Deep Impact Mission: Copper Impactor's Role

[Shawnzyoo]

does anyone know the reason why they used a copper "impactor" for the deep impact mission?
is it for its corrosion resistance?
thanks

 

[goavs4]

does anyone know the reason why they used a copper "impactor" for the deep impact mission?
is it for its corrosion resistance?
thanks

The impactor is made primarily of copper (49%) as opposed to aluminum (24%) because it minimizes corruption of spectral emission lines that are used to analyze the nucleus.

http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/tech/impactor.html

The impactor was mostly vaporized so corrosion resistance was never a consideration, only the potential impact to the science.

 

[ravenprp]

The reason for using a copper "impactor" for the Deep Impact mission was not for its corrosion resistance. The primary reason was that copper is a dense and malleable metal, which makes it an ideal material for creating a compact and strong impactor. This was important for the mission as the impactor needed to withstand the high velocity impact with the comet's surface. Additionally, copper is also a good heat conductor, which was important for the impactor to efficiently transfer heat away from its surface during the impact. This helped prevent the impactor from overheating and potentially damaging its instruments. Furthermore, copper is also relatively inexpensive and readily available, making it a practical choice for the mission.