by Paul Gilster | Jan 15, 2006 | Interstellar Medium, Outer Solar System
The return capsule from the Stardust probe landed successfully in the Utah desert at 1012 GMT. More on Monday; for now, this BBC story contains the details, and provides video of the landing.
From the story: “‘I’m very confident we will have samples in there that are the first returned from beyond the Moon,’ former Stardust project manager, Ken Atkins, told the BBC News website.”
Well done!
In Centauri Dreams, Paul Gilster looks at peer-reviewed research on deep space exploration, with an eye toward interstellar possibilities. For many years this site coordinated its efforts with the Tau Zero Foundation. It now serves as an independent forum for deep space news and ideas. In the logo above, the leftmost star is Alpha Centauri, a triple system closer than any other star, and a primary target for early interstellar probes. To its right is Beta Centauri (not a part of the Alpha Centauri system), with Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon Crucis, stars in the Southern Cross, visible at the far right (image courtesy of Marco Lorenzi).
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