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NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft is closing in on Comet Tempel 1, 
counting down to a July 3/4 collision that will excavate a sizable 
crater in the comet's nucleus.  The Impactor spacecraft will be 
returning pictures up until the moment of impact, while the Flyby 
spacecraft stands off at a safe distance to watch the show.  How cool 
is that??  The crater and the material ejected from the impact will 
give scientists their first look inside a comet to learn more about 
what comets are made of, where they came from, and how they formed. 
Telescopes around--and above--the world will be trained on the comet.

The Deep Impact education team will send the latest information and 
multimedia materials to those who can/will use it. If you are 
planning a public or educational event for the Deep Impact cratering 
event with Comet Tempel 1, please send a note with your contact info 
and event info to [log in to unmask]

The mission website is at http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov; be sure to 
check out the Education and  Discovery Zone pages for comet 
activities.  Also check out the amateur astronomers site at 
http://deepimpact.umd.edu/amateur/ for information on how to observe 
the comet before and after the impact--astronomers predict the comet 
will brighten by several magnitude as a result of the impact.

Below is an abbreviated timeline of the impact and events leading up 
to it, as we know it at this time. I'm time-challenged, so everything 
is listed in my time zone, Pacific Daylight Time:

June 9 Press briefing on NASA TV,  followed by live shots.

By June 15, Deep Impact may be able to release an image per day.

By June 28, the comet's nucleus may be visible in the images.

July 1, Press briefing on NASA TV at 10 a.m. PDT

July 2, Impactor is released 24 hours before impact. An image will be 
taken by the Impactor spacecraft every 2 hours until 12 hours before 
Impact. Seven hours before impact, an image will be taken every hour. 
Three hours before impact, an image will be taken every 30 minutes. 
Images will start coming faster and faster until impact. Not clear 
yet if the early images will be on NASA TV, but we hope so.

July 3 Press briefing on NASA TV at 10 a.m. PDT

July 3, 10 p.m. - 12 a.m. PDT, NASA TV commentary

July 3, 10:52 p.m. PDT (5:52 UT), moment of impact

July 4, there may be a 1 a.m. PDT "reaction" TV piece  (interviews 
with management, science team members)

July 4, 1 a.m. PDT, live shots on NASA TV

July 4, Press briefing on NASA TV at 10 a.m. PDT

A movie from actual images is also planned to be available by 
mid-morning July 4.  Imagery from telescopes around and above the 
world (Hubble-visible, Chandra x-ray, Spitzer infrared) will be 
released as soon as they are available.

--Anita
-- 
Anita M. Sohus
Lead, Informal Education
NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
California Institute of Technology
4800 Oak Grove Drive, M.S. 311-100
Pasadena, CA  91109
818-354-6613
[log in to unmask]

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