spacetoday.net: Scientists pleased by Stardust sample return

Posted: Fri, Jan 20, 2006, 7:54 AM ET (1254 GMT)
Stardust capsule after landing (NASA)

Scientists involved with NASA's Stardust mission said Thursday that they were extremely happy with the cargo of cometary and interstellar dust returned by the spacecraft. The Stardust capsule parachuted to Earth early Sunday, nearly seven years after the spacecraft launched on its mission, and two years after it flew past the comet Wild-2. Project scientists said they were "totally overwhelmed" with the amount of dust captured by the spacecraft, embedded within blocks of aerogel. Over one million particles one micron or larger were collected, including one grain that created a hole in the aerogel large enough to stick a small finger into. Initial scientific results from studies of the particles are expected in March.