Cosmic grains should tell tales of the early Solar System.
The first ever sample of a comet parachuted safely down to the Utah desert early on Sunday 15 January. The Stardust mission's capsule left a bright streak of light in the night sky as it tore through the atmosphere at more than 46,000 kilometres per hour, before popping a series of parachutes and driving into the desert sand at 2:10 local time.