Here are the final Contour Star Date scripts. Thank you for your help with 
these.

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Heading for "icy" discoveries -- after this.

June 25, 2002       A New Discovery

    A new mission of discovery is scheduled for launch as early 
as next week. It's called the Comet Nucleus Tour -- Contour. It'll 
study at least two comets from distances of less than a hundred 
miles -- closer than any previous comet encounter.
    Contour is the latest in NASA's Discovery series -- "faster, 
better, cheaper" missions to study the solar system. In the last 
five years, Discovery probes have orbited the Moon, touched down on 
an asteroid, and crawled over the surface of Mars. Another is 
capturing particles of the "solar wind" for return to Earth, while 
yet another will bring back some particles of comet dust.
    Contour will catch some comet dust, too, but it will analyze 
both the dust and some of the comets' vaporized ices onboard. It 
will snap detailed images and measure the composition of the 
comets' nuclei -- balls of frozen water and gases mixed with rock 
and dirt. Contour is scheduled to fly past Comet Encke in about 16 
months, and another comet almost three years later. It might visit 
other comets, too. More on its mission tomorrow.
    Contour will carry several layers of shielding to protect it 
from large dust particles, which move fast enough to inflict 
damage. Astronomers hope the shielding will split such projectiles 
apart and soak up their energy before they can damage Contour's 
intruments.

Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2002


Measuring some icy building blocks -- after this.

June 26, 2002       Contour

    Comets are tough to study. These ancient mixtures of rock and 
ice are small and quite dark. And most of them are a long way from 
the Sun. When one passes close to the Sun, it's hidden inside a 
bright cocoon of gas and particles spewed into space as the comet 
warmed up.
    But astronomers are interested in comets because they're left 
over from the formation of Earth and the other planets. Comets may 
have been the "building blocks" from which the planets formed.
    A spacecraft scheduled for launch next month should give 
astronomers their closest look at comets to date. It's called the 
Comet Nucleus Tour -- Contour. It'll fly past one comet next year, 
and another in 2006. And if a bright NEW comet is discovered, like 
Hale-Bopp of a few years ago, Contour could be retargeted to study 
it.
    Contour will map the surface features of its target comets, 
helping astronomers determine whether they're solid bodies or 
agglomerations of small chunks of rock glued together by ice. It'll 
reveal how the comets "vent" their gases into space. And it will 
measure the chemical composition of the comets, telling astronomers 
about conditions in the solar system at the time they formed.
    Contour will analyze the gas and dust that surround the 
comets, too. Astronomers will compare its observations to those 
made with ground-based telescopes, which can help them interpret 
their observations of ALL comets.
    More tomorrow.

Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2002


Flying past a frequent visitor -- after this.

June 27, 2002       Comet Encke

    Since its discovery in 1786, Comet Encke has circled the Sun 
more than 60 times -- and astronomers are curious about why it's 
still around. They might not get a final answer, but they'll at 
least get some good clues next year, when the Contour spacecraft 
skims close to its surface.
    Encke is a ball of frozen gases mixed with rock. When it's 
close to the Sun, some of its gas vaporizes and boils off into 
space, releasing some of the solid particles in the process. In 
other words, Encke gets a little smaller every time it orbits the 
Sun.
    Encke orbits the Sun once every 3.3 years -- more often than 
any other comet yet discovered -- so it's lost a lot of material. 
Many comets split apart as they lose the ice that binds them 
together.
    But Encke is still in one piece, and every orbit brings a 
good outpouring of fresh material. Contour, which is scheduled for 
launch next month, will help astronomers understand why the comet 
is still going strong. It should reveal whether Encke is a solid 
body or an agglomeration of smaller pieces glued together by ice. 
It'll show them the "hot spots" from which gas vents into space.
    Contour also will study Encke's chemistry. Its extended 
exposure to the Sun has changed its surface more than most comets. 
By comparing Encke to other comets, astronomers should learn how 
comets change over time, and that may tell them more about 
conditions when comets were born.

Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2002