Mars Dust Counter (MDC)
The objective of the Planet-B Mars Dust Counter (MDC) is the study of
the physical and dynamical properties of small dust particles including those which may be
ejecta from the Martian satellites Phobos and Deimos. The experiment data will be used to
study charge, mass, speed and flight direction of individual particles and the time
variation of the ejecta particle flux. The population of ejected particles, loss
mechanisms, recapture of particles by the satellites and the existence and make-up of
possible dust rings will also be examined.
The dust counter consists of a 110 x 180 mm box made of lightweight honeycomb structure mounted to the satellite platform. The lower 60 mm houses the electronics and the upper 120 mm serves as the particle detector. The open front is covered by a grounded steel grid. The inside is gold plated, all five inner sides serve as target area for particle impacts. The MDC experiment measures the electrical charges generated by high velocity impacts of small masses on the gold surfaces. Two charge collector plates which are biased by negative and positive voltages separate the positive ions on the negative collector and electrons and negative ions on the positive collector. The charges are measured by two independent channels.
Two similar versions of this experiment - the Munich Dust Counter - have been flown on board the Japanese HITEN satellite (MUSES-A mission) and the German satellite BremSat.