Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage conditions may apply

This experiment was deployed on Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, and 16 to determine the chemical composition of solar wind. The moon provided an excellent location to study solar wind because, unlike the Earth, it has no magnetic field to deflect solar wind and no atmosphere to absorb it. The solar wind composition experiment consisted of an aluminum (or in the case of Apollo 16, aluminum and platinum) foil sheet erected on a pole. The charged particles comprising the solar wind would embed in the foil, which would be taken back to Earth for analysis.

It was donated to the Smithsonian by the experiment's Principle Investigator in 1974.

 Display Status

This object is on display in Destination Moon at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Destination Moon
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type EQUIPMENT-Lunar Manufacturer University of Berne, Switzerland
 Dimensions 3-D (Foil): 140.3 × 33.7 × 5.7cm (4 ft. 7 1/4 in. × 1 ft. 1 1/4 in. × 2 1/4 in.)
3-D (Rod): 161.9 × 3.8cm (5 ft. 3 3/4 in. × 1 1/2 in.)
 Materials Aluminum
Adhesive
Plastic
 Inventory Number A19740726000 Credit Line Donated by Dr. J. Geiss, University of Bern Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.