Comet dust of the NASA Stardust-Mission will be analyzed with German high-tech microscopes

WITec, specialist in high-resolution optical and scanning probe microscope technologies supplies a system for analyzing particles collected from the comet Wild 2 by the NASA Stardust spacecraft. The microscope will be delivered to the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington in Washington DC, specialized in the analysis of extraterrestrial material. It will investigate the particles which are only a few microns in size on behalf of NASA. WITec’s technology allows non-destructive investigations of these precious particles. With the integrated Atomic Force Microscope, high-resolution images of the particle surface structure can be obtained. Information about the chemical composition and the three dimensional distribution of the substances can be acquired with a confocal Raman microscope acting like a “chemical-sensitive eye”. By comparing this data with the results of other analysis methods, it will be possible to clarify the geological and geo-chemical proportions of the rock.

Further Info:

Press Release: German / English

Invitation Press Event: German