Sunday morning, January 15, the NASA spacecraft Stardust will return to Earth after a seven-year, three-billion-mile mission to collect -- you guessed it -- star dust. (You'll be seeing this in the news, if you haven't already.) And the name "James D. Barger" has been along for the ride the entire time. That name, along with many others, was etched into two microchips that were placed aboard the spacecraft while it was being assembled, way back in 1997. You can read the details about how that happened on the NASA web site. The craft is expected to bring back particles from a comet and from outside our solar system. These particles will provide new insights into how the solar system, and everything in it, was formed.
See "James D. Barger" on the Stardust craft
National Geographic explains the Stardust story
NASA's Official "Where is Stardust now?" Page
NASA's Official Stardust Photo Gallery
Map of the Landing Site
Google News search for NASA Stardust stories
