Continuous large-area micrometeoroid flux measuring instrument

The characterization of dust populations between 100 microns and 1 cm is a key component to improving our understanding of the ongoing physical processes of asteroids, comets, Kuiper Belt objects, planetary rings and planetary satellites. It is also critical for satellite impact risk assessments in the near Earth environment, and future explorations to the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, etc. There is a lack of data in this critical size regime, with present in situ detection capability limited to particles 10 microns or smaller.