This image illustrates one of several ways scientists have begun extracting comet particles from the Stardust spacecraft's collector. First, a particle and its track are cut out of the collector material, called aerogel, in a wedge-shaped slice called a keystone. A specialized silicon pickle fork is then used to remove the keystone from the remaining aerogel for further analysis.
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 | Color, Comet, Dust | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2006-02-21 | |
Date in Caption | ||
Image Credit | NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of California, Berkeley | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02189 | |
Identifier | PIA02189 |