How would a comet such as Hale-Bopp affect the Shuttle?
ANSWER from Merton C. Flemings, Sc.D. on May 7, 1997: Fortunately a comet presents no danger either for the Space Shuttle or for us here on Earth. Comets are composed mostly of ice, rock, and dust, so there could indeed be damage to the Space Shuttle if Hale-Bopp were to pass close enough to it; since the Shuttle is moving at many thousands of kilometers per hour through space, any small pieces of matter that it encounters can potentially damage its hull. Fortunately, even at its closest approach, the comet will still be about 120 million miles away–even further away from the Shuttle than the Sun is! Return to top.
