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Plastic Foam ? Good idea! Engineers did consider that method during the years of research and development that led up to STARDUST. Comet particles would slam into the foam, where they would be embedded and preserved for analysis upon the probe's return to Earth.
But foam proved not to be the best method for capturing these particles intact. Try again!
| Use inflatable plastic tubes to capture comet vapor from particles that penetrate the tubes and vaporize | Use a sponge-like silicon material called aerogel, capture the particles intact |