File:Delta II 7426 with Stardust before launch.jpg

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Description	English: Delta II 7426 with Stardust before launch, Cape Canaveral, February 1999 original image caption: The Boeing Delta II rocket carrying the Stardust spacecraft waits for launch at Launch Pad 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Station. The targeted launch time is 4:06 p.m. EST. Stardust is destined for a close encounter with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Using a silicon-based substance called aerogel, Stardust will capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet. The spacecraft also will bring back samples of interstellar dust. These materials consist of ancient pre-solar interstellar grains and other remnants left over from the formation of the solar system. Scientists expect their analysis to provide important insights into the evolution of the sun and planets and possibly into the origin of life itself. The collected samples will return to Earth in a sample return capsule to be jettisoned as Stardust swings by Earth in January 2006.
Date	Taken on 6 February 1999
Source	https://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/#/Detail/29702
Author	This file is lacking author information.

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