Deep Impact camera blurry
Posted: Fri, Mar 25, 2005, 8:27 PM ET (0127 GMT)
Images taken by the camera on NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft are slightly out of focus, NASA announced Friday, although the space agency downplayed the problem. In a mission status report issued Friday afternoon, NASA said that images taken by the spacecraft's High Resolution Instrument (HRI) during post-launch tests revealed that the camera had not reached perfect focus. The test images were taken after a "bake out" procedure that heated the camera to remove residual moisture from its barrel. Project officials said a team is looking into the problem, which will not affect the spacecraft's encounter with comet Tempel 1 in July. Even if the camera's focus does not improve from its current state, scientists said that the camera will still provide the best images to date of a comet. Deep Impact, launched in January, will fly past the comet while an impactor probe separates from the main spacecraft to collide with the comet's nucleus on July 4.
Images taken by the camera on NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft are slightly out of focus, NASA announced Friday, although the space agency downplayed the problem. In a mission status report issued Friday afternoon, NASA said that images taken by the spacecraft's High Resolution Instrument (HRI) during post-launch tests revealed that the camera had not reached perfect focus. The test images were taken after a "bake out" procedure that heated the camera to remove residual moisture from its barrel. Project officials said a team is looking into the problem, which will not affect the spacecraft's encounter with comet Tempel 1 in July. Even if the camera's focus does not improve from its current state, scientists said that the camera will still provide the best images to date of a comet. Deep Impact, launched in January, will fly past the comet while an impactor probe separates from the main spacecraft to collide with the comet's nucleus on July 4.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
SpaceX sets Nov. 18 launch date for sixth Starship test flight
Posted: Sat, Nov 9 9:57 AM ET (1457 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, November 17
Telesat making ‘strong progress’ on Lightspeed, CEO says as firm’s revenues fall in Q3
Ottawa Business Journal — 3:16 am ET (0816 GMT) MDA Space Reports Third Quarter 2024 Results
MDA — 3:15 am ET (0815 GMT) To the moon and back: Alumnus prepares for Blue Ghost Mission One
Virginia Tech — 3:15 am ET (0815 GMT) Rivada suffers Liechtenstein blow
Advanced Television — 3:14 am ET (0814 GMT) MDA reports $29.5M Q3 profit, revenue up nearly 40 per cent from year ago
Canadian Press — 3:13 am ET (0813 GMT) |
