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At 95, comet man embarks on out-of-this-world tour HARVARD-SMITHSONIAN CENTER FOR ASTROPHYSICS NEWS RELEASE Posted: July 1, 2002
Fred Whipple, often referred to affectionately as "Dr. Comet," originated the "dirty snowball" model of comet structure in 1950. He theorized that, rather than loose conglomerates of dust and rock, comets were solid chunks of ice with dust and rocky particles mixed in. This model was confirmed 36 years later when the European Space Agency's Giotto mission passed by Halley's Comet. In addition to his work on comets and the solar system, Whipple served as director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory from 1955 to 1973. In 1982, the former Mt. Hopkins Observatory in Arizona was renamed the Fred L. Whipple Observatory in his honor. But Whipple's greatest honor was receiving the President's Award for Distinguished Public Service from President Kennedy on June 12, 1963. This award is the highest U.S. civilian honor for government service, and was bestowed on Whipple for his leadership in creating a worldwide network to track orbiting satellites. CONTOUR is a NASA Discovery mission to conduct close-up studies of the nucleus of at least two comets. Comets formed from the same nebula of material that formed the planets, so their study can tell us about the birth of our solar system. The CONTOUR mission will enable scientists to compare and contrast these frozen bodies in order to learn about their diversity. CONTOUR scientists will also study how comets evolve as they approach the sun. Current plans call for CONTOUR to visit Comets 2P/Encke and 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center
for Astrophysics (CfA) is a joint collaboration between the Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. CfA
scientists organized into seven research divisions study the origin,
evolution, and ultimate fate of the universe.
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Pre-launch briefing Launch timeline - Chart with times and descriptions of events to occur during the launch. Launch windows - See the daily launch opportunities for CONTOUR. Orbit trace - Maps showing the ground track for the launch. CONTOUR - Technical look at the spacecraft and its systems. Science goals - The science of CONTOUR aims at a closer look at comet diversity. Delta 2 rocket - Overview of the Delta 2 7425-model rocket used in this launch. SLC-17 - The launch complex where Delta rockets fly from Cape Canaveral. Delta manufacturing - Map of where the parts for Delta 2 rockets are made. Hardware flow - Illustration of how Delta 2s come together at the Cape. Delta directory - See our coverage of preview Delta rocket flights. Gemini 7 Gemini 7: The NASA Mission Reports covers this 14-day mission by Borman and Lovell as they demonstrated some of the more essential facts of space flight. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo patches The Apollo Patch Collection: Includes all 12 Apollo mission patches plus the Apollo Program Patch. Save over 20% off the Individual price. U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars Rover mission patch A mission patch featuring NASA's Mars Exploration Rover is available from our online.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo 9 DVD On the road to the moon, the mission of Apollo 9 stands as an important gateway in experience and procedures. This 2-DVD collection presents the crucial mission on the voyage to the moon.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo 16 NEW! The latest in Apogee Book's acclaimed NASA Mission Reports series features the Apollo 16 expedition to the lunar highland area of Descartes . Includes CD-ROM.Soviet Space For the first time ever available in the West. Rocket & Space Corporation Energia: a complete pictorial history of the Soviet/Russian Space Program from 1946 to the present day all in full color. Available from our store.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Viking patch This embroidered mission patch celebrates NASA's Viking Project which reached the Red Planet in 1976.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo 7 DVD For 11 days the crew of Apollo 7 fought colds while they put the Apollo spacecraft through a workout, establishing confidence in the machine what would lead directly to the bold decision to send Apollo 8 to the moon just 2 months later.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Gemini 12 Gemini 12: The NASA Mission Reports covers the voyage of James Lovell and Buzz Aldrin that capped the Gemini program's efforts to prove the technologies and techniques that would be needed for the Apollo Moon landings. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide |
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