CONTOUR

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CONTOUR (Comet Nucleus Tour) was a NASA Discovery-class mission intended to study the nuclei of multiple comets through close flybys before it was lost shortly after launch in 2002.

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Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf NASA Discovery-class mission
space probe
category NASA space probe
comet exploration mission
failed space mission
communicationBand X-band
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
disappearanceCause probable spacecraft breakup
discoveryProgramMissionNumber sixth Discovery mission
failureDate 2002-08-15
failureEvent lost contact after solid rocket motor burn
fullName Comet Nucleus Tour NERFINISHED
launchDate 2002-07-03
launchSite Cape Canaveral Air Force Station NERFINISHED
Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA NERFINISHED
launchVehicle Delta II 7425 NERFINISHED
lostContact shortly after Earth-escape maneuver in 2002
managingCenter Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory NERFINISHED
missionType comet flyby mission
planetary science mission
uncrewed space mission
objective obtain high-resolution images of comet nuclei
perform in situ measurements of cometary material
study comet nuclei via close flybys
operator NASA
orbitType heliocentric trajectory planned
plannedClosestApproachDistance about 100 kilometers from comet nuclei
plannedFlyby Comet 2P/Encke NERFINISHED
Comet 73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann 3 NERFINISHED
plannedMissionDuration about 4 years
powerSource solar panels
primeContractor Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory NERFINISHED
program Discovery Program NERFINISHED
propulsion solid rocket motor for orbit change
result no science data returned from comet flybys
scienceInstruments dust analyzer
imaging system
spectrometers
spaceAgency NASA
spacecraftBus Discovery-class spacecraft design
spacecraftType flyby probe
status mission lost
target Comet 2P/Encke NERFINISHED
Comet 73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann 3 NERFINISHED

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