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NASA to send celestial hammer to break open comet
EARTHTimes.org ^ | 2004-12-20 | I. A. Harry

Posted on 12/23/2004 9:20:12 AM PST by Diamond

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NASA to send celestial hammer to break open comet
Posted on : 2004-12-20| Author : I. A. Harry| News Category : Space

Scientific curiosity is going to cause a minor collision in space. On January 12, 2004, NASA is scheduled to launch a spacecraft named Deep Impact. This spacecraft will fire an 800-pound impactor right into the path of the 4-mile wide comet Tempel 1. The collision is scheduled to take place on July 4, 2005. The mission is stated to cost approximately $ 330 million.

Scientists at NASA are very eager to know what happens after the impact. According to a senior official associated with the project, the impact, they hope, will put an end to all the speculation about the interiors of comets. How comets are formed and what is their mineral composition.

The scientific community have long been interested in knowing what lies beneath the surface of any comet. They say it will help prove or disprove theories about how our planet was formed. Some scientists believe that comets are leftovers that remain after the solar system was formed. There are some who say that comets are made up of agglomerating dirty chunks of water ice.

At the time of the collision, the comet Tempel 1 will be close enough for astronomers to monitor what happens. The debris that will be kicked up will reveal, for the very first time, just what a comet is made of.

A member of the mission management team at Jet Propulsion Laboratory says that this collision is the astronomical equivalent of “tapping something with a hammer to find out what lies beneath its surface”, a practice common among geologists.

He said “The difference is - we're going to tap it with an 800-pound hammer."

He said that this collision will provide a better understanding of comets than the previous opportunity they had when NASA’s craft Stardust photographed the Comet Wild 2 at very close range. Those photographs only whetted the scientific curiosity of wanting to know what lies underneath a comet’s surface.

The mission management team is not sure what they hope or expect to find. Within the team there is already much speculation and even friendly betting. Most are in favor of finding chunks of water ice. One team member said that if that is the case, then they expect a large crater caused by the impact, roughly the size of a football stadium.

Another team member speculated that the comet is more porous and fragile than is believed.

The collision between the projectile and the comet, at a speed of 22,000 mph, will take place 83 million miles away from Earth.



TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: comet; space
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This is great; Let's SEE WHAT HAPPENS if we hit a 4 mile wide comet with a big bomb!

Well one thing for certain - pieces of the comet will gain a new trajectory/orbit.

So - lets see if we hit a comet with a celestial hammer if we can knock it off course - maybe we can get it or some of the pieces to swerve into an earth orbit! Great idea!

1 posted on 12/23/2004 9:20:13 AM PST by Diamond
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To: Diamond

> maybe we can get it or some of the pieces to swerve into an earth orbit!

Not with a measly 800 pound kinetic impactor, you won't.


2 posted on 12/23/2004 9:21:28 AM PST by orionblamblam
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To: Diamond

Dude. Someone should, like, make a movie about that or something. With, like, oil drillers or something. And a hot chick. Yah.


3 posted on 12/23/2004 9:22:55 AM PST by Shryke (My Beeb-o-meter goes all the way to eleven.)
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To: Diamond
Sounds like a plot line for a Japanese sci-fi flick.

If we disturb Rodan's eggs there's gonna be hell to pay.
4 posted on 12/23/2004 9:23:26 AM PST by Rebelbase (Who is General Chat?)
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To: Diamond

BTTT


5 posted on 12/23/2004 9:23:32 AM PST by Fiddlstix (This Tagline for sale. (Presented by TagLines R US))
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To: Diamond
and yeah, so instead of ONE 4 mile wide piece of space rock, how about 1,000 pieces each averaging about 1,000 feet across to pummel the Earth.

Each piece capable to being a Mega City killer.

yeah smart NASA, really smart I say!!

6 posted on 12/23/2004 9:24:11 AM PST by prophetic ("I think you can be an honest person and lie about any number of things."--Dan Rather)
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To: Diamond
At the time of the collision, the comet Tempel 1 will be close enough for astronomers to monitor what happens.

This is great; Let's SEE WHAT HAPPENS if we hit a 4 mile wide comet with a big bomb!

CLOSE ENOUGH FOR US TO SEE. This seems like a self fulfilling prophecy of Hollywood!

