Tempel 1 Impact Day After Tomorrow

TerminaMorte wrote to mention a news.com article detailing the impending contact of the "Deep Impact" satellite with the Tempel 1 comet...at roughly 23,000 miles per hour. from the article: "We know that the crust--the outside shell of a comet and the stuff that comes off a comet--is changed by the solar wind...One of the things that we're curious about is, some people will tell you that comets actually produce organic compounds...We want to see if that's inside." Update: 07/02 22:08 GMT by Z : Updated with correct day.

Comments

Cautious optimism...

[cookiej]

Well, since this seems to be one of the first times we've gone out of our way to really put the wood to something not from Earth, let's hope Tempel 1 isn't some sort of cometary offspring whose mother will take offense and pulverize us.

Just a thought.

Heavens Gate part II?

[bigwavejas]

"...some people will tell you that comets actually produce organic compounds...We want to see if that's inside."

Hell yeah it's going to produce organic compounds! 10 bucks says the Heavens Gate Gang is riding shotgun in that badboy.

http://www.cnn.com/US/9803/25/heavens.gate/

Bets anyone?

[LouisZepher]

Given the failed Mars projects, who wants to place bets that this plan to intentionally crash the probe will result in a safe "three-point" landing?

Re:Not tomorrow, but the day after

[Shag]

So you're saying Deep Impact happens on The Day After Tomorrow which is Independence Day?

This seems scripted...

Sounds familiar...

[MalusCaelestis]

One of the things that we're curious about is, some people will tell you that comets actually produce organic compounds...We want to see if that's inside.

So this is, what, the most expensive episode of MythBusters ever?

It's NASA

[Anne_Nonymous]

>> roughly 23,000 miles per hour

It's NASA we're talking about here folks. The smart money says they ruin the experiment by only smashing into the comet at 23,000 kilometers an hour.

Redneck Scientists

[Eclypser]

Government scientists say the price tag is worth it. "One, we'll learn about comets," said NASA's Wessen. "Two, we'll learn about how that applies to the Earth, whether it brought organic material to the Earth...We can even learn, if a comet was coming our way, what it would take to deflect one of those things."
"Three, we get to blow sh*t up, YEEE HAAAAA"