Actually, that's not a completely true statement. NASA has used only one comet for target practice, Tempel 1, in the hopes of blasting the comet's secrets from it's core.
In 2005, Tempel 1 was visited by NASA's Deep Impact probe which slammed an 800 pound copper slug into the comet's surface. See pictures here. The slug was very carefully "aimed" to maximize the visibility of the resulting crater for future study and analysis. The whole point of this very long distance sniper shooting was to hopefully see the comet's internal make-up and thereby glean information about the solar system from it's infancy. Comets are commonly thought to hold the secrets of the universe at their cores. The problem, to date, has been how to extract that information.
The Deep Impact probe was completely successful... making a solid impact and creating a crater over 2 football fields long and 30 m deep (I believe.... seems I read those dimensions somewhere, but now cannot find the link). The impact probe was equipped with a spectrometer that was able to quickly relay a bit of initial information, but the resulting dust cloud from the impact completely blocked the view of the crater and photos of the event went unusable. This means that NASA and astronomers across the world have had to wait 5 long years to check their mark!
But the wait is over! On Valentine's Day 2011, NASA's Stardust spacecraft revisited the comet and took over 6 dozen high definition photos of the comet. You can read all about the early results on NASA's website here. There are photos, analysis, movies and even interactive features available for review and awe.
Once again, I'm in awe of astronomers and the folks as NASA. The patience these scientists exhibit in their everyday work is astonishing to me. I mean, having to wait FIVE YEARS to see the results of their efforts! Gracious! If I go to the range for a bit of target practice, you better believe I'm pulling the paper as soon as I empty the clip!
That is really cool. It really is impressive how scientists have the patience and commitment to see out a complex, challenging project over a long period of time. For example, the LHC, which we hearing about all the time now, was in planning since the early 1980s - the scientists involved have been committed to this project for nearly 30 years - three-quarters of a human working life. The feeling of seeing such an enormous project come to fruition must be truly exhilarating.
ReplyDeleteOf course, not all long term projects work out, and disappointments are probably more common than successes. When I was a kid, I was reading about the planned Superconducting Super-Collider at some exotic place called Waxahachie, Texas. That fell through, and I've had the opportunity to meet some of the people involved in the original project. It was a crushing blow to them; however, on the up side, they used their expertise to move the LHC project forward, displaying that ultimately, scientists will always find a way to get an experiment done.
Living in Dallas though, I can't help but wonder what the impact of the SSC would have had on the region.
I remember hearing the news about the SSC when the final decision to shut down the program came thru. It was devastating to me even then.. and I wasn't working on superconductors yet! It did, however, inspire me to find a program where I could work on the superconductor program and I ended up doing undergraduate work with a professor who was trying to find the combination of elements for a high Tc superconducting material. During the course of that program, I spent time at UH, Texas Tech, UNT, and NASA ... and ultimately got to fly a series of experiments on a space mission. It was a pretty incredible experience for an undergrad!
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