Stardust mission aerogel sample. Close-up of a piece of aerogel material being handled as part of NASA's Stardust mission. This mission, launched in 1
Stardust mission aerogel sample. Close-up of a piece of aerogel material being handled as part of NASA's Stardust mission. This mission, launched in 1999, used an aerogel collector to sample dust while passing through the coma of comet Wild 2. The Stardust sample was returned to Earth in January 2006. The aerogel containing the samples was handled in specially designed containers (as shown here) and in strict clean room conditions to avoid contamination. Several studies have been made of the cometary and interstellar dust particles collected and returned by the Stardust mission. Photographed at NASA's Ames Research Center, California, USA.
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Photo credit: © NASA/AMES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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