scholarly journals Interaction of Lunar Ejecta and the Magnetosphere of the Earth

1980 ◽  
Vol 90 ◽  
pp. 425-428
Author(s):  
W. M. Alexander ◽  
J. D. Corbin
Keyword(s):  
Initial Study ◽  
Interplanetary Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Interplanetary Dust Particles ◽  
Lunar Phases ◽  
Gravitational Forces ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Significant Flux

A significant flux of ejecta from lunar impacts of interplanetary dust particles leaves selenocentric space and enters the magnetosphere of the earth. During favorable lunar phases, 80% of the ejecta enter the magnetosphere where their orbits are determined by electrodynamic as well as gravitational forces. Initial study of the orbital characteristics and perturbations of these magnetosphere ejecta is presented and its implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Orbits of Submicron Lunar Ejecta in the Earth-Moon System

1980 ◽  
Vol 90 ◽  
pp. 421-424
Author(s):  
J. D. Chamberlain ◽  
W. M. Alexander ◽  
J. D. Corbin
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Pressure ◽  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Interplanetary Dust ◽  
Submicron Particles ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Interplanetary Dust Particles ◽  
Moon System ◽  
Lunar Phases ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Flux Measurements

Flux measurements of picogram dust particles near the lunar surface and in selenocentric and cis-lunar space made by Lunar Explorer 35, HEOS, and ALSOP dust experiments all indicate, to varying degrees, ejecta from lunar impacts of interplanetary dust particles. The orbits of these submicron particles in the earth-moon system are significantly altered by radiation pressure. Recent orbit calculations show that, in favorable lunar phases, as many as 80% of the ejecta may enter the magnetosphere and 20% may enter the earth's atmosphere. The results of this analysis are presented, and their implications are discussed.

Interplanetary Dust Particles

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
George J. Flynn
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Thermal Processing ◽  
Interplanetary Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Interplanetary Dust Particles ◽  
Zodiacal Cloud ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Oceanic Sediments ◽  
Solar Ultraviolet

Scattered sunlight from interplanetary dust particles, mostly produced by comets and asteroids, orbiting the Sun are visible at dusk or dawn as the Zodiacal Cloud. Impacts onto the space-exposed surfaces of Earth-orbiting satellites indicate that, in the current era, thousands of tons of interplanetary dust enters the Earth’s atmosphere every year. Some particles vaporize forming meteors while others survive atmospheric deceleration and settle to the surface of the Earth. NASA has collected interplanetary dust particles from the Earth’s stratosphere using high-altitude aircraft since the mid-1970s. Detailed characterization of these particles shows that some are unique samples of Solar System and presolar material, never affected by the aqueous and thermal processing that overprints the record of formation from the Solar Protoplanetary Disk in the meteorites. These particles preserve the record of grain and dust formation from the disk. This record suggests that many of the crystalline minerals, dominated by crystalline silicates (olivine and pyroxene) and Fe-sulfides, condensed from gas in the inner Solar System and were then transported outward to the colder outer Solar System where carbon-bearing ices condensed on the surfaces of the grains. Irradiation by solar ultraviolet light and cosmic rays produced thin organic coatings on the grain surfaces that likely aided in grain sticking, forming the first dust particles of the Solar System. This continuous, planet-wide rain of interplanetary dust particles can be monitored by the accumulation of 3He, implanted into the interplanetary dust particles by the Solar Wind while they were in space, in oceanic sediments. The interplanetary dust, which is rich in organic carbon, may have contributed important pre-biotic organic matter important to the development of life to the surface of the early Earth.

scholarly journals The Contribution of Kuiper Belt Dust Grains to the Inner Solar System

1996 ◽  
Vol 150 ◽  
pp. 163-166
Author(s):  
Jer-Chyi Liou ◽  
Herbert A. Zook ◽  
Stanley F. Dermott
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Interstellar Dust ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Kuiper Belt ◽  
Interplanetary Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Dust Grains ◽  
Zodiacal Light ◽  
Interplanetary Dust Particles ◽  
The Earth

