Cosmic Dust Catalog 14
Cosmic Dust Catalog 14 has been published in parallel with this newsletter. This catalog summarizes preliminary observations on 558 particles retrieved from collection surfaces L2008 and L2009. These surfaces were flat plate Large Area Collectors (with a 300 cm2 surface area each) which was coated with silicone oil (dimethyl siloxane) and then flown aboard a NASA ER-2 aircraft during a series of flights that were made within west-central North America during November of 1989 (L2008) and June through July of 1991 (L2009). These collectors were installed in a specially constructed wing pylon which ensured that the necessary level of cleanliness was maintained between periods of active sampling. During successive periods of high altitude (20 km) cruise, the collectors were exposed in the stratopshere by barometric controls and then retracted into sealed storage containers prior to descent. In this manner, a total of 40 hours of stratospheric exposure was accumulated for collector L2008, and 36 hours for collector L2009.
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