Tom Duxbury
Tom Duxbury
billion deserves digital last melody performed rest sang seven sleep spacecraft stardust today
We sang our spacecraft to sleep today with a melody of digital ones and zeros. Stardust has performed flawlessly these last seven years and 2.88 billion miles, and deserves a rest for a while, like the rest of the team.
answers child holding left parents profound questions return returns solar
We feel like parents awaiting the return of a child who left us young and innocent, who now returns holding answers to the most profound questions of our solar system.
comet spacecraft tools
This spacecraft is a comet explorer. It has the tools to do a lot more.
desert floor piece
This thing went like clockwork. To see that thing in one piece on the floor of the desert is very moving.
expected thrilling together works
When everything comes together and works as expected it is very thrilling and very rewarding.
drop home knew saw
When we saw that drop chute open, we knew we were home safe.
deserves last performed rest seven stardust
Stardust has performed flawlessly these last seven years ... and deserves a rest for a while.
five flew origin solar spacecraft time took
We took a spacecraft and flew it five years. But in these five years, we went back to the origin of time - to the origin of our solar system.
contact flown worst
We've flown through the worst of it and we're still in contact with our spacecraft.
acts both goes perfectly spacecraft totally
We are totally prepared, both for if everything goes perfectly and if the spacecraft acts up a little bit.
concern people protective wearing
You'll see people wearing protective gear. Our concern is (contamination) from us to the particles, not the other way.
surprising
It was a long 10 years and when it was over it was surprising it was over.
community delivered material project science since solar stardust
The Stardust project has delivered to the international science community material that has been unaltered since the formation of our solar system.
career education owe
I owe my career to my education from Purdue and all that I have achieved.