Tempel 1 Impact Day After Tomorrow 95
TerminaMorte wrote to mention a news.com article detailing the impending contact of the "Deep Impact" satellite with the Tempel 1 comet...at roughly 23,000 miles per hour. from the article: "We know that the crust--the outside shell of a comet and the stuff that comes off a comet--is changed by the solar wind...One of the things that we're curious about is, some people will tell you that comets actually produce organic compounds...We want to see if that's inside." Update: 07/02 22:08 GMT by Z : Updated with correct day.
Cautious optimism... (Score:4, Funny)
Just a thought.
Re:Cautious optimism... (Score:3, Informative)
Been done before (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Been done before (Score:2)
True, but... (Score:2)
Re:True, but... (Score:2)
According to NASA [nasa.gov], the Apollo 14 S-IVB impacted in an area that would have been relatively dark at impact. I say "relatively" because the impact was west of the Apollo 14 landing site and since landings were always performed in the lunar dawn to take advantage of shadowing (the 3D effect), it was probably pretty dark in that area when the S-IVB came plowing in at 6,000+ MPH.
On an unrelated note, I've always t
Re:Cautious optimism... (Score:2)
Re:Cautious optimism... (Score:1)
Incredibly tricky...... (Score:1)
Trying to ram a space probe into a comet at 23KMPH.. looks roughly as tricky as firing two rifles and so as to hit the bullets mid-flight several miles away.
And get it right on the first try.
Re:Incredibly tricky...... (Score:2)
Says team manager Rich Gramier of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory: "Basically, we have a bullet trying to hit a second bullet with a third bullet in the right place at the right time to watch."
What if (Score:1)
Re:What if (Score:1)
Apollo did that (Score:1)
Re:News at 11: Aliens Pissed. France Surrenders (Score:1)
Re:Cautious optimism... (Score:1)
Silly, it has a crust. Which means there's a caramel nougat center.
Re:Cautious optimism... (Score:2)
Ok, strictly speaking the Moon may originate from Earth, so that may not count.
Re:Cautious optimism... (Score:2)
But this was an impact with rock at 2km/s. HST was watching in case Prospector hit ice and created a cloud of vapour.
Re:Cautious optimism... (Score:2)
That'd be like comparing an apple and an orange.
[The HST and Chandra are scheduled to monitor this event. Wait & see what will take place then.]
Re:Cautious optimism... (Score:3, Funny)
That's only if you don't count all the times Captain Kirk nailed a green chick.
Waste? Could have been better? (Score:1)
Heavens Gate part II? (Score:5, Funny)
Hell yeah it's going to produce organic compounds! 10 bucks says the Heavens Gate Gang is riding shotgun in that badboy.
http://www.cnn.com/US/9803/25/heavens.gate/ [cnn.com]
Re:Heavens Gate part II? (Score:1)
Re:Heavens Gate part II? (Score:1)
My prediction (Score:4, Funny)
Given the current state of technology (Score:2)
Re:Given the current state of technology (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:My prediction (Score:1)
You humans are so arrogant! (Score:1)
Re:You humans are so arrogant! (Score:1)
Re:You humans are so arrogant! (Score:3, Informative)
Protons can't escape from stars, silly. All the tons of gravity would get in the way.
He wrote "photons". And even protons escape stars. Did you ever hear of solar wind?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_wind [wikipedia.org]
Re:You humans are so arrogant! (Score:1, Funny)
Re:You humans are so arrogant! (Score:1)
Re:You humans are so arrogant! (Score:2)
Calvin: Why does it go from east to west?
Dad: Solar wind
Couldn't find a copy of the original strip...
Re:You humans are so arrogant! (Score:2)
Take your best shot. I've been waiting out here in the Cometary Halo for two centuries waiting for someone to start something.
So the question you need to ask yourself is..
Do you feel lucky, Punk?
Signed,
Brennan-monster
Re:My prediction (Score:3, Funny)
Germs (Score:3, Funny)
In all seriousness, hopefully this will give us a window into the creation of the universe, or maybe just the solar system.
I have sort of an obsession with astronomy... I think my parents always thought my telescope was for peeping on the neighbor- "honest mom, the vaseline is for greasing the telescope....
Re:Germs (Score:1, Informative)
Please, if you're going to make stupid comments about it at least take the 5 minutes to read about the mission first. The impactor will be destroyed, and the flyby craft isn't coming back.
Re:Germs (Score:1)
And in adition to that, they are not talking about any such thing as a living germ or anything that complex, what they HOPE to find are the building blocks of life, amino-acids and such.
Re:Germs (Score:2)
Space.com (Score:5, Informative)
Re:So will I be able to see this in the north east (Score:5, Informative)
But if you wanted to try to see it pre-impact, you'd look (with a telescope or binoculars - it shouldn't be naked-eye) near Spica in the constellation Virgo; the comet will be near it, in the direction of Arcturus in the constellation Bootes.
If you have no idea where Spica and Arcturus are... find the Big Dipper. Follow the curve of its handle, and look across the sky a ways for a bright kinda yellowish star. That's Arcturus. Then look about that far again for a bright bluish star. That's Spica.
