[X] My Assistant

[Holder of the Tw...]

An update about stardust return :
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/research/...e/stardust.html

In the report, under the heading "Watching the Stardust re-entry", it states "Viewing will not be as good at sites east of Carlin where the craft will be seen from behind." I'm a little confused here. Don't they really mean sites to the west of Carlin?

[Guest_BruceMoomaw_*]

Yet another tidbit from the COMPLEX meeting that isn't in my "Astronomy" article: Andy Dantzler insisted that they are "absolutely" certain from their review that Stardust's parachute switches do not share the fatal flaw of those in Genesis. One can hope that he knows what he's talking about.

[The Messenger]

In the report, under the heading "Watching the Stardust re-entry", it states "Viewing will not be as good at sites east of Carlin where the craft will be seen from behind."  I'm a little confused here.  Don't they really mean sites to the west of Carlin?

Must be a typo, earlier in the article they state that the best viewing will be "From Carlin East into Utahhh...There is a natural warm spring lake on the Western edge of the UTTA (East of Carlin), an interesting place to dive in the middle of winter.

[Holder of the Tw...]

Thanks. I'll be checking the weather reports soon before January 15th, and heading out for Utah/Nevada if clear skies look promising.

[Guest_RGClark_*]

Deep Impact showed Comet Tempel I to contain carbonate and clay remember:

Comet’s minerals hint at liquid water.
18:47 08 September 2005
NewScientist.com news service
"The comet crashed into by NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft on 4 July 2005 contains material apparently formed by liquid water and not ice, according to new observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope.
"This could suggests the disc of gas and dust from which the solar system formed got mixed together billions of years ago, whisking matter from warm regions near the Sun outward – or that an unknown process may allow a layer of liquid water to exist beneath the dusty coatings on comets.
"Spitzer was one of the 80 or so telescopes trained on Comet 9P/Tempel 1 when it rammed into the 370-kilogram copper-tipped impactor sent into its path. A spectrometer on the telescope detected a mix of materials as they streamed off the comet, including crystallised silicates, clay and carbonates."
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=...line-news_rss20

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http://datacore.sciflicks.com/the_andromed...ld_fire_lab.wav

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- Bob Clark

[mars loon]

The newly released and fact filled Stardust Sample Return Press Kit for Jan 2006 is here:

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/139890main_stardust-return.pdf

[ljk4-1]

John Bluck Jan. 4, 2006
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Phone: (650) 604-5026/9000

MEDIA ADVISORY: 06-01AR

NASA AIRCRAFT CREW TO OBSERVE INCOMING STARDUST SAMPLE CAPSULE

A NASA DC-8 aircraft will carry a team of scientists to observe the Stardust sample capsule as it enters Earth's atmosphere and flies to a landing in the Utah desert at 2 a.m. PST on Jan.15, 2006. The capsule is carrying comet dust that the Stardust spacecraft captured near comet Wild-2 (VILT-TWO) in January 2004.

News media are invited to apply to be one of the journalists who will ride on the NASA DC-8 aircraft on the 'Stardust observation rehearsal flights," Wednesday, Jan 11 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. PST, and Thursday, Jan. 12, from 11:45 p.m. PST to Jan. 13, 3:30 a.m. PST. Journalists may also apply for one of a limited number of seats on the actual mission on Sunday, Jan. 15, 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. PST. Media tours of the aircraft will be offered on Wednesday, Jan. 11, from noon to 2 p.m. PST.

WHAT: Opportunity to fly aboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft to observe the Stardust space capsule as it enters Earth's atmosphere. For both flights, the DC-8 will depart from NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., and return there.

WHEN: A tour of the DC-8 will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 11, from noon to 2 p.m. PST. Written requests to fly must be received no later than Jan. 9, and emailed to jbluck@mail.arc.nasa.gov and mmewhinney@mail.arc.nasa.gov. Stardust observation rehearsal flights will be held on Wednesday, Jan 11 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. PST and Thursday, Jan. 12, from 11:45 p.m. to Jan. 13, 3:30 a.m. PST. The Stardust observation mission flight will take place the early morning of Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006. In your request, please note if your organization agrees to provide pool coverage, as seating is limited.

WHO: Interviews with NASA DC-8 mission project manager Dave Jordan, SETI Institute scientist and principal investigator Peter Jenniskens and other Stardust mission scientists and engineers.

WHERE: NASA Ames Research Center Hangar N-211. News media representatives who wish to attend the DC-8 tour should report to Ames' Visitor Badging Office, located at the Ames main gate. To reach Ames, take the Moffett Field exit off Highway 101 and drive east to the main gate and Visitor Badging Office. Special instructions will be issued to those journalists who are approved to fly on the DC-8.

JPL manages the Stardust mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology. NASA's Johnson Space Center contributed to Stardust payload development, and the Johnson Space Center will curate the sample and support analysis and sample allocation.

