Monday, July 04, 2005

My Way News

My Way News: "Mission Accomplished: Probe Hits Comet
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Jul 4, 7:21 AM (ET)

By ALICIA CHANG

(AP) In this image released by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Tempel 1 comet is shown after the...
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PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - A space probe hit its comet target late Sunday in a NASA-directed, Hollywood-style mission that scientists hope will reveal clues to how the solar system formed. It was the first time a spacecraft had ever touched the surface of a comet, igniting brief Independence Day weekend fireworks in space.

The successful strike 83 million miles away from Earth occurred at 10:52 p.m. PDT, according to mission control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Scientists on the mission - called Deep Impact, like the movie - erupted in applause and exchanged hugs.

'A lot of people said we couldn't do this or wouldn't be able to pull it off,' project manager Rick Grammier said later at a predawn Monday news conference. 'It happened like clockwork and I think that's something to be proud of on America's birthday.'

The cosmic smash-up did not significantly alter the comet's orbit around the sun and NASA said the experiment doesn't pose any danger to Earth."

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