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Oct. 25 — A NASA science satellite dispatched to fetch samples from a comet will be put through a full dress rehearsal next week in preparation for the one-shot flyby of its target in 14 months.

The probe, called Stardust, is being prepared for a flyby of asteroid Annefrank, a 2 1/2-mile wide rock named after the famed Holocaust victim. No science is expected from the pass — at best, the probe may be able to capture low-resolution, black-and-white pictures of the asteroid as it whips by at 4 miles per second. Stardust will be nearly 2,000 miles away from the asteroid at its closest approach.

Artist's rendition of Stardust spacecraft approaching comet.