For more information about the Stardust mission, see:

http://reentry.arc.nasa.gov

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov

[ljk4-1]

RESEARCHERS AWAIT TREASURE FROM STARDUST'S EPIC JOURNEY
-------------------------------------------------------

Donald Brownlee's heart skipped a beat six years ago when the launch of
the Stardust spacecraft didn't happen as planned. The University of
Washington astronomy professor has experienced many other tense times
since the historic mission blasted off a day late, and its return to Earth
on Jan. 15 will be just one more white-knuckle moment.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0601/03stardust/

[RNeuhaus]

Stardust Mission website

Reentry conditions:

* Peak optical brightness: -7.8 magnitude (360-630 nm)
* Date: January 15, 2006 (night time)
* Time: nighttime (about 3:00 a.m. MDT, 2:00 a.m. PDT)
* Mass: 45.8 kg
* Diameter: 0.811 meter
* Speed: 12.9 km/s (at 135 km)
* Entry angle: 8 degrees
* Landing site: U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR)
* Heat-shield material: Phenol impregnated Carbon
* Sample return: comet P/Wild 2 dust

Sun and Moon (at Boise, Idaho - longitude W116.2, latitude N43.6):

Phase of the Moon on 15 January: waning gibbous with 98% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated. Full Moon on 14 January 2006 at 2:49 a.m. Mountain Standard Time.

* Begin civil twilight: 6:43 am. PDT (7:43 a.m Mountain Daylight Time)
* Sunrise: 7:15 a.m PDT, 8:15 a.m. MDT.
* Moonset: 8:27 a.m. PDT, 9:27 a.m. MDT
* Altitude of Moon at 2:00 a.m. PDT: 68.9 degrees.
* Azimuth of the Moon at 2:00 a.m. PDT: 190.8 degrees E of N.

drop test UTTR map

Little story: Stardust was launched on Feb. 7, 1999, and set off on three giant loops around the sun. It began collecting interstellar dust in 2000 and met Wild 2 (pronounced Vilt 2) on Jan. 2, 2004, when the spacecraft weathered a hailstorm of comet particles and snapped exceptional close-up photographs of the comet's surface. During its 4,608 billion-kilometers voyage Stardust made one pass by Earth to get a speed boost from the planet's gravity, and later staged a dress-rehearsal for the comet encounter when it maneuvered very close to Asteroid 5535 Annefrank.

The tensest moment other than the comet encounter came in November 2000, while the spacecraft was cruising along some 208 million kilometers from the sun (close to Mars -228 MK-). A huge solar flare, 100,000 times more energetic than usual, engulfed Stardust and its special digital cameras that help the spacecraft know where it is by viewing the stars and making comparisons with a comprehensive star chart stored in the onboard computer. The high-energy solar flare electrified pixels in the cameras, producing dots that the computer interpreted as stars. Suddenly the spacecraft did not know where it was and, in a preprogrammed act of self-preservation, it turned its solar panels toward the sun, losing communication with Earth.

Ground controllers finally found a faint signal and were able to contact Stardust and correct the problem. A little more than three years later the spacecraft finally met the target that scientists had been aiming for since 1974, when a close encounter with Jupiter altered Wild 2's orbit and brought it to the inner solar system. That made the mission feasible.

recopiled from the following URL: http://www.spacedaily.com/news/Stardust_Ne...ic_Journey.html

Hope the Stardust will came graceful to Earth after mastering its trip to space.

Rodolfo

[Marcel]

Update:

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/news/status/060105.html

[ElkGroveDan]

OK I'm looking for advice here. I'm going to try to get a digital movie of this, as well as some stills to share with you all since I haven't had the time to participate here much beyond occasional jokes and wisecracks.

Do I stay here in Sacramento County where I'll see it at an elevation of 20 to 30 degrees depending on where I go for dark skies...or do I make the 2 hour drive in the middle of the night up I-5 to Mt. Shasta for a direct overhead view? Somewhere in between perhaps?

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[RNeuhaus]

ElkGroveDan: I would like to hear from your experiences in Sitiu. Let share with us about your early morning trip. I hope you won't miss any Red Bull !

Rodolfo

[djellison]

FWIW - I look at the ISS whenever I can, and whilst a 90 degree elev gives the longest possible pass, it's awkward to look at. My favs are when the ISS passes at about 30 - 60 degrees, 45 being the sweet spot. It's a long pass, without being a neck-craner

Of course, something like 20 degrees is good if you have a clear horizon, as you can then do long-exposures that show the trail, with ground features to give a perspective to the whole thing. I'd say you're in a nice spot to get a nice view of it right where you are - just go and find some locally high ground if you can, with a clear nHorizon to the NW and NE so you can be sure to see as much of it as possible.

Doug

[Toma B]

... make the 2 hour drive in the middle of the night up I-5 to Mt. Shasta for a direct overhead view...

Good luck & clear skyes!!!

[ElkGroveDan]

ElkGroveDan: I would like to hear from your experiences in Sitiu. Let share with us about your early morning trip. I hope you won't miss any Red Bull !

Rodolfo

I don't care much for Red Bull, so perhaps I'll try a shot of Lipovitan D in my Starbucks coffee.