| .....The Comet Nucleus Tour, or
CONTOUR, mission is timed to encounter
and study at least two comets as they
make their periodic visits to the inner
solar system. .....At
each comet flyby, the spacecraft will
take high-resolution pictures and perform
high-resolution analyses of their
composition, as well as determine the
comet's precise orbit.
.....The science objectives are to
dramatically improve our knowledge of key
characteristics of comet nuclei and to
assess their diversity.
.....Current
plans are for a July 2002 launch and two
comet encounters:
- Comet Encke
encounter: November 12, 2003
- Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann-3:
June 18, 2006
|
