Comet Pelted NASA Probe with Bits of Ice During Flyby

By Mike Wall
published

Comet Pelted NASA Probe with Bits of Ice During Flyby
This photo from NASA's Deep Impact probe shows part of Comet Hartley 2’s nucleus, with the sun illuminating it from the right. Also visible is a distinct cloud of individual icy particles. The picture was taken on Nov. 4, 2010, the day the spacecraft made its closest approach to the comet. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD [<a href=http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/comet-hartley-2-cosmic-snowstorm-101118.html>Full Story</a>])

A NASA spacecraft

The Deep Impact

The spacecraft flew

"When we first

Fuzzy flakes

The snowstorm was

Hartley 2's jets

Most of the

"The biggest

But the ice chunks

"They're akin

This fluffiness

Since Deep Impact

Learning about

The new observations

For one thing,

But why Hartley 2

The flyby has given

"It has

Deep Impact will be

This is the second

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.