7 posted on 12/23/2004 9:24:33 AM PST by frog_jerk_2004
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To: Diamond

This sounds like the opening of a REALLY bad movie...


8 posted on 12/23/2004 9:25:30 AM PST by mhking
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To: Diamond

. . .but how can we blow apart a comet without a pair of special, armored shuttles, Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, and a lovable crew of red-shirted Oil-rig workers ??

Not to mention without Aerosmith doing a theme song for the mission ????

. . .and in the meantime, a Merry Christmas to all. .


9 posted on 12/23/2004 9:25:37 AM PST by Salgak (don't mind me: the orbital mind control lasers are making me write this. . .)
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To: Diamond

The collision may be visible to the eye from earth.


10 posted on 12/23/2004 9:27:45 AM PST by RightWhale (Destroy the dark; restore the light)
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To: Rebelbase
"By Granthor's hammer . . ."
11 posted on 12/23/2004 9:27:58 AM PST by BenLurkin (Big government is still a big problem.)
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To: Salgak

Not so sure this is a good idea, But who is there to stop them? 330 million dollars sems like a lot of money to waste tapping Comets.


12 posted on 12/23/2004 9:30:37 AM PST by sgtbono2002
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To: sgtbono2002
Not so sure this is a good idea, But who is there to stop them? 330 million dollars sems like a lot of money to waste tapping Comets.

Hey, it's only government money - there's an unlimited stream of it and no one has to pay it back! Merry Christmas!

13 posted on 12/23/2004 9:33:25 AM PST by patriot_wes
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To: sgtbono2002

Hmm. . .

Well. . . at least it's exploratory science. Research ALWAYS ends up paying off, in the long run. After all, what would you rather spend it on: Engineers, hardware, and technology. . .or more self-esteem workshops for unwed teenage mothers ???

BTW, you TOTALLY missed the gratuitous cheesy movie reference. . .


14 posted on 12/23/2004 9:49:56 AM PST by Salgak (don't mind me: the orbital mind control lasers are making me write this. . .)
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To: All; biblewonk
The mission is stated to cost approximately $ 330 million.

I buy generic groceries to save $8 so Uncle Sam can throw it at stuff like this.

15 posted on 12/23/2004 9:54:07 AM PST by newgeezer (When encryption is outlawed, rwei qtjske ud alsx zkjwejruc.)
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To: newgeezer
I buy generic groceries to save $8 so Uncle Sam can throw it at stuff like this.

That, and I also avoid driving my SUV anywhere if at all possible to save gasoline to fuel the rockets.

16 posted on 12/23/2004 9:56:30 AM PST by RightWhale (Destroy the dark; restore the light)
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To: Diamond

Now lemmesee. The Tower of Babel was one of man's early bad scientific efforts. The latest worst one may just be the Hammer of NASA. Sometimes I feel like just a little bug at the mercy of the great scientific minds of this world. . you know, the ones who FORGET to comb their hair or put on socks in freezing weather or who want to bust up one big rock into a million unpredictable pieces. Common sense anyone?


17 posted on 12/23/2004 9:59:00 AM PST by Twinkie
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To: orionblamblam
Not with a measly 800 pound kinetic impactor...

How fast will that measly 800 pound kinetic impactor be travelling when it hits the comet? The article doesn't say, but does state, "According to a senior official associated with the project, the impact, they hope, will put an end to all the speculation about the interiors of comets." That reference to the interior of the comet leads me to believe that it's planned to be a big enough collision to break apart at least parts of the comet. I would be very surprised to learn that they have calculated the trajectories of the pieces that break off.

Cordially,

18 posted on 12/23/2004 10:00:09 AM PST by Diamond
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To: RightWhale
The collision may be visible to the eye from earth.

That's very comforting. At least I may be able to see my tax dollars at work if it's a clear night.

Cordially,

19 posted on 12/23/2004 10:02:28 AM PST by Diamond
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To: prophetic

> yeah smart NASA, really smart I say!!

Yeah, they are. They are smart enough to know that the change in velocity for a chunk of ice 1000 feet across when hit by a flyspeck of 800 pounds is NOT enough to divert it noticably.

Sheesh, you sound like one of those hysterical Greenpeacers who protested Cassini because it had an RTG on it. Do the math... this thing is harmless to us.


20 posted on 12/23/2004 10:05:21 AM PST by orionblamblam
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