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Printer-Friendly ModeProfessor among first to see dust from space
February 6, 2006 —
When the Stardust spacecraft returned to earth after its interplanetary journey, a SVSU professor was among the first to receive a preview of its contents.
Anne Tapp, associate professor of education, was flown to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for a sneak peek at Stardust's cargo of comet and interstellar particles from its seven-year, three billion-mile journey through the solar system.
NASA surprised Tapp by selecting her to be one of the first to catch a glimpse of cosmic dust. She was one of 10 educators chosen in 1997 to be Stardust Fellows.
As a member of the Stardust team composed of investigators, scientists and engineers, she has experienced the building of the spacecraft at Lockheed Martin in 1997, the launch of the spacecraft in 1999, and other key mission events that have taken place over the last several years.
A Frankenmuth native who now resides in Grand Haven, Tapp is looking forward to sharing the experience and information with her SVSU teacher education students.
The experience of seeing the cosmic dust brought tears to Tapp's eyes. She said the "anticipation was immense" until the moment she saw the gesture of a victory sign from Donald Brownlee, Stardust principal investigator with the University of Washington, signaling the success of the mission.
Inside the capsule, a sample tray shaped like a tennis racket held the particles captured in a substance called aerogel as the spacecraft flew within 149 miles of comet Wild 2 in January 2004. An opposite side of the tray holds interstellar dust particles caught streaming through the solar system by Stardust during its seven-year journey.
The particles will be sent to select investigators worldwide, who believe the samples may unlock the mysteries of comets and the origins of the solar system.