The primary goal of the STARDUST mission is to collect cometary coma samples and interstellar dust samples and return them to Earth. The returned samples will be investigated by a global community of researchers at laboratories capable of analyzing extraterrestrial materials at the levels of spatial scale and accuracy where the most critical information in these primitive materials is retained. On a single mission, STARDUST will collect both ancient presolar interstellar grains and nebular condensates that were incorporated into comets at the birth of the solar system and, as a target of opportunity, will capture contemporary particles presently entering the solar system from the interstellar medium.

Five years after launch in February 1999, the comet samples will be collected during a £ 6.5 km/s flyby of Comet Wild 2 on or about New Year's Day, 2004. At this extraordinary low flyby speed, coma dust will be captured by impact into ultra-low density aerogel. Particle collection at this speed has been extensively demonstrated in laboratory simulations and Shuttle flights. The unique and probably most important result of the study of the returned samples will be detailed analyses of the elemental, isotopic, mineralogical, chemical, and biogenic properties of cometary matter at the characteristic micron size scale of interstellar grains and initial nebular condensates. In addition to collection, comet dust will be studied in real time by a German-supplied time-of-flight mass spectrometer derived from the PIA (particle impact analyzer) instrument carried to comet Halley on Giotto. This Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer (CIDA) will provide data on organic particle materials that may not survive aerogel capture. Because of the uncertainty in the cometary ephemeris, a CCD camera will be carried to provide navigational information to achieve the close flyby of the comet. To exploit the presence of the optical navigation camera, the camera will image the comet nucleus during the encounter; motion compensation will be made with a scan mirror. Several other spacecraft systems will be used to provide scientific data on the dust flux and fluence and comet mass.

The comet encounter takes place at about 2.0 AU from the sun or + ¤ - 150 days around Wild 2 perihelion passage. The fly-through of the coma is planned on the sun side at a distance of about 100 km from the nucleus.

Three orbits will be made around the sun to minimize the Delta V requirement for the mission so that a Med-Lite launch vehicle can be utilized. This will maximize the time for enroute collection of interstellar dust. Interstellar dust collection will be accomplished on aphelion legs of the transfer trajectory, which will allow the dust to be collected at low velocity. The velocity results by orienting the spacecraft so that the trajectory velocity subtracts from the interstellar velocity. In this configuration, the sides of the aerogel collectors opposite those exposed during the comet encounter are exposed.

The Principal Investigator, Dr. Donald Brownlee of the University of Washington, has established partnerships with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to provide the project management and mission engineering and operations; and Lockheed Martin Astronautics (LMA) as the spacecraft industrial partner. Of the two science instruments on the spacecraft, the aerogel collectors are being developed by JPL, and the CIDA is being developed by Germany as a contribution to the mission by the DLR, Institute fur Raumsimulation. The Med-Lite launch vehicle and launch services will be procured through NASA’s Med-Lite Contract.

The STARDUST mission's level 1 science requirements were clearly defined and prioritized in the original proposal and were validated during the Phase A study. These requirements are:

Primary Requirement:	Collect 1000 Comet particles >15 µm at 
 			encounter velocity < 6.5 km/sec and return 
 			to Earth

Secondary Requirements:	Collect 100 Interstellar particles >0.1 µm and 
			return to Earth.
			Provide >65 images of P/Wild 2, having a
			resolution of at  least 67 µrad per pixel, 
			taken within 2000 km of the comet nucleus 
			through selected filters;
			Provide in situ particle analysis for comet 
			coma flythrough capable of resolving abundant
			elements in cometary solids

Tertiary Requirements:	Provide in situ particle analysis for 
			interstellar and interplanetary dust;
			Collect comet coma molecules and return to Earth;
			Measure dust mass fluence, large particles, and
			comet mass upper limit
			Provide dust flux measurement of 10-9 g to 
			1 g particles

The primary requirement constitutes the science performance floor and represents the minimum science necessary to ensure the mission is a success. Decisions to descope the science requirements require mutual agreement between the STARDUST Project partners and NASA. Appendix 1 contains the current project implementation approach for science and is provided for reference.

3.1 There are no proprietary science rights for the STARDUST mission. Samples and science data will be made available to the public and the science community as soon as the samples have been properly prepared and the science data calibrated and validated.

