[meteorite-list] NASA Announces Deep Impact Future Mission Status

[Ron Baalke]

Dolores Beasley/Erica Hupp
Headquarters, Washington                        July 20, 2005
(Phone: 202/358-1753/1237)

RELEASE: 05-193

NASA ANNOUNCES DEEP IMPACT FUTURE MISSION STATUS 

As NASA's Deep Impact flyby spacecraft prepares to execute its 
sixth trajectory correction maneuver, program managers at agency 
headquarters in Washington are investigating future options.

Today's scheduled burn places the spacecraft on a trajectory to 
fly past Earth in late December 2007. The maneuver allows NASA 
to preserve options for future use of the spacecraft.

"This maneuver will keep the spacecraft in the vicinity of the 
inner planets, thereby making the task of tracking and 
communicating with it easier," said NASA's Director of Solar 
System Division, Science Mission Directorate, Andy Dantzler.

Dantzler announced today that all investigators interested in 
using the Deep Impact Flyby Spacecraft for further science 
investigations must submit proposals to the 2005 Discovery 
Program Announcement of Opportunity for a Mission of 
Opportunity.

"All proposals for use of the Deep Impact spacecraft will be 
evaluated for science merit and feasibility along with all 
submitted proposal for Missions of Opportunity," he said. 
"The spacecraft is being offered as is. Proposers must include 
mission management and spacecraft operations in the total 
proposed funding."

Further details will be posted by the end of July on the 
Discovery Program acquisition site:

http://centauri.larc.nasa.gov/discovery

For information about Deep Impact on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/deepimpact

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