NASA’s fourth Discovery mission (which IAAA members Joy Day and BJ Johnson just happen to be involved with), Stardust was successfully launched February 7 1999 atop a med-lite version of the Delta II launch vehicle. Its primary goal is to collect comet dust and volatile samples during a planned close encounter with comet Wild 2 in January of 2004. Additionally, the Stardust spacecraft will bring back samples of interstellar dust, including dust recently discovered streaming into the solar system from the direction of Sagittarius. These materials consist of ancient pre-solar interstellar grains and nebular condensates, including remnants left over from the formation of the solar system.

The spacecraft will make three loops around the sun. On the second loop, the trajectory of the spacecraft will intersect that of Wild 2. During encounter the spacecraft will send back pictures of Wild 2, counts of comet particles striking the spacecraft, and real-time analyses of the compositions of the particles and volatiles. The capture mechanism for the returned samples will use a unique substance called aerogel attached to panels on the spacecraft to soft-catch and preserve the cometary materials. These will be dropped off in a reentry capsule that will parachute to Earth in 2006.

Stardust will approach Wild 2 from above its orbital plane, then dip slightly below it, 150 km on the sun side. The goal is to collect at least 1,000 particles of interstellar material. After the encounter with Wild 2, Stardust will orbit the Sun once more and orient itself with Earth so it can jettison the capsule containing the aerogel panels for a soft landing in the Utah Test and Training Range early on a January morning in 2006. After recovery, the canister will be transported to the planetary materials curatorial facility at Johnson Space Center and the "quest for knowledge" begins!