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Stardust & Dawn

Stardust & Dawn. Fiona Ward. Stardust Spacecraft. Launched 7 Feb 1999 Mission: to collect dust samples from the coma of comet Wild 2 and samples of cosmic dust completed 15 Jan 2006 Mission extension called NExT : Feb 2011 Intercepted Tempel 1 Ceased operations in March 2011.

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Stardust & Dawn

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  1. Stardust & Dawn Fiona Ward

  2. Stardust Spacecraft Launched 7 Feb 1999 Mission: to collect dust samples from the coma of comet Wild 2 and samples of cosmic dust completed 15 Jan 2006 Mission extension called NExT: Feb 2011 Intercepted Tempel 1 Ceased operations in March 2011

  3. Stardust Accomplishments • Returned particles: ancient building blocks of the solar system • Before: expected to mainly be dust that formed around other stars, older than the Sun (“stardust” or “pre-solar grains”) • After: • Comets = "fire and ice“ • Ice formed in cold regions beyond Neptune • Rocks formed in regions close to Sun

  4. Dawn Spacecraft Launched 27 Sept 2007 To study Vesta (protoplanet) and Ceres (dwarf planet) Currently on route to Ceres (Feb 2015) “To characterize the early solar system and the processes that dominated its formation.”

  5. Dawn Accomplishments Entered Vesta’s orbit 16 July 2011 Estimated size of Vesta'score (220 km across) Vesta believed to be the last large planetoid Discovered dark spots and streaks on Vesta likely deposited by ancient asteroid impacts Photographed gullies on the surface of Vesta which appear to have been eroded by flowing liquid, possibly even water

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