SGER: Drilling for Stardust: Technology to Collect 100,000-yr Time-Sequenced Records of Micrometeorites

该项目将设计、建造和校准一个收集器，以便在热水钻探极地冰盖期间获得微陨石和陆地尘埃的时间序列记录。微陨石是直径小于一毫米的外星尘埃颗粒。对地球微陨石通量的了解对于理解其化学演化至关重要。此外，微陨石还提供了有关恒星、太阳系和行星形成和演化的重要信息。原型收集器将作为建议用于大型钻井项目的收集器的三分之一比例。它还将自行运行，用于小型热水钻机。该收集器可以替代现有的热水钻头。它将冰中的颗粒提取到一个独立的滚动过滤器上。本项目将重点研究两个关键的概念验证问题：(1)滚动式过滤器的收集效率和时间分辨率；(2)成型钻头的性能。这项工作的更广泛影响包括开发新的研究基础设施和支持两名本科生参与。

This project will design, build and calibrate a collector to obtain time-sequenced records of micrometeorites and terrestrial dust during hot-water drilling through polar ice caps. Micrometeorites are extraterrestrial dust particles less than a millimeter in diameter. Knowledge of the Earth's micrometeorite flux is critical to understanding its chemical evolution. Furthermore, micrometeorites provide important information on the formation and evolution of stars, solar systems, and planets. The prototype collector will serve as a one third scale model of one proposed for use during large scale drilling projects. It will also be operational in its own right for use with small hot-water drills. The collector functions as a replacement to an existing hot-water drill head. It extracts particles from ice onto a self-contained scrolling filter. This project will focus on two critical proof-of-concept issues: (1) collection efficiency and time resolution of the scrolling filter and (2) performance of the shaped drill head. The broader impacts of this work include development of new research infrastructure and support for the participation of two undergraduate students.