Stardust in 'superb' condition

2006-01-15 18:43

Washington - The US space probe Stardust was in superb condition after returning to Earth Sunday carrying precious dust from stars and comets, according to mission officials.

The 46kg capsule was in "absolute excellent condition" after landing in the Utah desert, ending a seven-year journey across billions of kilometres in space, said Joe Vellinga, the Stardust programme manager for US aeronautics firm Lockheed Martin.

Launched in 1999, Stardust collected the samples in the first attempt to gather, beyond the Moon, space particles that date back to before our solar system was born, or about 4.5 billion years ago.

Scientists believe the samples could offer vital clues about the origins of our solar system.

"I am very proud to say that after seven years and almost 4.63 billion kilometres, in a harsh environment space, the Stardust capsule is back on earth, back home in our hands," said Andrew A Dantzler, director of Nasa's solar system division.

Drop chute

Nasa described the capsule's entry speed - at 46 444km/h - as the fastest ever of any human-made object, topping the record set in May 1969 by the returning Apollo 10 command module.

"When we saw that drop chute open, we knew we were home safe," said Tom Duxbury, the mission's manager for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The mission was the first attempt to gather, beyond the Moon, space particles that date back to before our solar system was born, or about 4.5 billion years ago.

Scientists believe the samples could offer vital clues about the origins of the solar system.

Painstaking analysis could take scientists as long as 10 years.

The work, according to one scientist, could be compared to finding 45 ants on a football field, or studying 5²cm of earth at a time.

To help the researchers, the University of California, Berkeley, has launched a drive to recruit 30 000 volunteer students, who will have access to a powerful microscope via the internet.

Trip

The Stardust probe, weighing 385kg, was launched in 1999, circled the Sun twice and then flew by comet Wild 2 in January 2004, which at the time was located next to Jupiter.

During its hazardous traverse, the spacecraft first deployed a shield to protect itself from gases and space dust contained in the halo of the comet.

It then flew within 240km of Wild 2, catching samples of comet particles and taking detailed pictures of Wild 2's pockmarked surface.

The 72 pictures of Wild 2 taken by the probe show its rugged surface, including craters as well as about 20 "geysers" spewing gas and dust.

During 195 days of the flight, Nasa engineers used a collector to gather interstellar dust that will also allow scientists to study the make-up of stars.

The special collector contains aerogel, a unique substance that can trap the particles and store the precious cargo safely for the trip back to Earth.

About four hours after releasing its return capsule, Stardust entered Earth's atmosphere at about 125km.

The capsule then released a drogue parachute at approximately 32km.

Once the capsule had descended to about 3km, its main parachute deployed, leading to a very swift deceleration. "It's like (being) the parent at the graduation of a cum laude student," glowed former Stardust project manager Ken Atkins.

"We had a great navigation and engineering team."

- AFP