NASA Cant Wait To Smash Spacecraft

The spacecraft is called Deep Impact just like the 1998 movie about a comet headed straight for Earth. NASA's goal is to collide a part of the spacecraft called the "impactor" with Comet Tempel 1. Scientists expect the collision to blast a crater into the comet to analyze the ice, dust and other primordial stuff hurled out of the pit.

"We'll understand how the comet is put together, its density, its porosity, whether it has a surface crust and underlying ices, whether it's layered ice, whether it's a wimpy comet or whether it's a rock-hard ice ball. All of these things will become apparent after we smack it."

Formed the same time as the planets 4.5 billion years ago, comets are considered the leftover building blocks of the solar system. When the comets periodically swing close by the sun, their surfaces heat up and change, and so only their interiors preserve cosmic-origin clues.

Here is the NASA link to the mission:

www.nasa.gov...

quote by mscbkc070904:
The spacecraft is called Deep Impact just like the 1998 movie about a comet headed straight for Earth. NASA's goal is to collide a part of the spacecraft called the "impactor" with Comet Tempel 1. Scientists expect the collision to blast a crater into the comet to analyze the ice, dust and other primordial stuff hurled out of the pit.

How ironic would it be if the blast caused the comet to change to to head towards Earth..



I would probably convulse in fits of laughter!

Originally posted by Klepto

quote by mscbkc070904:
The spacecraft is called Deep Impact just like the 1998 movie about a comet headed straight for Earth. NASA's goal is to collide a part of the spacecraft called the "impactor" with Comet Tempel 1. Scientists expect the collision to blast a crater into the comet to analyze the ice, dust and other primordial stuff hurled out of the pit.

How ironic would it be if the blast caused the comet to change to to head towards Earth..



I would probably convulse in fits of laughter!

You wouldnt be able to laugh for to long