Purpose of the flight and payload description

The instrument was designed to be flown as stand-alone payload under a stratospheric balloon to bring back aerosol samples where abundance, size distribution, composition and mineralogy will be measured for each class of materials collected.

A sampling of the stratosphere will invariably include particles from different sources with relative contributions that vary as a function of time, altitude, and possibly geographic location. At any time the stratosphere contains extraterrestrial dust, dust from natural terrestrial sources (volcanic dust, wind-blown dust, biomass burning) and dust related to anthropogenic activities. The dust is collected by direct deposition on both holey-carbon thin films supported by standard Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) grids and other substrates.

After the flight the collected dust is analysed in laboratory by Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy (SEM, TEM), Analytical Electron Microscope (AEM), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Secondary Ions Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) without removing candidate particles, thus minimizing contamination by extraneous dust.

Video footage of the launch

Details of the balloon flight

Balloon launched on: 6/21/2008 at 6:05
Launch site: Longyearbyen Airport, Svalbard, Norway  
Balloon launched by: ISTAR (International Science Technology And Research)
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Zero Pressure Balloon Aerostar SF4 1.105-.6/0TA - 10.000 m3
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 6/25/2008
Balloon flight duration (F: time at float only, otherwise total flight time in d:days / h:hours or m:minutes - ): 4 d
Landing site: Near the Thule Air Base, Greenland

After two weeks of readiness and testing at University Centre at Svalbard (UNIS), the DUSTER payload was launched on June 21, 2008 at 06:05 UTC. The launch was performed in perfect conditions with about 3 kts of wind and partly cloudy skies.

The balloon reached an altitude of 36 kilometres and maintained this float altitude during the entire flight. Four days after the launch the payload was terminated close to Thule Air Base in northern Greenland and immediately recovered by Air Greenland by use of a helicopter.

The payload was then returned to Norway and sent on to Italy where analysis of the samples began.

External references

Images of the mission

The sun lights up the DUSTER balloon during inflation (Picture: Mr Petter Dragøy / Andoya Rocket Range) The DUSTER balloon during inflation on the runway to Svalbard Airport (Picture: Mr Petter Dragøy / Andoya Rocket Range) A closer view of the DUSTER balloon during inflation on the runway to Svalbard Airport (Picture: Mr Petter Dragøy / Andoya Rocket Range) The DUSTER balloon flying over Longyearbyen a few minutes after launch.	(Picture: Mr Petter Dragøy / Andoya Rocket Range)  

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