The Next Window

If you haven't heard yet, <a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=466&amp;entry_id=87" title="http://www.nasa.gov" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.nasa.gov';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">NASA</a> launched an exploration spacecraft on January 12th that is scheduled to impact a comet on this July 4th. The impact is scheduled to occur at 1:52am Eastern Daylight Time, so most of the US should be able to stay awake and watch.<br />
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NASA describes the "flyby spacecraft" as being nearly as large as a Volkswagen Beetle and the "impactor spacecraft" as having about the same dimensions as a typical living room coffee table.<br />
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So, what's the big deal? The big deal is that this is the first attempt to touch a comet. Plus, the impact is going to occur at 23,000 miles per hour. We're going to touch it hard at that speed. The crater is projected to be up to 200 meters wide by 50 meters deep — and the ejected ice and dust is expected to brighten the comet (reflect enough light) to be visible to binoculars and, perhaps, the naked eye.<br />
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NASA has many more details on the <a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=467&amp;entry_id=87" title="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/main/index.html?skipIntro=1" onmouseover="window.status='http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/main/index.html?skipIntro=1';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Deep Impact</a> page at its website, including an interactive Flash video and a number of webcasts that start on July 1st.<br />
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The flyby spacecraft will observe and record the impact, the ejected material blasted from the crater, and the structure and composition of the crater's interior. Then, it will pass through the comet and view it from the other side also.<br />
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Should we worry about this? Is it going to change the path of the comet? The answer comes from one of the scientists on the project: "In the world of science, this is the astronomical equivalent of a 767 airliner running into a mosquito," said Dr. Don Yeomans, a Deep Impact mission scientist at JPL.<br />