  The Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System (MIDAS) atomic force microscope (AFM)
onboard the Rosetta orbiter was the first such instrument launched into space
in 2004. Designed only a few years after the technique was invented, MIDAS is
currently orbiting comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko and producing the highest
resolution 3D images of cometary dust ever made in situ. After more than a year
of continuous operation much experience has been gained with this novel
instrument. Coupled with operations of the Flight Spare and advances in
terrestrial AFM a set of "lessons learned" has been produced, cumulating in
recommendations for future spaceborne atomic force microscopes. The majority of
the design could be reused as-is, or with incremental upgrades to include more
modern components (e.g. the processor). Key additional recommendations are to
incorporate an optical microscope to aid the search for particles and image
registration, to include a variety of cantilevers (with different spring
constants) and a variety of tip geometries.
