Deep Impact

[Candy]

Rosetta monitors Deep Impact

Deep Impact is a NASA mission to send a 370 kg copper ‘impactor’ probe to Comet 9P/Tempel 1 on 4 July 2005. Tempel 1 is a short-period comet, whose orbit runs between those of Mars and Jupiter. There is scientific interest in comets because their composition carries important information about the origin of the Solar System, as they have remained basically unchanged since then.

Hawaii To Watch As Spacecraft Slams Into Comet

A first of its kind scientific experiment and Hawaii is one of the few places on Earth to view it. Scientists hope to discover secrets of the universe locked away for billions of years with a mission to a comet.

Bring your binoculars!

[hazzard]

impact (due at 07:44 CEST), June 29th......Right?

Anyway, this should be cool. :D

[Candy]

First link:

Rosetta will look at the comet continuously. In the initial phase (starting on 29 June 01:34 CEST), when the comet is expected to change only slowly due to its rotation, Rosetta will take the time to study or ‘dwell’ on several areas on the coma of Tempel 1.

About fifteen minutes before impact (due at 07:44 CEST), Rosetta will start observing the comet with shorter dwell time, as fast changes are expected due to the impact. At 09:19, about one hour and a half after impact, Rosetta will go back to the monitoring mode as before the impact for 10 more days.

Second link:

Bishop Museum will be open from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on July 3 for the comet collision count down. Space explorers are invited to bring their telescopes and binoculars.

It looks like July 3 for Hawaii, which are -5 hours from me (~July 4). Where's ToSeek when we need his expertise? 8)

[Lance]

Where is Deep Impact Now?

[ToSeek]

The impact is expected to take place at 05:52 UT on July 4, plus or minus three minutes. This translates to:

01:52 am July 4 EDT
12:52 am July 4 CDT
11:52 pm July 3 MDT
10:52 pm July 3 PDT
07:52 pm July 3 Hawaii Standard Time

June 29 is when Rosetta starts observing the comet closely.

[Mr. Manly]

You do know, of course, that it is going to break up the comet and we're all going to die in the resulting meteor storm right? :P

[twinstead]

You do know, of course, that it is going to break up the comet and we're all going to die in the resulting meteor storm right? :P

Hey. That's what we get for messing with nature. My family and I have a reservation on a Zetan spacecraft to ride it out.

I feel good about that.

[Candy]

I'm watching it on CNN, boys. Well, I would think it will be on CNN. :?

[Candy]

The US Deep Impact spacecraft is on course to fire a probe into a comet on 4 July, scientists have announced.

The impact happens at 10.52 PM Pacific time on the night of 3rd July (Sunday night), which is just before 7am UK time on 4th July.

DEEP IMPACT climax to be shown on BBC TV

The programme is being hosted by Dr Brian Cox, particle physicist (at CERN in Switzerland, Manchester University, and Fermilab in the USA) and former member of the rock-band D:ream – along with Dr Lucie Green, who co-hosted prior Stardate programmes.

There will be two programmes on the day – one during the day-time on BBC One (likely to be 11.45am), which will broadcast the mission’s first images, and one in the evening on BBC Two (likely to be 8pm), which will detail the days events – please check TV listings for further details closer to the date of transmission.

Does anyone know if this (or something similar) will be shown in the USA?

More for you to enjoy! Deep Impact – NASA
Isn’t this where ToSeek works?

[ToSeek]

Wrong coast. I work at Goddard. (Actually in an office building just east of the actual campus.)

[Candy]

Wrong coast. I work at Goddard. (Actually in an office building just east of the actual campus.)

ToSeek is the bomb!

[Candy]

How does the Deep Impact Mission plan to encounter and impact Comet Tempel 1?

I'm playing with the Encounter Animation now. 8)

This animation shows a conceptualized view of Deep Impact's encounter with comet Tempel 1. Approximately 24 hours before impact, the flyby spacecraft releases the impactor into the comet's path. The impactor uses control software and thrusters to guide itself towards the nucleus of the comet. Using optical measurements, the impactor's AutoNav software will steer itself to the brightest object in its line of sight, the Sun-facing side of Tempel 1's nucleus.

[Candy]

Slooh looks good for viewing Deep Impact. 8)

[Candy]

A long shot: NASA tries to hit, photograph comet

"The whole purpose of Deep Impact is to go back and understand the differences between the surface layer and the interior," A'Hearn said."What we don't have any control over, is what will happen when we do the impact. We know so little about comets that it's very hard to predict."

