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The Stardust mission returned cometary, interplanetary and (probably) interstellar dust in 2006 to Earth that have been analysed in Earth laboratories worldwide. Results of this mission have changed our view and knowledge on the early solar nebula. The Rosetta mission is on its way to land on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and will investigate for the first time in great detail the comet nucleus and its environment starting in 2014. Additional astronomy and planetary space missions will further contribute to our understanding of dust generation, evolution and destruction in interstellar and interplanetary space and provide constraints on solar system formation and processes that led to the origin of life on Earth. One of these missions, SARIM-PLUS, will provide a unique perspective by measuring interplanetary and interstellar dust with high accuracy and sensitivity in our inner solar system between 1 and 2 AU. SARIM-PLUS employs latest in-situ techniques for a full characterisation of individual micrometeoroids (flux, mass, charge, trajectory, composition()) and collects and returns these samples to Earth for a detailed analysis. The opportunity to visit again the target comet of the Rosetta mission 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimeenternko, and to investigate its dusty environment six years after Rosetta with complementary methods is unique and strongly enhances and supports the scientific exploration of this target and the entire Rosetta mission. Launch opportunities are in 2020 with a backup window starting early 2026. The comet encounter occurs in September 2021 and the reentry takes place in early 2024. An encounter speed of 6 km/s ensures comparable results to the Stardust mission.
We review the 10 year long journey into the miniaturization and integration of matter wave optics resulting in devices mounted on surfaces, so called atom chips. The first experiments started with the guiding of atoms with free standing wires and investigated the trapping potentials in simple geometries. Atom optical elements can now be micro fabricated down to 1 um size on atom chips. The creation of a Bose-Einstein condensate miniaturized in surface traps was recently achieved, and the first attempts to integrate light optics are in progress. In this review, we describe microscopic atom optics elements using current carrying and charged structures. Experiments with free standing structures (atom wires)are reviewed, investigating the basic principles of microscopic atom optics. We then discuss the miniaturization on the atom chip. One of the open central questions is dealt with: what happens with cold atoms close to a warm surface, how fast will they heat up or lose their coherence? The review concludes with an outlook of what we believe the future directions to be, and what can be hoped for.