research activities in the Cosmochemistry Lab and meet the 
researchers.

Gaboardi and Humayun also will work with four teachers in the lab's 
Research Experience for Teachers program this summer, with the teachers 
ultimately translating their research experience into teaching and 
learning opportunities for their classrooms.

For more information about "Comet Tales" or for an application, please 
e-mail Mabry Gaboardi at gaboardi @ magnet.fsu.edu .

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory develops and operates 
state-of-the-art, high-magnetic-field facilities that faculty and visiting 
scientists and engineers use for research in physics, biology, 
bioengineering, chemistry, geochemistry, biochemistry and materials 
science. The laboratory is sponsored by the National Science Foundation 
and the State of Florida and is the only facility of its kind in the 
United States. To learn more, please visit
     http://www.magnet.fsu.edu