Browse All : Impactor and Earth

Deep Impact Launch

title	Deep Impact Launch
date	01.12.2005
description	Erupting from the flames and smoke beneath it, NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft lifts off at 1:47 p.m. EST today from Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact is heading for space and a rendezvous 83 million miles from Earth with Comet Tempel 1. After releasing a 3- by 3-foot projectile (impactor) to crash onto the surface July 4, 2005, Deep Impact's flyby spacecraft will reveal the secrets of the comet's interior by collecting pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the crater's depth and diameter as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network. Image Credit: NASA

3D Barringer Meteorite Crate …

Title	3D Barringer Meteorite Crater
Explanation	Barringer Meteorite Crater [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_Crater ], near Winslow, Arizona, is one of the best known impact craters on planet Earth [ http://www.unb.ca/passc/ImpactDatabase/images/ barringer.htm ]. View this color stereo anaglyph [ http://www.photomeeting.de/astromeeting/miscellaneous/ 070616crater3D_d.htm ] with red/blue glasses [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/Help/ VendorList.html#Glasses ] to get a dramatic sense of the crater's [ http://barringercrater.com/ ] dimensions -- one mile wide, and up to 570 feet deep. (A cross-eyed stereo pair is available here [ http://www.astromeeting.de/miscellaneous/ 070616crater_x.htm ].) Historically, this crater is the first recognized to be caused by an impact rather than a volcanic eruption. Modern research [ http://www.astrobio.net/news/article1479.html ] indicates that the impactor responsible, a 300,000 ton nickel-iron meteor [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/ meteorites.html ], struck some 50,000 years ago. Estimates suggest that it was about 130 feet across and was traveling over 26,000 miles per hour. For comparison, the asteroid or comet impactor that created the Chicxulub crater [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000226.html ] 65 million years ago, and is thought to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, was 6 to 12 miles across.

Thirteen Million Kilometers from Comet Tempel 1

Thirteen Million Kilometers …

Title	Thirteen Million Kilometers from Comet Tempel 1
Explanation	The Deep Impact spacecraft continues to close on Comet Tempel 1, a comet roughly the size of Manhattan. Early on July 3 (EDT), the Deep Impact [ http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html ] spacecraft will separate [ http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/050615_deepimpact_tech.html ] in to two individual robotic spaceships, one called Flyby and the other called Impactor. During the next 24 hours, both Flyby and Impactor will fire rockets and undergo complex maneuvers in preparation for Impactor's planned collision [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050516.html ] with Comet Tempel 1 [ http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/science/tempel1.html ]. On July 4 (1:52 am EDT) if everything goes as scheduled, the 370-kilogram Impactor will strike Tempel 1 [ http://cometography.com/pcomets/009p.html ]'s surface at over 14,000 kilometers per hour. Impactor will attempt to photograph the oncoming comet right up to the time of collision, while Flyby photographs the result from nearby. The above image [ http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/DI_T1_doy171.html ] was taken on 19 June from about 13 million kilometers out and used to help identify the central nucleus [ http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/press/050621umd.html ] of the comet inside the diffuse coma [ http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/comets/coma.html ]. Telescopes around the Earth, including the Hubble Space Telescope, will also be closely watching [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/ archive/releases/2005/16/ ] the distant silent space ballet [ http://www.ebertfest.com/three/32001.htm ]. The result may give crucial information about the structure of comets [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040319.html ] and the early history of our Solar System [ http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/origins/building/index.shtml ].

Thirteen Seconds After Impac …

Title	Thirteen Seconds After Impact
Explanation	Fireworks came early on July 4th [ http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/jul04.html ] when, at 1:52am EDT, the Deep Impact [ http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html ] spacecraft's probe smashed into the surface of Comet Tempel 1's nucleus at ten kilometers per "second". The well-targeted impactor probe was vaporized as it blasted out an expanding cloud of material, seen here 13 seconds [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02123 ] after the collision. The image is part of a stunning series [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02125 ] of frames documenting the event from the high resolution camera onboard the flyby spacecraft [ http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/tech/flyby.html ]. Tempel 1's potato-shaped nucleus is approximately 5 kilometers across as seen from this perspective. Cameras onboard the impactor probe [ http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/tech/impactor.html ] were also able to image the nucleus and impact site up-close ... until about 3 seconds before the impact. Of course, telescopes nearer to planet Earth followed the event [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/ releases/2005/17/ ], detecting a significant brightening of comet Tempel 1 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050512.html ].

A Swift Look at Tempel 1

Title	A Swift Look at Tempel 1
Explanation	Comet Tempel 1 is targeted for a collision [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050516.html ] with the impactor probe from NASA's Deep Impact Spacecraft at about 1:52am EDT on July 4th (other time zones [ http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/faq5.html#q1 ]). Cameras on the impactor probe and the flyby spacecraft will capture close-up images of the event - expected to produce [ http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/wwws.html ] a crater on the surface of the comet's nucleus. Of course, Earth-orbiting [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/ releases/2005/16/ ] and ground-based telescopes will be watching too, including instruments on the Swift satellite normally used to spot gamma-ray bursts [ http://swift.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/swift/swiftsc.html ] in the distant universe. Swift's ultraviolet telescope recorded this picture of Tempel 1 [ http://swift.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/swift/results/releases/ images/9P_Tempel1/ ] on June 29th. Because the image is registered on the comet, the background stars appear as short trails. Want to follow the encounter? Media coverage chronicling the event, and the possibilities for viewing the comet [ http://deepimpact.umd.edu/amateur/ ] with small telescopes can be found through the Deep Impact website [ http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html ]. Updated images will also be available from the Kitt Peak National Observatory [ http://www.noao.edu/news/deep-impact/ ].

