Posted: Sun, Sep 23, 2001, 9:32 AM ET (1332 GMT)
NASA's Deep Space 1 (DS1) spacecraft successfully flew by the comet Borrelly Saturday evening, returning images and other data about the comet. DS1 passed within 2,200 kilometers of Borrelly at 6:30 pm EDT (2230 GMT), and data from the flyby was received on Earth within a few hours of the flyby. Mission officials said that all four of DS1's instruments, including a camera and spectrometer, were able to collect data from the comet, including images taken within a few minutes of closest approach. None of those images were released Saturday night, but are expected to be made available in the next few days. The flyby is a major accomplishment for DS1, launched in October 1998 for what was to be a one-year technology demonstration mission. NASA had publicly kept low expectations about the flyby, noting the deteriorating health of the spacecraft and the hazards of flying close to a comet nucleus.

Related Links:

•  SPACE.com article
•  DS1 mission status report from JPL