Stardust Capsule Returns to Earth
影像提供 : Stardust Team, NASA
Explanation:
A flying saucer from outer space crash-landed in the Utah desert after being tracked by radar and chased by helicopters and airplanes. Like last time, no space aliens were involved. The saucer, the Stardust return capsule, is carrying bits of Comet Wild 2 captured two years ago during a rendezvous between Stardust and the ancient comet. The capsule is pictured above entering a temporary clean room in Utah before part of it is shipped to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, USA. In the inset on the lower right, an artist depicts the capsule as it likely looked after it parachuted to a landing in the Utah desert. The upper right insert shows an image of the streaking capsule taken yesterday by a DC-8 chase plane. The bits of Comet Wild 2 stored in the Stardust return capsule are likely older than the Sun and will be inspected over the next few years for clues about the early years of our Solar System.
說明:
一架來自外太空的飛碟，在雷達追蹤、飛機及直昇機的追逐下墜毀在美國猶他州的沙漠中。 不過和以前的事件一樣，這個事件和外星人無關。 這架飛碟是星塵號的回收艙，它帶回彗星威爾德二號的碎片，它是二年前星塵號和這顆古老彗星近距離接觸時所收集的。 上面影像可見到這個回收艙在猶他州一座臨時無塵室內的情景，樣品取出後將送到美國太空總署位在美國．德州．休士頓的詹森太空中心。 右下方的嵌圖，是畫家想像中經降落傘減速後樣品艙降落在猶他州的可能場景。 右上方的嵌圖呈現了昨天從一架DC-8 追逐機所拍攝的影像，當時回收艙正高速穿過大氣。 星塵號回收艙所帶回來的彗星威爾德二號碎片很可能比太陽還要年老，在接下來的數年內將被仔細檢視，以找出我們太陽系形成初期的線索。
資料來源: Scientific American
Department of Physics, NCKU
