Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System
| Operator | ESA |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Austria, the Netherlands and Germany |
| Instrument type | Atomic force microscope |
| Function | Elemental analiser |
| Mission duration | 12 years, 6 months, 28 days |
| Began operations | 6 August 2014 |
| Ceased operations | 30 September 2016 |
| Properties | |
| Mass | 8.0 kg |
| Power consumption | 7.4 W |
| Host spacecraft | |
| Spacecraft | Rosetta spacecraft |
| Operator | European Space Agency |
| Launch date | 2 March 2004 |
| Rocket | Ariane 5G+ V-158 |
| Launch site | Kourou ELA-3 |
| COSPAR ID | 2004-006A |
| Orbit | Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko |
The Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System (MIDAS) is one of several instruments on the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission which studied in-situ the environment around the active comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko as it flew into the inner Solar System. MIDAS is an atomic force microscope (AFM) designed to collect dust particles emitted from the comet, and then scan them with a very sharp needle-like tip to determine their 3D structure, size and texture with very high resolution (4 nanometers).