[meteorite-list] Stardust Probe Lands in Utah this Weekend

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Jan 12 15:03:02 2006
Message-ID: <200601122001.k0CK1Ok13000_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635175354,00.html

Stardust probe lands in Utah this weekend

Yet the best place to view re-entry may be Nevada

By Joe Bauman
Deseret Morning News
January 11, 2006

      The best nearby location to watch the Stardust space probe burn
through the atmosphere prior to its landing at Dugway Proving Ground
isn't in Utah - it's in eastern Nevada, says an expert amateur astronomer.
      Stardust will blaze back to Earth early next Sunday about 3 a.m.,
coming in from the West. It will be back after seven years in outer
space, having scooped in examples of interstellar dust and bits of Comet
Wild-2.
      It will come in at 29,000 miles per hour, its heat shield creating
a long blaze in the dark heavens. For those in the best places,
"Stardust's return home will look like a bright, fiery meteor streaking
from northwest to southeast," said Patrick Wiggins, NASA solar system
ambassador to Utah and Nevada.
      While it should be visible across a large swath of the
northwestern United States, its landing state may not be a good place to
see it. Wiggins said the best places to see it may be along a line from
Elko, Nev., to Wendover. People there may also hear its sonic boom.
      "The view along the Wasatch Front is not expected to be good, so
some people from that area are planning an unofficial observing session
at the Wendover airport," he said. "Other groups are said to be forming
near Elko and Wells," both cities in Nevada.
      Why can't Salt Lake residents get up early and have a great view
from their front yards? First, there's the likelihood of rain, with
clouds that can ruin the view for any observer.
      According to the National Weather Service, the prediction for
Saturday and Sunday is "mostly cloudy." That does not look promising for
watching a spacecraft re-enter, at least looking at the forecast a few
days in advance.
      But even if the weather cooperated, Salt Lake City still would not
be the place to watch Stardust's return.
      "Assuming good weather, the problem is that it's simply going to
be so low from the sky that, say, from the Salt Lake Valley, the
Oquirrhs will probably stick up higher than the spacecraft will be."
      From a site to the west, it will be higher in the sky.
      The forecast for Wendover isn't much better: cloudy Saturday night
with a 40 percent chance of rain and snow, mostly cloudy on Sunday.
      But if the clouds happen to part at the right moment, the view
could be spectacular.
      "Take it from someone who has seen some spacecraft re-entries,"
Wiggins said in a telephone interview. "They're really impressive when
they go over your head."
      Not only does the re-entry create a fireball, but this can be
followed with an eerie purple ion train, a stream of charged gases.
      Clouds may not prevent all possible observations. Just possibly,
Stardust will let loose a sonic boom when it flies over.
Received on Thu 12 Jan 2006 03:01:24 PM PST