Gosses Bluff Impact Crater, Northern Territory, Australia: Image of the Day

Gosses Bluff Impact Crater, …

nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …

Impact craters, like those w …

ISS007-E-5697_lrg

mediatype	IMAGE
mediatype	image
date	2003-05-20
creator	NASA -- Astronaut photograph eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS007&roll=E&frame=05697 ISS007-E-05697 was taken with an Electronic Still Camera on May 20, 2003 with a 180-mm lens and is provided by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA-JSC eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
identifier	ISS007-E-5697_lrg

Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto: Surface comparison at high spatial resolution

Europa, Ganymede, and Callis …

PIA01656

Jupiter

Solid-State Imaging

Title	Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto: Surface comparison at high spatial resolution
Original Caption Released with Image	Ganymede's youngest large craters would have been created only about one billion years ago. Europa's surface in this model should be very young, with this satellite being geologically quite active even today. The images were taken by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. They were processed by the Institute of Planetary Exploration of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Berlin, Germany, and scaled to a size of 150 meters per pixel (m/pixel). North is up in all images. The spatial resolution of the original data was 180 m/pixel for Europa and Ganymede and 90 m/pixel for Callisto. The Europa image was taken during Galileo's 6th orbit, the Ganymede image during the 7th, and the Callisto image during the 10th orbit. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]., These images show a comparison of the surfaces of the three icy Galilean satellites, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, scaled to a common resolution of 150 meters per picture element (pixel). Despite the similar distance of 0.8 billion kilometers to the sun, their surfaces show dramatic differences. Callisto (with a diameter of 4817 kilometers) is "peppered" by impact craters, but is also covered by a dark material layer of so far unknown origin, as seen here in the region of the Asgard multi-ring basin. It appears that this layer erodes or covers small craters. Ganymede's landscape is also widely formed by impacts, but different from Callisto, much tectonic deformation can be observed in the Galileo images, such as these of Nicholson Regio. Ganymede, with a diameter of 5268 kilometers (one-and-a-half times larger than the Earth's moon), is the largest moon in the solar system. Contrary to Ganymede and Callisto, Europa (diameter 3121 kilometers) has a sparsely cratered surface, indicating that geologic activity took place more recently. Globally, ridged plains and the so-called "mottled terrain" are the main landforms. In the high-resolution image presented here showing the area around the Agave and Asterius dark lineaments, older ridges dominate the surface, while a small part of the younger mottled terrain is visible to the lower left of the image center. While all three moons are believed to be nearly as old as the solar system (4.5 billion years), the age of the surfaces, i.e. the time since the last major geologic activity took place, is still subject to debate. Without having surface samples in hand, the only method to roughly determine a planet's or satellite's geologic surface age is by crater counting. However, assumptions about the impactor fluxes must be made based on theoretical models and possible observations of candidate impactors such as asteroids and comets. Asteroids should have been very common in the early days of the solar system, but this source should have been largely exhausted by about 3.8 billion years before present. For comets, the impactor flux is believed to be rather constant throughout the whole lifetime of the solar system, meaning that the probability of an impact of a large comet is similar today as it was, say, four billion years ago. Assuming the asteroids have been the dominant bodies that impacted the Galilean satellites (which is believed to be the case on the Moon, the Earth, and other inner solar system bodies as well as within the asteroid belt itself), the surfaces of Ganymede and Callisto must be old, roughly four billion years. In this case, the Europan surface would by comparison have a mean age of one-hundred to several-hundred million years. Low-level geologic activity on Europa might be possible, but Ganymede and Callisto should be geologically dead. Assuming on the other hand that comets have been the main impactors in the Jovian system, Callisto's surface would still be determined to be old, but

The Making of Deep Impact

PIA02109

Impactor, S-band Antenna

Title	The Making of Deep Impact
Original Caption Released with Image	This image shows NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft being built at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, Colo. On July 2, at 10:52 p.m. Pacific time (1:52 a.m. Eastern time, July 3), the spacecraft's impactor will be released from Deep Impact's flyby spacecraft. One day later, it will collide with Tempel 1. The impactor cannot directly talk to Earth, so it will communicate via the flyby spacecraft during its final day. The two spacecraft communicate at "S-band" frequency. The flyby's S-band antenna is the gold, rectangle-shaped object seen on the spacecraft, in the middle of this picture.

A Game of Space Telephone

PIA02110

Impactor, S-band Antenna

Title	A Game of Space Telephone
Original Caption Released with Image	This image shows NASA's Deep Impact impactor spacecraft while it was being built at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, Colo. On July 2, at 10:52 p.m. Pacific time (1:52 a.m. Eastern time, July 3), the impactor will be released from Deep Impact's flyby spacecraft. One day later, it will collide with Tempel 1. The impactor cannot directly talk to Earth, so it will communicate via the flyby spacecraft during its final day. The two spacecraft communicate at "S-band" frequency. The impactor's S-band antenna is the rectangle-shaped object seen on the top of the impactor in this image.

