Stardust's mission was to collect comet and interstellar dust samples. The United States launched Stardust in 1999, and the spacecraft traveled around 3 billion miles to collect samples from Comet Wild 2 and then land in the Utah desert in 2006. The spacecraft's reentry into Earth's atmosphere was 29,000 miles per hour which was the fastest of any man-made object.

The Stardust spacecraft returning to Earth had six different parts in order to ensure the sample made a safe landing. These parts were: a back shell, a canister for the sample, a grid with aerogel- a material used to insulate or protect the sample, a heat shield, a parachute system, and avionics- or electrical system. The design of Stardust helped to ensure that samples were kept safe during Stardust's descent through Earth's atmosphere.

Comets are made up of frozen dust, ice, and rock leftover from the formation of the solar system. As the comet gets closer to the Sun, it starts to melt. The parts that start melting form a cloud around the comet and a tail, which are lit by the Sun. Stardust sampled the dust of Comet Wild 2. How was this comet selected? Part of the reason is convenience- Comet Wild 2 was close enough and in a time of lower speed.

People have observed comets from Earth through at least the past 2,000 years. The image above is from the Bayeux Tapestry in France, depicting the Battle of Hastings taking place in 1066. The people illustrated are shown observing Halley's Comet, a comet that was named in the 1700s.

Everyone can watch for comets; during March 2020 many people observed Comet Neowise as its path drew close to Earth.