The Cosmic Dust Analyzer - a joint project by Max Planck and the DLR

DLR German Aerospace Center
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The Cosmic Dust Analyzer - a joint project by Max Planck and the DLR

There are a total of 18 scientific instruments on board Cassini-Huygens. One of these is the Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA), which analyses ice and dust particles in the Saturnian system. The special thing about this instrument, which is still the only one in the world, is that it can simultaneously determine the electrical charge, speed, direction of flight and mass of individual particles. The CDA, somewhat disrespectfully referred to as a 'cosmic vacuum cleaner', was developed and built as a joint project by the Institute of Planetary Research at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) in Berlin Adlershof and the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics (MPI-K).


Full article with images:
http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-24058/year-all/#/gallery/28272

DLR Cassini-Huygens special:
http://www.dlr.de/en/Saturn

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