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[Stardust] Cometary particles thrill scientists
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 1/19/6 | Keay Davidson

Posted on 01/19/2006 1:04:37 PM PST by SmithL

HOUSTON -- Humanity got its first close-up look at particles from a comet this morning, as thrilled scientists unveiled images of the microscopic grains at a NASA press conference.

One image showed what appeared to be Pinocchio's nose -- a long, dark trail left by a particle as it rammed faster than a rifle bullet through a super-lightweight material designed to capture it inside the Stardust space capsule. The unevenly shaped particle, which resembled a badly burned piece of popcorn, sat at the end of the "nose."

Animated scientists unveiled this and other images of cometary particles at a NASA press conference at Johnson Space Center in Houston today.

"This exceeded all of our grandest expectations," said Stardust scientist Don Brownlee of the University of Washington. "We're absolutely thrilled." Considering all the things that can go wrong in spaceflight, he said, "it's totally remarkable to have a fully successful mission."

The seven-year Stardust mission ended Sunday, when the robotic space capsule plunged to Earth and landed by parachute in Utah. During its mission it flew by a comet, Wild 2.

Like a tennis player raising his racket, Stardust extended a waffle iron-like capturing device filled with a super-lightweight substance called aerogel. Cometary particles -- possibly millions of them -- flew into, and were trapped within, the aerogel.

Stardust also captured a far smaller number of particles of interstellar dust from the Milky Way outside our galaxy.

When NASA scientists gingerly opened the Stardust capsule at a lab in Houston on Tuesday, they "were totally overwhelmed" by what they saw, Brownlee told reporters at the press conference.

In the translucent capture material, "you could see hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of tracks" of particles that had rammed into the aerogel faster than rifle bullets, Brownlee said.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government
KEYWORDS: stardust
I'm impressed
1 posted on 01/19/2006 1:04:39 PM PST by SmithL
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To: SmithL

2 posted on 01/19/2006 1:07:40 PM PST by MineralMan (godless atheist)
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To: SmithL
Animated scientists unveiled this and other images of cometary particles at a NASA press conference at Johnson Space Center in Houston today.


3 posted on 01/19/2006 1:10:14 PM PST by Physicist
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To: MineralMan
The unevenly shaped particle, which resembled a badly burned piece of popcorn, sat at the end of the "nose."

Now, if it turns out to actually be a badly burned piece of popcorn, our theories of cosmology are going to need some serious modification.

4 posted on 01/19/2006 1:12:03 PM PST by siunevada (If we learn nothing from history, what's the point of having one? - Peggy Hill)
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To: SmithL

I can get whole cans of Comet at any Wal-Wart......and it comes in gel, too!......


5 posted on 01/19/2006 1:13:32 PM PST by Red Badger (LUKE 22:36 JESUS: "........and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one."........)
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To: siunevada

God was watching the NFL playoffs and burned the popcorn........


6 posted on 01/19/2006 1:14:24 PM PST by Red Badger (LUKE 22:36 JESUS: "........and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one."........)
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To: siunevada
if it turns out to actually be a badly burned piece of popcorn, our theories of cosmology are going to need some serious modification.

Astronomers suggest that the following images are "gravitational lenses." Bah! Materialistic claptrap by those refusing to acknowledge the Intelligent Designers! These are clearly the Beer Can Rings of The Gods!


7 posted on 01/19/2006 1:20:06 PM PST by orionblamblam (A furore Normannorum libra nos, Domine)
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To: SmithL

cool science


8 posted on 01/19/2006 1:21:22 PM PST by samtheman
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To: siunevada

"Now, if it turns out to actually be a badly burned piece of popcorn, our theories of cosmology are going to need some serious modification.
"

Seems unlikely.


9 posted on 01/19/2006 1:25:07 PM PST by MineralMan (godless atheist)
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To: SmithL

There should be more results coming from the scientists once they recover from the mysterious illness that seems to have swept the lab in the hours after opening the capsule for inspection.


10 posted on 01/19/2006 1:29:11 PM PST by Phsstpok (There are lies, damned lies, statistics and presentation graphics, in descending order of truth)
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To: SmithL

A cometary scientist is thrilled by a sample of Stardust cometary particles.

11 posted on 01/19/2006 1:34:05 PM PST by Spiff ("They start yelling, 'Murderer!' 'Traitor!' They call me by name." - Gael Murphy, Code Pink leader)
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To: MineralMan
Seems unlikely.

Indeed it does. But I couldn't resist.

12 posted on 01/19/2006 1:42:15 PM PST by siunevada (If we learn nothing from history, what's the point of having one? - Peggy Hill)
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To: Physicist
I wonder if they'll use a smellocscope on it?

Will is smell like wet ashes in a fireplace and/or spent gunpowder?

13 posted on 01/19/2006 2:05:30 PM PST by Calvin Locke
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To: SmithL
I heard that some of the dust particles collected might be 4.5 billion years old! Wow, that's way older than the stuff collecting behind my refrigerator!

All joking aside, this mission is a fabulous success story of interplanetary exploration. Along with the successful launch today of the New Horizons probe heading to Pluto and the Mars rover missions, NASA is racking up some very impressive accomplishments in unmanned space exploration.

14 posted on 01/19/2006 2:17:13 PM PST by Unmarked Package
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To: HOTTIEBOY

I think you like that star stuff.


15 posted on 01/19/2006 3:05:29 PM PST by SmithL (Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Lift up your gates and sing, Hosana in the highest! Hosana to your King!)
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To: SmithL

Houston: An employee of the Houston lab is being questioned on the disappearance of the dust collected from outer space. When questioned, he replied he was only doing his job.

It has since been learned that the employee was the night cleaner.


16 posted on 01/19/2006 3:11:38 PM PST by RetSignman (( HELP...I'm trapped between these curved things))
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