WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

A fourth and final Solid Rocket Booster, to be mated with a Boeing Delta II rocket, starts its lift up the tower at Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The rocket will carry the Stardust satellite into space for a close encounter with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Using a medium called aerogel, Stardust will capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a Sample Return Capsule to be jettisoned as Stardust swings by Earth in January 2006. Stardust is scheduled to be launched on Feb. 6, 1999.