Such a scenario is true in the case of comet dust.

Scientists believe that analysis of comet dust will provide clues to the earliest history of the solar system, about 4.6 billion years ago.

This would enable the capture of comet dust within aerogel.

Stardust will bring samples of comet dust back to Earth in 2006 to help answer fundamental questions about the origins of the solar system.

After a journey of 2.88 billion miles, the canister filled with comet dust landed back on Earth in January.

There was no way to mix up the comet dust with the lint on his shirt, Dr. Flynn said.

Because of this low velocity meeting, the spacecraft can capture comet dust, rather than having it blow right through the collectors.

"Our studies of the comet dust show that the organics are very rich in oxygen and nitrogen," Sandford said.

More recent still, the materials retrieved demonstrate that the "comet dust resembles asteroid materials".

However, there is some suggestion that early amino acids could have formed in comet dust.