2006/12/15 by G. J. Flynn, P. Bleuet, J. Borg +77 · 3 citations
Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Isotope Analysis in Ecology #Planetary Science and Exploration
paper · doi:10.1126/science.1136141
openalex publication_date 2006/12/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
We measured the elemental compositions of material from 23 particles in aerogel and from residue in seven craters in aluminum foil that was collected during passage of the Stardust spacecraft through the coma of comet 81P/Wild 2. These particles are chemically heterogeneous at the largest size scale analyzed ( approximately 180 ng). The mean elemental composition of this Wild 2 material is consistent with the CI meteorite composition, which is thought to represent the bulk composition of the solar system, for the elements Mg, Si, Mn, Fe, and Ni to 35%, and for Ca and Ti to 60%. The elements Cu, Zn, and Ga appear enriched in this Wild 2 material, which suggests that the CI meteorites may not represent the solar system composition for these moderately volatile minor elements.