Context. The Stardust flyby mission to Jupiter-family comet (JFC) 81P/Wild 2 (hereafter, 81P) captured its dense quasicircular depressions. Nevertheless, the formation mechanism remains a subject of ongoing debate.
comet 81P/Wild 2
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
Comet 81P/Wild 2: A Record of the Solar System’s Wild Youth
NASA’s Stardust mission returned rocky material from the coma of comet 81P/Wild 2 (pronounced “Vilt 2”) to Earth for laboratory study on January 15, 2006. Comet Wild 2 contains volatile […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report
Thermochemical Stability of Low-Iron, Manganese-Enriched Olivine in Astrophysical Environments
Low-iron, manganese-enriched (LIME) olivine grains are found in cometary samples returned by the Stardust mission to comet 81P/Wild 2. Similar grains are found in primitive meteoritic clasts and unequilibrated meteorite […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
NASA Research Shows DNA Building Blocks Can Be Made in Space
NASA-funded researchers have found more evidence meteorites can carry DNA components created in space.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Sample Return
Stardust Preliminary Findings: NASA Astrophysicist Scott Sandford (Transcript and Podcast)
Jesse Carpenter: NASA study finds new kind of organics in Stardust mission samples. Hi, I’m Jesse Carpenter and you’re listening to a podcast presented in three parts from the NASA […]