Venus - Lakshmi Region

PIA00082

Sol (our sun)

Imaging Radar

Title	Venus - Lakshmi Region
Original Caption Released with Image	This Magellan image is centered at 55 degrees north latitude, 348.5 degrees longitude, in the eastern Lakshmi region of Venus. This image, which is of an area 300 kilometers (180 miles) in width and 230 kilometers (138 miles) in length, is a mosaic of orbits 458 through 484. The image shows a relatively flat plains region composed of many lava flows. The dark flows mostly likely represent smooth lava flows similar to 'pahoehoe' flows on Earth while the brighter lava flows are rougher flows similar to 'aa' flows on Earth. (The terms 'pahoehoe' and 'aa' refer to textures of lava with pahoehoe a smooth or ropey surface, and aa a rough, clinkery texture). The rougher flows are brighter because the rough surface returns more energy to the radar than the smooth flows. Situated on top of the lava flows are three dark splotches. Because of the thick Venusian atmosphere, the small impactors break up before they reached the surface. Only the fragments from the broken up impactor are deposited on the surface and these fragments produce the dark splotches in this image. The splotch at the far right (east) has a crater centered in it, indicating that the impactor was not completely destroyed during its journey through the atmosphere. The dark splotches in the center and to the far left in this image each represent an impactor that was broken up into small fragments that did not penetrate the surface to produce a crater. The dark splotch at the left has been modified by the wind. A southwest northeast wind flow has moved some of the debris making up the splotch to the northeast where it has piled up against some small ridges.

New Craters

PIA09020

Sol (our sun)

Mars Orbiter Camera

Title	New Craters
Original Caption Released with Image	Office of Space Science, Washington, by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of the California Institute of Technology, also in Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]., The Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Orbiter Camera has found that meteorites are hitting the Martian surface and forming new craters all the time. If you were living on Mars, chances are that within 10 or 20 years, an impact would occur close enough to where you live that you'd notice it -- perhaps you'd hear the impact and it would startle you out of your seat. A year ago, it had not occurred to the camera team that they could find places on Mars where meteorites had impacted the surface during the course of the mission. Such craters, if they were forming at all, would be a few meters to a few tens of meters across, much too small to notice (or so they thought) in the wide-angle camera coverage. But, on Jan. 9, 2006, they began to realize that not only could we find such craters, we might also be able to characterize the present-day impact cratering rate on Mars. Surveying for fresh craters formed during the mission would provide the first direct observation -- for any body in the solar system, including Earth and its Moon -- of the present-day cratering rate. This in turn can help test models used all the time by members of the scientific community to estimate the age of features on planetary surfaces. The first fresh impact site, shown on this page, was first noticed on Jan. 9, 2006, in an image acquired three days earlier. The image was acquired by the wide-angle camera at its highest possible spatial resolution, about 240 meters (262 yards) per pixel. To the northwest of the area imaged by the narrow-angle camera, the red, wide-angle context frame showed a dark spot. This spot was not present in any previous image acquired by any spacecraft, from Mariner 9 (which arrived in 1971) on down through Mars Express (which arrived in 2003). Figure A: The first figure shows two red, wide-angle camera context images. The first was taken on June 9, 2001, several years before the impact occurred. The second is the "discovery" image, acquired on January 6, 2006. In both cases, a white box indicates the location of the Mars Orbiter Camera narrow-angle image for which the context image was obtained. For scale, the white boxes are 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide. Figure B: In this image, North is up in this map-projected view. The single, broad dark streak that emanates from the impact site and points toward the southwest (lower left) may indicate either the direction that the meteor came from, or its opposite. If it represents the direction that the impactor came from, then the streak results from disruption of dust on the Martian surface as the object came in. If the opposite, then it represents the direction that material was blasted from the impact site, away from the direction that the meteor came. In either case, the impactor came in at a somewhat oblique angle, and broke up just before hitting the ground, because it formed multiple small craters. The 300-meter scale bar represents 328 yards. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's

New Craters

PIA09020

Sol (our sun)

