- SEH Main Page
- Genesis & Stardust Hardware Availability
- Genesis
- Stardust
- Investigator Guidebook
- Other Hardware Availability
- How to Request Samples
- LDEF Information
- LDEF Database
- LDEF Sample Investigators
- LDEF Meteoroid & Debris Special Investigation Group
- The Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF):
Mission 1 Experiments (SP-473, 1984) ed. by Lenwood G. Clark, William H. Kinar, et. al.
- Space-Exposed Hardware Contact
- Genesis & Stardust Hardware Contact
Stardust
Recovery
The Stardust capsule experienced one of the fastest and hottest re-entry profiles
of any man-made object returned to Earth - reaching a peak speed of 28,500 mph. It subsequently made a relatively
gentle landing at UTTR on January 15, 2006, floating to the ground on its parachute at a speed of approximately 10
miles per hour. The capsule bounced several times and rolled about 15 feet before coming to rest, in tact, on the
desert floor. The capsule was transported to a temporary cleanroom where the science canister was extracted and
placed under nitrogen purge before both capsule and canister were flown to Johnson Space Center. The canister hinge
was disconnected and not used in opening the canister. The aerogel grid was subsequently removed from the canister
by electrically driving both the canister latches and mechanical arm. No other mechanisms were disassembled during
de-integration; however the battery and avionics box were removed in Utah and shipped separately to JSC.
Geometry
The Stardust capsule was located at one end of the more or less rectangular spacecraft bus, opposite the
approach to the comet. Both the capsule and canister operate on the same hinge, so they cannot be opened
independently. Like Genesis the bus which held the propellant tanks, dust flux monitors, camera, antennae,
solar panels, and Whipple shields, was not returned to Earth. In contrast to the Genesis capsule, the
Stardust SRC was attached to the bus at the backshell, and the capsule-canister does not open a full 180º
like those on Genesis. The avionics deck, which housed the battery and avionics box, was also located on
the backshell side of the capsule. The underside of the avionics deck served as the base of the canister.
The canister lid was located in the heatshield and the aerogel grid was exposed when the two parted. The
Stardust capsule weighed ~ 98 lbs and was 89 cm in diameter.
The photo to the right shows the deployed configuration of the Stardust capsule and canister. The avionics deck (left) shields
the contents of the backshell from direct exposure. The aerogel grid is shown partially deployed on the arm.
The heatshield on flight is filled with an isulation not shown here.
Inventory
Current inventory of Stardust flight hardware can be found in the following file:
inventory_seh_stardust.pdf
