China Plans Version of U.S. Deep Impact Probe
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China is drawing up its version of the U.S.-built Deep Impact probe, Chinese media reported on Wednesday, two days after the American spacecraft smashed into a comet.
The main goal of NASA’s Deep Impact mission was to knock free primordial materials from the nucleus of comet Tempel 1 to unlock secrets of the early solar system. China’s mission is aimed at protecting the planet from being hit by a comet or asteroid.
As opposed to NASA’s “impacting” method, China would try to soft-land a craft with an engine capable of pushing a comet or asteroid off a collision course, an official said.
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