Deep impact 212/3/2023 ![]() Instead of using explosives, it was also cheaper to use copper as the payload. Since copper was not expected to be found on a comet, scientists could ignore copper's signature in any spectrometer readings. Including this cratering mass, copper formed 49% of total mass of the Impactor (with aluminium at 24% of the total mass) this was to minimize interference with scientific measurements. The Impactor's payload, dubbed the "Cratering Mass", was 100% copper, with a weight of 100 kg. The final image taken by the Impactor was snapped only 3.7 seconds before impact. As the Impactor neared the comet's surface, this camera took high-resolution pictures of the nucleus (as good as 0.2 meters per pixel ) that were transmitted in real-time to the Flyby spacecraft before it and the Impactor were destroyed. Its dual purpose was to sense the Impactor's trajectory, which could then be adjusted up to four times between release and impact, and to image the comet from close range. The Impactor section of the spacecraft contains an instrument that is optically identical to the MRI, called the Impactor Targeting Sensor (ITS), but without the filter wheel. It also has a filter wheel, with a slightly different set of filters. The MRI is the backup device, and was used primarily for navigation during the final 10-day approach. It has been optimized for observing the comet's nucleus. The HRI is an imaging device that combines a visible-light camera with a filter wheel, and an imaging infrared spectrometer called the "Spectral Imaging Module" or SIM that operates on a spectral band from 1.05 to 4.8 micrometres. The spacecraft also carried two cameras, the High Resolution Imager (HRI), and the Medium Resolution Imager (MRI). It includes two solar panels, a debris shield, and several science instruments for imaging, infrared spectroscopy, and optical navigation to its destination near the comet. The Flyby spacecraft is about 3.3 meters (10.8 ft) long, 1.7 meters (5.6 ft) wide and 2.3 meters (7.5 ft) high. The spacecraft consists of two main sections, the 372-kilogram (820 lb) copper-core "Smart Impactor" that impacted the comet, and the 601 kg (1,325 lb) "Flyby" section, which imaged the comet from a safe distance during the encounter with Tempel 1. Spacecraft design and instrumentation Spacecraft overview He led the science team, which included members from Cornell University, University of Maryland, University of Arizona, Brown University, Belton Space Exploration Initiatives, JPL, University of Hawaii, SAIC, Ball Aerospace, and Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik. The mission's Principal Investigator was Michael A'Hearn, an astronomer at the University of Maryland. Observations of the impact and its aftermath would allow astronomers to attempt to determine the answers to these questions. By observing the composition of the comet, astronomers hoped to determine how comets form based on the differences between the interior and exterior makeup of the comet. The Deep Impact mission was planned to help answer fundamental questions about comets, which included what makes up the composition of the comet's nucleus, what depth the crater would reach from the impact, and where the comet originated in its formation. Communication was unexpectedly lost in August 2013 while the craft was heading for another asteroid flyby. Consequently, Deep Impact flew by Earth on December 31, 2007, on its way to an extended mission, designated EPOXI, with a dual purpose to study extrasolar planets and comet Hartley 2 (103P/Hartley). Upon the completion of its primary mission, proposals were made to further utilize the spacecraft. ![]() The Deep Impact mission was the first to eject material from a comet's surface, and the mission garnered considerable publicity from the media, international scientists, and amateur astronomers alike. These missions were able to photograph and examine only the surfaces of cometary nuclei, and even then from considerable distances. Previous space missions to comets, such as Giotto, Deep Space 1, and Stardust, were fly-by missions. The impact generated an unexpectedly large and bright dust cloud, obscuring the view of the impact crater. Photographs taken by the spacecraft showed the comet to be more dusty and less icy than had been expected. The impact excavated debris from the interior of the nucleus, forming an impact crater. At 05:52 UTC on July 4, 2005, the Impactor successfully collided with the comet's nucleus. It was designed to study the interior composition of the comet Tempel 1 (9P/Tempel), by releasing an impactor into the comet. Official insignia of the Deep Impact missionĭeep Impact was a NASA space probe launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on January 12, 2005. Artist's impression of the Deep Impact space probe after deployment of the Impactor.ģ.3 × 1.7 × 2.3 m (10.8 × 5.6 × 7.5 ft)
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