NASA Preparing For Probe's Return

NASA is making the last preparations for the return of the Stardust interstellar capsule, with the final correction burn set to occur Friday night at 11:53 pm EST. That burn should align the spacecraft on the proper trajectory to enter the earth's atmosphere, setting up for an on-target landing in the salt flats of Utah at 5:12 am EST Sunday morning.

Stardust is completing a 2.88 billion mile round-trip odyssey to capture and return cometary and interstellar dust particles to Earth. It is expected to hit the atmosphere at 28,860 mph, making it the fastest human-made object to ever enter the earth's atmosphere -- surpassing the record set in May 1969 by the returning Apollo 10 command module.

The capsule is expected to release a parachute at approximately 105,000 feet and descend to the salt flats. Weather permitting, it will be recovered by helicopter teams and taken to a clean room at the Michael Army Air Field, Dugway Proving Ground for initial processing.

Stardust launched on February 7, 1999, and encountered comet Wild 2 on January. 2, 2004. The probe flew less than 150 miles from the comet's nucleus, according to NASA, to capture tiny grains of interstellar dust.

As was reported in Aero-News, NASA expects this final leg of the mission to go off without a hitch -- unlike the earlier Genesis probe, which impaled itself in the Utah desert in September 2004. A glitch caused by improperly installed altitude switches failed to deploy the spacecraft's parachute.

During its voyage, Stardust captured bits of interstellar dust streaming into the solar system from other parts of the galaxy. Scientists believe these precious samples will help provide answers to fundamental questions about comets and the origins of the solar system.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/stardust