Deep Impact was a NASA robotic space probe launched in 2005 to study the interior composition of a comet by releasing a separate impactor spacecraft into its path. On July 4, 2005, the impactor struck Comet Tempel 1 at high speed while the main spacecraft observed the resulting debris cloud, providing the first look beneath a comet surface crust and revealing it to be more porous and fragile than expected. After completing its primary mission, the spacecraft was redirected under an extended mission called EPOXI to study extrasolar planets and fly by a second comet, Hartley 2, in 2010.
Facts
Spacecraft TypeFlyby/impactor (9P/Tempel) 1 ManufacturerBall Aerospace & Technologies 1 Status
Status (category) Connections
Operated By
Deep Impact was a NASA mission that released an impactor into Comet Tempel 1 in 2005 to study its interior composition.
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Additional Source Wikipedia - Deep Impact (spacecraft)Wikipedia: Deep Impact (spacecraft), lead section
Sources
1. Wikipedia - Deep Impact (spacecraft)
Infobox, mission type
Flyby/impactor (9P/Tempel)
Infobox, manufacturer
Ball Aerospace & Technologies
Infobox, status
contact lost
- In Group: Comet Probes, Deep Impact was a NASA space probe launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on January 12, 2005. It was designed to study the interior composition of the comet Tempel 1 (9P/Tempel), by rele
- Operated By: NASA, Wikipedia: Deep Impact (spacecraft), lead section
View the Source2. Wikidata: Deep Impact
Wikidata Q208231, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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