Or, get yourself on a flight to Maui ASAP and head over to Maui Community College, where a bunch of us will be doing a public outreach program featuring things like NASA people, live video links to observatories on Mauna Kea and Haleakala, and so on and so forth. And freebies. :)
I've only been involved with DI-related stuff for 10 months (as a telescope operator, and now for outreach) but some folks I work with have been on this for the better part of 10 years, so I hope everything goes well!
Re:So will I be able to see this in the north east (Score:2, Informative)
Not tomorrow, but the day after (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Not tomorrow, but the day after (Score:5, Funny)
This seems scripted...
Re:Not tomorrow, but the day after (Score:1)
Re:Not tomorrow, but the day after (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Not tomorrow, but the day after (Score:1)
Therefore you can choose your date...
Pic (Score:2)
Scientists discover: It's gigantic and filled with semi-organic compounds! [wolx.com]
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P.S. (Score:2)
No that's not a link to the Goatse pic.
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2001 (Score:3, Insightful)
Bets anyone? (Score:5, Funny)
Sounds familiar... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Sounds familiar... (Score:1)
It's NASA (Score:4, Funny)
It's NASA we're talking about here folks. The smart money says they ruin the experiment by only smashing into the comet at 23,000 kilometers an hour.
Re:It's NASA (Score:3, Insightful)
TripMasterMonkey Tribute (Score:1, Funny)
Good day, gentlemen. As you are no doubt aware, I have perfected a device capable of altering the orbital path of comets. First of all, I must offer kudos on a most inspired cover story...'scientific experiment' indeed...really, a first rate piece of propagan-da. Of course, you know it cannot last...
You see, gentlemen, things will only get worse...my device, which I've dubbed 'the Cometrix', will continue destablizing our solar systems' comets' orbits, drawing them ever closer to our fragile planet. First
Redneck Scientists (Score:5, Funny)
"Three, we get to blow sh*t up, YEEE HAAAAA"
the creamy center (Score:3, Funny)
Ecologists! (Score:1, Funny)
it's like throw a bomb over a national park to see if there are some fossils!
where is Green Peace?!
Re:Ecologists! (Score:1)
But to answer your questions
1) Yes.
2) No, it's not. It's not a national park, it's a bit of trash flying around the Solar System.
3) Green Peace? Lord God spare us.
Not really 23,000 miles an hour (Score:1, Troll)
That's very deceptive. It's the relative velocity of the comet and the probe that's important, not the absolute speed. If it really made contact going at 23,000 miles an hour relative to the comet.. well.. I don't think we can expect much useful science back from it.
Re:Not really 23,000 miles an hour (Score:3, Informative)
It has the relative velocity, just to smash a reall big hole into it. The analysation will be done from safe distance using spectroscopy.
Re:Not really 23,000 miles an hour (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Not really 23,000 miles an hour (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/deepimpact/050628mis sion.html [spaceflightnow.com]
Re:Not really 23,000 miles an hour (Score:1)
Countdown counter (Score:5, Informative)
I hope it's correct
Re:Countdown counter (Score:2)
Open The Display properties (righ-click desktop, properties)
Click the Desktop Tab
Click customize desktop tab
Click WEB tab
Click "NEW"
Enter http://www.spacetoday.org/SolSys/Comets/DeepImpac t CountdownSmall.html [spacetoday.org] as the URL
Click OK
Click OK again to get out of the display properties
It's sitting on my desktop right now with the countdown. Nifty eh?
~z
Re:Countdown counter (Score:2)
But you made a small mistake - I think you used the URL tag which ocasionally haves slashcode inserting spaces in the middle of the url (it tries to avoid very long "words"). So everyone eliminate the space between "Impact" and "Countdown".
Now that I've written this... Where do I think I am, in some gastronomy internet forum?
Re: (Score:1)
I for one... (Score:1)
I've got a dollar that says... (Score:1)
Organic = Carbon (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Organic = Carbon (Score:1)
Posted elsewhere, sorry... (Score:2)
T E X A S
!!!!!
Yeah, baby, yeaaaah!
Re:Posted elsewhere, sorry... (Score:1)
(what makes you think I'm french ?
Deep Impact on dirty snowball theory (Score:1, Interesting)
Controversially they assert comets are highly negatively-charged asteroids on eccentric orbits. As they travel further into the Sun's radial positive electric field, they discharge into space, expelling material at supersonic speed.
Re:Deep Impact on dirty snowball theory (Score:2)
I predict it'll be Apollo's chariot (Score:2)
I predict they'll find that it's really Apollo in his chariot, and boy, will he be pissed off.
Obligatory (Score:1)
Wait, that's no probe either, it's an ICBM!
- OrbNobz
I can't believe I'm not famous!
lots of trajectory change fears/questions (Score:1)
Hitting this comet is like hitting a 747 with a small pebble. It's highly unlikely that the 747 will crash.
But it's *not* impossible. Suppose Deep Impact were to ignite material within the comet that it was designed to penetrate? Or suppose the crater were to spew ejecta for a long period of time (it already is spewing more than expected). Certainly, the impact of NASA's mission won't *directly* affect