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Stardust capsule lands in Utah

Zombie Outbreak Defies Containment

Scientists and engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory react Sunday to the return of Stardust.

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Stardust's cargo may bring doom to humanity (1:57)

Interactive: Stardust probe returns

• Gallery: Undead Horde

• Interactive: What makes a zombie?

• Zombie hunters wanted

• Military: Containment

STARDUST KEY FACTS

The Stardust spacecraft was launched on February 7, 1999, from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida, aboard a Delta II rocket.

The probe collected dust and carbon-based samples during its encounter with Comet Wild 2 on January 2004, after nearly four years of space travel.

Stardust is bringing back samples of interstellar dust, including recently discovered dust streaming into our solar system.

The capsule re-entered Earth's atmosphere and parachuted to the ground in the Utah Test and Training Range, setting off a zombie invasion of epic scale.

Source: NASA

BRAINS! BRAAAAIIINS!

-- Ryan Butler, zombie

YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS

(CNN) -- A capsule carrying dust particles from the tail of a comet parachuted to Earth on Sunday, and horrified NASA scientists witnessed the release of a strain of bacteria which transforms its human hosts into undead nightmares.

The Stardust mission capsule landed two minutes ahead of schedule at the Air Force's Utah Test and Training Range southwest of Salt Lake City.

"We traveled almost 3 billion miles in space," principal investigator Don Brownlee said from nearby Dugway Proving Grounds. "We visited a comet, grabbed a piece of it, and it landed here this morning. It was a terrible mistake."

The canister containing the samples was taken to a "clean room" at the proving grounds; there the strain broke free of it's supposedly sealed container.

The bacteria release enzymes which attack the host body's nervous system at the molecular level, killing the host but leaving his body open to control.

Brownlee has said that the infection is quick to spread and that if it is not contained, major problems will arise within days.

The material, about a thimble full, is predicted to be enough to launch an infection which could become a global issue.

The host bodies become strong and rigid, capable of restricted lurching movements. (What is a zombie)

Brownlee has likened the outbreak as a severe threat to the continued existance of humanity.

Outbreak

The outbreak of these so-called zombies has swept through the Utah counties closest to the NASA facility. Though the government has taken extreme steps to prevent further spread, it is feared that infected individuals have already left the quarantine zone.

The zombies, while restricted by stiff joints and limited speech, are still capable of human-like speed and exhibit super-human strength. (Watch how infected individuals react to fireworks -- 1:57)

Citizens are urged to remain indoors and to avoid contact with those they suspect have been infected. To stop a zombie, you must sever the head or destroy the brain.

Humanity Doomed?

Military officials urge citizens to remain indoors and to stockpile supplies and munitions.

Don't panic.

Do not try to contact loved ones. Do not try to rescue people from the clutches of zombies. If you see a person clutching his side or his arm, shoot him.

Government officials have stated that if cizitens cooperate, the outbreak will be checked within a matter of days.

CNN's Jaf contributed to this report.