Comet smasher's launch plan announced

It'll be a spectacular Fourth of July fireworks in space show.

Mark your calendars!!!

www.newscientist.com...

The first spacecraft designed to blast into a comet's icy heart is set to lift off in January 2005, mission managers announced on Tuesday.

NASA's Deep Impact mission is scheduled to launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a Delta II rocket sometime between 12 and 28 January. After a six-month journey, a pair of spacecraft will study the ice-and-rock heart - or nucleus - of Comet 9P/Tempel 1, which orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.

I read about this some time back. Issue, will the impact change the comets course and cause it to smack something else that will smack something else that with smack the earth? Many earth impact predictions for 2006 thru 2010 exist. Thoughts?

Originally posted by DrHoracid
I read about this some time back. Issue, will the impact change the comets course and cause it to smack something else that will smack something else that with smack the earth? Many earth impact predictions for 2006 thru 2010 exist. Thoughts?

Thousands of them have existed for the previous four years as well.

Anyway, thanks for the heads up SIRR1. This should be really exciting.

EDIT: Spelling of previosu... crap

[edit on 12/16/2004 by cmdrkeenkid]

And I just realized now that this has already been posted twice, in two sperate forums... And once per day too. Hah!

The first one here: www.abovetopsecret.com...

The second one here:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Of course, all three threads have used different news sources!