[meteorite-list] Deep Impact Update - March 2005

[Ron Baalke]

http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/update-200503.html

Deep Impact Mission Update - March 2005
Maura Rountree-Brown with information from Keyur Petal, Deputy Project
Manager, Deep Impact

In the last 30 days the Deep Impact mission team continued their
Commissioning Phase for the flyby and impactor spacecraft. This initial
phase after launch gives the team an opportunity to characterize the
spacecraft and instruments and will be completed in late March with the
final test to the impactor's ITS imaging instrument (impactor targeting
sensor). The team also continues the "bake out" of the High Resolution
Instrument (HRI) to remove moisture that accumulates during integration
and testing. In the coming month, the science team will continue
calibrating the instruments on both spacecraft by taking images and
setting a baseline of data to compare to comet Tempel 1 at encounter.
The team successfully completed the first of five Trajectory Correction
Maneuvers (TCM's), which produced a velocity and angle change to put the
flyby spacecraft more directly on the path needed to encounter comet
Tempel 1 in July 2005. The impactor has been completely tested except
for its thrusters, which can't be fired while it is still mated with the
flyby spacecraft.