Posted on 01/08/2006 7:31:40 PM PST by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES - When a NASA capsule hauling comet and interstellar dust plummets through the Earth's atmosphere this weekend, residents in large sweeps of the West will witness a cosmic spectacle.
During the Stardust capsule's blazing re-entry at 1:57 a.m. PST Sunday, it will travel at 29,000 mph, making it the fastest man-made object to return to Earth.
The 100-pound cargo will arc over Northern California toward Utah's Dugway Proving Ground, a remote Army base southwest of Salt Lake City.
Residents in parts of Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and Utah should see the Stardust capsule as it streaks across the pre-dawn sky. Prime viewing will be along Nevada's Interstate 80 where residents can view the capsule's front.
The capsule's glow is expected to shine as bright as Venus for 90 seconds. It will appear brightest over Carlin, a small mining city in northeast Nevada.
The capsule will likely appear as a bright pink dot to the naked eye. In certain places, those with telescopes may see the capsule pass in front of the moon, appearing as a tiny dot trailed by a dark wave of hot air and debris from its heat shield.
During the capsule's descent, a team of scientists aboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft will track it and measure its brightness.
Part of their mission: Determine how well the capsule's heat shield performed during the plunge. The capsule's heat shield is among several protective material being considered by NASA for its new crew exploration vehicle, which is intended to replace the space shuttle.
After landing, the capsule will be shipped to the Johnson Space Center in Houston where scientists will pry it open and study the microscopic cometary and interstellar samples inside for clues to how the solar system formed.
bttt
My name went up on one! It had a bad outcome and I didn't keep the info and for the life of me I can't remember which one! Guess that's a sign of age:)
Yes, the returning capsule has (2) micro chips with names on them which were submitted prior to launch.
I added myself and members of my family to the chip.
For fond memories I even added my paternal Grandfather, who went to his grave declaring man never stepped foot on the moon.
Papa would rant that " It's just a government ploy to get more tax money from us using this space hoax!".
The chips will go on display at the NASA Space museum as I recall. People on tours will be able to look up names. I am not sure if looking up names will be an online opportunity.
There is an identical set of chips (2) which are still traveling through space attached to the main part of the space craft used to get the samples.
I have already signed up to volunteer to search a tiny portion of gel of any dust particle. If someone finds a particle. it will be named after them if I am recalling the derails correctly. .
I'm headin up to Redding right now where it will be visible at a 45 degree elevation. Skies have totally cleared up. Taking lots of pictures and movies. Will let you all know tomorrow.
Looks like the release of the reentry capsule was successful, I'm going to bed, I hope the rest of the mission proceeds as well.
Thanks for the heads up. Looks like it will come straight over my house. Clear skies here.
Thanks and Good luck.
We're pretty clear here in San Jose, doubt we'll see it tho.
Any descript etc is greatly appreciated, I'll add clip links etc as they turn up.
NASA's Stardust Passes Moon, Just Hours Away From Earth Return
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stardust/news/stardust-20060114a.html
NASA TV coverage begins 4:30 a.m. Eastern
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
Capsule to Bring Comet Samples to Earth ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1558313/posts
Ed Sullivan: Is that your crash helmet?
Jose: Oh, I hope not.
excerpt
The Fiery Return of NASA's Space Dust Cargo
11.29.05
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/research/exploringtheuniverse/stardust.html
The mini, Apollo-like capsule will shoot down through the air at the highest spacecraft re-entry speed into Earth's atmosphere ever, generating extremely high temperatures. The capsule's special carbon-based heat shield, developed at NASA Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, will protect the priceless cargo of comet dust and interstellar grains. During this blistering re-entry, the DC-8 crew will take surface-temperature and shock-radiation measurements of the heat shield as part of it burns away. Shock radiation is light emitted from extremely hot air. Scientists will study this light to learn how hot the capsule gets and what chemical reactions are taking place. These chemical reactions will result from of the violent breakup of air molecules that collide with vapor in front of the speeding capsule.
At the same time as the DC-8 crew is flying its mission, amateur astronomers, willing to endure the cold of the bitter winter, may contribute to the study by simply photographing the incoming capsule, noting their global positions and later providing that information to mission scientists.
One of the goals of the researchers aboard the DC-8 is to measure the capsule's re-entry brightness. Scientists expect it to peak at approximately the brilliance of Venus for roughly 90 seconds. The capsule will be brightest 37 miles (60 kilometers) high over the town of Carlin, Nev., as the spacecraft approaches. This will occur in the early morning cold and darkness on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006, shortly before the spacecraft parachutes to a landing at 3 a.m. MST. The landing zone is a restricted area – the Utah Test and Training Range, located southwest of Salt Lake City.
"As the observer sees the approaching capsule, it will appear as a point of light," said Peter Jenniskens, principal investigator of the Stardust Sample Return Capsule Re-entry Observing Campaign. Jenniskens is a meteor astronomer at the SETI Institute, Mountain View, Calif. "After it passes the observer, the back of the capsule will be less bright, and it will quickly fade. Each observer will have a different experience," Jenniskens added.
Eureka report. Got outside at 1:50. Thin Clouds/fog here but it did clear a hole to the north and I could see Polaris and the Big Dipper.
Saw nothing/Heard nothing here?
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/ for coverage of the helicopter hunt for stardust.
This image released by NASA shows the Stardust Capsule return
as seen from NASA's DC-8 Airborne Laboratory. The light
emitted by the fireball is caused by the capsule streaking through
the sky. "Stardust" safely returned to Earth carrying precious
samples of dust from stars and comets that could offer vital clues
about the solar system's origins.(AFP/NASA/ARC-HO)
Framegrab from NASA television shows scientists approaching the Stardust comet capsule after it landed safely in the Utah desert. "Stardust" safely returned to Earth carrying precious samples of dust from stars and comets that could offer vital clues about the solar system's origins.(AFP/NASA-HO)
NASA's Stardust sample return capsule is seen after it successfully landed at the U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range early January 15, 2006. The capsule contains cometary and interstellar samples gathered by the Stardust spacecraft. EDITORIAL USE ONLY REUTERS/NASA/Handout
This NASA television image shows the Stardust sample return capsule in a temporary cleanroom at the Michael Army Air Field in Utah, January 15, 2006. Earlier, the capsule successfully landed at the U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range at 3:10 a.m. Mountain time (1010 gmt). It contains cometary and interstellar samples gathered by the Stardust spacecraft. EDITORIAL USE ONLY REUTERS/NASA/Handout
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