illuminating science

As many news services are today reporting, the Stardust spacecraft today arrived back on Earth after a seven year and three billion kilometre trip investigating the origins of our solar system. Its key project was to photograph comet Wild 2 (not because it’s crazy, but because of its discover Paul Wild, pronounced “vilt“!) and collect samples of its coma (the bright tail) and from the general solar system too. The tiny particles collected will give us clues as to the origin of our solar system, which in turn will help us better understand the galaxy and even where we might find more planets or life. Obviously those goals are a long way off, but if Stardust pays off, we’ll be one step closer.