Home
Missions
Stardust
News
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.
About Image
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
None
Mission name: Stardust

Stardust

NASA's comet sample return mission

Mission news and discoveries
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
Long History and Bright Future of Space Sample Deliveries (NASA)June 30, 2023
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group (ExMAG) Seeks Applications for Open PositionsMarch 16, 2021
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
Clues to the Processing of Dust around StarsSeptember 27, 2019
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
Apply for "The PI Launchpad: From Science Idea to NASA Mission"September 25, 2019
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
Instrumentation and Facilities for Extraterrestrial Sample Curation and AnalysisDecember 23, 2018
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
National Academies Strategic DocumentsDecember 20, 2018
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
GEMS‐like Objects in Stardust SamplesOctober 22, 2018
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
Cometary Dust: A ReviewJune 08, 2018
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
LARS Due Dates DelayedApril 17, 2018
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
Comet Provides Rare Chance To Study Solar System’s OriginsApril 09, 2018
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
Sample Collection is HardFebruary 27, 2018
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
Refractory Grains in Cometary DustSeptember 11, 2017
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
New Data from the Kuiper Belt comet, Wild 2September 07, 2017
Stardust was the first spacecraft to return a cometary sample and extraterrestrial material from outside the orbit of the moon to Earth.
Comet Wild 2 is not a GoldmineApril 21, 2016