Home>News Center>World
         
 

Capsule brings first comet dust to earth
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-16 06:54

After a seven-year journey, a NASA space capsule returned safely to Earth on Sunday with the first dust ever fetched from a comet, a cosmic bounty that scientists hope will yield clues to how the solar system formed.

The capsule's blazing plunge through the atmosphere lit up parts of the western sky as it capped a mission in which the Stardust spacecraft swooped past a comet known as Wild 2.


Ron Ceeders, a Lockheed Martin technician, unbolts a canister containing comet dust from the Stardust capsule in a clean room Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006, at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. [AP]

"This is not the finish line. This is just the intermediate pit stop," said project manager Tom Duxbury of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., which managed the $212 million mission.

About a million comet and interstellar dust particles — most smaller than the width of a human hair — are believed to be inside a sealed canister.

The particles are thought to be pristine leftovers from the birth of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago. Some samples could be even older than the sun.

The next stop for the capsule is the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where scientists will unlock its canister later this week. After a preliminary examination, they will ship the particles to laboratories all over the world for further study to analyze their composition.

"Inside this thing is our treasure," said principal mission scientist Don Brownlee of the University of Washington.

Stardust's successful return was welcome news to the space agency, which suffered a setback in 2004 when its Genesis space probe carrying solar wind atoms crashed into the same Utah salt flats and cracked open after its parachutes failed to deploy.

After the Genesis mishap, engineers rechecked Stardust's systems. Duxbury said its return home went "like clockwork."

Early Sunday, the Stardust mothership released the shuttlecock-shaped capsule, which plunged through the atmosphere at 29,000 mph.
Page: 12



Japan issues avalanche warnings after heavy snowfall
345 killed in Hajj stampede
Tokyo Auto Salon 2006 in Chiba
 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

Major cities eye balanced growth for next 5 years

 

   
 

Beijing's approach 'appeals to Taiwan people'

 

   
 

China's interest in Africa no 'threat' - US

 

   
 

China's forex reserves top US$800 billion

 

   
 

China may merge A-share, B-share markets

 

   
 

Thousands join campaign to name pandas

 

   
  UN Security Council powers meet on Iran atom crisis
   
  Capsule brings first comet dust to earth
   
  Pakistanis rail against deadly strike by US
   
  Japanese whaler harpoon in near-miss with protesters
   
  Turkey fights bird flu outbreak, new death probed
   
  Iraqi govt seeks to stop Saddam judge quitting
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 久久亚洲国产伦理| 人妻尝试又大又粗久久| 久久精品老司机| 波多野结衣bd| 午夜视频在线观看视频| 香蕉视频在线精品| 国产欧美日韩视频免费61794 | 国产**毛片一级视频| free性熟女妓女tube| 欧美亚洲人成网站在线观看 | 日韩欧美一区二区三区久久| 免费少妇荡乳情欲视频 | 天天色天天综合| 三级毛片在线免费观看| 欧美一级欧美三级在线观看| 又粗又硬又大又爽免费视频播放 | 国产精品女同久久久久电影院| 国产无遮挡又黄又爽在线观看 | va天堂va亚洲va影视中文字幕| 欧美xxxxx在线观看| 午夜a成v人电影| 草的爽免费视频| 国内精品久久久久久| 久久久噜噜噜久久熟女AA片| 最新国产在线观看福利| 伊人久久大香线蕉综合影院首页| 美女扒开胸露出奶乳免费视频| 国产精品白丝在线观看有码| av无码免费永久在线观看| 婷婷五月综合缴情在线视频| 两个人日本免费完整版在线观看1| 无码一区二区三区中文字幕| 久久久久久久亚洲AV无码| 日韩AV无码一区二区三区不卡| 久久香蕉国产线看观看精品yw| 热热色原原网站| 你的腿再打开一点就能吃到了| 试看120秒做受小视频免费 | 国产精品国产三级专区第1集 | 午夜亚洲国产精品福利| 精品深夜av无码一区二区老年|