The Cosmic Dust Analyzer
The Cosmic Dust Analyzer
The job of the Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) on the Cassini probe is to investigate dust particles in interplanetary space in terms of their electrical charge, speed, direction of flight, mass and chemical composition. The mechanical components of the instrument, including the turntable, with which the device can be aligned with the anticipated dust collection independently of the space vehicle, were developed and manufactured by the DLR Institute of Planetary Research. The CDA has been used to investigate the smallest ice and dust particles in the Saturnian system and especially in its rings; however, it can also detect interplanetary dust from comets and asteroids and interstellar dust.
