DON’T consign old space probes Stardust and Deep Impact to the scrap heap of deep space. Instead send them off on new missions and save yourself a fortune. The question is, will cash-strapped NASA be convinced by this plea from its scientists?
When Stardust’s sample-return capsule parachuted to Earth with its priceless cargo of dust from the tail of comet Wild 2 in January, the mother ship that carried it into deep space was left in a solar orbit. However, with some deft manoeuvres, Stardust could be sent to rendezvous with comet Tempel 1 in 2010, training its cameras on the crater made by Deep Impact’s 370-kilogram copper projectile last July.
Because Deep Impact’s high-resolution camera malfunctioned, and its view was in any case obscured by a dense vapour plume, the geological strata in the 20-metre-deep crater on the comet have yet to be imaged.
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New comets or asteroids are also said to be on the cards for Deep Impact’s mother ship. Andy Dantzler, NASA’s planetary science director, says both spacecraft have fuel and are in pretty good shape, although it will be six months before any new missions are confirmed.
This week, Nasawatch, the watchdog website run by former NASA payload specialist Keith Cowing, described the idea of reusing existing spacecraft as “smart and cool”.
