Deep Impact is a
NASAspace probe designed to study the composition of the interior of the
cometTempel 1. At 5:52
UTC on July 4, 2005, one section of the Deep Impact probe successfully impacted the comet's
nucleus, excavating debris from the interior of the nucleus. Photographs of the impact showed the comet to be more dusty and less icy than expected. The impact generated a large, bright dust cloud that obscured the hoped-for view of the impact crater.