Down To Earth

A capsule containing comet particles and interstellar dust has landed on Earth after a seven-year space mission.

The Stardust probe, which launched on the 7th of February, 1999, released the capsule as it flew back to Earth after a 4.6-billion-km (2.8-billion-mile) trip.

Four hours after leaving the probe, the capsule entered the Earth's atmosphere 125km (410,000ft) over the Pacific Ocean.

It reached speeds of 46,660km/h (29,000mph) - the fastest re-entry of any manmade probe - and was visible from parts of the American northwest as a streak of light in the sky.

The main parachute opened at about 3km (10,000ft), and brought the capsule down to land on a military base southwest of Salt Lake City.

The highlight of Stardust's seven-year mission was its close encounter with Comet Wild 2 in January 2004.

It swept up particles from the frozen body of ice and dust, flying to within 240km (149 miles) of the comet's core, or nucleus.

As part of its trip, the probe also captured a sprinkling of dust that originated in distant stars.

The capsule is believed to contain about a million particles of comet and interstellar dust left over from the birth of the Solar System 4.6 billion years ago.