Deep Impact tells a tale of the powder-coated comet

NASA via Spaceflight Now ^ | 7/8/2005 | NASA NEWS RELEASE

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

This false-color image shows comet Tempel 1 about 50 minutes after Deep Impact's probe smashed into its surface. The impact site is located on the far side of the comet in this view. The image was taken by the mission's flyby spacecraft as it turned back to face the comet for one last photo opportunity. The colors represent brightness, with white indicating the brightest materials and black showing the faintest materials. This brightness is a measure of reflected sunlight. The Sun is located to the right, out of the picture. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD

[demlosers]

Does this mean we can ski on comet?

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Sure, but the lift ticket is kinda expensive.

[Maceman]

Does this mean we can ski on comet?

I'm thinking the lift tickets might be a bit pricey. But if ya got it, flaunt it baby!

[Vinnie]

The thing that surprised me was the craters on the surface. More akin to an asteroid.
Having learned comets were primarily balls of ice and seeing the comet appears to be a very solid object has me questioning what is being thrown off, causing the 'tail'.

[bitt]

bttt

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Powder you say?

Sounds like Bill Kristol might be interested in adding to his puff collection.

[Mamzelle]

re:an improvement by a factor of 10; 25 degree oblique angle relative to the comet's surface.)))

Hey, that's about the angle you use to hone and sharpen a kitchen knife...

[devane617]

OK, so it is a dirty comet. Now what?

[bert]

It was STARDUST

And now the purple dusk of twilight time
Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky the little stars climb
Always reminding me that we’re apart
You wander down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust
Of yesterday
The music
Of the years
Gone by



Sometimes I wonder why I spend
The lonely nights
Dreaming of a song.
The melody haunts my reverie
And I am once again with you.
When our love was new, and each kiss an inspiration.
But that was long ago, and now my consolation
Is in the stardust of a song.
Beside the garden wall, when stars are bright
You are in my arms
The nightingale tells his fairy tale
Of paradise where roses grew.
Though I dream in vain, in my heart you will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of love’s refrain.

[ml/nj]

Having learned comets were primarily balls of ice and seeing the comet appears to be a very solid object has me questioning what is being thrown off, causing the 'tail'.

Glad to see someone else here thinks like me. (Does ice crater when impacted?)

And now "powder"? What could posssibly have brought this powder to the surface and keep it in place? The escape velocity from such a small mass must be next to nothing.

ML/NJ

[RandallFlagg]

The powder is used to coat the fuel rods for the ISD's power plants. And the residual is filtered, melted and used for oxygen production.

That's what I hear, anyway....

[TheGeezer]

Whacking comets causes hurricanes...

[Vinnie]

I've always questioned the ice theory.
Ice sublimes in a vacuum. How can there be ice on a comet, or the Moon for that matter?
Certainly over the millions of years these objects are supposed to have existed any ice would have long ago evaporated. IMHO anyway.( that is how they make freeze dried food)

[cloud8]

So now that the Flyby Craft has flown by and accomplished its mission, what will become of it? Will it keep flying on? Will we hear from it again?

[DustyMoment]

Well, I guess I will be the one out-of-step on this thread. Spending a third of a billion dollars to penetrate a comet is pseudo-science at its worst and a huge waste of government (our) money.

NASA didn't do anything spectacular by crashing an object into a comet, they're well-versed in crashing space vehicles.

Frankly, I'm just not impressed by this so-called great "achievement".

[archaicoldschool]

Gee, maybe the technology could be adapted to strike an incoming missle...

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

"Gee, maybe the technology could be adapted to strike an incoming missile..."

One of the stupidest objections raised to the proposed missile shield is the notion that it won't work.

[RightWhale]

Before the moon landings it was thought that the moon could be covered with a fine powder to a considerable depth, and that a lander could sink out of sight.