Abstract. For the simulation of the first stage of preplanetary dust aggregation, we developed the cosmic dust aggregation experiment (CODAG). With CODAG, we intend to study the aggregational behaviour of a cloud of micron-sized dust particles due to Brownian motion of the grains. For a realistic simulation of the processes in the young solar system, the dust grains have to be dispersed in a rarefied gas so that mutual collisions are ballistic. Fast sedimentation of the grains in the Earth's gravitational field leads to unrealistic collision velocities and to a rapid loss of particles to the container walls. Therefore, CODAG was designed to work in a microgravity environment. In this paper, we present an overview of the experimental design of CODAG which was recently flown in a Get Away Special container during the STS-95 mission.

Keywords: preplanetary dust aggregation, Brownian motion, stereo microscopy, light scattering, production of dust clouds, microgravity experiment

Print publication: Issue 10 (October 1999)
Received 16 February 1999, in final form and accepted for publication 7 July 1999