Stardust (spacecraft)

Stardust
A spacecraft is depicted following a comet from within its tail.
Artist's impression of Stardust collecting dust particles from Comet Wild 2
NamesDiscovery 4
Stardust-NExT
Mission typeSample return
OperatorNASA / JPL
COSPAR ID1999-003A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.25618
Websitesolarsystem.nasa.gov
Mission durationStardust:
6 years, 11 months, 8 days
NExT:
4 years, 2 months, 7 days
Total:
12 years, 1 month, 17 days
Spacecraft properties
BusSpaceProbe[1]
ManufacturerLockheed Martin
University of Washington
Launch mass385 kg (849 lb)[2]
Dry mass305.397 kg (673.29 lb)[3]
DimensionsBus: 1.71 × 0.66 × 0.66 m[1]
(5.6 × 2.16 × 2.16 ft)
Power330 W (Solar array / NiH2 batteries)
Start of mission
Launch date7 February 1999, 21:04:15.238 (1999-02-07UTC21:04:15) UTC[4]
RocketDelta II 7426-9.5
D-266
Launch siteCape Canaveral SLC-17
ContractorLockheed Martin Space Systems
End of mission
DisposalDecommissioned
DeactivatedSpacecraft: 24 March 2011, 23:33 (2011-03-24UTC23:34) UTC[5]
Landing dateCapsule: 15 January 2006, 10:12 UTC[6]
Landing siteUtah Test and Training Range
40°21.9′N 113°31.3′W / 40.3650°N 113.5217°W / 40.3650; -113.5217
Flyby of Earth
Closest approach15 January 2001, 11:14:28  UTC
Distance6,008 km (3,733 mi)
Flyby of asteroid 5535 Annefrank
Closest approach2 November 2002, 04:50:20 UTC[7]
Distance3,079 km (1,913 mi)[7]
Flyby of Wild 2
Closest approach2 January 2004, 19:21:28 UTC[7]
Distance237 km (147 mi)[7]
Flyby of Earth (Sample return)
Closest approach15 January 2006
Flyby of Earth
Closest approach14 January 2009, 12:33  UTC
Distance9,157 km (5,690 mi)
Flyby of 9P/Tempel
Closest approach15 February 2011, 04:39:10 UTC[8]
Distance181 km (112 mi)[9]

Stardust was a 385-kilogram robotic space probe launched by NASA on 7 February 1999. Its primary mission was to collect dust samples from the coma of comet Wild 2, as well as samples of cosmic dust, and return them to Earth for analysis. It was the first sample return mission of its kind. En route to Comet Wild 2, it also flew by and studied the asteroid 5535 Annefrank. The primary mission was successfully completed on 15 January 2006 when the sample return capsule returned to Earth.[10]

A mission extension, codenamed NExT, culminated in February 2011 with Stardust intercepting Comet Tempel 1, a small Solar System body previously visited by Deep Impact in 2005. Stardust ceased operations in March 2011.

On 14 August 2014, scientists announced the identification of possible interstellar dust particles from the Stardust capsule returned to Earth in 2006.[11][12][13][14]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LaunchPressKit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Stardust was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference pds.inst.sdu was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference nssdc-003a was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference nasa20110325 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference newsci20060115 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference info-stardust was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference info-next was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference nasa20110214 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference route was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference NASA-20140814 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference AP-20140814 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference SCI-20140814 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference SCI-20140815 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).