NASA has approved the seventh mission in its Discoverer spacecraft series.
The $279 million Deep Impact mission will fly a 350kg (780lb) craft, equipped with a camera, at 19,400kt (35,900km/h) into the nucleus of the comet Tempel 1 in July 2005.
The impact will blast material into space which will then be analysed by a camera and infrared spectrometer on a mother ship and by instruments on Earth. Deep Impact will be launched in July 2004 and will reach Tempel 1 as the comet makes a close approach to the Sun.
The impact may be visible from Earth. Earlier Discoverer missions include Mars Pathfinder, NEAR-Shoemaker and Lunar Prospector, while Stardust is in flight and Genesis and Contour are scheduled for launch next month and next June.
Source: Flight International
