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Deep Impact Blasts Off For Comet Tempel 1

Posted by timothy on from the this-tempel-is-a-body dept.

Wynken de Word writes "NASA's Deep Impact, a copper-fortified, comet-busting spacecraft, was launched Wednesday afternoon. 'NASA had a single second - at precisely eight seconds past 1:47 p.m. - to send Deep Impact on a 431-million-kilometre, six-month voyage to Comet Tempel 1.' The goal is to blast a big hole in the comet and check out what's preserved inside. Also see the Deep Impact site."

2 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. Re:How do instruments survive the crash?? by grub · · Score: 5, Informative


    That's all mentioned in the article, which I'm sure you read but forgot. A TV sized unit will seperate a day earlier and go smack into the "big rock". The other craft will monitor from a safe distance.

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  2. As always ..... by deglr6328 · · Score: 4, Informative

    As always there are updates at spaceflightnow.com. It appears the spacecraft has safed itself as of a few minutes ago....not good.

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