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The Mission




Rocket: Delta 2 (7925)
Payload: Deep Impact
Date: January 12, 2005
Time: 1:47:08 p.m. EST (1847:08 GMT)
Site: SLC-17B, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Broadcast: AMC 6, Transponder 9, C-band, 72° West

Mission Status Center

Our pre-launch story



The Payload




NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft will fire a projectile into the heart of Comet Tempel 1 to expose materials frozen inside the rocky snowball since the solar system formed four billion years ago.

Mission overview

Info on comets

The science objectives

Spacecraft fact sheet



Launch weather forecast
Posted: January 12, 2005

 Forecast for Wednesday, January 12

Issued: Wednesday, January 12
Launch Weather Officer: Johnny Weems, 45th Weather Squadron

Synoptic Discussion: "High pressure is still the dominant feature across Central Florida although the transition to a moist, cooler regime has begun. Conditions will continue to transition as the ridge weakens and a cold front approaches on Friday.

"The only concern for today is coastal cloudiness with a slight chance of very brief showers. Moderate east-southeast wind expected but should not approach limits.

"Concerns for cloudiness, winds, and isolated showers will increase in the event of a 24-hour scrub."

Clouds: Scattered-to-broken at 2,500-to-3,000 feet with tops at 6,000-to-8,000 feet; Scattered at 25,000-to-28,000 feet with tops at 29,000-to-32,000 feet

Visibility: 7 miles

Launch Pad Winds: Southeasterly from 130 degrees at 14 gusting to 17 knots

Temperature: 76 to 78 degrees F

Relative Humidity: 70-75 percent

Weather: Isolated coastal showers

Probability of Violating Weather Constraints: less than 10 percent

Concerns: Coastal cloudiness and showers

 

 24-hour Delay Forecast

Thursday's Probability of Violating Constraints: 30 percent
Concerns: Increasing clouds and chance of showers as front approaches and ridge weakens

 

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