Mars Orbiter Camera

Title	New Craters
Original Caption Released with Image	Office of Space Science, Washington, by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of the California Institute of Technology, also in Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]., The Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Orbiter Camera has found that meteorites are hitting the Martian surface and forming new craters all the time. If you were living on Mars, chances are that within 10 or 20 years, an impact would occur close enough to where you live that you'd notice it -- perhaps you'd hear the impact and it would startle you out of your seat. A year ago, it had not occurred to the camera team that they could find places on Mars where meteorites had impacted the surface during the course of the mission. Such craters, if they were forming at all, would be a few meters to a few tens of meters across, much too small to notice (or so they thought) in the wide-angle camera coverage. But, on Jan. 9, 2006, they began to realize that not only could we find such craters, we might also be able to characterize the present-day impact cratering rate on Mars. Surveying for fresh craters formed during the mission would provide the first direct observation -- for any body in the solar system, including Earth and its Moon -- of the present-day cratering rate. This in turn can help test models used all the time by members of the scientific community to estimate the age of features on planetary surfaces. The first fresh impact site, shown on this page, was first noticed on Jan. 9, 2006, in an image acquired three days earlier. The image was acquired by the wide-angle camera at its highest possible spatial resolution, about 240 meters (262 yards) per pixel. To the northwest of the area imaged by the narrow-angle camera, the red, wide-angle context frame showed a dark spot. This spot was not present in any previous image acquired by any spacecraft, from Mariner 9 (which arrived in 1971) on down through Mars Express (which arrived in 2003). Figure A: The first figure shows two red, wide-angle camera context images. The first was taken on June 9, 2001, several years before the impact occurred. The second is the "discovery" image, acquired on January 6, 2006. In both cases, a white box indicates the location of the Mars Orbiter Camera narrow-angle image for which the context image was obtained. For scale, the white boxes are 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide. Figure B: In this image, North is up in this map-projected view. The single, broad dark streak that emanates from the impact site and points toward the southwest (lower left) may indicate either the direction that the meteor came from, or its opposite. If it represents the direction that the impactor came from, then the streak results from disruption of dust on the Martian surface as the object came in. If the opposite, then it represents the direction that material was blasted from the impact site, away from the direction that the meteor came. In either case, the impactor came in at a somewhat oblique angle, and broke up just before hitting the ground, because it formed multiple small craters. The 300-meter scale bar represents 328 yards. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's

New Craters

PIA09020

Sol (our sun)

Mars Orbiter Camera

Title	New Craters
Original Caption Released with Image	Office of Space Science, Washington, by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of the California Institute of Technology, also in Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]., The Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Orbiter Camera has found that meteorites are hitting the Martian surface and forming new craters all the time. If you were living on Mars, chances are that within 10 or 20 years, an impact would occur close enough to where you live that you'd notice it -- perhaps you'd hear the impact and it would startle you out of your seat. A year ago, it had not occurred to the camera team that they could find places on Mars where meteorites had impacted the surface during the course of the mission. Such craters, if they were forming at all, would be a few meters to a few tens of meters across, much too small to notice (or so they thought) in the wide-angle camera coverage. But, on Jan. 9, 2006, they began to realize that not only could we find such craters, we might also be able to characterize the present-day impact cratering rate on Mars. Surveying for fresh craters formed during the mission would provide the first direct observation -- for any body in the solar system, including Earth and its Moon -- of the present-day cratering rate. This in turn can help test models used all the time by members of the scientific community to estimate the age of features on planetary surfaces. The first fresh impact site, shown on this page, was first noticed on Jan. 9, 2006, in an image acquired three days earlier. The image was acquired by the wide-angle camera at its highest possible spatial resolution, about 240 meters (262 yards) per pixel. To the northwest of the area imaged by the narrow-angle camera, the red, wide-angle context frame showed a dark spot. This spot was not present in any previous image acquired by any spacecraft, from Mariner 9 (which arrived in 1971) on down through Mars Express (which arrived in 2003). Figure A: The first figure shows two red, wide-angle camera context images. The first was taken on June 9, 2001, several years before the impact occurred. The second is the "discovery" image, acquired on January 6, 2006. In both cases, a white box indicates the location of the Mars Orbiter Camera narrow-angle image for which the context image was obtained. For scale, the white boxes are 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide. Figure B: In this image, North is up in this map-projected view. The single, broad dark streak that emanates from the impact site and points toward the southwest (lower left) may indicate either the direction that the meteor came from, or its opposite. If it represents the direction that the impactor came from, then the streak results from disruption of dust on the Martian surface as the object came in. If the opposite, then it represents the direction that material was blasted from the impact site, away from the direction that the meteor came. In either case, the impactor came in at a somewhat oblique angle, and broke up just before hitting the ground, because it formed multiple small craters. The 300-meter scale bar represents 328 yards. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's

New Craters

PIA09020

Sol (our sun)

Mars Orbiter Camera

Title	New Craters
Original Caption Released with Image	Office of Space Science, Washington, by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a division of the California Institute of Technology, also in Pasadena. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif., built and operates the Mars Orbiter Camera. For more information about images from the Mars Orbiter Camera, see http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html [ http://www.msss.com/mgs/moc/index.html ]., The Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Orbiter Camera has found that meteorites are hitting the Martian surface and forming new craters all the time. If you were living on Mars, chances are that within 10 or 20 years, an impact would occur close enough to where you live that you'd notice it -- perhaps you'd hear the impact and it would startle you out of your seat. A year ago, it had not occurred to the camera team that they could find places on Mars where meteorites had impacted the surface during the course of the mission. Such craters, if they were forming at all, would be a few meters to a few tens of meters across, much too small to notice (or so they thought) in the wide-angle camera coverage. But, on Jan. 9, 2006, they began to realize that not only could we find such craters, we might also be able to characterize the present-day impact cratering rate on Mars. Surveying for fresh craters formed during the mission would provide the first direct observation -- for any body in the solar system, including Earth and its Moon -- of the present-day cratering rate. This in turn can help test models used all the time by members of the scientific community to estimate the age of features on planetary surfaces. The first fresh impact site, shown on this page, was first noticed on Jan. 9, 2006, in an image acquired three days earlier. The image was acquired by the wide-angle camera at its highest possible spatial resolution, about 240 meters (262 yards) per pixel. To the northwest of the area imaged by the narrow-angle camera, the red, wide-angle context frame showed a dark spot. This spot was not present in any previous image acquired by any spacecraft, from Mariner 9 (which arrived in 1971) on down through Mars Express (which arrived in 2003). Figure A: The first figure shows two red, wide-angle camera context images. The first was taken on June 9, 2001, several years before the impact occurred. The second is the "discovery" image, acquired on January 6, 2006. In both cases, a white box indicates the location of the Mars Orbiter Camera narrow-angle image for which the context image was obtained. For scale, the white boxes are 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide. Figure B: In this image, North is up in this map-projected view. The single, broad dark streak that emanates from the impact site and points toward the southwest (lower left) may indicate either the direction that the meteor came from, or its opposite. If it represents the direction that the impactor came from, then the streak results from disruption of dust on the Martian surface as the object came in. If the opposite, then it represents the direction that material was blasted from the impact site, away from the direction that the meteor came. In either case, the impactor came in at a somewhat oblique angle, and broke up just before hitting the ground, because it formed multiple small craters. The 300-meter scale bar represents 328 yards. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed for NASA's

