Question

Collect information about the project “Stardust” (website: www.sci.edu/public.html and www.nasm.edu) along the following lines.

1. Which is the agency that has launched this project?
2. Why are scientists interested in collecting Stardust?
3. Where from the Stardust is being collected?

Answer 1

1. The Stardust mission was launched by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
2. • Pristine Solar System Material: Comets are ancient, frozen bodies that preserve original materials dating back to the very formation of the solar system $4.6$ billion years ago.
   • Building Blocks of Life: Analysis of the returned samples revealed organic compounds and amino acids (such as glycine), supporting theories about how prebiotic ingredients were delivered to the early Earth.
3. • Cometary Dust: Collected from the coma (the dusty atmosphere surrounding the nucleus) of Comet Wild 2 (81P/Wild 2) during a close flyby.
   • Interstellar Dust: Captured from contemporary streams of microscopic dust flowing through interstellar space into our solar system.