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Today in History: Stardust probe collects samples from comet Wild 2

1/2/2026

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Summary

Story summary

On January 2, 2004, NASA's Stardust space probe successfully flew by comet Wild 2, collecting dust samples from its coma. This marked a significant achievement as it was the first mission to return samples from a comet. The samples provided valuable insights into the early solar system and cosmic dust.

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Story summary

On January 2, 2004, NASA's Stardust space probe successfully flew by comet Wild 2, collecting dust samples from its coma. This marked a significant achievement as it was the first mission to return samples from a comet. The samples provided valuable insights into the early solar system and cosmic dust.