Earth Ready to Strike Back at Cosmos

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Earth Ready to Strike Back at Cosmos

#1 Postby BEER980 » Tue Jan 11, 2005 9:44 pm

Earth Ready to Strike Back at Cosmos

By John Johnson Times Staff Writer

Around Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Deep Impact comet mission is known as "Revenge of the Dinosaurs."

NASA (news - web sites)'s plan to blow a Rose Bowl-sized crater in a comet comes 65 million years too late to give the dinos payback for the asteroid that may have wiped out much of life on Earth at the end of the Cretaceous period. But the mocking term captures the spirit of a mission — set to launch Wednesday from Cape Canaveral in Florida — that is far different from NASA's usual tiptoe-through-the-cosmos approach.

Instead of gently approaching alien worlds with retro-rockets or parachutes, NASA has adopted the attitude of a 12-year-old with a new slingshot.

"For millennia, comets and asteroids have been hitting the Earth," said Donald Yeomans, a comet historian and member of the Deep Impact science team. "This is our chance to hit back."

Or, as one JPL official put it: "We're going to put the hurt on the thing."

Despite the locker room bravado, researchers insist there is serious science behind the $328-million mission. Plans call for the spacecraft to make a six-month journey to the neighborhood of Mars' orbit, where it is scheduled to intercept a comet known as Tempel 1 on the Fourth of July. The craft will then fire a probe at the comet. The resulting collision will, it is hoped, expose secrets of the solar system that have been hidden away for 4.5 billion years.

"I'm trying to solve the mystery of what conditions were like in the early solar system, how things got made," said Michael F. A'Hearn, an astronomy professor at the University of Maryland and the principal investigator on the Deep Impact mission.

Besides determining what comets are made of and how they form, the mission could yield important information about the hundreds of near-Earth objects moving in space.

Some researchers believe it's just a matter of time before Earth is in the crosshairs of another large space rock. "We have no idea how to divert some rogue asteroid or comet unless we know what their physical properties are," A'Hearn said.

No one is quite sure what to expect when the probe collides with Tempel 1.

Will it smash itself to bits against solid rock? Or is the comet more like a flying ice cube? Some speculate that comets like Tempel 1 are nothing but a collection of space flotsam as loosely packed as a bowl of corn flakes. In that case, the probe might fly right through it.

If the comet is made of tougher stuff, the collision could create one of the great Independence Day fireworks shows of all time.

If the theories are right, the explosion should send tons of ice, rubble and gas rocketing into space, causing the comet to temporarily flare up like a lightning bug.

An Ancient Mystery

Although so little is known about them, comets have long played prominent roles in human affairs as harbingers of doom. Because the ancients thought the shimmery tail resembled a woman's flowing hair, they called the silver-robed wanderers "daughters of the devil."

Scientists now know that comets are basically clumps of ice and dust. Though they may appear to the naked eye to have a single tail, each comet actually has two tails. The first, bluish in color, is made up of vaporized ice and dust particles heated by the sun and dragged into a tail by the solar wind. The second, yellow and curved, is made only of dust.

Current thinking is that asteroids are remnants of the material that formed the solar system's inner planets. Comets are associated with the frozen outer planets.

Nobody is sure what happens when they age. Do they eventually run out of ice? When they do, do they turn into asteroids? Or do they break up into dust particles? Some astronomers have speculated that as many as half of the near-Earth asteroids are dormant or extinct comets.

A dormant comet is thought to still hold stores of ice but to have lost its bright appearance because the ice is sealed up in its nucleus.

The idea of reaching out and touching a comet has been around for decades. But serious planning for a mission did not begin until 1999.

Deep Impact was designed and built through a partnership between the University of Maryland, JPL, Caltech and Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo.

Tempel 1 was chosen as NASA's punching bag because it was a comet astronomers knew a lot about. Orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, it is also relatively close, yet far enough away that if it broke up it would not pose a hazard to life on Earth.

A Challenge Head-On

The challenge for the Deep Impact science team will not be finding and intercepting the comet. Since its discovery in 1867 by astronomer Ernst Tempel, scientists have been able to plot the comet's 5 1/2 -year orbit to an exacting scale.

The plan is for the main spacecraft to approach the comet and then, 24 hours before impact, release its 820-pound probe. A roundish ball of copper and aluminum, the probe will maneuver itself into the comet's path using its own navigation and propulsion system. It will try for a collision on a sunlit area of the comet about 3.7 miles across after traveling a final leg of 537,000 miles.

Though astronomers talk about shooting the comet as if they are holding a gun, to an observer in space it would look a lot more like a pedestrian walking into the path of a speeding train. The probe will be traveling 23,000 mph, but the comet will be going 70,000 mph in the opposite direction.

