May 10 2002
From The Space Library
Using data from NASA's Deep Space 1, astronomers uncovered unexpected findings about the surface of comets, suggesting that comets might have brought to Earth material necessary for the beginning of life. The astronomers had examined images gathered in 2001, during the spacecraft's flyby of the 8-kilometer-long (5-mile-long) comet 19P/Borrelly, the only other comet besides 1P/Halley that a spacecraft had examined at such close proximity. Borrelly, the first comet of its type examined in this manner, is a short-period comet of the Jupiter family, compositionally different from intermediate-period comets such as 1P/Halley. The research, published in the journal Science, revealed no water ice or hydrated minerals on the comet's surface, which scientists had unexpectedly found to be hot and dry. Deep Space 1 had also revealed that a dark dust, possibly containing biological material, covered the comet, which had a far darker surface than most objects in the inner solar system. According to the scientists, this finding suggested that comets might have provided a transport mechanism, supplying the organic materials required for the beginning of life on Earth. (L. A. Soderblom, “Observations of Comet 1 9P/Borrelly by the Miniature Integrated Camera and Spectrometer Aboard Deep Space 1,” Science 296, no. 5570 (10 May 2002): 1087-1091; NASA JPL, “NASA Spacecraft Finds Comet Has Hot, Dry Surface,” news release, 5 April 2002.)
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