NASA ready for date with Mars comet on 19 October
11 Oct 2014 6:45 AM IST
NASA’s extensive fleet of science assets, particularly those orbiting and roving Mars, are all set to to click and study a once-in-a-lifetime comet flyby on October 19.
Comet C/2013 A1, also known as comet Siding Spring, will pass within about 139,500 km of the Red Planet - less than half the distance between Earth and our moon and less than one-tenth the distance of any known comet flyby of Earth, NASA reported.
Siding Spring’s nucleus will come closest to Mars Sunday at a speed of 56 km per second. This proximity will provide an unprecedented opportunity for researchers to gather data on both the comet and its effect on the Martian atmosphere.
‘This is a cosmic science gift that could potentially keep on giving, and the agency’s diverse science missions will be in full receive mode,’ said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, DC.This particular comet has never before entered the inner solar system, so it will provide a fresh source of clues to our solar system’s earliest days, he added.
Siding Spring came from the Oort Cloud, a spherical region of space surrounding our sun.
Comet C/2013 A1, also known as comet Siding Spring, will pass within about 139,500 km of the Red Planet - less than half the distance between Earth and our moon and less than one-tenth the distance of any known comet flyby of Earth, NASA reported.
Siding Spring’s nucleus will come closest to Mars Sunday at a speed of 56 km per second. This proximity will provide an unprecedented opportunity for researchers to gather data on both the comet and its effect on the Martian atmosphere.
‘This is a cosmic science gift that could potentially keep on giving, and the agency’s diverse science missions will be in full receive mode,’ said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, DC.This particular comet has never before entered the inner solar system, so it will provide a fresh source of clues to our solar system’s earliest days, he added.
Siding Spring came from the Oort Cloud, a spherical region of space surrounding our sun.
Next Story
