Stardust returns images of Tempel 1
Posted: Wed, Feb 16, 2011, 7:10 AM ET (1210 GMT)
NASA's Stardust spacecraft, repurposed to fly past the comet Tempel 1, returned images Tuesday of the comet's nucleus, including the crater created by another NASA spacecraft several years ago. Operating under the Stardust-NExT mission, the Stardust spacecraft passed within 180 kilometers of the comet's nucleus at 11:40 pm EST Monday (0440 GMT Tuesday), taking 72 high-resolution images of the nucleus as well as collecting data on the comet's dust environment. Scientists said Tuesday that the images showed the crater created by the impactor on NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft, which flew past the comet in 2005. The crater and other features on the surface of the comet's nucleus show signs of erosion. Stardust was launched in 1999 on a mission to collect dust from comet Wild 2 and in the interplanetary medium; those dust samples were returned to Earth in 2006, while the main spacecraft remained in space and was retargeted for the Tempel 1 flyby.
NASA's Stardust spacecraft, repurposed to fly past the comet Tempel 1, returned images Tuesday of the comet's nucleus, including the crater created by another NASA spacecraft several years ago. Operating under the Stardust-NExT mission, the Stardust spacecraft passed within 180 kilometers of the comet's nucleus at 11:40 pm EST Monday (0440 GMT Tuesday), taking 72 high-resolution images of the nucleus as well as collecting data on the comet's dust environment. Scientists said Tuesday that the images showed the crater created by the impactor on NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft, which flew past the comet in 2005. The crater and other features on the surface of the comet's nucleus show signs of erosion. Stardust was launched in 1999 on a mission to collect dust from comet Wild 2 and in the interplanetary medium; those dust samples were returned to Earth in 2006, while the main spacecraft remained in space and was retargeted for the Tempel 1 flyby.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, January 22
Colorado Springs leaders done fighting over Space Command
Colorado Springs Gazette — 5:00 am ET (1000 GMT) Space Force Southern HQ opens at Davis-Monthan
KVOA-TV Tucson — 4:58 am ET (0958 GMT) Space Forces Southern officially activated and will ‘be a force of good in the region’
Washington Examiner — 4:57 am ET (0957 GMT) Rocket Lab Neutron Test Update
Rocket Lab — 4:57 am ET (0957 GMT) Rocket Lab Suffers Neutron Setback
Aviation Week — 4:56 am ET (0956 GMT) |
