The BEAR 3 balloon will carry aloft a simplified version of a NASA device designed to capture micro-meteorites. When this capture module returns to the ground, the particulate materials will be examined in detail with the use of a petrographic microscope to determine exactly what has been captured. Hopefully, it will consist of meteorite debris from the recent Perseid meteor shower and perhaps, as a side effect, volcanic material from one or the more recent volcanic eruptions which has been throwing volcanic dust high into the atmosphere.

The meteorite capture unit uses two different materials; the first of which and near the top of the unit will be a piece of aerogel. Aerogel is the lightest known solid, and is considered the best substance available for capturing fragile particles like comet dust and micrometeorites without damaging them. When a high-velocity dust particle hits the aerogel, it buries itself in the material, creating a carrot-shaped track up to 200 times its own length. Since aerogel is translucent, the impact tracks can be traced to the location of the tiny particles themselves.

The second material used within the capture unit is a large number of flexible magnets which can attract and hold micrometeorites composed of nickel and/or iron. Both the magnets and aerogel work like flypaper. We expose these materials to the stratosphere by funneling large amounts of atmosphere through a series of baffles where both the aerogel and magnets are located. When tiny particles strike the exposed aerogel, they embed themselves and stick. Micrometeorites composed of metal - typically iron are captured and held by the magnets.

Micro-meteorites are typically smaller than a grain of sand and much less dense. Although they are insubstantial, they can travel at high speeds -- over 160,000 mph (72km/sec) resulting in the very bright "shooting stars" often seen during a meteorite shower.