PLANE COLLECTS PARTICLES OF GIANT METEOR EXPLOSION.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - A science research version of the U-2 spy plane flew from Edwards Air Force Base to Canada's Yukon Territory to collect atmospheric samples from the explosion of a giant meteor.

Described as one of the largest meteor events in the last 10 years, a meteor exploded Jan. 18 about 15.6 miles above the Earth near the Yukon community of Carcross, about 100 miles north of Juneau, Alaska.

The meteor explosion was so powerful it rattled windows and shook the snow off roofs of homes in Juneau. The fireball from the explosion was detected by defense satellites.

Flying at an altitude of approximately 65,000 feet, the ER-2 from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Friday used an instrument called the aerosol particulate sampler, APS, to collect samples.

Two five-inch by four-inch paddles deploy simultaneously from the airplane's left wingtip. The paddles are coated with silicone oil that collects particles from the stratosphere.

The paddles are then withdrawn into hermetic enclosures to avoid contamination.

The samples will be sent for analysis to the Johnson Space Center in Texas.

The mission was also to include aerial photography using a camera called Dual RC-10, capable of taking black and white photographs of eight-mile wide swaths. The photography will aid in determining whether there are any impact craters from the meteor.

The photography portion of the mission was dependent on weather, and it was not immediately known Friday afternoon if that portion of the mission was completed.

The mission was flown by Dryden research pilot Jim Barilleaux.