Europa Impact Crater

PIA02561

Jupiter

Near Infrared Mapping Spectr …

Title	Europa Impact Crater
Original Caption Released with Image	A newly discovered, city-sized impact crater viewed by NASA's Galileo spacecraft may shed new light on the nature of the enigmatic icy surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. This false-color image reveals the scar of a past major impact of a comet or small asteroid on Europa's surface. The bright, circular feature at center right has a diameter of about 80 kilometers (50 miles), making it comparable in size to the largest cities on Earth. The area within the outer boundary of the continuous bright ring is about 5,000 square kilometers (nearly 2,000 square miles). The diameter of the darker area within the bright ring is about 29 kilometers (18 miles), which is large enough to contain both the city of San Francisco and New York's Manhattan Island, side by side. The brightest reds in this image correspond to surfaces with high proportions of relatively pure water ice, while the blue colors indicate that non-ice materials are also present. The composition of the darker materials is controversial, they may consist of minerals formed by evaporation of salty brines, or they may be rich in sulfuric acid. The bright ring is a blanket of ejecta that consists of icy subsurface material that was blasted out of the crater by the impact, while the darker area in the center may retain some of the materials from the impacting body. Further study may yield new insights about both the nature of the impactor and the surface chemistry of Europa. Europa's surface is a question of great interest at present, since an ocean of liquid water may exist beneath the icy crust, possibly providing an environment suitable for life. Geologic investigations of Europa's surface are underway, and a new spacecraft mission, the Europa Orbiter, is planned. Impact craters with diameters of 20 kilometers (12 miles) and larger are extremely rare on Europa, as of 1999 only 7 such features were known. The rarity of larger impact craters on Europa lends greater significance to the discovery of this one. Impact crater counts are often employed to estimate the ages of the exposed surfaces of planets and satellites, and the small number of craters found on Europa implies that the surface may be quite young in geological terms. Thus the discovery of this feature may provide additional insights into questions about the age and level of geological activity of Europa's surface. Impact craters are expected to form with greater frequency on the "leading" sides of satellites that always turn the same face to their primary planet, in this case, Jupiter. The process is much like the effect of running through a rainstorm. The "apex" of Europa's leading side is located on the equator at 90 degrees West longitude, only about 10 degrees removed from the feature shown. Europa's leading side does not receive a continuous bombardment by ionized particles carried along by Jupiter's rapidly rotating magnetosphere (as is the case for the trailing side), which may allow greater preservation of the chemical, signatures of the impacting object. To the east of the bright ring-like feature are two, or perhaps three, similar but less well-defined quasi-circular features, raising the possibility that this crater is one member of a catena, or chain of craters. This would lend still greater interest to this area as a potential target for focused investigations by later missions such as the Europa Orbiter. The near-infrared mapping spectrometer on board Galileo obtained this image on May 31,1998, during that spacecraft's 15th orbital encounter with Europa. The image data was returned to Earth in several segments during both the 15th and the 16th orbital periods. Merging and processing of the full data set was accomplished in 1999. Analysis and interpretation are ongoing. Galileo has been orbiting Jupiter and its moons since December 1995. Its primary mission ended in December 1997, and after that Galileo successfully completed a two-year extended mission. The spacecraft is in the midst of yet another extended journey called the Galileo Millennium Mission. More information about the Galileo mission is available at:http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]JPL manages Galileo for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Deep Impact on Its Way

PIA07266

Sol (our sun)

Hale Telescope 200-inch

Title	Deep Impact on Its Way
Original Caption Released with Image	This Jan. 13 photograph was taken by Mt Palomar's 200-inch telescope as the Deep Impact spacecraft was at a distance of about 260,000 kilometers (163,000 miles) from Earth and moving at a speed of about 16,000 kilometers per hour (10,000 miles per hour). The high speed of the spacecraft causes it to appear as a long streak across the sky in the constellation Virgo during the 10-minute exposure time of the image. The spacecraft will travel to comet Tempel 1 and release an impactor, creating a crater on the surface of the comet. Scientists believe the exposed materials may give clues to the formation of our solar system.

