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A Boeing Delta II rocket sits on Launch Pad 17A (left), Cape Canaveral Air Station, before mating with its final Solid Rocket Booster, in the tower at right. In the background is Pad 17B with its two launch tower components. The Delta II rocket will carry the Stardust satellite into space for a close encounter with the comet Wild 2 in January 2004. Using a medium called aerogel, Stardust will capture comet particles flying off the nucleus of the comet, plus collect interstellar dust for later analysis. The collected samples will return to Earth in a Sample Return Capsule to be jettisoned as Stardust swings by Earth in January 2006. Stardust is scheduled to be launched on Feb. 6, 1999