Ice "with" fire "complex of comets (map)

NASA "Stardust" project scientist 13, reported that they were comets "Wirth-2" dust particles found only at high temperatures to produce substances. Scientists think that this discovery not only demonstrate the diversity of Comet material composition, also reveals some of the early history of the solar system.

This substance is olivine, i.e. magnesium silicate and composed of iron silicate crystals. Since this is an extremely high temperatures will formation of crystals, usually in the volcanic rocks on the earth can be found in. But the scientists in the distant, cold Comet discovered its existence, the unexpected. Apart from olivine, they also found to contain calcium, aluminum, titanium and other metals of the lens, and can only be generated at high temperatures.

"Stardust" project Chief Scientist Donald · Brown on the day Lee said, people usually think of comets in our solar system peripheral cold of the activities of Astral, mainly composed of ice, dust and gas composition of the comet "Wirth-2" is present on such high-temperature formation of olivine, means that this Comet history "fire and ice". View Lee Brown, this finding indicates that the different composition of the Comet is not consistent, each also has a different history, and "Wirth-2" history is particularly complex.

Project scientist ranks Lenski, olivine, crystal that constitute the Comet is low to high temperatures to form a hybrid of various substances. He speculated that the sun began to form might have a very strong eruptive activity, put it, near high temperature formation of olivine and other substances "blow" to the solar system, these substances are similar "Wirth-2" by absorption of the comet.

1999 launch of "Stardust" spaceship through 45 million km of the "long March space." In January 2004, the spacecraft and the comet "Wirth-2" near the intersection, and collecting a comet dust samples. January 15, morning, reentry successfully landed in the United States in the desert of Utah.

"Stardust" Project Planner, Deputy Chief Scientist Zou Chol said, "Stardust" captured Comet particles quantity is more than one million, only visible to the naked eye can see traces of more than 20, these particles are distributed to more than 150 scientists study. Spacecraft in the solar system flight also captured a lot of interstellar dust particles between, scientists will soon be a detailed analysis.