NASA’s Deep Impact space probe continues to hurl through space on a collision course with the Tempel-1 comet. The probe should hit the comet on July 4th. If this goes off, this will be one of the coolest tricks NASA has ever engineered.
NASA and many other space researchers want to know exactly what on the inside of the comet and the Deep Impact may just give it to them.
This cosmic slam dance in the mosh pit of our solar system could produce some incredible photography or it might not. This whole project could be a bust because the comet only moves about 23.000 miles an hour.
As the probe closes in on the comet, which is about half the size of Manhattan Island, NY., the probe will separate into two distinct parts. One part, the impactor, heads for the comet, being steered by an autonomous, navigational computer. It will attempt to slam itself into the comet.
The Deep Impact portion will hang back a fair distance and shoot pictures and with hopes to survive long enough to get the information back to NASA. They’re figuring about 13 minutes.
So, let’s put in perspective. NASA is trying to crash something the size of your coffee table into a giant rock half the size of Manhattan moving at 23,000 miles an hour while taking pictures with some a craft the size of Volkswagen Beetle which will be destroyed in about the time it takes someone to get their first coffee break in the morning. This is so cool. And if we get pictures, even better.
The 4th is going to be great this year.
John Stith is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
