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Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.

NASA's Stardust sample return capsule successfully landed at the U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range at 2:10 a.m. Pacific time (3:10 a.m. Mountain time). The capsule contains cometary and interstellar samples gathered by the Stardust spacecraft.

The track a Calcium Aluminum Inclusion (CAI) particle found in aerogel cell #54.CAI's are the oldest materials that formed in the solar system and they contain a remarkable set of minerals that form at extremely high temperature.

Red/green stereo anaglyph of Comet Wild 2.

Dust collector with aerogel prior to installation on the Stardust spacecraft.

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Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.NASA

NASA's Stardust sample return capsule successfully landed at the U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range at 2:10 a.m. Pacific time (3:10 a.m. Mountain time). The capsule contains cometary and interstellar samples gathered by the Stardust spacecraft.NASA

The track a Calcium Aluminum Inclusion (CAI) particle found in aerogel cell #54.CAI's are the oldest materials that formed in the solar system and they contain a remarkable set of minerals that form at extremely high temperature.NASA

Red/green stereo anaglyph of Comet Wild 2.NASA/JPL-Caltech/UW/Cornell

Dust collector with aerogel prior to installation on the Stardust spacecraft.NASA

Mission name: Stardust

Stardust

NASA's comet sample return mission

Launch Date February 06, 1999
Arrival Date January 01, 2004
End DateMarch 08, 2011
Mission TypeSample Return
TargetComet

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Mission Overview

The primary goal of the Stardust mission was to collect samples of a comet and return them to Earth for laboratory analysis. In 2004, Stardust made a close flyby of comet Wild-2, collecting comet and interstellar dust in a substance called aerogel. Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.

Two years later, the samples made it back to Earth in a return capsule that landed in the Utah desert. The Stardust mission samples indicated that some comets may have included materials ejected from the early sun and may have formed very differently than scientists had theorized.

The spacecraft, which was still operational, was later recycled for the Stardust-NExT mission, which flew by comet Tempel 1 on Feb. 14, 2011.

Relevance to Astrobiology

Comets are ancient bodies of frozen ice and dust that formed beyond the orbit of the most distant planet. They were expected to contain materials that the Solar System formed from, preserved in ice for billions of years. Studying comets can help astrobiologists understand the processes behind planet formation in our solar system, conditions that led to habitability on Earth, and the potential role of comets in delivering key ingredients for the origins of life.

NASA Astrobiology Involvement

Researchers supported by NASA Astrobiology through the Emerging Worlds Program, the Laboratory Analysis of Returned Samples (LARS) Program, and the NAI had a vital role in development, operation, and data analysis of the Stardust mission.

The Astrobiologists

Researchers working on projects funded through the Emerging Worlds Program include: Diane H. Wooden at the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), Don Brownlee at the University of Washington, David Joswiak at the University of Washington, Ann N. Nguyen at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC), Scott Messenger at NASAJSC, and Hope A. Ishii at the University of Hawaii.

Researchers working on projects funded through the Laboratory Analysis of Returned Samples (LARS) Program include: Don Brownlee at the University of Washington, David Joswiak at the University of Washington, Ann N. Nguyen at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Scott Messenger at NASAJSC, Hope A. Ishii at the University of Hawaii, and Michael E. Zolensky at NASAJSC.

The NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) element of the NASA Astrobiology Program supported Stardust through a number of the NAI teams. Don Brownlee at the University of Washington Team served as Stardust Principal Investigar. Scott Sandford of the NASA Ames Research Center Team served as a Co-Investigator and was heavily involved in the analysis of samples. George Cody of the Carnegie Institution of Washington Team studied organics captured from come Wild 2.

Mission news and discoveries

Long History and Bright Future of Space Sample Deliveries (NASA)June 30, 2023

Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group (ExMAG) Seeks Applications for Open PositionsMarch 16, 2021

Clues to the Processing of Dust around StarsSeptember 27, 2019

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Major mission findings

December 14, 2006Comets More Complex Than Thought

Scientists found a wide range of compositions and structures in particles of comet Wild 2 that were captured and returned to Earth by NASA’s Stardust spacecraft. Findings indicated that the formation of at least some comets may have included materials ejected from the inner solar system to the far and cold outer edge of the solar nebula.

August 17, 2009Life's Building Block in Comet

NASA scientists have discovered glycine, a fundamental building block of life, in samples of comet Wild 2 returned by NASA’s Stardust spacecraft. It was the first time an amino acid had been found in a comet. Glycine is use by living organisms to make proteins, and the discovery supports the theory that some of life’s ingredients could have formed in space and been delivered to the early Earth by meteorite and comet impacts.

December 15, 2006Diverse Organics

Studies revealed a diverse suite of organic compounds in samples from comet Wild 2. Some of the organics were similar, but not identical, to those in interplanetary dust particles and carbonaceous meteorites.

Sandford, et al. (2006) Organics Captured from Comet 81P/Wild 2 by the Stardust Spacecraft. Science 314, 1720-1724.

Mission Facts

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Dr. Peter Tsou, Stardust deputy principal investigator, holds a Stardust sample tray while speaking to various news media representatives during a press conference at Johnson Space Center.

NASA's Stardust-NExT mission took this image of comet Tempel 1 at 8:39 p.m. PST (11:39 p.m. EST) on Feb 14, 2011.

This composite image shows the three worlds NASA's Stardust spacecraft encountered during its 12 year mission. The flyby of asteroid Annefrank came on Nov.2, 2002, Comet Wild 2 on Jan. 2, 2004, and comet Tempel 1 on Feb. 14, 2011.

Samples from SpacePieces of a Comet and Interstellar Dust

Stardust collected samples of the comet Wild 2 and interstellar dust in a substance called aerogel.

Stardust-NEXTOperational Spacecraft Continues to Fly

Stardust’s primary mission ended on January 15, 2006, but the spacecraft was recycled for the Stardust-NExT mission, which flew by comet Tempel 1 on Feb. 14, 2011.

Scientific Stop-OffsStardust takes a Tour

This composite image shows the three worlds NASA’s Stardust spacecraft encountered during its 12 year mission. The flyby of asteroid Annefrank came on Nov.2, 2002, Comet Wild 2 on Jan. 2, 2004, and comet Tempel 1 on Feb. 14, 2011.

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