Don Brownlee
Don Brownlee
collected either form found high hottest normally red samples siberia solar white
We found the hottest samples in the coldest place. These are mineral grains that normally form under high temperature conditions. They were either red hot or white hot grains. Yet they were collected in the Siberia of the solar system.
collected grain
Every grain that we collected has a story to tell.
collected considered extremely form found high minerals normally siberia solar
We found mineral grains that are considered very high-temperature minerals -- they normally form under extremely high temperature conditions. And yet they were collected in a comet, the Siberia of the solar system.
analysis bringing collected comet home samples
We have successfully collected samples from the comet and we're bringing them home for analysis in laboratories all over the world.
brought close collected comet earth excellent fairly marks passed provided recent samples spacecraft time
In recent decades, spacecraft have passed fairly close to comets and provided us with excellent data. Stardust, however, marks the first time that we have ever collected samples from a comet and brought them back to Earth for study.
backyard bringing collected comet course dust lands material particle per primitive square tons year
Each year we have 30 to 40,000 tons of primitive material from comets and asteroids that lands on Earth, and this is about one particle per square meter per day. So during the course of our seven-year mission, there was more comet dust collected in your backyard than what we're bringing home.
features incredible saw seen solar steep system
We saw incredible features -- steep cliffs, overhanging cliffs, spires and many other things we had never seen on other solar system bodies.
believe billion coming materials
We believe materials coming out of comets now is the same material that went into comets 4.5 billion years ago.
bright people quite sure
We weren't quite sure how bright it was going to be and some people didn't think we would see anything.
fantastic quite
We are approaching the end of a quite fantastic voyage.
becomes crew far floating galaxy giant intrigued million names outlive people red silicon spacecraft sun
We have a crew onboard of over a million people -- their names are etched in a little silicon chip. As an astrobiology-type person, I'm intrigued by the thought that those names and that spacecraft will far outlive the Earth. When the Sun becomes a red giant and scorches the Earth, that spacecraft and those names will still be floating around the galaxy somewhere.
grabbed landed piece visited
We visited a comet, grabbed a piece of it, and landed here this morning. It was a real thrill.
actual believe billion blocks building collecting formed information particles solar stored system
We are collecting the actual building blocks the solar system was formed from 4.5 billion years ago. We believe that the particles have a lot of information stored in them.
mission science
Much of the science of this mission hasn't been done yet.