NASA to crash into comet

IowaStatePhiPsi · #1 01-12-2005, 10:58 PM

impact at 20,000MPH to make a hole the size of the Rose Bowl...
http://spaceflightnow.com/delta/d311/050106preview.html

It's gonna wake the aliens and we'll all die.

Kind of an ingenious way to do research on a comet.

AlphaSigOU · #2 01-13-2005, 10:43 PM

Saw the launch live on NASA TV yesterday. Absolutely clear skies for the launch - one of the long-range tracking cameras kept on it until well after the separation of the boosters. No on-board RocketCam, though. (Some Delta II (this one was a Delta II/7925 Heavy) launches have had on-board video cameras, usually one pointing towards the ground and another one pointed forward to view the satellite as it deploys.)

RUgreek · #3 01-13-2005, 11:11 PM

umm doesn't shooting something at a comet run the risk of changing it's trajectory and stuff. Note: I'm not a comet expert, but these are the same guys that forgot to convert meters to feet when launching a probe on Mars a couple years back....

James · #4 01-13-2005, 11:30 PM

The truth is that they are trying to change the trajectory. There is a high probability that the comet could hit the earth causing all sorts of problems . . . but if theyn release that information generally we would all panic . . so they are terming it an experiment.

I hope they succeed.