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Stardust Part II, Deep Impact Revisited?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the expensive-crash-test-dummy dept.

oneill40 writes to tell us New Scientist is reporting that NASA's Stardust spacecraft may be gearing up for another run. Stardust recently made the news by returning samples from the comet Wild 2 and is being looked at to pick up where the Deep Impact mission left off. From the article: "In addition to revealing the comet's interior composition, studies of the crater should shed light on the comet's structure and density. "If the impactor hit something that was very hard, it would produce a smaller crater than if it hit something very soft," Veverka told New Scientist."

3 of 22 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Good use of resources... by Chris+Burke · · Score: 2, Informative

    Well, according to TFA it sounds like multiple missions aren't in the cards, since it only flew by earth to drop the sample. It apparently has enough fuel for this new mission, but probably not for others.

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  2. Waiting and Service Life by necro81 · · Score: 3, Informative

    The article states that the extended mission would go down like this: the Stardust mothership is in a solar orbit. In 2007 it could fire its thrusters to head back towards earth by early 2009. A gravity assist from earth could fling it out to comet Tempel 1 for a 2011 rendezvous.

    It'd be awesome if they can pull it off, and pretty cheap as such missions go (since the craft is already built and in space). However, I have to wonder, will the spacecraft still be in working order come 2011? I don't think it was designed to have much of a mission life once it had sent away the sample return. Anyone know?

    1. Re:Waiting and Service Life by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      However, I have to wonder, will the spacecraft still be in working order come 2011? I don't think it was designed to have much of a mission life once it had sent away the sample return. Anyone know?

      The consumables (ie propellant) and solar arrays, along with the pointing system for the high gain antennas are more the drivers for lifespan. As long as those are OK, you'll likely have a usable spacecraft.