Stardust Comet Wild 2 Encounter (Artist’s Concept)

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Caption:

Artist's rendering of the Stardust spacecraft. The spacecraft was launched on February 7, 1999, from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, aboard a Delta II rocket. The primary goal of Stardust is to collect dust and carbon-based samples during its closest encounter with Comet Wild 2 -- pronounced "Vilt 2" after the name of its Swiss discoverer.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name	Value	Additional Values
Target	81P/Wild
System	Periodic Comets
Target Type	Comet
Mission	Stardust
Instrument Host	Stardust
Host Type	Sample Return
Instrument
Detector
Extra Keywords	Artwork, Color, Dust
Acquisition Date
Release Date	2005-11-03
Date in Caption	1999-02-07
Image Credit	NASA/JPL
Source	photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03183
Identifier	PIA03183