Fiona Ward

 Launched 7 Feb 1999  Mission: to collect dust samples from the coma of comet Wild 2 and samples of cosmic dust  completed 15 Jan 2006  Mission extension called NExT: Feb 2011  Intercepted Tempel 1  Ceased operations in March 2011

 Returned particles: ancient building blocks of the solar system  Before: expected to mainly be dust that formed around other stars, older than the Sun (“stardust” or “pre-solar grains”)  After: Comets = "fire and ice“ Ice formed in cold regions beyond Neptune Rocks formed in regions close to Sun

 Launched 27 Sept 2007  To study Vesta (protoplanet) and Ceres (dwarf planet)  Currently on route to Ceres (Feb 2015)  “To characterize the early solar system and the processes that dominated its formation.”

 Entered Vesta’s orbit 16 July 2011  Estimated size of Vesta's core (220 km across)  Vesta believed to be the last large planetoid  Discovered dark spots and streaks on Vesta likely deposited by ancient asteroid impacts  Photographed gullies on the surface of Vesta which appear to have been eroded by flowing liquid, possibly even water