Сообщения, относящиеся к нравственно-этической проблеме воздействия на комету выделела в отдельную тему

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/deepimpact/status.html

Mission status center - видимо, как в случае с Гюйгенсом, здесь будут довольно оперативно выкладывать информацию

0617 GMT (2:17 a.m. EDT)

Contact with the impactor has been established. Data files are being downlinked from the craft as mission control breaks out in applause.

0615 GMT (2:15 a.m. EDT)

The mothership's S-band telemetry transmitter is operating to relay the first data from the now free-flying impactor spacecraft.

0613 GMT (2:13 a.m. EDT)

A poll has been completed and the "go" was declared for the divert maneuver by the mothership, putting the craft on a trajectory to pass below the comet. The attitude fault condition reported by mission control after separation does not appear serious.

0609 GMT (2:09 a.m. EDT)

Mission controllers are looking at an orientation control fault on the mothership after separation. The craft's attitude is reported out of alignment by 4 to 4.5 degrees.

0607 GMT (2:07 a.m. EDT)

SEPARATION CONFIRMED! The impactor spacecraft has been deployed from the mothership for its 24-hour voyage to Comet Tempel 1!

0605 GMT (2:05 a.m. EDT)

The final tension-filled minutes are ticking down.

0550 GMT (1:50 a.m. EDT)

The point of no return has been passed. There is no longer enough time to send a "stop" command to halt the deployment. Mission control expects to receive confirmation of separation at 2:07 a.m. EDT.

0529 GMT (1:29 a.m. EDT)

The flight control team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been polled for a "go/no go" status. Everyone is reporting "go" for impactor release on time.

0516 GMT (1:16 a.m. EDT)

The impactor began running on its battery power at 1:11 a.m. EDT, mission control says. All systems are "go" for deployment as the mothership re-orients itself to the separation position.

0426 GMT (12:26 a.m. EDT)

The "go" has been given to transition the impactor spacecraft to its internal power for the upcoming separation from the mothership. Warmup of the impactor's battery has been completed.

0255 GMT (10:55 p.m. EDT Sat.)

Deep Impact has completed its trajectory correction maneuver as planned this evening.

Как я понял, после отделения возникли небольшие проблемы с ориентацией материнского корабля, где-то полградуса, но ее скорректируют.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/multimedia/imp-mri-070305.html

Снимок импактора, сделанный материнской частью корабля вскоре после разделения.

Красота! А какое расстояние от Земли до кометы?

134 миллиона километров

 
 
The impactor targeting sensor camera on Deep Impact's impactor spacecraft tookthis image on Sunday, July 3, 2005, Eastern Daylight Time, during the mission's encounter with comet Tempel 1.  

чувство причастности какое-то возникает=)

Интересно, ведь чувство причастности, фактически, это результат обработки снимка Вашим мозгом!

То есть, фактически, Вам не нравится не обработка снимков, как таковая, а тот факт, что обработку произвели не Вы.
Пожалуй, я тоже считаю именно так...

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena-
In a statement issued today, a NASA official dismissed public concerns that the Deep Impact mission to comet Tempel 1 will result in the unintended release of a giant mutant space monster that is bent upon destroying mankind.
Launched earlier this year, the unmanned Deep Impact spacecraft carries with it an 816-pound "impactor" that is slated to slam into the nucleus of Tempel 1 at approximately 10:50 PM, PDT on July 3rd. The impact is projected to release energy equivalent to the detonation of 4.8 tons of TNT, excavating a stadium-sized crater in the process.
This has prompted concerns from some (characterized by the NASA official as "conspiracy-obsessed Internet hysterics") that the impact will in fact crack the comet's nucleus open and release a long-dormant, primordial giant space monster to rain death and destruction upon the terrified populace of Earth.
Speaking on condition of anonymity from just inside the entrance to the massively reinforced Deep Impact mission bunker, the official said "This is just another urban myth... (W)e are almost completely pretty sure that probably no such thing will happen. These are the same people who say we never landed on the Moon."
When pressed to elaborate, the official assured the public that "they have nothing to worry about", adding that the sudden, unexplained appearance of two tiny Japanese girls in downtown Los Angeles was "probably just a coincidence". He stated further that the siting of powerful, advanced laser weapons at different points around the city was "a training exercise".



Giant Space Monster- "Probably not... I dunno, really", says NASA official.

Кстати, забавно: Сегодня по ОРТ будут показывать "Армагеддон" (в 21:45), а в 01:30 - научно-популярный фильм "Космические странники", про кометы и астероиды.

Жаль энергия взрыва будет слабовата, для космических условий, могли бы и раскошелиться на небольшой ядерный заряд, в те же 300-400 кг вполне вписался бы, пугают же ядерными чемоданчиками, никто бы сильно не возмущался