[meteorite-list] Deep Impact Mission

From: kenoneill_at_kenoneill.com <kenoneill_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:32:09 2004
Message-ID: <000801c3e40c$50b89380$0201a8c0_at_btek.org>

Hi all !

Now is you chance to leave your name on a comet that has just been smashed
into by a 370-kilogram
(816 pound) copper-tipped impactor !


No, it's true ! Read on.....



The Deep Impact objectives are:

Observe how the crater forms
Measure the crater's depth and diameter
Measure the composition of the interior of the crater and its ejecta
Determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact


T-minus two weeks and counting till NASA closes their
passenger list for a one-way trip to comet Tempel 1. On January 31
NASA's Deep Impact mission will end its campaign to launch the
names of space enthusiasts who want to make a deep impact on a
comet.
On July 4, 2005, the Deep Impact spacecraft will impact a copper
projectile about the size of a garbage can into the surface of a
frozen ball of ice and rock, comet Temple 1, creating a crater
about the size of a football stadium. A CD containing the names of
those who signed on board for this one- way trip to a celestial
snowball will be literally obliterated along with the 370-kilogram
(816 pound) copper-tipped impactor.
When the impactor reaches out and touches Temple 1 at about 37,000
kilometers (22,990 miles) per hour, Deep Impact's flyby spacecraft
will collect pictures and data. The flyby spacecraft will send its
data back to Earth in near real time through the antennas of the
Deep Space Network. Simultaneously, professional and amateur
astronomers on Earth will observe the ejecta flying from the
comet's newly formed crater adding to the data and images
collected by the Deep Impact spacecraft and other space
telescopes.
"This is an opportunity to become part of an extraordinary space
mission," said Dr. Don Yeomans, an astronomer at JPL and a member
of the Deep Impact science team. "When the craft is launched in
December 2004, yours and the names of your loved- ones can hitch
along for the ride and be part of what may be the best space
fireworks show in history."
Deep Impact is the first deep-space mission that will really reach
out and touch a comet. Mission scientists are confident such an
intimate glimpse beneath the surface of a comet, where material
and debris from the formation of the solar system remain
relatively unchanged, will answer basic questions about the
formation of the solar system as well as getting a better look at
the nature and composition of these celestial wanderers.
"This campaign will allow people from around the world to become
directly involved with the Deep Impact mission and through that,
get them thinking about the scientific reasons for the mission,"
said University of Maryland astronomy professor, Dr. Michael
A'Hearn, Deep Impact's principal investigator. "We particularly
hope to capture the interest of young students, as they will
become the explorers of the next generation."
People may submit their names for this historic one-way mission by
visiting NASA's Deep Impact Web site through January 31 at:
http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/
The University of Maryland in College Park is home to A'Hearn, who
oversees the scientific investigations. Project manager, Rick
Grammier, from JPL, manages and operates the Deep Impact mission
for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington. JPL is managed for
NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Ball
Aerospace & Technologies Corporation in Boulder, Colo. manages the
spacecraft development.
Deep Impact was selected in 1999 as a NASA Discovery mission. The
goal of the Discovery Program is to launch smaller, low cost
capped missions studying new science questions. The main objective
is to enhance understanding of the solar system by exploring the
planets, their moons, and small bodies, such as comets and
asteroids.
Information about the Deep Impact mission is available on the
Internet at:
http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/
or
http://deepimpact.umd.edu


Regards

Ken O'Neill
IMCA 9465
Received on Mon 26 Jan 2004 08:00:03 AM PST