Comet Mission Missing In Orbit

ASTEROIDS AND COMETS

Contour's mission is to explore several comets over this decade in deep space.

Laurel - Aug 15, 2002
Mission operators are looking for a signal from Contour, several hours after a scheduled maneuver to send the spacecraft from Earth's orbit onto a path to encounter multiple comets.

Contour's STAR 30 solid-propellant rocket motor was programmed to ignite at 4:49 a.m. EDT and deliver 1,920 meter-per-second boost which Contour needed to escape Earth's orbit. At about 140 miles (225 kilometers) above the Indian Ocean, the spacecraft was too low for NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas to track it at the scheduled time of the burn.

The Contour mission operations team at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory expected to regain contact at approximately 5:35 a.m. EDT to confirm the burn, but the DSN has not acquired a signal.

The mission operations team is working through several backup plans to establish contact with the spacecraft, searching along the predicted trajectories for a successful burn.

Contour, a Discovery-class mission to explore the nucleus of comets, was built and managed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md., for NASA.

TECH SPACE

JPL Navigators Critical For Four Year Comet Tour Across Deep Space

Pasadena - Jul 11, 2002
NASA's Comet Nucleus Tour launched July 3, will rely on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's navigation team to guide the craft on its tricky journey toward two comets to find out how the icy, rocky bodies evolve as they approach the Sun.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.