Comet Wild 2 is a Jupiter-family comet discovered by Swiss astronomer Paul Wild on January 6, 1978, at the Zimmerwald Observatory in Switzerland. This comet is particularly noted for being the target of NASA's Stardust Mission, which returned samples from the comet to Earth.
Comet Wild 2 was named after its discoverer, Paul Wild. It was initially observed when it was close to the orbit of Jupiter, which had significantly altered its trajectory due to gravitational interactions. This comet is part of the Jupiter family, meaning its orbit is influenced by Jupiter, typically resulting in a shorter orbital period than long-period comets.
The Stardust Mission, launched on February 7, 1999, flew through the coma of Comet Wild 2 on January 2, 2004. The spacecraft collected particles from the comet's coma using a material called aerogel, which was designed to capture high-speed particles without destroying them. These samples were returned to Earth on January 15, 2006, via a sample-return capsule, providing scientists with valuable insights into the composition of comets and the early solar system.
Analysis of the returned samples from Comet Wild 2 has revealed:
NASA's Stardust Mission
NASA's Stardust Mission Overview
NASA Solar System Exploration - Wild 2
JPL's Stardust Mission