KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Space Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2), the Comet Nucleus Tour (CONTOUR) spacecraft, mated to the upper stage of its launch vehicle, waits to be enclosed in the container behind it for transfer to the launch pad. CONTOUR will provide the first detailed look into the heart of a comet -- the nucleus. Flying as close as 60 miles (100 kilometers) to at least two comets, the spacecraft will take the sharpest pictures yet of a nucleus while analyzing the gas and dust that surround these rocky, icy building blocks of the solar system. Launch of CONTOUR aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for July 1, 2002, from Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Location Kennedy Space Center, FL
Date June 18, 2002