On Jan. 12, 2005, NASA introduced its Deep Impact mission to crash into comet Tempel 1, also known as 9P/Tempel. Two spacecraft were launched together for this objective: one was a flyby vehicle about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, and the other was an impactor the size of a coffee table. An artists representation of the Deep Impact objective. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) The objective would study the comets interior by smashing into its surface area and taking images of the effect crater and all the dust and dirt it kicked into area. Deep Impact introduced from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II rocket and spent almost 6 months ferreting out the comet prior to the crash.Catch up on our entire “On This Day In Space” series on YouTube with this playlist. On This Day in Space Archive! Still insufficient area? Dont forget to take a look at our Space Image of the Day, and on the weekends our Best Space Photos and Top Space News Stories of the week. Email Hanneke Weitering at [email protected] or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook..