AbstractThe recent discovery of the so-called Kuiper belt objects has prompted the idea that these objects produce dust grains that may contribute significantly to the interplanetary dust population at 1 AU. We have completed a numerical study of the orbital evolution of dust grains, of diameters 1 to 9 μm, that originate in the region of the Kuiper belt. Our results show that about 80% of the grains are ejected from the Solar System by the giant planets while the remaining 20% of the grains evolve all the way to the Sun. Surprisingly, these dust grains have small orbital eccentricities and inclinations when they cross the orbit of the Earth. This makes them behave more like asteroidal than cometary-type dust particles. This also enhances their chances to be captured by the Earth and makes them a possible source of the collected interplanetary dust particles (IDPs); in particular, they represent a possible source that brings primitive/organic materials from the outer Solar System to the Earth.When collisions with interstellar dust grains are considered, however, Kuiper belt dust grains larger than about 9 μm appear likely to be collisionally shattered before they can evolve to the inner part of the Solar System. Therefore, Kuiper belt dust grains may not, as they are expected to be small, contribute significantly to the zodiacal light.

Meteoroid residue in craters from earth orbiting spacecraft

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 1722-1723
Author(s):  
D.E. Brownlee ◽  
J. Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Interplanetary Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Biased Sampling ◽  
Minor Amount ◽  
High Melting Point ◽  
Interplanetary Dust Particles ◽  
The Earth ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Orbiting Spacecraft ◽  
Residue Retention

The extraterrestrial meteoroid residue found lining impact craters in metal targets recovered from space is highly variable in both quantity and type. In typical craters only a minor amount of reside is found and for these craters it is evident that most of the impacting projectile was ejected during crater formation. Less than 10% of the craters >100μm contain abundant residue consistent with survival of a major fraction of the projectile. In these cases the residue can be seen optically as a dark liner and it can easily be analyzed by SEM-EDX techniques. Because they are rare, the craters with abundant residue must be a biased sampling of the meteoroids reaching the earth. Factors that favor residue retention are low impact velocity and material properties such as high melting point. In general the SEM-EDX observations of crater residues are consistent with the properties of chondritic meteorites and interplanetary dust particles collected in the stratosphere.

The origin of dust in the Solar System

1987 ◽  
Vol 323 (1572) ◽  
pp. 421-436 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Interplanetary Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Interplanetary Dust Particles ◽  
General Process ◽  
Zodiacal Cloud ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Quantitative Basis ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Exposure Ages

The assumption that the Zodiacal Cloud is a predominantly meteoritic rather than a meteoroidal complex is questioned. On the basis of (i) the observed exposure ages of interplanetary dust particles collected from the stratosphere, (ii) the compressive strength of the commonest fireballs, (iii) the existence of a broad ecliptic stream centred on the Taurids and (iv) the observation of substantial short-lived meteoroid swarms therein, a suitably consistent replenishment model is constructed in which the Zodiacal Cloud appears to derive from a now defunct large comet that arrived in an Earth-crossing orbit ca. 10-100 ka ago. A corollary of this model is that the latter’s remnant, a surviving large meteoroid, may be reactivated as a comet at intervals of ca. 1 ka giving rise to a variety of observable effects such as Zodiacal Cloud enhancements and rare multiple bombardments of the Earth by many bodies with masses at least 10 11 g, which typify a general process throughout Earth history responsible for climatic excursions and extinction events. It is recommended that a search be conducted for the large meteoroid or minor planet responsible for the dust now in the Solar System, to place our understanding of the latter’s evolution on a secure quantitative basis. If verified, this model would have profound implications so far as our understanding of the origin of comets is concerned because most of the cometary mass would apparently be contained in large differentiated bodies.

scholarly journals 2.1.1 In-Situ Records of Interplanetary Dust Particles - Methods and Results

1976 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 143-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Fechtig
Keyword(s):  
Interplanetary Dust ◽  
Space Missions ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Measure Data ◽  
Interplanetary Dust Particles ◽  
Detection Techniques ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Future Space

AbstractA review is given on the techniques used to record and to quantitatively measure data of individual interplanetary dust particles. New developments in detection techniques are briefly discussed.The main results from recent space missions at about 1 AU and in the earth-moon neighborhood are discussed and compared with the flux results from lunar microcrater studies. Spatial anisotropies and time fluctuations are found indicating that the earth is exposed to two main micrometeoroid dust populations: the “apex”-population and the B-meteoroids. The near planet-dust enrichments measured by HEOS 2 near the earth and by the Pioneer 10/11 near Jupiter are emphasized. The experimental data strongly suggest a fragmentation process associated with the earth. The role of the moon as a dust source is discussed. The important problems in the dust field for future space missions are summarized.

