Prepare for Deep Impact on July 4th

[Sharon]

This 4th of July is payback time. For the first time in history, Earth gets to strike back.

The weapon: a NASA spacecraft named Deep Impact.

The target: a 10-mile wide comet named Tempel 1.

Deep Impact is going to shoot an 820-pound projectile into the rocky, icy nucleus of Comet Tempel 1. The 23,000 mph collision will form a big crater, and Deep impact will observe the stages of its development, how deep it gets and how wide it becomes. Researchers expect a plume of gas and dust to spray out of the crater. Deep Impact will measure its composition and record what the billowing plume does to the comet's atmosphere. In all, Deep Impact should be able to peer into the new crater for almost 15 minutes before the craft speeds away, continuing, like its cometary quarry, to orbit forever around the Sun.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/28jun_deepimpact.htm?list140662

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/main/index.html

 

[Bustem' Down]

This is truly why people get into cosmology, to blow up very large things.

 

[Bruzilla]

I'm waiting for the headline: "NASA EXPLOSION SHIFTS COMET'S ORBIT - SAN FRANCISCO NEW GROUND ZERO" When I read that I'll know that NASA has earned every penny of its budget!

 

[bresamil]

I think NASA has been watching "Armageddon" too much.

 

[Mikeinsmd]

I'm waiting for the headline: "NASA EXPLOSION SHIFTS COMET'S ORBIT - SAN FRANCISCO NEW GROUND ZERO" When I read that I'll know that NASA has earned every penny of its budget!

 

[kingvjack]

Hopefully it lands somewhere in the middle east and makes that place look like an anthill.

At least we will save some money that way......

 

[Sharon]

I'm waiting for the headline: "NASA EXPLOSION SHIFTS COMET'S ORBIT - SAN FRANCISCO NEW GROUND ZERO" When I read that I'll know that NASA has earned every penny of its budget!

 

[Bustem' Down]

Ya'll do know that they're not necessarily trying to destroy it, just study it's insides.

 

[Oz]

I'm in favor of this. In fact, any day, any time... Deep impact is fine with me. Shallow impact is OK too, but not as much torque.

 

[Bruzilla]

I'm in favor of this. In fact, any day, any time... Deep impact is fine with me. Shallow impact is OK too, but not as much torque.

Oh Yeah!

 

[Sharon]

Can't say I wasn't expecting any of ^that^ when I first posted this.

 

[jazz lady]

I'm waiting for the headline: "NASA EXPLOSION SHIFTS COMET'S ORBIT - SAN FRANCISCO NEW GROUND ZERO" When I read that I'll know that NASA has earned every penny of its budget!

That's almost exactly what I thought when I first heard about this.

Do they know what's really going to happen when they hit the comet? And what happens if they MISS the target area or the daggone comet altogether? :shrug:

 

[Oz]

Can't say I wasn't expecting any of ^that^ when I first posted this.

You're welcome...

 

[HollowSoul]

:theskyisfallintheskyisfalling: