Collecting cometary dust particles on metal blacks with the COSIMA instrument onboard ROSETTA

After a brief review of the instrument development and materials selection for collecting cometary dust in the vicinity of comet 67/P Churyumov–Gerasimenko we focus on laboratory verification for the capability of metal black targets to decelerate and capture dust particles (velocities in the order of 100 m/s; sizes of some 10 μm). The results indicate that particles between 10 and 100 μm size can be collected with high probability. Two basic mechanisms of energy dissipation upon impact could be identified: By internal friction within a highly structured dust and within the black’s nanostructure. In addition to the actual ROSETTA mission the data presented here might have a more general relevance for future, similar in-situ investigations.