This cosmic head-on is expected to generate a force equal to 4.8 tons of TNT. The probe will be annihilated, creating a 14-story-deep crater.

Might this act of cosmic vandalism, as some have characterized it, destroy the comet?

Unlikely, say scientists. Tempel 1 is as much as 9 miles long and 4 miles across. "It will be the celestial equivalent of a bug hitting the windshield of an 18-wheeler," Yeomans said.

The Deep Impact mother ship will be about 300 miles away, watching the collision through medium- and high-power telescopes, along with a spectrometer to study the material ejected by the explosion.

The probe carries its own digital camera to snap as many pictures as possible before its destruction.

The fireworks should provoke plenty of oohs and aahs on Earth — except perhaps among the engineers at Ball Aerospace. "Our guys have worked so hard on something that will vaporize completely," said spokeswoman Emilia Reed.

Still, that's a far better outcome than the alternative of missing the comet altogether.

In space, there are no do-overs.

"We've got one shot at it," said A'Hearn, who will be at Cape Canaveral for the launch.
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Launch

#2 Postby Windsong » Wed Jan 12, 2005 1:23 pm

I live about 15 miles from the launch pad (as the crow flies) I am looking forward to seeing this in just a short while.

Thanks for posting this, cause I would have missed it.
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#3 Postby BEER980 » Wed Jan 12, 2005 7:47 pm

Yea I will check into it down the road. Something seems odd with the mission.
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kevin

#4 Postby kevin » Wed Jan 12, 2005 8:33 pm

Its a very smart mission. It was well in the works before the death-asteroid thing was discovered. I wonder if they have discounted that asteroid from hitting earth (the one that was in the news earlier)? We need good science on asteroids in the event we have to blow one up.
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#5 Postby BEER980 » Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:06 am

The "death-asteroid" I think you are refering to has been determined to miss us after recalculation. I can't seem to find out on impact how far from mars will Comet Tempel 1 be? I have an email into NASA on the distance and am awaiting word from them. I think it will be close to Mars by looking at their graphic.
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chadtm80

#6 Postby chadtm80 » Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:30 am

Im iffy on this mission. Could definatly has the potential to back fire on us.. Anytime you mess with the "unknown" your "asking" for it. The plusses could be huge as well though.. Everyone just keep your fingers crossed
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#7 Postby BEER980 » Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:17 pm

Something tells me we are up to something else with this mission.
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#8 Postby BEER980 » Tue Jan 18, 2005 7:28 pm

Well I got a reply from them today.

> hi ken,
> are you with the media?
> thanks,
> dc

I sent back a response but I doubt I will get an answer. I will have to conclude that we are in fact up to something with this mission.
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Rainband

#9 Postby Rainband » Tue Jan 18, 2005 7:44 pm

The name says it all. "deep impact" :eek: What aren't they telling us
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kevin

#10 Postby kevin » Tue Jan 18, 2005 8:09 pm

Why are you all scared/nervous? There is nothing this probe is going to do to the asteroid except leave a deep impact crater of 10 stories or whatnot. Astronomers are going to be watching. Why would they do anything top secret?

This reminds me of when the scientists were going to clone the Big Hairy Elephant and everyone was like 'Oh no, don't mess with nature!!1 Haven't they read Jurasssic Park!!1?' Nothing like a hairy elephant to bring doom to mankind. We are good at killing those dumb things too, its in our genes. :D

jmo
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Rainband

#11 Postby Rainband » Tue Jan 18, 2005 8:12 pm

call it optimism :wink:
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#12 Postby Lindaloo » Tue Jan 18, 2005 10:38 pm

kevin wrote:Why are you all scared/nervous? There is nothing this probe is going to do to the asteroid except leave a deep impact crater of 10 stories or whatnot. Astronomers are going to be watching. Why would they do anything top secret?

This reminds me of when the scientists were going to clone the Big Hairy Elephant and everyone was like 'Oh no, don't mess with nature!!1 Haven't they read Jurasssic Park!!1?' Nothing like a hairy elephant to bring doom to mankind. We are good at killing those dumb things too, its in our genes. :D

jmo



Elephants are alot smarter than you think they are. I do not kill them dumb things. :grr:
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Miss Mary

#13 Postby Miss Mary » Tue Jan 18, 2005 10:46 pm

Lindaloo wrote:
kevin wrote:Why are you all scared/nervous? There is nothing this probe is going to do to the asteroid except leave a deep impact crater of 10 stories or whatnot. Astronomers are going to be watching. Why would they do anything top secret?

