[meteorite-list] Witness Stardust Capsule Re-Entry This Weekend

[Ron Baalke]

http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060110/NEWS10/601100361/1016/NEWS

Witness NASA capsule's re-entry this weekend
rgj.com (Nevada)
January 10, 2006

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.