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STARDUST Update - 12/05/97

In case you're wondering what this mission has in relation to meteorites,
the STARDUST spacecraft will be capturing dust particles from Comet Wild-2
and returning them back to Earth.  Some meteorites should originate from
Earth, but we aren't sure which ones.  The most likely candidate are the
CI meteorites, and perhaps other carbonaceous chondrites. We will have a
much better idea once we've get the STARDUST samples back.  The STARDUST
spacecraft is currently being assembled in Denver, Colorado, and we'll
launch in February 1999.

Ron Baalke


                           STARDUST Status Report
                              December 5, 1997

                                 Ken Atkins
                          STARDUST Project Manager

   * A decision was made to proceed with the design and production of a
     thermal-mass simulator for the Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer
     (CIDA). This is necessary to mitigate the risk that Germany's
     developers might not make the required delivery date for Assembly, Test
     and Launch Operations (ATLO) installation. The current delivery of the
     flight unit is just-in-time AFTER all the margin in the ATLO schedule
     has been exploited in the recent re-flow of the assembly process to
     provide as much schedule relief as possible to the CIDA developers. The
     current ATLO-need date (March 23) is the date the ATLO "train" leaves
     the CIDA station. If the flight unit is not there on time, the project
     will be forced to fly the simulator and descope the CIDA science.

   * Aerogel : The detailed schedule was completed this week for
     qualification and quality control processes. The plan supports delivery
     of the qual unit by Jan 5 and production of the ATLO "protoflight" tray
     by March 2. Flight tray delivery is still set for July. ATLO-need is
     October 1.

   * The deadline for the "Send Your Name To A Comet" passed on November 30.
     It will take about 2 weeks to prepare the chip before names are begun
     to be "burned" onto it. Unfortunately, a cut-off date had to be imposed
     in order to allow time to prepare the chip and to deliver it to the
     ATLO process for installation in the Sample Return Capsule.

   * The STARDUST Web Site experienced a peak of 82,863 hits on November 26,
     setting a new STARDUST record. The site has been averaging 33,000
     hits/day for the week. New images of flight hardware and facilities are
     being posted weekly to keep the site-interest high.

   * A letter from Fred Whipple, developer of the multi-shock shield concept
     for protecting the spacecraft during hypervelocity encounters was
     received to be placed on the microchip that will fly round trip to the
     Comet. This along with a letter received from Paul Wild are available
     elsewhere on the Web Site.

   * A STARDUST overview and progress presentation was made as part of this
     week's 1997 American Astronautical Society's meeting in Pasadena. Rep.
     Dana Rohrbacher, Chairman of the House Science Space and Aeronautics
     Subcommittee, provided a congressional viewpoint of NASA's programs at
     a conference luncheon. A number of NASA leaders participated in the
     conference including Dr. Wes Huntress, Associate Administrator for
     Space Science.

For more information on the STARDUST mission - the first ever comet sample
return mission - please visit the STARDUST home page:

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/