NASA scheduled a spectacular show right on the day when the American night sky would be the busiest. The space probe ‘Deep Impact’ was launched last January 2005 under the supervision of Dr. Michael A’Hearn and his science team in order to to find clues to the formation of the solar system and learn more
about the structure and composition of comets.

This NASA Discovery Mission is the first space mission
to probe beneath the surface of a comet and reveal the secrets of its interior. At 1:52 AM last July 4, the space probe ‘Deep Impact’ collided with comet Temple 1 at a speed of about 10 kilometers per second (6.3 miles per
second or 23,000 miles per hour), resulting in a brilliant flash of light.

The mission was a ’smashing’ success and hopefully, it will provide an insight on the composition of comets, the so-called time capsules that hold clues about the formation and evolution of the solar system.

You can read more about it in the NASA Mission Pages.

Via TeamDroid