Stardust Capsule Lands Safely

[Mr. Anderson]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/01/15/stardust/index.html

So it landed with out flaw - unlike the Genesis capsule a year or so ago. I was hoping to find some pics online it as it streaked across the sky out west - if anyone has found some, post them here.

D

 

[Blue Velvet]

There's some softish B&W Real video here on the BBC's site.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4614222.stm

Can't help but think of The Andromeda Strain.

Edit: And of course there are images here.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stardust/main/index.html

 

[Lacero]

I'd be interested to know if the capsule picked up any alien hitchhikers while cruising in the cold, bleakness of space. Interesting none the less. Does anyone know if the capsule used aerogel?

Here's to the Crazy Ones ​

 

[Mr. Anderson]

There's some softish B&W Real video here on the BBC's site.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4614222.stm

Can't help but think of The Andromeda Strain.

Edit: And of course there are images here.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stardust/main/index.html

Thanks! And I was also thinking of the Andromeda strain, but forgot to mention it.....makes you wonder if that sort of thing will ever happen....if we continue to to the planets, I'm sure it will just be a matter of time before we'll be worrying about the Martian Flu - but probably not in my lifetime

D

 

[Blue Velvet]

Does anyone know if the capsule used aerogel?

Yes, it did. Amazing stuff.

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/tech/aerogel.html

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/photo/aerogel.html

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Just thought i would mention that this thing flew around the Sun "Sol" twice before going by comet wild which was near Jupiter at the time. It should have some very interesting stuff stuck in its aerogel. 7 years it took to do this. Good science.
Its a shame govt goes for politics/military in space instead of science,exploration and working on a real spaceship. Even Nasa' new to be crew exploration vehicle will really be just more apollo so in the end if we have a rock or asteroid heading our way there is little we could do.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

Glad to hear about the successful landing.

 

[Applespider]

Yes, it did. Amazing stuff.

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/tech/aerogel.html

And they're still looking for volunteers to run a virtual microscope to check the aerogel for particles.

There's more info and a link on how to apply here on the BBC site

 

[Veldek]

I'd be interested to know if the capsule picked up any alien hitchhikers while cruising in the cold, bleakness of space. Interesting none the less.

I was wondering the same. What if some sort of bacteria or something like that which has been frozen on the comet does enter Earth? Might be SF, but I wonder if there's some sort of security involved...

 

[Jaffa Cake]

I was wondering the same. What if some sort of bacteria or something like that which has been frozen on the comet does enter Earth? Might be SF, but I wonder if there's some sort of security involved...

You need to be careful about stuff that comes from returned satellites and the like. Blue already mentioned The Andromeda Strain and there's always the possibility of something like this happening...

 

[MacSA]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/stardust/060118capsule.html

Scientists at the Johnson Space Center in Houston were excited and awed Tuesday by what they saw when the sample-return canister from the Stardust spacecraft was opened.

 

[MacSA]

Check out this video of the reentry:

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/photo/stardust_reentry.html


This movie was taken from a NASA DC-8 aircraft as the Stardust sample return capsule entered the atmosphere in the early morning hours of Jan. 15, 2006. At the time this video was shot, the DC-8 was flying at the eastern edge of the Nevada state line. The Stardust sample return capsule had a soft landing in the US Air Force's Utah Test and Training Range at 3:10 am MST.