The fireworks are done. The data collected. The team is now busy analysing the data and answering the myriad questions posed before and after impact. Summaries of the science team's analysis of the data appear here.
Data From Encounter
View images and data from the Deep Impact encounter. |
Interactive Summary
Some of our most exciting results and the scientists who made them! |
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Geology
We call the study of rocks and surface features on Earth "geology." What would we call that on a comet? |
Jets
From a distance, Tempel 1 looked like a quiet comet. Up close, we could see there was a lot more going on. |
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Results of Spitzer's Impact Observations
Results of Deep Impact Spitzer Observations are reported in the August 4, 2006 issue of Science magazine. |
Size & Shape
One of the most obvious results was seeing the size and shape just hours before encounter. |
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First Spectra from Deep Impact's Infrared Spectrometer
The Deep Impact spacecraft sent back infrared spectra as well as optical images. |
Surface Ice
Finding ice on the surface of Tempel 1 was an unexpected but very exciting result! |
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Tempel 1 - What's It Really Like?
Scientists have a great deal to learn from the Deep Impact data, but here are some initial findings. |
Excavating Comet Tempel 1
Ray Brown tells us about the impactor spacecraft's last moments before colliding with the nucleus and the science being gathered from the data. |
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Data Archiving: Where Does the Data Go?
Find out how the data for Deep Impact becomes available to the rest of the world. |
Future Plans
Could the flyby spacecraft return to comet Tempel 1 and observe the impact site? |
Links to Mission Updates that also describe Science Results
Date | Author - Subject |
August 2006 | Lucy McFadden - Spitzer results |
June 2006 | Lucy McFadden - nucleus composition |
January/February 2006 | Lucy McFadden, Ray Brown, and Mike A'Hearn - water ice, earth based observations |
December 2005 | Ray Brown - comet evolution |
November 2005 | Lucy McFadden - summary |
October 2005 | Lucy McFadden - summary |
September 2005 | Lucy McFadden - nucleus shape |