[meteorite-list] NASA's Comet Hunter on Final Approach For Sunday Landing

[Ron Baalke]

Jan. 12, 2006

Erica Hupp/Merrilee Fellows
Headquarters, Washington 
(202) 358-1237/ (818) 393-0754

D.C. Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(818) 393-9011

RELEASE: 06-028

NASA'S COMET HUNTER ON FINAL APPROACH FOR SUNDAY LANDING

NASA's Stardust mission return capsule will land Sunday at 
approximately 5:12 a.m. EST (3:12 MST) on the Utah Test and Training 
Range. Stardust is completing a 2.88 billion mile round-trip odyssey 
to capture and return cometary and interstellar dust particles to 
Earth. 

The spacecraft performs its last maneuver to put it on the correct 
path to enter the atmosphere tomorrow at 11:53 p.m. EST (9:53 p.m. 
MST). The speed of the capsule, as it enters the atmosphere at 28,860 
mph, will be the fastest ever of any human-made object, surpassing 
the record set in May 1969 by the returning Apollo 10 command module. 

The capsule will release a parachute at approximately 105,000 feet and 
descend to the salt flats. Weather permitting, it will be recovered 
by helicopter teams and taken to a clean room at the Michael Army 
Airfield, Dugway Proving Ground for initial processing. 

Stardust launched on Feb. 7, 1999, and encountered comet Wild 2 on 
Jan. 2, 2004. It flew less than 150 miles from the comet's nucleus to 
capture tiny grains of dust. During the voyage, the spacecraft 
captured bits of interstellar dust streaming into the solar system 
from other parts of the galaxy. Scientists believe these precious 
samples will help provide answers to fundamental questions about 
comets and the origins of the solar system. For Stardust information 
on the Web, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/stardust

NASA TV coverage starts Sunday at 4:30 a.m. EST (6:30 a.m. MST) on the 
Public (101), Education (102) and Media (103) channels. NASA TV is 
available on an MPEG-2 digital C-band signal accessed via satellite 
AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, 4040 MHz, 
vertical polarization. In Alaska and Hawaii, it's available on AMC-7 
at 137 degrees west longitude, transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz, 
horizontal polarization. For NASA TV information and schedules on the 
Web, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv 

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