This step was taken to meet stringent cleanliness guidelines for Genesis collector materials. A particle counter was used to monitor room cleanliness throughout the two-day procedure. The concentrator is shaped like an open-topped cylinder. It is positioned under the sample collection arrays in the canister. Once the arrays are swung out, solar wind will be able to flow directly into the concentrator.
Solar wind consists mainly of hydrogen and helium, the two lightest elements.
The Genesis scientists are interested in collecting samples of all the other elements in solar wind, from lithium to uranium. Their abundances in the solar wind are very low. Unfortunately, one of the most interesting elements, oxygen, tends to have high backgrounds in almost all materials. It is thus desirable to increase the implanted solar wind over this oxygen background. The Genesis concentrator does this by first applying an electric field through a grid or screen that repels the ionized hydrogen.