Deep Impact (pictured in illustration) will be ready to begin preparation for fueling on Dec. 6 and is scheduled to be completed on Dec. 9.
Deep Impact (pictured in illustration) will be ready to begin preparation for fueling on Dec. 6 and is scheduled to be completed on Dec. 9. |
Deep Impact was removed from its shipping container and is now undergoing its Functional and Mission Readiness testing, scheduled for completion on November 23
These tests involve the entire spacecraft flight system (including the flyby and impactor, associated science instruments and the spacecraft's basic subsystems), along with loading updated flight software.
The high gain antenna used for spacecraft communications will be installed on Nov. 29. The solar array will then be stowed and an illumination test performed as a final check of its performance on Nov. 30.
Deep Impact will then be ready to begin preparation for fueling on Dec. 6 and is scheduled to be completed on Dec. 9.
The stacking of the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle on Pad 17-B will begin on Nov. 22 with the hoisting of the first stage into the launcher. Hoisting of the nine strap-on solid rocket boosters, in sets of three, is scheduled for Nov. 23, Nov. 29, and Dec. 1. The second stage will be hoisted into position atop the first stage on Dec. 3.
The overall Deep Impact mission management for this Discovery class program is conducted by the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.
Deep Impact project management is handled by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The spacecraft has been built for NASA by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation.
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