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Sample Curation


  Photo of the Stardust Curation class 100 cleanroom at Johnson Space Center
The Stardust Curation class 100 cleanroom at Johnson Space Center.

In 2006, the STARDUST sample return capsule (SRC) returned to Earth (at the Utah Test and Training Range), and was immediately flown to the newly constructed Stardust Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center. Once safely at JSC, the canister was opened and the aerogel and its comet and interstellar dust harvest were inspected. The SRC contents, including the aerogel and contained samples, were maintained at a class 100 cleanroom environment or better during this deintegration. Particulate and non-volatile residue (NVR) witness plates were used to monitor the environment during the times aerogel was open to the laboratory air, and monitored daily for visible particulate contamination.


The remaining portions of the SRC will remain in Space-Exposed Hardware Laboratory for characterization of the effects of exposure to contamination and the space environment, including surveys of the micrometeorite impact record.