Deep Impact Crater

On Mon, 11 Jul 2005 09:47:49 +0200, N. Foldager
wrote:

Does anyone here have an idea when we can expect to see images of the
new cratero f Tempel-1?

Is the crater still spewing too much material?

I think the flyby craft is much too far away to get much of an image.
The analysis will have to proceed without a crater image.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 19:27:35 +0200, N. Foldager
wrote:

I understood that the craft would follow the comet, or make another
flyby later. Is this not correct?

The flyby craft and the comet have different velocities. The flyby craft
was positioned close to the comet at the time of collision; the two are
much farther apart now. High resolution images won't show much detail on
the comet anymore.

Technically, the mission is over (or will be in a few weeks). Given
funding, it might be possible to redirect the flyby craft to intercept
another small body. It isn't going to see Tempel 1 again, though.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

N. Foldager wrote:
Chris L Peterson:


I think the flyby craft is much too far away to get much of an image.
The analysis will have to proceed without a crater image.

I understood that the craft would follow the comet, or make another
flyby later. Is this not correct?


No, the flyby craft flew by at about the same relative speed as the
impactor. Any future flyby (pending budget approval) will be with a
different comet. So whatever high-resolution data we will have
have already been taken. There seems to have been so much sunlight
reflected from dust in th eplume that getting a crater diameter
could be a long exercise in data analysis.

Bill Keel