General Description	International Space Station Imagery

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The NASA Discovery Mission Deep Impact spacecraft arrives via truck from Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. It is being taken to Astrotech Space Operations near Kennedy Space Center. Deep Impact is designed to launch a copper projectile into the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. When this 820-pound ?impactor? hits the surface of the comet at nearly 23,000 miles per hour, the 3- by 3-foot projectile will create a crater hundreds of feet in size. Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch Dec. 30, 2004, aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The NASA Discovery Mission Deep Impact spacecraft arrives via truck from Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. It is being taken to Astrotech Space Operations near Kennedy Space Center. Deep Impact is designed to launch a copper projectile into the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. When this 820-pound ?impactor? hits the surface of the comet at nearly 23,000 miles per hour, the 3- by 3-foot projectile will create a crater hundreds of feet in size. Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch Dec. 30, 2004, aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Release Date	10/16/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The truck carrying the NASA Discovery Mission Deep Impact spacecraft arrives from Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. It is being taken to Astrotech Space Operations near Kennedy Space Center. Deep Impact is designed to launch a copper projectile into the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. When this 820-pound ?impactor? hits the surface of the comet at nearly 23,000 miles per hour, the 3- by 3-foot projectile will create a crater hundreds of feet in size. Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch Dec. 30, 2004, aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The truck carrying the NASA Discovery Mission Deep Impact spacecraft arrives from Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. It is being taken to Astrotech Space Operations near Kennedy Space Center. Deep Impact is designed to launch a copper projectile into the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. When this 820-pound ?impactor? hits the surface of the comet at nearly 23,000 miles per hour, the 3- by 3-foot projectile will create a crater hundreds of feet in size. Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch Dec. 30, 2004, aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Release Date	10/16/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The truck carrying the NASA Discovery Mission Deep Impact spacecraft backs into the facility at Astrotech Space Operations near Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft was transported from Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. Deep Impact is designed to launch a copper projectile into the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. When this 820-pound ?impactor? hits the surface of the comet at nearly 23,000 miles per hour, the 3- by 3-foot projectile will create a crater hundreds of feet in size. Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch Dec. 30, 2004, aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The truck carrying the NASA Discovery Mission Deep Impact spacecraft backs into the facility at Astrotech Space Operations near Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft was transported from Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo. Deep Impact is designed to launch a copper projectile into the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth. When this 820-pound ?impactor? hits the surface of the comet at nearly 23,000 miles per hour, the 3- by 3-foot projectile will create a crater hundreds of feet in size. Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measuring the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determining the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch Dec. 30, 2004, aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Launch Complex 17 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Release Date	10/16/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the mobile service tower with a second set of three Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) is moved toward the Boeing Delta II rocket for mating. A final set of three SRBs is yet to be added. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the mobile service tower with a second set of three Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) is moved toward the Boeing Delta II rocket for mating. A final set of three SRBs is yet to be added. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	11/29/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the third Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) of a set of three is ready to be lifted into the mobile service tower, joining two others. This is the second set of SRBs being mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch the Deep Impact spacecraft. A final set of SRBs is yet to be added. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the third Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) of a set of three is ready to be lifted into the mobile service tower, joining two others. This is the second set of SRBs being mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch the Deep Impact spacecraft. A final set of SRBs is yet to be added. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	11/29/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., workers connect a crane to the first of a second set of three Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) that will be hoisted up the mobile service tower. The SRBs will join three others already mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch the Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., workers connect a crane to the first of a second set of three Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) that will be hoisted up the mobile service tower. The SRBs will join three others already mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch the Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	11/29/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the second in a set of three Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) is raised to a vertical position. The SRBs will be hoisted up the mobile service tower and join three others already mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch the Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the second in a set of three Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) is raised to a vertical position. The SRBs will be hoisted up the mobile service tower and join three others already mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch the Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	11/29/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the first of a second set of three Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) arrives. Three SRBs have already been hoisted up the mobile service tower and mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch the Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the first of a second set of three Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) arrives. Three SRBs have already been hoisted up the mobile service tower and mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch the Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	11/29/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., a crane begins lifting the third in a set of three Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). The SRBs will be hoisted up the mobile service tower and join three others already mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch the Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., a crane begins lifting the third in a set of three Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs). The SRBs will be hoisted up the mobile service tower and join three others already mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch the Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	11/29/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, control the motion of the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) as it is lifted up the mobile service tower. It will be mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket, joining others for a complement of nine, to launch the Deep Impact spacecraft, scheduled for no earlier than Jan. 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, control the motion of the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) as it is lifted up the mobile service tower. It will be mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket, joining others for a complement of nine, to launch the Deep Impact spacecraft, scheduled for no earlier than Jan. 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/01/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The mobile service tower with the final set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) rolls toward the Boeing Delta II rocket (in the background). The SRBs will be mated to the rocket, joining others for a complement of nine, to launch the Deep Impact spacecraft, scheduled for no earlier than Jan. 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The mobile service tower with the final set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) rolls toward the Boeing Delta II rocket (in the background). The SRBs will be mated to the rocket, joining others for a complement of nine, to launch the Deep Impact spacecraft, scheduled for no earlier than Jan. 