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Stardust

Stardust. Comet Sample Return Mission. Stardust Timeline. Launch Feb 07, 1999 1st Interstellar Dust Collection Feb-May 2000 2nd Interstellar Dust Collection Aug-Dec 2002 Asteroid Annefrank Flyby Nov 02, 2002 Comet Wild 2 Encounter Jan 02, 2004 Earth Return Jan 15, 2006.

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Stardust

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  1. Stardust Comet Sample Return Mission

  2. Stardust Timeline Launch Feb 07, 1999 1st Interstellar Dust Collection Feb-May 2000 2nd Interstellar Dust Collection Aug-Dec 2002 Asteroid Annefrank Flyby Nov 02, 2002 Comet Wild 2 Encounter Jan 02, 2004 Earth Return Jan 15, 2006

  3. The Stardust Mission • Collect samples of dust from comet Wild-2 (pronounced “Vilt-2”) • Collect interstellar dust samples along the way • Real-time analysis of dust composition and numbers of particles • Return dust samples to Earth! STARDUST SPACECRAFT

  4. Mission Trajectory • To meet comet Wild-2 and return samples to Earth, Stardust made 3 orbits around the Sun • Comet Wild-2 will be encountered on the second orbit • Samples of interstellar dust were collected during the first 2 orbits

  5. Stardust Firsts • First U.S. mission dedicated to studying comets • First robotic mission designed to return material from outside the Moon’s orbit • Farthest distance from Sun for a solar-powered spacecraft

  6. Why Comet Wild-2? • Comets are thought to be some of the oldest objects in the Solar System • Comet materials may contain clues to the origins of life • Comet Wild-2 is a “fresh” periodic comet. Its orbit was changed in 1974 after a close encounter with Jupiter.

  7. Catching Comet Dust • Aerogel is used to capture comet samples and interstellar dust • Must capture high-speed particles without heating them and altering their composition Particles Captured in Aerogel

  8. What is Aerogel? • Special porous material • 99.8% air • 39 times better insulator than fiberglass • 1,000 times less dense than glass • Used on Mars Pathfinder rover Crayons On Aerogel Over A Flame

  9. Aerogel is fitted into a “tennis-racket” shaped collector • One side of the collector faces toward the particles in Comet Wild 2, while the reverse side is turned toward streams of interstellar dust encountered during its journey • After the encounter comet Wild-2, the collector will be returned to Earth Dust collector assembly with aerogel foam material in place and particles that have been captured in aerogel

  10. Returning Samples to Earth • Stardust and its cargo of samples will return to Earth on January 15, 2006 • The re-entry capsule, weighing about 125 pounds, will parachute to a landing in Utah Sample Return Capsule after a successful drop test

  11. Stardust is a part of NASA’s Discovery Program

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