As the adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words… and so a movie, showing pictures at 25 frames per second, must really be worth something… Here are a few movies that I have generated in my research. I’ve tried to link them to the corresponding science topic or blog entry, where relevant.
I have also included some presentations here, effectively movies created from a slideshow with audio overlayed.
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This video gives an overview of the MIDAS atomic force microscope, currently flying on-board the Rosetta spacecraft to collect and analyse sub-microscopic dust particles .The instrument comprises two parts, the lower electronic box, and the microscope itself. Dust enters the instrument through the funnel, which protrudes through the “front” panel of the spacecraft.
The wheel at the centre of the instrument has 61 collectors, each 1.4 x 2.4 mm large, mounted on its outer circumference. Most are coated with a sticky “sol-gel” designed to fix the particles in place whilst they are scanned. After collection, the wheel rotates to move the fresh sample to the microscope stage, which then scans a sharp needle over the sample and builds a three dimensional picture of the dust.
MIDAS has 16 sharp tips, 4 of which are coated with a special magnetic layer that will allow the instrument to detect and map out any magnetic materials in the collected dust particles.
Discrete Element Modelling of Granular Cometary Surface
Presentation to the Comet Modelling Workshop held in Braunschweig, 31st May 2012
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