[meteorite-list] Stardust Capsule to Produce Light Show

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Jan 9 12:17:55 2006
Message-ID: <200601091716.k09HGJw07368_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060109/ap_on_sc/comet_sighting

Comet Capsule to Produce Light Show
By ALICIA CHANG
Associated Press
January 8, 2006

LOS ANGELES - 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.

Part of their mission: Determine how well the capsule's heat shield
performed during the plunge. The capsule's heat shield is among several
protective material being considered by NASA for its new crew
exploration vehicle, which is intended to replace the space shuttle.

After landing, the capsule will be shipped to the Johnson Space Center
in Houston where scientists will pry it open and study the microscopic
cometary and interstellar samples inside for clues to how the solar
system formed.
Received on Mon 09 Jan 2006 12:16:19 PM PST


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