Solid component of interplanetary matter from vehicle observations

This paper contains the data of meteoric particle investigations by means of piezoelectric detectors.The data obtained on the different Soviet vehicles at distances from about 100 km to about 100000000 km from the earth are given.Measurements have demonstrated that apart from fluxes there are individual aggregations of meteoric particles with very unequal spatial density of particles in them. Linear dimensions varied within wide limits.A concept of the mass spectrum of meteoric particles is presented.Very high concentrations of minute dust particles were observed near the earth at altitudes from 100–200 km by means of ground-based methods and rocket measurements.The increased density of interplanetary matter in the vicinity of the moon during April and May 1966 was recorded by means of satellite Luna-10. By means of Luna-12 it could not be discovered whether this aggregation is the moon halo or is the result of the moon passage through some dust particle aggregation, because the investigation on satellite Luna-12 was carried out mostly during meteor showers.