Deep Impact: Our First Look Inside a Comet

Warner and Redfern talk aboutl the $267 million space mission that will take the most detailed pictures ever of a comet nucleus and will provide a glimpse into the object's interior. If all goes according to plan, they will be treated to a special kind of celestial fireworks the likes of which...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSky and telescope Vol. 109; no. 6; p. 40
Main Authors Warner, Elizabeth M, Redfern, Greg
Format Magazine Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge F & W Publications, Inc 01.06.2005
Subjects
Comets
Photography
Space exploration
Spacecraft
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Summary:Warner and Redfern talk aboutl the $267 million space mission that will take the most detailed pictures ever of a comet nucleus and will provide a glimpse into the object's interior. If all goes according to plan, they will be treated to a special kind of celestial fireworks the likes of which have never been seen before. As the US prepares to celebrate its Independence Day, a 372-kilogram "impactor" released by NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft will begin its suicidal dive into Comet 9P/Temple 1, striking the sunlit side of the comet's 14-kilometer-long potato-shaped nucleus at 37,000 kilometer per hour.
Bibliography:content type line 24
ObjectType-Commentary-1
SourceType-Magazines-1
ISSN:0037-6604