Scientists pleased by Stardust sample return
Posted: Fri, Jan 20, 2006, 7:54 AM ET (1254 GMT)
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.
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.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
SpaceX performs two Falcon 9 launches less than an hour apart
Posted: Sun, Aug 16 10:57 AM ET (1457 GMT) Virgin Galactic delays resumption of commercial flights to 2027
Posted: Sun, Aug 16 10:54 AM ET (1454 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Friday, August 21
Musk Touts Starlink for India’s Rural Users Amid Stalled Launch
Bloomberg News — 6:52 am ET (1052 GMT) U.S. Space Forces–Space Outlines Joint and Allied Integration Strategies at Space and Missile Defense Symposium
EINPresswire.com — 6:52 am ET (1052 GMT) Williamson County grants tax incentives for Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin
Austin (TX) American-Statesman — 6:43 am ET (1043 GMT) Rocket Lab’s Bold Move to Acquire Iridium: Analysts Break Down the Strategy
ViaSatellite — 6:43 am ET (1043 GMT) SpaceX, AST Said Seeking Grain Spectrum Valued at $6 Billion
Bloomberg News — 6:39 am ET (1039 GMT) |
