]]>Swift's Take on Deep Impact
Jul 6, 2005 - Scientists monitoring NASA's Swift satellite had a good view of Deep Impact's collision with Comet Tempel 1. Although the space-based observatory was designed to watch for gamma ray bursts, its instruments were handy for this observation since it can see in several wavelengths at the same time. One of its most important observations from the impact is a quick rise in ultraviolet light. This means that the impactor struck a hard surface, as opposed to something soft and snowy.
Duh! Ya think? Sheesh even I could have surmised that. Is this supposed to be news? Sheesh!
]]>]]>For the life of me I cannot grasp this one.
Haha, well said. A few days ago I mentioned to some friends of mine about how Nasa was spending millions of dollars to blow up a comet in outer space, and they shrugged with indifference. But there is something very out-of-place about all of this, I think. At the most basic level it is unsettling that someone would think it's a good idea to blow up a part of our solar system: I just read that the comet in question -- tempel 1 -- has a 5 1/2 year orbit between Jupiter and the Sun. When is it ever a wise idea to tamper with the workings of a natural system, even one as vast as the solar system?
This aside, my gut tells me there is something very odd about this other than this.
]]>Methinks someones' going to have to "put us in our place" once again! If the biblical story of the tower of Babylon is any indication -- we were prevented from climbing to the heavens, and so woefully punished for attempting to do it ... -- then we may be in for some bigger lessons/consequences for exploding/blowing up natural objects in space.
This sequence of images shows the comet before and after the impact. The image at left shows the comet just minutes before the impact. The encounter occurred at 07:52 CEST (05:52 UT/GMT).
In the middle image, captured 15 minutes after the collision, Tempel 1 appears four times brighter than in the pre-impact photograph.
Astronomers noticed that the inner cloud of dust and gas surrounding the comet's nucleus increased by about 200 kilometres in size.
The impact caused a brilliant flash of light and a constant increase in the brightness of the inner cloud of dust and gas.
Hubble continued to monitor the comet, snapping another image (at right) 62 minutes after the encounter. In this photograph, the gas and dust ejected during the impact are expanding outward in the shape of a fan.
The fan-shaped debris is travelling at about 1800 kilometres an hour, or twice as fast as the speed of a commercial jet. The debris extends about 1800 kilometres from the nucleus.
The potato-shaped comet is 14 kilometres wide and 4 kilometres long. Tempel 1's nucleus is too small even for the Hubble telescope to resolve.
The visible-light images were taken by the high-resolution camera on Advanced Camera for Surveys instrument. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international co-operation between ESA and NASA.
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Not sure if those mean anything, but those numbers jumped out at me.
]]>Spacecraft Wakes Up for Comet Collision
Summary - (Jun 28, 2005) The Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) has been asleep for the past 11 months, but now it's being woken up for a very important task: to watch the collision between Deep Impact and Comet Tempel 1. SWAS completed 5.5 years of service to the astronomical community, and it was put into hibernation for just something like this. The spacecraft is especially good at measuring the abundance of water molecules in ice and dust, so it should be able to help analyze the ejected material when the spacecraft slams into the comet on July 4.
Full Story -
Artist illustration of SWAS. Image credit: CfA. Click to enlarge.
The Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) has been asleep on orbit for the past 11 months. SWAS operators placed it into hibernation after a highly successful 5.5-year mission highlighted by the discovery of a swarm of comets evaporating around an aging red giant star. Now, they have awakened SWAS again for the first-ever opportunity to study a comet on a collision course with a U.S. space probe."We knew there was life left in SWAS," said SWAS Principal Investigator Gary Melnick (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics). "SWAS's ability to detect emission from water convinced us that we could contribute to the broader understanding of comets generated by this event. This once-in-a-lifetime event was just too tempting to pass up."
NASA's Deep Impact mission will rendezvous with Comet Tempel 1 at the end of June. Twenty-four hours before collision, on July 3rd, the flyby spacecraft will deploy a 39-inch long by 39-inch wide, 802-pound copper-reinforced impactor to strike the comet's nucleus. As the main Deep Impact spacecraft watches from a safe distance, the impactor will blast material out of the comet, excavating a football stadium-sized crater of pristine ice from the interior. SWAS will measure the abundance of water molecules as the icy comet debris vaporizes.
"Because a comet is composed mostly of ice and rock, water is the most abundant molecule released by a comet. Everything else vaporizing from the comet is measured relative to the amount of water," said Melnick. "Water is the gold standard for comets, so knowing how much water is being released per second is a very useful piece of information."
