On it is a tape with solar panels and microcontainers
MOSCOW, June 20. /TASS/. The spacecraft, which will be able to collect nanoscale objects of extraterrestrial origin in the vicinity of the libration points (the point at which the gravitational forces of the Sun and the planet are balanced) of the planets of the Solar System, was developed at the Ryazan State Radio Engineering University named after V. F. Utkin. This is stated in the materials distributed by the Federal Institute of Industrial Property (available to TASS).
"The invention relates to small-size research binary spacecraft (BCA) designed to search for and collect nanoscale objects of extraterrestrial origin that have accumulated in cosmic dust structures located in the vicinity of libration points (Lagrange points)," the materials say.
The device contains a tape with solar panels and microcontainers installed on it. In its upper and lower parts are high-voltage busbars that create an electric field (positively and negatively charged), attracting nanoobjects. The tightness of the microcontainers is ensured by sealing with special films, which eliminates the ingress of earth particles. At the moment of sealing, a barcode sensor is triggered, which records information about the sealing time to restore information about the location of the device.
After collecting the nanoobjects, the solar cell collapses. They are then expected to be transported to Earth for study using fluorescence and electron microscopes.
