Observations of the Stardust Sample Return Capsule Entry with a Slitless Echelle Spectrograph

Spectroscopic observations of the 2006 Stardust Sample Return Capsule entry are presented, obtained by means of a slitless miniature echelle spectrograph onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. The data cover the wavelength range from 336 to 880 nm, at 0.14-0.9 nm resolution, and were obtained during the time interval when radiative heating was most important. The data contain a broadband continuum, presumably from the hot heat-shield surface, shock-layer air plasma emissions of N, O, and N(2)(+), and atomic hydrogen and CN molecular band emission from the ablating heat-shield material, a form of phenol-impregnated carbon ablator. Early in flight, there were also atomic line emissions of Zn, K, Ca(+), and Na, presumably from a white Z-93P paint applied to the top of the phenol-impregnated carbon ablator. At each moment along the trajectory, the whole spectrum was recorded simultaneously, but broken into smaller segments. Key issues addressed in the data reduction and calibration are described. The interpretation of these data was given elsewhere.