Mineralogy and petrology of comet 81P/Wild 2 nucleus samples.
Science
; 314(5806): 1735-9, 2006 Dec 15.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-17170295
The bulk of the comet 81P/Wild 2 (hereafter Wild 2) samples returned to Earth by the Stardust spacecraft appear to be weakly constructed mixtures of nanometer-scale grains, with occasional much larger (over 1 micrometer) ferromagnesian silicates, Fe-Ni sulfides, Fe-Ni metal, and accessory phases. The very wide range of olivine and low-Ca pyroxene compositions in comet Wild 2 requires a wide range of formation conditions, probably reflecting very different formation locations in the protoplanetary disk. The restricted compositional ranges of Fe-Ni sulfides, the wide range for silicates, and the absence of hydrous phases indicate that comet Wild 2 experienced little or no aqueous alteration. Less abundant Wild 2 materials include a refractory particle, whose presence appears to require radial transport in the early protoplanetary disk.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
Science
Year:
2006
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States
Country of publication:
United States