What can the event tell us about the state of science today?
The preparation, technical execution, and scientific perspectives displayed in the Deep Impact mission all carry important messages. One clear message is that Americas technical expertise can achieve wonders. The team of specialists involved in the design and manufacture of the Deep Impact hardware orchestrated an awe-inspiring performance. What we saw was far and away the most daring and dramatic probe ever designed for the exploration of comets. And what about the perceptions of the space scientists commenting on the great surprises of Deep Impact? We have spoken often of the momentum of belief and the way ideology constrains and distorts perception. All of the media commentary surrounding Deep Impact, by virtue of its dependence on NASA for context, has underscored this syndrome. Every journalist and commentator assured us that comets harbor the pristine material from which the Sun and planets were born. They even gave a date for the primordial birth of comets4.5 billion years ago.
