Dr. Bauer, a highly regarded laboratory chemist at Cornell University, will directly measure rate constants for association and evaporation reactions for selected metal oxides, nitrides, and silicides. These data are needed to correctly model the condensation sequences proposed for the formation of proto- planetary grains and particles in planetary atmospheres. Extraterrestrial dust with which the Earth is constantly bombarded is one of several primary sources of knowledge of our Universe. Its origin, its distribution in space, the morphology, and the chemical composition of the solid particles designated as cosmic dust are topics of great interest. One important means of learning the nature of cosmic dust is to study the properties of possible constituents in laboratories on Earth.
