01.12.2006
NASA's Stardust mission return capsule will land Sunday at
approximately 5:12 a.m. EST on the Utah Test and Training
Range. Stardust is completing a 2.88 billion mile round-trip odyssey
to capture and return cometary and interstellar dust particles to
Earth.
The spacecraft performs its last maneuver to put it on the correct
path to enter the atmosphere tomorrow at 11:53 p.m. EST. The speed of the capsule, as it enters the atmosphere at 28,860 mph, will be the fastest ever of any human-made object, surpassing
the record set in May 1969 by the returning Apollo 10 command module.
The capsule will 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
Airfield, Dugway Proving Ground for initial processing.
Stardust launched on Feb. 7, 1999, and encountered comet Wild 2 on
Jan. 2, 2004. It flew less than 150 miles from the comet's nucleus to
capture tiny grains of dust. During the voyage, the spacecraft
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.
NASA TV coverage starts Sunday at 4:30 a.m. EST on the
Public (101), Education (102) and Media (103) channels. NASA TV is
available on an MPEG-2 digital C-band signal accessed via satellite
AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, 4040 MHz,
vertical polarization. In Alaska and Hawaii, it's available on AMC-7
at 137 degrees west longitude, transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz,
horizontal polarization. For NASA TV information and schedules on the
Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
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