We are writing to let you know about an exciting new phase that is about
to begin in the
Stardust@home search. Ever since we launched
Stardust@homenearly a year ago, you and other dedicated "dusters" have proved incredibly
successful at detecting possible particle tracks in the Stardust interstellar
collector. We can truly say that the ability of our dusters to pinpoint even
the smallest and most subtle features in the aerogel has been a constant
source of amazement to us. Some of these features may well turn out to be
the very first solid samples of matter from outside the solar system ever
collected.
Now we can do even better. We are currently reprocessing the images we took
of the Stardust collector so as to double the magnification of the focus
movies. By scanning these new movies our dusters will be able to pinpoint
even smaller and subtler potential tracks. A new stardust track hunt, of
unprecedented sensitivity, will be on!
But first -- a short break. In order to launch this new
Stardust@home"Phase 2" we will first need to end the current phase and take the virtual
microscope (VM) off line for around two weeks. Our plan is to close down
the VM between July 27 and August 9. The training and testing features,
as well as the actual search for particle tracks, will all be unavailable
during this time. We hope to have the forums and the rest of the website
open during the transition.
When we temporarily disable the
Stardust@home VM, we will also finalize the
results of all the dusters who took part in Phase 1. The scores, rankings
and candidate lists from this phase will all be preserved and permanently
displayed on the Website. When the new
Stardust@home Phase 2 launches in
early August all dusters will begin anew with a clean slate and an equal
chance at discovering more candidate stardust tracks. For more information
on our transition to Phase 2 see our website at
http://stardustathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1858.
We thank you all for your amazing contributions to
Stardust@home, and we look
forward to the next phase of this historic project. Your talent and dedication
to this project have been truly impressive. We couldn't do it without you!