Space Topics: Deep Impact
Mission Facts
Mission Timeline
Launch: January 12, 2005
Location: Kennedy Space Center
Launch Vehicle: Delta II
Impactor separation: 06:00 on July 3, 2005
UTC (11:00 pm on July 2, PDT)
Comet Tempel 1 impact: 05:50 on July 4, 2005 UTC (10:50
on July 3, PDT)
End of
primary mission: August 3, 2005
Earth flyby: December 2007
Comet Boethin encounter: 2008
Encounter Dynamics
Impactor approach velocity: 10.2 kilometers per second (22,800 miles
per hour)
Impact energy: 19 Gigajoules (equivalent to 4.5 tons of TNT, or
to the amount of energy used by an average American household in one month)
Flyby
spacecraft closest approach: 500 kilometers (310 miles)
Spacecraft Description
Spacecraft mass:
- Total: 1020 kg
- Flyby Spacecraft: 515 kg
- Instruments: 90 kg
- Fuel: 86 kg
- Impactor: 364 kg (49% copper, 24% aluminum)
- Impactor fuel: 8 kg
Spacecraft size:
- Body: approximately 3.2m (126") long, 1.7m (68") wide,
and 2.3m (92") high
- Impactor: 1m diameter
- Solar panels: about 2.8m square
- High gain antenna: 1m diameter
Mission cost
Development and construction: $252 million
Mission operations: $15 million
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