[meteorite-list] Composite and Stereo Images of Comet Wild 2

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:32:51 2004
Message-ID: <200403172135.NAA21829_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news97.html

Composite and Stereo Images of Comet Wild 2
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
March 17, 2004

On 2 January 2004, NASA's Stardust spacecraft
successfully survived flying through the coma (dust and
gas cloud) surrounding comet 81P/Wild 2, captured
thousands of fresh cometary dust particles released
from the surface just hours before, and is now on its
way home for Earth return set for January 2006. During
the flyby, the highest resolution images ever taken of a
comet 's nucleus were obtained and have been the
subject of intense study since the flyby. A short
exposure image showing tremendous surface detail was
overlain on a long exposure image taken just 10
seconds later showing jets (Image 1). "This spectacular
composite image shows a surface feature unlike any
other planetary surface see to date in our solar
system", says Prof Donald Brownlee, the Stardust
Principal Investigator from the University of
Washington. "Other than our sun, this is currently the
most active planetary surface in our solar system,
jetting dust and gas streams into space and leaving a
trail millions of km long."

        [Image]

Image 1. This composite image was taken by the
navigation camera during the close approach phase of
Stardust's Jan 2, 2004 flyby of comet Wild 2. Several
large depressed regions can be seen. Comet Wild 2
is about five kilometers (3.1 miles) in diameter.
To create this image, a short exposure image
showing tremendous surface detail was overlain
on a long exposure image taken just 10 seconds
later showing jets. Together, the images show an
intensely active surface, jetting dust and gas
streams into space and leaving a trail millions
of kilometers long.

Two other images are shown as a stereo pair and also
as a red/green stereo anaglif (Images 2 & 3). "The
overall shape of the nucleus resembles a thick
hamburger patty with a few bites taken out", says
Thomas Duxbury, the Stardust Project Manager from
JPL. "The surface has significant relief on top of
this overall shape that reflects billions of years of
resurfacing from crater impacts and out gassing".

Preliminary scientific results obtained from the Wild 2
encounter are being presented at the Lunar and planetary
Science Conference in Houston, Texas by the Stardust science team.

   [Image] [Image]
                    
Image 2 (left): Stereo image pair of comet Wild 2
Image 3 (right): Red/green stereo anaglif

Stardust will bring samples of comet dust back to Earth
in January 2006 to help answer fundamental questions
about the origins of the solar system. Additional
information about the mission is available online at

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov

Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, Colorado, built
and operates the Stardust spacecraft. The principal
investigator is astronomy professor Donald E. Brownlee
of the University of Washington in Seattle. Stardust
is a part of NASA's Discovery Program of low-cost,
highly focused science missions. JPL, a division of
the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena,
manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space
Science, Washington, D.C.
Received on Wed 17 Mar 2004 04:35:44 PM PST