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The science objectives FROM NASA PRESS KIT Posted: January 9, 2005 The primary goal of the Deep Impact mission is to explore the interior of Comet Tempel 1 by using an impactor to excavate a crater in the comet's surface, after which the flyby spacecraft will take data on the newly exposed cometary interior. Scientists believe in-depth analysis of this new view of Tempel 1 will reveal a great deal not only about this comet but also the role of comets in the earliest history of the solar system. In particular, the mission's scientific objectives are to:
The main scientific investigation is to understand the differences between the interior of a cometary nucleus and its surface. Some of the questions that will be addressed are:
Though they know that the collision event will create a roughly circular crater on the comet nucleus' surface, scientists do not know what size and type of crater will form. There are three likely scenarios that the crater formation can take.
If, however, the crater turns out to be strength-dominated, then this suggests that the material of the nucleus is processed somehow, resulting in a comet that can hold together better under impact. This would mean that it is not the pristine, untouched material of accretion. It's also possible that the initial crater formation will be strengthdominated, suggesting a processed outer shell to the nucleus, but that the bulk of the crater is gravity-dominated, suggesting that the impactor has punched through this outer shell into the pristine material below. Scientists also hope that observing the radius of the ejecta plume and the speed with which the plume changes over time will give them a better estimate of the nucleus material's density. Since the comet's volume will be known, as estimate of density allows for an estimate of the comet's mass. Others in the audience In addition to large observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope and large instruments on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the collision with the comet will be witnessed by a wide network of astronomers, both professional and amateur. The Deep Impact project has organized a small telescope science program, calling on technically proficient amateurs to fill in gaps of observations by large observatories. These observers are able to look at the comet on a repeated basis over a long period of time from many locations around the world, which helps to refine knowledge of how the cometary nucleus rotates. The first observing campaign ran from February 2000 through March 2001, after which the comet became too faint to observe. The program relaunched in October 2004. Watching for the comet If it weren't for the Deep Impact mission, the comet would only reach a magnitude of about 9.5. The limit of the unaided human eye is about magnitude 6 (larger numbers mean dimmer objects), so some form of telescope or powerful binoculars would be necessary. But the impact could make the comet 15 to 40 times brighter than normal -- perhaps as bright as 6th magnitude, around the limit of the human unaided eye. The comet's position and orbit are listed on NASA's Near-Earth Object website at neo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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Ares patch The Ares Project will develop two new rockets to launch astronauts back to the Moon under NASA's Vision for Exploration. The Ares 1 will employ a single space shuttle solid rocket booster to loft the Orion crew capsule. The gigantic Ares 5 will haul the equipment and cargo needed for such lunar voyages. This is the Ares emblem.![]() 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. STORE Columbus mission patch The official astronaut embroidered patch of Atlantis' STS-122 mission that launched the Columbus science lab in February is available to U.S. customers from our store.The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD This exceptional chronicle of the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission features new digital transfers of film and television coverage unmatched by any other.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 Apollo 11 special patch Special collectors' patch marking the 35th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing is now available.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Inside Apollo mission control
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