
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first part of the fairing is moved into place around the Comet Nucleus Tour (CONTOUR) spacecraft. The fairing is the outer cover that protects the spacecraft during launch. Below the spacecraft is the Delta II rocket, the launch vehicle. CONTOUR will provide the first detailed look into the heart of a comet -- the nucleus. Flying as close as 60 miles (100 kilometers) to at least two comets, the spacecraft will take the sharpest pictures yet of a nucleus while analyzing the gas and dust that surround them. Launch of CONTOUR is scheduled for July 1, 2002
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NASA ID
KSC-02pd1077
Date Created
June 27, 2002
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Kennedy Space Center, FL
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