Current SWAS measurements indicate that Comet Tempel 1 is ejecting about 730 pounds of water per second, which is modest by cometary standards. Deep Impact mission designers specifically selected the target for this reason because the probe's mothership will have a better chance of surviving the flyby. SWAS will watch closely for any changes to the water production rate during and after the impact. Its measurements will help constrain the nature of the comet's nucleus, including its chemical makeup.
NASA and the SWAS team decided to reawaken the satellite because it offers several unique advantages for observing the impactor-comet collision. SWAS can determine the water production rate directly. It has a large field of view that encompasses both the comet nucleus and the surrounding envelope of vaporized gases known as the coma. And, it is above the atmosphere and unaffected by weather, allowing SWAS to monitor the comet almost continuously.
In early June, the satellite was powered up and its components successfully tested. SWAS will remain active through the end of August, watching Comet Tempel 1 for any long-term changes.
"It's gratifying that a satellite that has contributed so much during its lifetime has been given one more opportunity," said Melnick. "Helping to decipher the composition of material thought to be unchanged since the birth of our solar system seems like a great last act."
Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) is a joint collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. CfA scientists, organized into six research divisions, study the origin, evolution and ultimate fate of the universe.
Not every one believes this:
"Because a comet is composed mostly of ice and rock, water is the most abundant molecule released by a comet. Everything else vaporizing from the comet is measured relative to the amount of water," said Melnick. "Water is the gold standard for comets, so knowing how much water is being released per second is a very useful piece of information."
Has anyone heard what McKinney (sp??) has to say about this?
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]after terretorial wars between nations aren't enough, they will begin fabricating enemies in space by claiming comets are gonna hit us, then when that isnt enough, theyre gonna make enemies out of extra terrestrials in space (all staged)
this Deep Impact mission is full of symbology or codes, isnt it? Temple1, 4th July, and Deep Impact... does anyone else know other things that may be relevant in this scheme?
]]>So, if the comet is plasma/em based could the impact produce some sort of em pulse that disrupts some electrical systems on earth. That might be what the elder 'saw'.
All this happens on July 4, no less 
Yeah, whatever stunt this is, it has been planned. And what is up with that name? Is it sexual innuendo or a football analogy: Go Deep! Go Deep!
Anyone out there have any wild ideas? I'd love to hear em. Ya gots about 3 weeks to get yer nutty professor theory on this thread.
]]>It's true they have no idea what size explosion is going to occur with this insanely kinetic collision. Are they really aiming to collect core samples from the comet? Or do a small scale experiment for one day doing Death Star type planetary Armageddon's?
This one's certainly not what meets the eye. Interesting timing too. 4th of July fireworks and all.
Thanks for posting Sheesh!
]]>Mayan Elder Gives Surprising Prediction: Comet “Temple 1�
by Mitch Battros – ECTV
January 31st 2005
www.earthchangestv.comIn an interview you can hear tomorrow night on the Earth Changes TV – Radio Hour, you will hear Mayan elder Carlos Barrios tell us of a surprising prediction brought forth from a meeting of Mayan elders in Guatemala. To my surprise, Carlos is telling us the “Deep Impact� space probe launched by NASA on January 12th will create unexpected consequences.
“Deep Impact� is the first space mission to probe beneath the surface of a comet and reveal the secrets of its interior. It is set to collide with “Comet Temple 1� on July 4th 2005. That’s right, the 4th of July. Is this a Hollywood stunt, or is it a prophetic indicator of things to come? On collision, the crater produced is expected to range in size from that of a house to that of a football stadium, and two to fourteen stories deep. Ice and dust debris will be ejected from the crater revealing fresh material beneath. But Mayan elders tell us than ice and dust debris is all that will occur.
NASA tells us the ice and dust debris data will be analyzed and combined with that of other NASA and international comet missions. Results from these missions will lead to a better understanding of both the solar system's formation and implications of comets colliding with Earth.
I did ask Carlos if this is related to Hopi prophecy telling us of the “Blue Kachina� . Carlos told me he has spoke with Hopi elder Lopez. He was told it “is not� the prophesized Blue Kachina. “It is not comet Temple 1� . Carlos did tell of an escalation of earth changing events to occur as a result of this unprecedented event. It will produce some kind of shock wave which will have an unknown effect in our solar system and on planet Earth.
Here's the science story:
Deep Impact Nearing its Target
Jun 10, 2005 - NASA's Deep Impact is now only a few weeks away from its target, Comet Tempel 1, which it's due to strike on July 4. During the morning of July 3, the spacecraft will deploy its 1 metre (39 inch) impactor which will then guide itself to collide with the comet. Deep Impact will fly 500 km (310 miles) below the comet and capture every moment of the collision with its instruments. The spacecraft will have 13 minutes to take pictures and transmit them back to Earth before it enters a hail of particles from the comet's nucleus. (Full Story)