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Aerogel?
That's right! Plastic tubes and foam were considered during the years
of research and development that led up to STARDUST. But when engineers turned
to aerogel, they realized that it could capture these tiny particles intact.
Aerogel is an amazing substance—a silicon-based solid with a porous, sponge-like structure in which 99 percent of the volume is empty space. It's 1,000 times less dense than glass, another silicon-based solid. When a particle hits the aerogel, it will bury itself in the material, creating a carrot-shaped track up to 200 times its own length, as it slows down and comes to a stop.
Good
work! You've learned how spacecraft engineers solved some of the big problems
posed by the STARDUST mission. Now it's time to find out what challenges you'll
have to solve when designing your spacecraft.
Begin the Mission Briefing on Space Junk!
| Aerogel images copyright 1996-97, California Institute of Technology. All rights reserved. Further reproduction prohibited. |