Posted on 06/10/2005 10:05:27 AM PDT by Redcitizen
NASA space probe to slam into comet July 4 By Deborah Zabarenko Thu Jun 9, 5:00 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NASA's Deep Impact probe is scheduled to lob a big copper "bullet" into a comet on July 4 to look into the heart of this remnant from the formation of our solar system, scientists said on Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Impact is expected at 1:52 a.m. EDT (0552 GMT) on U.S. Independence Day.
About a day before the collision, the Deep Impact craft will send a 317-pound (144 kg) copper-fortified impactor toward comet Tempel 1, which will be about 83 million miles from Earth.
The impactor will steer itself toward the comet and the Deep Impact craft will pass about 310 miles away from it and watch the smash-up, the scientists said at a briefing.
Rick Grammier, the project manager for the mission, called this maneuver "extremely challenging."
"It's a bullet trying to hit a second bullet with a third bullet, in the right place at the right time, watching the first two bullets and gathering the scientific data from that impact," Grammier said.
The Deep Impact mission is designed to offer a look under the surface of a comet, where material from the solar system's formation remains relatively unchanged.
Astronomers do not know what kind of impact they will see when the impactor hits: the crater produced on the comet could range in size from a large house to the size of a football stadium. Either way, it will not appreciably change the comet's path.
The crash is expected to eject a spray of ice and dust from the comet's surface and reveal the material beneath it on this Manhattan-sized space rock. At that point, the Deep Impact craft will have about 13 minutes to capture images and data before it weathers what astronomers expect will be a blizzard of particles thrown out of the nucleus of the comet.
There are cameras aboard the impactor and the main craft, and the crash will also be observed by the Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra space telescopes in addition to telescopes on Earth.
Because scientists do not know how bright the impact will be, they can't say whether backyard astronomers will be able to see it. But those with the best chance are those in the western United States and possibly New Zealand.
More information and images are available online at http:/www.nasa.gov/deepimpact.
More info:
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/cIhG9ktc5Hvi9u/NASAs-Deep-Impact-To-Rendezvous-with-Comet.xhtml
Hmmm...
Another major bonus is learning more about these objects so we understand them better just in case we need to stop an impact some day. Its all good!
Either way, it will not appreciably change the comet's path. Are they sure? Maybe it's another one of those big balls of snot.
I agree...sniff sniff...
In that case, we should just vaporize this one. No need to look inside if what we're trying to determine is how to stop them. Tactical nuke, end comet. :) And all of us backyard astronomers would be able to watch that little show. :)
Hey Tat, what part of the Earth is going to get to see it? I googled it and havent found who the lucky watchers will be? Any ideas?
Welcome to FR.
Smells like ozone.
After it hits the comet, it's going to swerve into the Ford Galaxy...
Not sure, I'll be checking www.skyandtelescope.com in the next few weeks to see if they run anything about it. They have a GREAT interactive Java nighttime sky map I use whenever I take out my LX-90. Check it out, you will probably find it useful.
Thanks for the help, I will bookmark the site.
Is there an Alpha we can call? The kitties might be needed here.
Nice day for some fireworks.........
To bad we won't be able to see the show.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.