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Deep Impact !

Vorago

Vorago

(((o)))
Jul 17, 2003
8,382
18
40
Antwerp, Belgium
www.myspace.com
#1
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121347main_confirmation-330.jpg


Check it out :)

One hundred and seventy-one days into its 172-day journey to comet Tempel 1, NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft successfully released its impactor at 11:07 p.m. Saturday, Pacific Daylight Time (2:07 a.m. Sunday, Eastern Daylight Time).

At release, the impactor was about 880,000 kilometers (547,000 miles) away from its quarry. The separation of flyby spacecraft and the washing-machine-sized, copper-fortified impactor is one in a series of important mission milestones that will cap off with a planned encounter with the comet at 10:52 p.m. Sunday, PDT (1:52 a.m. on July 4, EDT).

Six hours prior to impactor release, the Deep Impact spacecraft successfully performed its fourth trajectory correction maneuver. The 30-second burn changed the spacecraft's velocity by about one kilometer per hour (less than one mile per hour). The goal of the burn is to place the impactor as close as possible to the direct path of onrushing comet Tempel 1.

Soon after the trajectory maneuver was completed, the impactor engineers began the final steps that would lead to it being ready for free flight. The plan culminated with activation of the impactor's batteries at 10:12 p.m., PDT (1:12 a.m. Sunday, EDT). Deep Impact's impactor has no solar cells; the vehicle's batteries are expected to provide all the power required for its short day-long life.

In order to release the impactor, separation pyros fired allowing a spring to uncoil and separate the two spacecraft at a speed of about 35 centimeters per second (0.78 mile per hour).

With Tempel 1 closing the distance between it and impactor at about 10 kilometers (6 miles) per second, there is little time for mission controllers to admire their work. Twelve minutes after impactor release the flyby began a 14-minute long divert burn that slowed its velocity relative to the impactor by 102 meters per second (227 miles per hour), moving it out of the path of the onrushing comet nucleus and setting the stage for a ringside seat of celestial fireworks to come less than 24 hours later.

Deep Impact mission controllers have confirmed the impactor's S-band antenna is talking to the flyby spacecraft. All impactor data including the expected remarkable images of its final dive into the comet's nucleus will be transmitted to the flyby craft -- which will then downlink them to Deep Space Network antennas that are listening 134 million kilometers (83 million miles) away.

While all is going as expected on the Deep Impact spacecraft the comet itself is putting on something of a show. The 14-kilometer-long (8.7-mile-long) comet Tempel 1 displayed another cometary outburst on July 2 at 1:34 a.m. PDT (4:34 a.m.EDT) when a massive, short-lived blast of ice or other particles escaped from inside the comet's nucleus and temporarily expanded the size and reflectivity of the cloud of dust and gas (coma) that surrounds it. The July 2 outburst is the fourth observed in the past three weeks.

Three of the outbursts appear to have originated from the same area on the surface of the nucleus but they do not occur every time that that area faces the Sun.

"The comet is definitely full of surprises so far and probably has a few more in store for us," said Deep Impact Project Manager Rick Grammier of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "None of this overly concerns us nor has it forced us to modify our nominal mission plan."
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#2
I've been following that story for a long time, waiting for today. Very cool stuff. :cool: One of the later articles I've read about the maneuver described it as a "a bullet shooting out of a bullet and colliding with another bullet". Those NASA eggheads are something else.
 
#3
Never underestimate the power of an egghead. :)

We've got one in the NIO right now, who's probably one of the most brilliant people that ever lived.

If a bit of an evil genius. :D

If only he could apply his talents to space travel, we'd really have something going.

"Genius is the most effective weapon" - Ben Franklin

:eyebrow:
 
#6
I don't think it was possible to watch it with the naked eye. A small telescope could have helped, but the comet is in the south-west just above the horizon, so if you live in the city, the chance is pretty big that the skyline is blocking your view (not to mention the light pollution).

Let's hope they don't loose half of the data stream this time...
 
#8
When the news about the experiment/even started to be brought up this week or so-it's really intrigued me. I think it'll be nice to hear what they [NASA] has to say about it. That's all
 
#11
Reports indicated that the impact was compared to ane(11ft)washing machine flying into part of Manhattan.
The craft had a rather small window of time to accomplish it's task(s) before the expelled matter came crashing back down spelling it's doom.

Scientific American should have some good writeups on it....their website usually has some of the best pics as well.
 
#14
Reports indicated that the impact was compared to ane(11ft)washing machine flying into part of Manhattan...at 23000 mph. I have yet to see an 11ft washing machine flying at any speed, never mind ultrasonic speeds.
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1) Typical. Obviously these NASA guys can't even hook up a washing machine right. All schoolbook knowledge, no practical skills. Must have hooked the machine up to 220V by mistake.

2) These NASA guys really ought to watch what they say. Don't give the terrorists an idea for another 9/11. Unless they're washing with hot water, infrared missles would be powerless to shoot the washing machines down. If they develop stealth washing machine technology, the radar guided missiles will be useless as well. Then Manhattan would be defenseless against washing machines.

Randy
 
#17
steveksux said:
1) Typical. Obviously these NASA guys can't even hook up a washing machine right. All schoolbook knowledge, no practical skills. Must have hooked the machine up to 220V by mistake.

2) These NASA guys really ought to watch what they say. Don't give the terrorists an idea for another 9/11. Unless they're washing with hot water, infrared missles would be powerless to shoot the washing machines down. If they develop stealth washing machine technology, the radar guided missiles will be useless as well. Then Manhattan would be defenseless against washing machines.

Randy
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Randy, you're an amusing dude.

;)

You should go start a consulting company with the chick from this thread....

:hiding:
 
#18
i was lucky enough to support some of the scientists on this mission until i left that job. i left on good terms with them all, and i have requested lots of videos and pics. so if i ever get them i'll add them here.
 
#20
Hate to rain on everyone's parade

But


=============
Astrologist sues NASA over comet crash


MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian astrologist who says NASA has altered her horoscope by crashing a spacecraft into a comet is suing the U.S. space agency for damages of $300 million, local media reported Monday.

NASA deliberately crashed its probe, named Deep Impact, into the Tempel 1 comet to unleash a spray of material formed billions of years ago which scientists hope will shed new light on the composition of the solar system.

"It is obvious that elements of the comet's orbit, and correspondingly the ephemeris, will change after the explosion, which interferes with my astrology work and distorts my horoscope," Izvestia daily quoted astrologist Marina Bai as saying in legal documents submitted before Monday's collision.

A spokeswoman for a Moscow district court said initial preparations for the case were underway but could not say when the hearing would begin. NASA representatives in Moscow were unavailable for comment.


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