Original Source: Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Lab
January 29, 2002
Before its comet mission the CONTOUR spacecraft has to be thoroughly tested.
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| Image copyright: CONTOUR |
Scheduled to launch July 1 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, the Comet Nucleus Tour (CONTOUR) spacecraft spent the past 10 days in an APL vibration test lab, where engineers checked the structural integrity of the eight-sided, 6-by-6 foot craft aboard a large shake table.
"The vibration tests at APL went very well," says CONTOUR Project Manager Mary C. Chiu of the Applied Physics Lab. "The spacecraft is in great shape and we're ready to move on to the next stage."
At Goddard the spacecraft will undergo spin tests; acoustic tests, designed to simulate the noise-induced vibrations of launch; and thermal vacuum tests, which replicate the harsh conditions of deep space. In late April, CONTOUR will be transported to Kennedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral and prepared for launch aboard a three-stage, Boeing Delta II launch vehicle.
"By the time CONTOUR launches it will have been thoroughly tested," says Michael J. Colby, CONTOUR lead integration and test engineer at APL. "You have to be extremely confident that the spacecraft will be OK when it's mounted on that Delta."
After launch, the solar-powered CONTOUR will visit at least two comets as they travel through the inner solar system. From as close as 100 kilometers, the spacecraft will take the most detailed pictures ever of a comet's nucleus; map the types of rock and ice on the nucleus; and analyze the composition of the surrounding gas and dust. CONTOUR's targets include comet Encke in November 2003 and Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 in June 2006, though the spacecraft can also be sent toward an as-yet-undiscovered comet. The data will provide clues into the similarities and differences between comets.
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Susanne Weimer