STARDUST Flyby of Comet Wild 2
Explanation:
Flying past a
comet
nucleus is dangerous.
On January 2, the
robot spacecraft STARDUST became
one of
the first to
plow through the
surrounding cloud of dust and grit to
photograph the very
heart of a comet.
Pictured above is a short movie of the encounter
showing unprecedented surface details of the icy center of
Comet Wild 2.
The STARDUST camera pivoted to remain
pointed at the nucleus as the spacecraft passed.
Heavily
shielded from the onslaught of
cometary debris,
STARDUST survived the beating in excellent condition.
Surprisingly, although the nucleus appeared to be solid, the
the surrounding
coma appeared to be highly fragmented into
several distinct streams of particles.
Souvenirs captured by the spacecraft will be
ejected as the spacecraft passes the Earth in January 2006.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
