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Collector Tray
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| Sample Return Capsule with Dust Collector in the exposed position. | |
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| Sample Return Capsule with Dust Collector in the stowed position. |
The collector tray, a two-sided, grid-shaped array, was deployed from the Sample Return Capsule (SRC). After exposure, the cells assembly folded up to a compact configuration for stowage into the SRC. The SRC was about a meter in diameter, and is shown here both open and closed.
The SRC consisted of the sample tray, the aeroshield/basecover, navigation recovery aids, and event sequencer, and a small parachute system. The STARDUST spacecraft setup the proper flight trajectory and entry angle, then released the sample return canister. Upon entering the Earth's atmosphere the SRC free-fell until approximately 3 km, at which point the parachute deployment sequence was initiated. The landing site was the Utah Test and Training Range.
