Deep Space 1

The spacecraft Deep Space 1 was launched October 24, 1998 on top of a Delta rocket[?] with a mass of 486.32kg (including fuel). The primary mission was the test of 12 advanced technologies, including an advanced ion thruster in order to lower the cost and risk of future missions. It succeeded in this task and made a flyby of the asteroid Braille and the comet Borrelly returning valuable science data and stunning pictures.

Deep Space 1 was retired on December 18, 2001 and cost about $149.7 Million.

See also: Unmanned space missions

External links

• Deep Space 1 website at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds1/)