Deep impact

May 13, 2003 2:09 PM

Deep impact. NASA scientists want to know what the pristine inside of a comet looks like. What better way, then, than by blowing a 25-meter crater in one? Comet Tempel 1, to be specific. Even better, send them your name and they'll put it on a disc attached to the impactor spacecraft, which will be launched on December 30, 2004. It'll hit on the 4th of July, 2005.
posted by gottabefunky (9 comments total)

Tempel 1, Frankenstein says Hello.
posted by pemulis at 2:24 PM on May 13, 2003

As do I. Cute idea.
posted by Salmonberry at 2:50 PM on May 13, 2003

Heh heh. I was trying to think of a downside to this project. You know, what about this could be bad for anybody? I couldn't think of anything, until I clicked pemulis' link and realized that if any aliens find this they will know we are a planet of smartasses.
posted by Hildago at 4:24 PM on May 13, 2003

Selfish smartasses, to be more precise.
I'm sending some advertising for the little green people in the sky.
posted by rhapsodie at 4:27 PM on May 13, 2003

Selfish smartasses, to be more precise....and a liter bug.
posted by thomcatspike at 4:47 PM on May 13, 2003

....and a liter litter bug.
posted by thomcatspike at 4:50 PM on May 13, 2003

this is completely different from putting a flag on plymouth rock and saying that the "indians" are now treading on land owned by the white man.

this is not neo-colonialist at all. this is not weird and fascinating in a post-modern way.
posted by oog at 5:48 PM on May 13, 2003

oog, I always never didn't wonder what didn't happen not to Negative Man, or not.
posted by HTuttle at 6:17 PM on May 13, 2003

My CD ROMs turn into coasters with the tiniest scratch. I cannot imagine one attached to an impactor spacecraft would be of use after, erm, the impact. Also, do we know that the people of Tempel 1 can read these things?
posted by thijsk at 1:26 AM on May 14, 2003