NASA's high-altitude ER-2 science plane has just returned to Earth after completing three eight-hour flights dedicated to collecting cosmic dust generated during the Perseid meteor shower . The collected samples will provide information on the origin and history of the solar system . Although the meteor shower is only visible to the human eye at night, the spacecraft has worked in broad daylight.
To carry out its mission, the plane must reach an altitude of more than 19,800 meters. At that moment the pilot activates the collectors, which are shaped like a shell, exposing pads impregnated with a sticky and sterile silicone oil. The doors are closed as the spacecraft descends, sealing the pads, which on its return to the mainland are sent to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for a preliminary characterization of the stardust "harvest" by its science team.
