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At Pad 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Station, workers keep watch on the placement of the fourth and final solid rocket booster (SRB) being mated with the Boeing Delta II rocket. The rocket will be aided by four SRBs to 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