spacetoday.net: CONTOUR cleared for Wednesday launch

Posted: Tue, Jul 2, 2002, 10:06 AM ET (1406 GMT)
CONTOUR spacecraft illustration (NASA/JHUAPL)

Mission controllers gave the go-ahead Monday afternoon to launch NASA's CONTOUR spacecraft after a two-day delay. CONTOUR was scheduled to launch Monday morning on a Boeing Delta 2, but the launch was postponed on Friday, June 30, when dust was discovered on one of the spacecraft's solar panels. Mission managers said Monday that the dust was removed, and while they don’t know the origin or composition of the dust, they believe it should pose no problem to the mission. The launch is now scheduled for Wednesday, July 3, at 2:47 am EDT (0647 GMT). There is a 70 percent chance of acceptable weather for the launch, with the only major concern the possible development of thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon that could delay pre-launch preparations. CONTOUR, short for Comet Nucleus Tour, is a Discovery-class mission that will fly by the cores of two comets, Encke in 2003 and Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 in 2006. The launch window for CONTOUR remains open through July 25.