Stardust-NEXT Comet Seeker
February 16th 2011 00:20
Category: Comets
Comet Tempel 1 from a distance of approximately 2 thousand kilometers
Comet Temple1 was visited twice by two different probes. The mission is to see what ahs changed of the past 6 years. Comet Temple 1 was visited by by NASA’s Deep Impact mission in 2005 and again in 2011 by NASA's Stardust-NEXT.
A close up look at Comet Temple1
Deep Impact dispensed a 175 kg projectile which smashed into the comet and created an impact crater that yielded an enormous cloud of dust in the process.
The primary goal is to image the impact crater created by the first probe back in 2004.
Image of the 2004 deep Impact crash site
Stardust-NEXT is a dual purpose spacecraft. Initially named Stardust, the spaceships task was to fly by Comet Wild 2 in 2004. It successfully collected priceless cometary dust particles from the coma of Comet Wild 2 which were safely parachuted back to Earth inside a return canister in 2006.
The probe headed toward the comet at a speed of 10 km/sec or 24,000 MPH
and snapped just 72 images.
The probe came within 181 km (112 miles) of the nucleus of the comet
Perhaps one of the best close up and personal image opportunities of getting clear images of an dirty icy snowball.
NASA Images
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth
Camera Sense
The projectile that struck the comet in 2004 did not have enough mass to cause any problems.
The 175 Kilograms would just put a tiny scratch on the surface.
The reason it looked impressive in 2004 was the fact that it impacted on the ice mantle on the surface of the comet, that subsequently caused a plume of white material to be dispersed.
The latest image showed that the projectile that crashed on the comet in 2004 left very little evidence to show any significant damage if any.
If the comet were to be struck by a larger object say an asteroid then the outcome would be much different. Some times comets do fragment by themselves, other times they can struck by other objects in which case can shatter or destroy a comet.
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief