[X] My Assistant

[hal_9000]

I open this topic to the Monday event!
In SpaceflightNOW:

NASA's Deep Impact mission promises to create spectacular July Fourth fireworks in space when it shoots a 820-pound copper-tipped bullet into the frigid heart of Comet Tempel 1, creating a window to materials frozen in time since the solar system was born.

The washing machine-sized projectile will be released from its mothership spacecraft at 2:07 a.m. EDT (0607 GMT) Sunday for the day-long cruise to oblivion.

"We put the impactor in the comet's path so that the comet overtakes it. So it is like standing in the middle of the road with semi truck bearing down on you," said Rick Grammier, Deep Impact project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

The impactor and comet collide at 1:52 a.m. EDT (0552 GMT) Monday, releasing the energy equivalent of 4.5 tons of exploding TNT as they smash together at 23,000 mph. The intense forces vaporize the projectile as the circular crater -- perhaps 300 feet in diameter and 100 feet deep -- is rapidly excavated.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/deepimpact/status.html

[Decepticon]

Watching NASA TV on streaming video is Bloody hell. Just awful.

I hate pauses in the audio.

[JRehling]

Somehow it always seems the times of these events or the otpimum viewing locations are best suited for Africa or Eastern Europe, or some corner of Antarctica.  This time however it's going to be 11:00 pm here in California (with clear skies in the off-chance there's something to see in my 4-inch off-the-shelf reflector).  That will be just enough time to have a few drinks after putting the kids to bed.

I can't wait!

I'm the last one to tell someone to be a teetotaler, but in this case, be advised: alcohol decreases your sensitivity to dim light. Might want to start the drinks at 10:55!

[hal_9000]

The first events are:

Deep Impact Mission Events
Earth-receive time (in PDT)
July 2, 11:07 p.m: Impactor released into comet's path
July 3, 9:21 p.m.: 1st impactor targeting maneuver
July 3, 10:17 p.m.: 2nd impactor targeting maneuver
July 3, 10:39 p.m.: 3rd impactor targeting maneuver
July 3, 10:52 p.m.: (+ or - 3 min.): Impact with Tempel 1
July 3, 11:05 p.m.: Flyby goes into shield mode
July 3, 11:06 p.m.: Flyby's closest approach to Tempel 1
Watch webcast of these events: (all times PDT)
Pre-impact update:
July 3, 11 a.m.
NASA TV encounter coverage:
July 3, 8:30 p.m.
Expected time of impact:
July 3, 10:52 p.m.
Post-impact briefing:
July 4, 1 a.m.
Post-impact press conference:
July 4, 11 a.m.

NASA TV:

Attached File(s)

 35037main_portal.ram ( 501bytes ) Number of downloads: 314

 

[imran]

From Spaceflightnow.com:

0607 GMT (2:07 a.m. EDT)

SEPARATION CONFIRMED! The impactor spacecraft has been deployed from the mothership for its 24-hour voyage to Comet Tempel 1!

[Guest_BruceMoomaw_*]

So far, so good -- the Impactor was released (slightly jarring the main
craft off attitude, but it quickly recovered and is currently doing its
deflection burn). The Impactor's own systems seem to be functioning
perfectly.

I've just learned that the main craft is actually scheduled to photograph
the Impactor at 12:05 AM Pacific time, at a time when it's about 1.2 km from
the main craft. I don't know which cameras they'll use; but even the MRI
should give us a nice clearly recognizable shot of the Impactor at that
distance, with a resolution of about 1 cm per pixel.

[Guest_BruceMoomaw_*]

JPL has now confirmed that the main craft did indeed successfully photograph
the Impactor from about 1.25 km distance -- something they weren't sure
would work. I presume it will be released, along with the first distant
photos of Tempel from the Impactor itself, at the next press conference at
11 AM tomorrow morning Pacific time.

[edstrick]

One picture is already press released. Looks like specular sunglint off the more or less unresolved vehicle. I can't see any details outside the flares next to the glint.

[hal_9000]

Picture of Deep Impact's impactor probe (released).
Impactor is at the center of the image.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[MiniTES]

When will the first images be downlinked? Where's the first place we'll be able to see them?

[djellison]

There's a press conf in about an hour with the first post-release images - then from about 0230GMT, best thing it to watch NASA TV

Doug

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

The only problem with NASA press conferences is how long it takes them to get on to the subject of the conference or the science lol

[hal_9000]

I guess that I'm going to record that NASA TV's Deep Impact Coverage...
...so I do a torrent here...
What do you think about it??

[Decepticon]

^ Now that would be cool.

[volcanopele]

Real-time images, albeit at low-resolution, are available from NASA's DI website:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpa...tml?skipIntro=1

just click on the Image Viewer link

So far nothing ...special. The images are just thumbnails of the originals. Also no HRI images (even blurry images would be interesting, you can always try an unsharp filter).

[Tman]

Has someone a notion what we exactly see on this Image Viewer at the moment? What means this fragmentation in four different bright segments?

Hmm, in the meantime I guess they are different exposed pics and sometimes assemble to four pics in one.

This post has been edited by Tman: Jul 3 2005, 08:13 PM