Stardust

E648454

Stardust was a NASA Discovery Program mission that collected and returned samples from the coma of comet Wild 2 and interstellar dust to Earth for detailed laboratory analysis.

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Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Discovery Program mission
NASA space probe
sample-return mission
affiliation NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory NERFINISHED
alsoKnownAs Stardust (spacecraft) NERFINISHED
cometClosestApproachDistance about 236 km
cometEncounterDate 2004-01-02
contractor Lockheed Martin Space Systems NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
endOfMission 2011-03-24
endOfMissionEvent spacecraft commanded to burn remaining fuel and cease operations
extendedMission Stardust-NExT NERFINISHED
extendedMissionEncounterDate 2011-02-15
extendedMissionTarget Comet 9P/Tempel 1 NERFINISHED
launchDate 1999-02-07
launchSite Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 17A NERFINISHED
launchVehicle Delta II 7426 NERFINISHED
manufacturer Lockheed Martin Astronautics NERFINISHED
massAtLaunch 385 kg
missionObjective collect interstellar dust particles
collect samples from the coma of comet Wild 2
return collected samples to Earth for laboratory analysis
missionResult detailed imaging of comet Wild 2 nucleus
detection of glycine in cometary samples
evidence that comet Wild 2 contains high-temperature minerals
first successful return of cometary dust samples to Earth
improved understanding of early Solar System materials
missionType comet sample-return mission
interstellar dust collection mission
notableFirst first mission to return solid samples from beyond the Moon to Earth
operator NASA
powerSource solar panels
primaryTarget Comet 81P/Wild 2 NERFINISHED
principalInvestigator Donald E. Brownlee NERFINISHED
program NASA Discovery Program NERFINISHED
returnedSamples cometary dust from Wild 2
interstellar dust particles
sampleCollectionMedium aerogel
aluminum foils
sampleReturnCapsuleLandingDate 2006-01-15
sampleReturnCapsuleLandingSite Utah Test and Training Range NERFINISHED
sampleReturnCapsuleOperator NASA Johnson Space Center NERFINISHED
scienceDiscipline astrochemistry
planetary science
scienceInstruments Comet and Interstellar Dust Analyzer NERFINISHED
Dust Flux Monitor Instrument NERFINISHED
Navigation Camera
Sample Collection Tray with aerogel
spacecraftBus Stardust bus
trajectoryType heliocentric orbit with Earth flybys

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