This is most interesting to me. 8)

[Candy]

Fireworks Likely When NASA Blows Up Comet

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Not all dazzling fireworks displays will be on Earth this Independence Day. NASA hopes to shoot off its own celestial sparks in an audacious mission that will blast a stadium-sized hole in a comet half the size of Manhattan. It would give astronomers their first peek at the inside of one of these heavenly bodies.

Comets _ frozen balls of dirty ice, rocks and dust _ are leftover building blocks of the solar system after a cloud of gas and dust condensed to form the sun and planets 4 1/2 billion years ago. As comets arc around the sun, their surfaces heat up so that only their frozen interiors possess original space material.

Very little is known about comets and even less is known about their primordial cores. What exactly will happen when Tempel 1 is hit on the Fourth of July is anybody's guess. Scientists believe that the impact will form a circular depression that will eject a cone-shaped plume of debris into space.

But not to worry. NASA guarantees that its experiment will not significantly change the comet's orbit nor will the smash-up put the comet or any remnants of it on a collision course with Earth.

Bummer for the woowoo's on the last paragraph.

[Candy]

mickal's brillance is shining through!

[mickal555]

Takes a bow :D

Don't forget the entry page- where you can explore the rest of the site :wink:
http://www.scotsons-shack.com/Deep_impact.htm

[Candy]

Takes a bow :D

Don't forget the entry page- where you can explore the rest of the site :wink:
Deep Impact by mickal555

Oops.

It may take several minutes to download but several days to make- so please be patient, it will be worth it!

It is well worth it! I have dialup, and it took less then five minutes. :D

[Candy]

Slooh looks good for viewing Deep Impact. 8)

FYI: There's a free 7 night trial for Slooh. 8)

[Candy]

Tempel 1 is seen blasting a stream of dust toward the sun.

Hubble comet image preview of July 4 collision

BALTIMORE — The Hubble Space Telescope has given astronomers a sneak preview of what they might see July 4 when a NASA probe is expected to strike a comet, creating a cosmic display that may be visible with the naked eye. One of a series of photos taken by the orbiting observatory while preparing for the Independence Day encounter shows a 1,400-mile plume of dust spewing from the comet toward the sun.

I don't know why, but I just find this so fascinating. It makes me wish I would've stuck with my first love of Geology. I would love to have been an Astrogeologist studying this puppy! 8)

[Candy]

Slooh looks good for viewing Deep Impact. 8)

FYI: There's a free 7 night trial for Slooh. 8)

The Deep Impact Mission

In January 2005, the Deep Impact spacecraft was launched on a "short trajectory" to the Comet Tempel 1. On July 4th, the spacecraft will catch up to the comet and release an 820 pound "smart impactor." This seperate spacecraft will guide itself to a direct impact with the comet.

On impact, the crater produced is expected to range in size from that of a house to that of a football stadium, and two to fourteen stories deep. Scientists expect to see ice and dust debris ejected from the crater revealing fresh material beneath. A dramatic brightening caused by sunlight reflecting off the expelled material and the possible opening of a gas jet is anticipated. Images from cameras and a spectrometer on the main spacecraft will be sent to Earth and coordinated with observations from both ground based telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope.

SLOOH will dedicate as many missions as possible to Comet Tempel 1 on July 4th, from the moment of darkness until it sets from our Canary Island skies. We will get a first look at the Comet a full 5 hours before darkness falls on the East Coast of the U.S., and 8 hours before the west.

Additional details and background on the Deep Impact mission can be found at http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov.

Also be sure to check our nightly missions to Comet Tempel 1 between now and impact day to capture the "before" view!

I'm signing up tomorrow. I'm not sure if the 7 day trial will include Deep Impact, so I will just get the month membership. It's all good. :D

[Candy]

Dr Plait meets Dr Cox!

I am in Los Angeles right now, prepping to do an interview for a BBC program about the Deep Impact probe. The show will be live on the 4th, with some segments (like mine) pre-taped. We'll be discussing comets in movies, including, duh, "Deep Impact".

I'll have more info later after the shoot, and I'll post here and on my blog.

The show is hosted by Dr. Brian Cox, and yes, the irony of this is not lost on me.

[Candy]

mickal's been keeping track of Deep Impact images. 8)

[hazzard]

Those are nice pictures :)

They said it will be months before all the good ones are released!

[Superluminal]

Watched DI from the RRAC deep space facility, (an old portable building in a cow pasture :P ) It was too close to the horizon to see the comet at impact, but got to watch it on NASA tv and spend some quaility time with the club members. When I left that night I was in a good mood, because it was great to see NASA and JPL score a perfect hit. The song that was playing on the radio when I started my truck was "Burn Bady Burn". Good way to finish the night.