When did the Deep Impact spacecraft launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station?
The Deep Impact spacecraft launched at 18:47 UTC on the 12th of January 2005. A Delta II rocket carried it into space to begin its journey toward comet Tempel 1.
Questions about Deep Impact (spacecraft)
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What was the total mass and composition of the Smart Impactor section of the Deep Impact probe?
The copper-core Smart Impactor weighed 372 kg and contained a 100% copper payload called the Cratering Mass weighing 113 kg. Copper formed 49% of the total mass of the Impactor to ensure scientists could ignore its signature in spectrometer readings.
How much water and dust were lost during the Deep Impact collision with comet Tempel 1?
A total of 2 million tonnes of water and between 1 million and 2 million tonnes of dust were lost from the impact. Analysis showed the material excavated by the impact contained more dust and less ice than had been expected.
Why did communication with the Deep Impact spacecraft end in September 2013?
Communication ended because computers on the spacecraft continuously rebooted themselves due to an unsigned 32-bit integer overflow error that occurred at 00:38:49.6 on the 11th of August 2013. NASA abandoned further attempts to contact the spacecraft on the 20th of September 2013.
What was the result of Marina Bay suing NASA over the Deep Impact mission results?
The Presnensky Court of Moscow ruled against Marina Bay on the 9th of August 2005 after she sued for $1 million claiming the mission ruined the natural balance of forces. A Russian physicist noted the change to the orbit of the comet after the collision was only about 10 cm.