3.2 The STARDUST mission shall be accomplished within the budgetary requirements contained in Table 1. The Technical Definition Phase (Phase B) is constrained to $ 9.6 million; the development (Phase C/D) budget for the spacecraft, instruments, and ground systems is constrained to $ 117.8 million, exclusive of the launch vehicle; and the operations (Phase E) budget is constrained to $ 37.2 million. Adjustments within the overall funding level may be made between development, operations, and launch vehicle funding accounts or between years, only if approved by NASA. The ELV funding ($34M) is based on the AO funding level, but has been phased in accordance with current LV funding. This funding may be adjusted as the Med-Lite vehicle costs are better defined. Reductions in funding for opportunity activities must be approved by NASA. Other adjustments may be made within the project, as required.

3.3 The level 1 schedule milestones are listed below:

     Preliminary Design Review and Phase C/D/E		September 1996
     Confirmation Review
     Critical Design Review				June 1997
     Start ATLO						January 1998
     Preship Readiness Review				November 1998
     Deliver Spacecraft to the Launch Site		November 1998
     Flight Readiness Review				February 1999
     Launch Period					February-March 1999
     Comet Wild 2 Encounter				January 2004
     Sample Return to Earth				January 2006
     End of Mission					September 2006

3.4 The STARDUST mission will establish an effective and efficient management approach which will assure that the science requirements can be accomplished within the schedule and cost limitations. As a minimum, the following management requirements shall be met:

3.5 The Project shall abide by all necessary Federal (including NASA), state, and local laws and regulations.

3.6 There are no new project-specific major facilities required for this mission.

4.1 Principal Investigator and Science Team

The Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Donald Brownlee of the University of Washington, is responsible for the leadership and successful performance of the mission/investigation. He is responsible for assuring that the baseline science requirements are met and will establish programmatic constraints and criteria for evaluating tradeoffs. He will establish a Science Team (ST), under his Chairmanship as Project Scientist, and will refine the Science Requirements and the Science Analysis Plan. He will work with the Project Manager to evaluate trades to maintain consistency with the cost-capped nature of the project in achieving the baseline science mission and to achieve as much margin above the "Performance Floor Mission" as possible, if descoping is required.

The PI, with the ST, is responsible for developing the arrangements for curation and analysis of returned samples and for interpretation and distribution of the data resulting from the STARDUST mission.

The PI is responsible for assuring that progress is reported to the appropriate NASA offices. In addition, he will be responsible for providing to NASA Headquarters an assessment of JPL‘s performance in support of the STARDUST mission as part of NASA‘s semiannual evaluation of JPL‘s performance.

4.2 Lockheed Martin Astronautics Co.

Lockheed Martin Astronautics (LMA), the Industrial Partner, will play the central role in providing a design-to-cost capability to achieve the fundamental science goal of sample return. LMA’s outstanding technical capabilities and facilities will be used in the development of the carrier spacecraft and the sample return capsule (SRC). In addition, LMA is responsible for integration and test of the entire flight system (e.g., S/C, furnished equipment such as cameras, the German-supplied dust analyzer, software, and the SRC). LMA will operate under a System Contract with JPL as the contracting agent for the PI. The contract will be administered by the Project Manager consistent with project plans.

4.3 The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

The JPL will provide the implementation and day-to-day management of the mission as delegated by the PI. JPL will provide the central management for the project, coordinating all the elements to manage to the budget plan established in this agreement. This management role will include the technical system contract with LMA that implements the teaming arrangement among the PI, JPL, and LMA. It also includes responsibilities for integrating all the elements in technical and financial, reporting progress consistent with a Performance Management System (PMS), and ensuring effective communications among all elements of the investigation team.

JPL also has the specific technical responsibility for the mission (trajectory and encounter mechanics) design, design and development of the Flight Operations System (including delivery of the scientific data and the returned samples), and the overall flight operations utilizing the former.

JPL will provide the team element with the PI for the development of the Aerogel Sample Collector, and will assist the PI and his ST in coordinating the delivery of the German-supplied Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer (CIDA).

The Med-Lite launch vehicle will be provided by the NASA Launch Vehicle Office. NASA‘s launch services contract provides for vehicle production, standard launch site assembly, checkout, launch countdown, and range support, as well as spacecraft/vehicle integration, analysis, and postflight mission data evaluation. The Orbit Launch Services (OLS) Project at the Goddard Space Flight Center will provide technical oversight of the launch vehicle and will coordinate mission integration through an OLS-Mission Integration Manager.

The Discovery Program Manager will provide coordination support for the development of a Memorandum of Agreement between NASA and the German DLR and for DSN communication services with the Office of Space Communications.

Reporting requirements and independent reviews will be kept to a minimum, consistent with ensuring that NASA maintains an effective understanding of the progress of the development and execution of the mission. To this end, reports and supporting materials will be based on internal Project products and processes to the maximum extent practical. The details will be developed during Phase B between the PI, the Project Manager, and the Discovery Program Manager.

Stardust Science and Implementation Summary