Deep Impact

Nasa is examining images from a probe the size of a washing machine which collided head-on with a comet. The US launched the Deep Impact probe six months ago specifically to crash it into the comet, called Temple One, which is half the size of the Isle of Wight. The collision took place 83 million miles from Earth (nearly the distance from the Earth to the Sun) at a speed of 23,000mph, and the probe instantly vaporised. Images of the direct hit were captured by its mother ship. The size of the crater is roughly the size of a football pitch. Don Yeomans, of Nasa's Jet Propulsion unit, said: "We hit it just exactly where we wanted to". The £180m project is being hailed as a success, with data from the explosion will be used to tell what lies inside a comet, until now a mystery to scientists. Mike A'Hearn, the mission's lead scientist said: "I look forward to a wealth of data which will take me to retirement." Nasa laboratory director Charles Elachi saying: "As of now, I think we have a completely different understanding of our solar system."