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/01/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the third in the third set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for the Boeing Delta II rocket launch of Deep Impact is ready to be lifted and join the other two in the mobile service tower. All three will be mated to the Delta II, joining others for a complement of nine. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than January 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the third in the third set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for the Boeing Delta II rocket launch of Deep Impact is ready to be lifted and join the other two in the mobile service tower. All three will be mated to the Delta II, joining others for a complement of nine. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than January 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/01/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first in the third set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for the Boeing Delta II rocket launch of Deep Impact is raised off its transporter. It will be lifted up into the mobile service tower and mated to the Delta II, joining six others for a complement of nine. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than January 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first in the third set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for the Boeing Delta II rocket launch of Deep Impact is raised off its transporter. It will be lifted up into the mobile service tower and mated to the Delta II, joining six others for a complement of nine. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than January 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/01/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second in the third set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for the Boeing Delta II rocket launch of Deep Impact is raised off its transporter. It will be lifted up into the mobile service tower and mated to the Delta II, joining others for a complement of nine. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than January 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second in the third set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for the Boeing Delta II rocket launch of Deep Impact is raised off its transporter. It will be lifted up into the mobile service tower and mated to the Delta II, joining others for a complement of nine. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than January 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/01/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Boeing Delta II rocket with its complement of nine Solid Rocket Boosters stands complete alongside the gantry. The Delta II will launch the Deep Impact spacecraft, scheduled for no earlier than Jan. 8, 2005. Below the rocket is the flame trench, and in the foreground is the overflow pool. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Boeing Delta II rocket with its complement of nine Solid Rocket Boosters stands complete alongside the gantry. The Delta II will launch the Deep Impact spacecraft, scheduled for no earlier than Jan. 8, 2005. Below the rocket is the flame trench, and in the foreground is the overflow pool. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/01/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first in the third set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for the Boeing Delta II rocket launch of Deep Impact is being lifted into the mobile service tower. The set of three will be mated to the Delta II (in the background), joining six others for a complement of nine. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than January 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/01/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the third in a set of three Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) is lifted into the mobile service tower alongside two others. The SRBs will be mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket, joining others for a complement of nine, to launch the Deep Impact spacecraft, scheduled for no earlier than Jan. 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the third in a set of three Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) is lifted into the mobile service tower alongside two others. The SRBs will be mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket, joining others for a complement of nine, to launch the Deep Impact spacecraft, scheduled for no earlier than Jan. 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/01/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The first in the third set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for the Boeing Delta II rocket launch of Deep Impact arrives at Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It will be lifted into the mobile service tower and mated to the Delta II, joining six others for a complement of nine. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than January 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The first in the third set of Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) for the Boeing Delta II rocket launch of Deep Impact arrives at Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It will be lifted into the mobile service tower and mated to the Delta II, joining six others for a complement of nine. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than January 8, 2005. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/01/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket arrives at the top of the mobile service tower. The element will be mated to the Delta II, which will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket arrives at the top of the mobile service tower. The element will be mated to the Delta II, which will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/03/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers check areas of the second stage as it is mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket. The Delta II will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers check areas of the second stage as it is mated to the Boeing Delta II rocket. The Delta II will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/03/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers help guide the second stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket as it is raised to vertical. The element will be lifted up the mobile service tower for mating to the Delta II, which will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers help guide the second stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket as it is raised to vertical. The element will be lifted up the mobile service tower for mating to the Delta II, which will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/03/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket is moved toward the opening under which is the Boeing Delta II rocket. The second stage will be mated to the Delta II, which will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket is moved toward the opening under which is the Boeing Delta II rocket. The second stage will be mated to the Delta II, which will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/03/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers help guide the second stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket as it begins the lift up the mobile service tower. The element will be mated to the Delta II, which will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/03/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket arrives at the mobile service tower for mating to the rocket. The Delta II will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket arrives at the mobile service tower for mating to the rocket. The Delta II will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/03/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the pre-dawn hours on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the mobile service tower is silhouetted with the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. The Delta II waits for the arrival and mating of the second stage. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the pre-dawn hours on Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the mobile service tower is silhouetted with the Boeing Delta II rocket that will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. The Delta II waits for the arrival and mating of the second stage. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/03/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket is lifted up the mobile service tower. The element will be mated to the Delta II, which will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the second stage of the Boeing Delta II rocket is lifted up the mobile service tower. The element will be mated to the Delta II, which will launch NASA?s Deep Impact spacecraft. A NASA Discovery mission, Deep Impact will probe beneath the surface of Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005, when the comet is 83 million miles from Earth, and reveal the secrets of its interior. After releasing an impactor on a course to hit the comet?s sunlit side, Deep Impact?s flyby spacecraft will collect pictures and data of how the crater forms, measure the crater?s depth and diameter, as well as the composition of the interior of the crater and any material thrown out, and determine the changes in natural outgassing produced by the impact. It will send the data back to Earth through the antennas of the Deep Space Network.
