chandra Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=...sc/comet_buster The story is about the Deep Impact spacecraft launching a probe to put a hole through the Tempel 1 comet and then standing by at a safe distance to take and send pictures of the impact before being destroyed by the debris 15 minutes later.... Cool stuff!! ---------- The real action starts in the early morning of July 3 (Eastern time) when the spacecraft separates, releasing an 820-pound copper probe called the "impactor" on a one-way trip straight into the path of the comet. During the next 22 hours, mission control at Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena will steer both craft toward Tempel 1. Two hours before the July 4 encounter, the impactor kicks into autopilot, relying on its self-navigating software and thrusters for the rest of the journey to steer toward the sunlit part of the comet's nucleus so that space and Earth-based telescopes can get the best view. Meanwhile, the spacecraft — with its high-resolution camera ready — will veer out of harm's way some 5,000 miles away, as it stakes out a ringside seat for recording the collision. The spacecraft will make its closest flyby minutes after impact, approaching within 310 miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 Is this a good idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie87 Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 if they stick Ben Affleck on the comet first, I'm all for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chandra Posted June 26, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 if they stick Ben Affleck on the comet first, I'm all for it! ← or Tom Cruise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 Is this a good idea? ← it beats painting lipstick on rats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rostasi Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 if they stick Ben Affleck on the comet first, I'm all for it! ← or Tom Cruise ← Cruise Missle? --- Now playing: Alan Watts - Metamatic Ritual Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gslade Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 Animation of Deep Impact here Jet Propulsion Laboratory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 Is this a good idea? ← it beats painting lipstick on rats ← And you're speaking from experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 Is this a good idea? ← I hope this isn't happening very close to earth. I can just see it. Comet explodes, large parts fall on earth and nue-clear war begins as a result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 Is this a good idea? ← it beats painting lipstick on rats ← And you're speaking from experience? ← no, I'm speaking from my mouth. Actually, I am typing this stuff up. This may look like a wack idea, but there have been many much worse ideas. This one for a change speaks to the imagination. Good timing with Star Wars filling the theatres... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 Is this a good idea? ← it beats painting lipstick on rats ← And you're speaking from experience? ← no, I'm speaking from my mouth. Actually, I am typing this stuff up. This may look like a wack idea, but there have been many much worse ideas. This one for a change speaks to the imagination. Good timing with Star Wars filling the theatres... ← Typing from experience? That's different! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 Is this a good idea? ← it beats painting lipstick on rats ← And you're speaking from experience? ← no, I'm speaking from my mouth. Actually, I am typing this stuff up. This may look like a wack idea, but there have been many much worse ideas. This one for a change speaks to the imagination. Good timing with Star Wars filling the theatres... ← Typing from experience? That's different! ← no, typing from my fingers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 Is this a good idea? ← it beats painting lipstick on rats ← And you're speaking from experience? ← no, I'm speaking from my mouth. Actually, I am typing this stuff up. This may look like a wack idea, but there have been many much worse ideas. This one for a change speaks to the imagination. Good timing with Star Wars filling the theatres... ← Typing from experience? That's different! ← no, typing from my fingers ← Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catesta Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 if they stick Ben Affleck on the comet first, I'm all for it! ← or Tom Cruise ← To both!!!! Thanks for posting the info, this is the first I'm hearing of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 They're not going to blow up the comet; just dent it a little. And this will be millions of miles from Earth. Personally, I'm all for it. These comets have had a free ride for far too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 They're not going to blow up the comet; just dent it a little. And this will be millions of miles from Earth. Personally, I'm all for it. These comets have had a free ride for far too long. ← We'll fix their ass. Damm comets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 Let's get some grackles while we're at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 I hope they don't hit the Norvo masters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 Bur seriously - what if our little experiment throws the comet off it's path, and unforseen "difficulties" result? Possible? Unlikely? Impossible? The proce you gotta pay to be free? I'm just asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 I hope they don't hit the Norvo masters! ← Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chandra Posted June 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 Bur seriously - what if our little experiment throws the comet off it's path, and unforseen "difficulties" result? Possible? Unlikely? Impossible? The proce you gotta pay to be free? I'm just asking. ← Somewhere between Unlikely and Impossible. I think the effects are straightforward to calculate, if we know the speed and mass of the probe and speed and mass of the comets and the net momentum change after the impact. But there are some unknown quantities and that is why we have to skew it slightly towards 'unlikely'. For example, NASA does not know how much debris will fly off since they don't know how the matter of the comet is distributed ( figuring that out is part of the mission ). We can take solace from the fact that the collision is happening so far away from earth that even a change in orbital direction would not cause it to veer towards us. Atleast not right away. If I am wrong, I may not be alive to fess up to my misplaced faith in NASA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son-of-a-Weizen Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 Bur seriously - what if our little experiment throws the comet off it's path, and unforseen "difficulties" result? Possible? Unlikely? Impossible? The proce you gotta pay to be free? I'm just asking. Naaa, they basically equate this with a mosquito hitting a freight train. Gotta love that Russian scientist who filed suit ($300 million?) against NASA claiming that they're disrupting the natural balance of the universe -- as though these comets aren't already severely pock-marked from repeat collisions over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son-of-a-Weizen Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 ...but just to play it safe, might be time to summon Atom Ant out of retirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert J Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 Astrologer to sue NASA over comet plans A Russian court has ruled that an astrologer can proceed with a lawsuit against the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for its plans to bombard a comet. The astrologer claims the destruction of the comet would "disrupt the natural balance of the universe." Marina Bai's case was thrown out of a lower court because Russia has no jurisdiction over NASA, but the ruling was overturned when her lawyer, Alexandra Molokhova, was able to show that the agency's office in the US Embassy in Moscow does fall under Russian jurisdiction. Ms Bai seeks a ruling that will restrict NASA in its plans to annihilate a section of the Tempel 1 comet, in a project that has been dubbed Deep Impact, as well as punitive damages of $US300 million. "My client believes that the NASA project infringes upon her spiritual and life values as well as the natural life of the cosmos and would disrupt the natural balance of forces in the universe," her lawyer said. The lawyer says Tempel 1 has sentimental value to Ms Bai because her grandparents met when her grandfather pointed the comet out to his future wife. In a $US279 million project, NASA in January launched the Deep Impact spacecraft. It will travel to the comet and release an impactor - a 370-kilogram self-guided mass - on July 4, which is expected to create a crater that could be as large as a football stadium. Scientists believe that the exposed material from the resulting crater will yield clues to the formation of the solar system and provide important information on altering the course of comets or asteroids on a collision course with earth. Effects of the collision will be visible from earth with an amateur telescope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 I'm with the Russian dude, this bomb the comet idea is very stupid. Can we reactivate the Hubble now, please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.