Interplanetary Dust: A Sneaky Way to Study Comets.

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It is estimated that Earth accumulates around 30,000 tonnes of space dust each year. These dust particles are so tiny, that their movement through the solar system can be affected simply by the light from the sun. The light causes … Continue reading →

Stardust workshop at Timber Cove, California (Feb. 4 to 9, 2011)

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The focus of this meeting was to discuss recent results from the Stardust mission which was the first space mission ever to collect and return cometary material (from comet 81P/Wild 2) and contemporary interstellar dust in 2006. Material collection was … Continue reading →

Stardust-NExT meets Comet Temple 1.

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Stardust-NExT is the reborn Stardust spacecraft that flew past Comet Wild II in 2004 and returned cometary grains to Earth in 2007.  After it successfully achieved its primary mission it was sent to observe Comet Temple 1 that had an … Continue reading →