This reminds me of when the scientists were going to clone the Big Hairy Elephant and everyone was like 'Oh no, don't mess with nature!!1 Haven't they read Jurasssic Park!!1?' Nothing like a hairy elephant to bring doom to mankind. We are good at killing those dumb things too, its in our genes. :D

jmo



Elephants are alot smarter than you think they are. I do not kill them dumb things. :grr:


OMG, don't get me started on elephant rights!!! They are beautiful, gentle creatures. They are very social, with their own kind. They are not dumb, they do not deserve to be killed for their tusks or because as you say they're dumb!

And finally, baby elephants do not deserve to be wrenched away from their mother's sides, held captive and forced to perform in circuses here in the US. Forced to be chained 20 hours per day, released for 4, but again made to perform. Not even allowed to be outside, in the fresh air.

Yes you think about that when you see 4 elephants all lined up on a stage and everyone cheering in those commercial for Barnham & Bailey.....that is just wrong!

I have boycotted the circus b/c there are animals performing for our benefit. That is entertainment? I don't want to see an elephant standing on a tiny chair, in a tutu. I want to see that elephant returned to Africa, is what I would dearly love to see happen.

You sir have really upset me, as I see you have Linda. And I am so very proud to have these very strong opinions about elephants, the circus and all animals made to perform for human enjoyment.

Mary
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#14 Postby Lindaloo » Tue Jan 18, 2005 10:50 pm

Well said Miss Mary!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
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Miss Mary

#15 Postby Miss Mary » Tue Jan 18, 2005 10:59 pm

Lindaloo wrote:Well said Miss Mary!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:


Why thank you Linda.

And now I need to have a good cry! I honestly think I should help picket B & B next time they come thru. I am against using animals in any circus, trouble is their main oposition has been PETA. And we all know how far out there they are. In principal, I agree with them on many points. But they take it too far sometimes, in making a point. If I could make my point about the circus I would merely ask these questions:

Do you find it entertaining to see a beautiful, once wild animal, now tamed with sharp instruments that leave cuts and wounds on their flesh, for your enjoyment?

Do you find it enjoyable to see an elephant in a tutu?

Do you enjoy seeing a tiger jump thru rings of fire?

Do you enjoy seeing the master crack a whip at an animal, making the animal perform at his command?

I ask these questions because we've grown up in this country thinking it's perfectly acceptable to steal wild animals from Africa and force them to entertain for our enjoyment. This is called family fun then. We're taught a bull fight is acceptable. We're taught it's okay to whip a racing horse, to run faster. For our pleasure.

All I'm asking is to think of the animal here. Not your own enjoyment. Look deep into the eyes of an animal who's been forced to perform like this. If you still find this enjoyable, then I've tried my best here.

And don't even get me started on Zoo's!!!

Mary
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kevin

#16 Postby kevin » Wed Jan 19, 2005 7:18 am

I was talking about the extinct big hairy elephants being cloned.

It was us killing them that made them extinct. Therefore, they aren't as smart as the regular elephants (they are still around, and some in india are cool enough to help us) and if they did come back it wouldn't be the end of the world. In fact, it wouldn't even matter, messing with nature or no.

I don't enjoy animal cruelty. 8-) But if we bring back a big hairy elephant and it was going 'jurassic park' on us, it would just take a couple of guys with sticks to solve the problem.
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kevin

#17 Postby kevin » Wed Jan 19, 2005 7:22 am

Lindaloo wrote:
kevin wrote:Why are you all scared/nervous? There is nothing this probe is going to do to the asteroid except leave a deep impact crater of 10 stories or whatnot. Astronomers are going to be watching. Why would they do anything top secret?

This reminds me of when the scientists were going to clone the Big Hairy Elephant and everyone was like 'Oh no, don't mess with nature!!1 Haven't they read Jurasssic Park!!1?' Nothing like a hairy elephant to bring doom to mankind. We are good at killing those dumb things too, its in our genes. :D

jmo



Elephants are alot smarter than you think they are. I do not kill them dumb things. :grr:


When we bring back the big hairy elephants and they break out of the zoo, guess I'll have to save the day.
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#18 Postby BEER980 » Wed Jan 19, 2005 8:02 am

kevin I am not scared/nervous. I just think they might be up to something else here. They could be trying to seed Mars if you think about it. What is a comet? "Comets are time capsules that hold clues about the formation and evolution of the Solar System. They are composed of ice, gas and dust, primitive debris from the Solar System's distant and coldest regions that formed 4.5 billion years ago."
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kevin

#19 Postby kevin » Wed Jan 19, 2005 9:07 am

I hope we learn something about how to blow them up from this mission. :D (asteroids/comets)

I think we'd bring asteroids/comets into Mars when we're closer to having a presence there that could make use of the extra energy.
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