Don Yeomans
Don Yeomans
brightest certainly easily eye gonna knock naked object socks
It's not gonna knock your socks off, and it certainly won't be the brightest object in the sky, but it'll be easily observable with the naked eye .
amount bury certain environment far football harsh itself simply size spacecraft stadium
There's a certain amount of nervousness at present. ... It's a harsh environment out there and this is not easy. We don't really know what to expect, frankly. ... It could be anything from a crater the size of a football stadium to something that's far more modest. Or the spacecraft could simply bury itself into the comet.
hope
We hope to get 15 centimeters resolution. That's unprecedented resolution.
areas comet exposed hit open structure sunlight surface trying understand
We're trying to understand the structure of a comet and also its composition. Once we hit it, we will open up surface areas that are exposed to the sunlight and see new subsurface ices for the first time.
earth minutes signal spacecraft takes video
It takes 7 1/2 minutes for a signal to get from Earth to the spacecraft and another 7 1/2 minutes to get back. So, we can't joystick this spacecraft like a video game.
fuel future holes stations
They could be the watering holes and fuel stations for future interplanetary exploration.
close comet death opportunity rare throes watch
This is a rare opportunity to watch a comet in its death throes ? from very close range.
achieve course determine fire headed observe smart spacecraft whether
The spacecraft has to be smart enough on its own to observe the comet, determine whether it's headed in the right direction, if not, make its own course correction, and then fire its thrusters to achieve that course correction.
break fragments last
Sometimes, when the fragments break off, they flare up temporarily, but it usually doesn't last very long.
object plenty raised
It's an interesting object and it's raised some interesting issues, but a worrisome threat? No. We've got plenty of time.
forming fragments looks themselves though
It looks as though some of the fragments are themselves forming their own sub-fragments.
car earth friction problem sheet wheels
You've got the same problem as a car on Earth on a sheet of ice. There is very little friction between the wheels and the surface.
closest farther fragment goodness miles million six
Goodness, no. The closest fragment will be about six million miles away--or twenty-five times farther than the Moon.