Accretion of Interplanetary Dust Particles by the Earth

Icarus ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
pp. 469-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J Kortenkamp ◽  
Stanley F Dermott
Keyword(s):  
Interplanetary Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Interplanetary Dust Particles ◽  
The Earth

scholarly journals Comets, Meteorites and Interplanetary Dust

1989 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 281-286
Author(s):  
D. E. Brownlee
Keyword(s):  
Interplanetary Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Substantial Fraction ◽  
Interplanetary Dust Particles ◽  
Atmospheric Entry ◽  
Presolar Grains ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Cometary Material ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractCometary debris of all sizes impacts the Earth but it is likely that only particles the size of dust survive atmospheric entry and are collected as meteoritic samples. Conventional meteorites and a substantial fraction of collected interplanetary dust particles appear to be asteroidal debris. Nearly half of the collected interplanetary particles have properties consistent with cometary material and resemble Halley dust that has lost the maiority of its carbon and nitrogen. These particles might be aggregates of presolar grains ana they provide some insight into the properties of interstellar grains.

Comets : A Key to Solar System Formation

1989 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 867-876
Author(s):  
Horst Uwe Keller
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Heliocentric Distance ◽  
Planetary System ◽  
Cometary Nucleus ◽  
Interplanetary Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Interplanetary Dust Particles ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Comet Halley

Abstract Four lines of information on comets are discussed: their orbits, their relation to other bodies of the planetary system, their physical state and chemical composition, and implications of recent observations of the nucleus of comet Halley. The in situ measurements during the flybys of comet Halley strongly support the assumption that comets are members of the solar system and were created during its formation. The region (heliocentric distance) of their formation is, however, still difficult to assess. The size, shape, and topography of the cometary nucleus suggest that it was formed from relatively large subnuclei in a region of the primordial solar nebula where relative velocities were sufficiently small. There are indications that some of the interplanetary dust particles in the Earth atmosphre may originate from comets.

scholarly journals Water and organics in interplanetary dust particles

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (A29B) ◽  
pp. 420-420
Author(s):  
John Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Lunar Soil ◽  
Interplanetary Dust ◽  
Oort Cloud ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Interplanetary Dust Particles ◽  
Atmospheric Entry ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Electron Energy Loss

AbstractInterplanetary dust particles (IDPs) and larger micrometeorites (MMs) impinge on the upper atmosphere where they decelerate at 90 km altitude and settle to the Earths surface. Comets and asteroids are the major sources and the flux, 30,000-40,000 tons/yr, is comparable to the mass of larger meteorites impacting the Earths surface. The sedimentary record suggests that the flux was much higher on the early Earth. The chondritic porous (CP) subset of IDPs together with their larger counterparts, ultracarbonaceous micrometeorites (UCMMs), appear to be unique among known meteoritic materials in that they are composed almost exclusively of anhydrous minerals, some of them contain >> 50% organic carbon by volume as well as the highest abundances of presolar silicate grains including GEMS. D/H and 15N abundances implicate the Oort Cloud or presolar molecular cloud as likely sources of the organic carbon. Prior to atmospheric entry, IDPs and MMs spend 104-105 year lifetimes in solar orbit where their surfaces develop amorphous space weathered rims from exposure to the solar wind (SW). Similar rims are observed on lunar soil grains and on asteroid Itokawa regolith grains. Using valence electron energy-loss spectroscopy (VEELS) we have detected radiolytic water in the rims on IDPs formed by the interaction of solar wind protons with oxygen in silicate minerals. Therefore, IDPs and MMs continuously deliver both water and organics to the earth and other terrestrial planets. The interaction of protons with oxygen-rich minerals to form water is a universal process.

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