About Dust Experiment (DEX):
- It is the first Indian-made instrument to hunt for these high speed Interplanetary Dust Particles (IDPs).
- It is the first-of-its-kind instrument designed to detect such high-transient particles.
- It is developed by the Physical Research Laboratory,
- It was flown on PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) of the PSLV-C58 XPoSat Mission.
- Features of Dust Experiment (DEX):
- It is a compact instrument tuned to hear impacts, capturing vital data.
- It is a blueprint of the detector which can study the cosmic dust particle at any planet having atmosphere or no atmosphere.
- Significance:
- Its data redefines our understanding of the universe and charts the path for safe human deep-space missions.
- Understanding and collecting data on interplanetary dust in Earth’s atmosphere will also be valuable for planning Gaganyaan missions.
What are Interplanetary Dust Particles (IDPs)?
- Interplanetary dust refers to micrometer-scale particles originating from the solar system.
- These are microscopic shrapnel from comets and asteroids that form our atmosphere's mysterious "meteor layer", and show up as “shooting star” in night.
- These can be analyzed to gain insights into their origins, formation mechanisms, and the processes that occurred in early solar and presolar environments.