Release Date	12/03/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., conduct an illumination test on the Deep Impact spacecraft as a final check of performance. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Deep Impact mission is the first to explore a comet's interior by using a spacecraft to create a crater, allowing us to look deep inside. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth as data in near-realtime. These first-ever views deep beneath a comet?s surface, and additional scientific measurements will provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Amateur astronomers will combine efforts with astronomers at larger telescopes to offer the public an earth-based look at this incredible July 2005 encounter with a comet.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Technicians at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., conduct an illumination test on the Deep Impact spacecraft as a final check of performance. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Deep Impact mission is the first to explore a comet's interior by using a spacecraft to create a crater, allowing us to look deep inside. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth as data in near-realtime. These first-ever views deep beneath a comet?s surface, and additional scientific measurements will provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Amateur astronomers will combine efforts with astronomers at larger telescopes to offer the public an earth-based look at this incredible July 2005 encounter with a comet.
Release Date	12/08/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., conducts an illumination test on the Deep Impact spacecraft as a final check of performance. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Deep Impact mission is the first to explore a comet's interior by using a spacecraft to create a crater, allowing us to look deep inside. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth as data in near-realtime. These first-ever views deep beneath a comet?s surface, and additional scientific measurements will provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Amateur astronomers will combine efforts with astronomers at larger telescopes to offer the public an earth-based look at this incredible July 2005 encounter with a comet.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., conducts an illumination test on the Deep Impact spacecraft as a final check of performance. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Deep Impact mission is the first to explore a comet's interior by using a spacecraft to create a crater, allowing us to look deep inside. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth as data in near-realtime. These first-ever views deep beneath a comet?s surface, and additional scientific measurements will provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Amateur astronomers will combine efforts with astronomers at larger telescopes to offer the public an earth-based look at this incredible July 2005 encounter with a comet.
Release Date	12/08/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician monitors the illumination test results being conducted on the Deep Impact spacecraft as a final check of performance. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Deep Impact mission is the first to explore a comet's interior by using a spacecraft to create a crater, allowing us to look deep inside. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth as data in near-realtime. These first-ever views deep beneath a comet?s surface, and additional scientific measurements will provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Amateur astronomers will combine efforts with astronomers at larger telescopes to offer the public an earth-based look at this incredible July 2005 encounter with a comet.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician monitors the illumination test results being conducted on the Deep Impact spacecraft as a final check of performance. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Deep Impact mission is the first to explore a comet's interior by using a spacecraft to create a crater, allowing us to look deep inside. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth as data in near-realtime. These first-ever views deep beneath a comet?s surface, and additional scientific measurements will provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Amateur astronomers will combine efforts with astronomers at larger telescopes to offer the public an earth-based look at this incredible July 2005 encounter with a comet.
Release Date	12/08/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., conducts an illumination test on the Deep Impact spacecraft as a final check of performance. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Deep Impact mission is the first to explore a comet's interior by using a spacecraft to create a crater, allowing us to look deep inside. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth as data in near-realtime. These first-ever views deep beneath a comet?s surface, and additional scientific measurements will provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Amateur astronomers will combine efforts with astronomers at larger telescopes to offer the public an earth-based look at this incredible July 2005 encounter with a comet.
Release Date	12/08/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., the solar arrays on the Deep Impact spacecraft are ready for an illumination test as a final check of performance. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Deep Impact mission is the first to explore a comet's interior by using a spacecraft to create a crater, allowing us to look deep inside. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth as data in near-realtime. These first-ever views deep beneath a comet?s surface, and additional scientific measurements will provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Amateur astronomers will combine efforts with astronomers at larger telescopes to offer the public an earth-based look at this incredible July 2005 encounter with a comet.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., the solar arrays on the Deep Impact spacecraft are ready for an illumination test as a final check of performance. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Deep Impact mission is the first to explore a comet's interior by using a spacecraft to create a crater, allowing us to look deep inside. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth as data in near-realtime. These first-ever views deep beneath a comet?s surface, and additional scientific measurements will provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Amateur astronomers will combine efforts with astronomers at larger telescopes to offer the public an earth-based look at this incredible July 2005 encounter with a comet.
Release Date	12/08/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., begins an illumination test on the Deep Impact spacecraft as a final check of performance. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Deep Impact mission is the first to explore a comet's interior by using a spacecraft to create a crater, allowing us to look deep inside. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth as data in near-realtime. These first-ever views deep beneath a comet?s surface, and additional scientific measurements will provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Amateur astronomers will combine efforts with astronomers at larger telescopes to offer the public an earth-based look at this incredible July 2005 encounter with a comet.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., begins an illumination test on the Deep Impact spacecraft as a final check of performance. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Deep Impact mission is the first to explore a comet's interior by using a spacecraft to create a crater, allowing us to look deep inside. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth as data in near-realtime. These first-ever views deep beneath a comet?s surface, and additional scientific measurements will provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Amateur astronomers will combine efforts with astronomers at larger telescopes to offer the public an earth-based look at this incredible July 2005 encounter with a comet.
Release Date	12/08/2004

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …

Description	KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A technician at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., conducts an illumination test on the Deep Impact spacecraft as a final check of performance. Launch aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Deep Impact mission is the first to explore a comet's interior by using a spacecraft to create a crater, allowing us to look deep inside. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth as data in near-realtime. These first-ever views deep beneath a comet?s surface, and additional scientific measurements will provide clues to the formation of the solar system. Amateur astronomers will combine efforts with astronomers at larger telescopes to offer the public an earth-based look at this incredible July 2005 encounter with a comet.
Release Date	12/08/2004

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