Epoxi mission

Comet 103P/ Hartley 2 passed within 11 million miles of the Earth last month, with NASA's EPOXI spacecraft in hot pursuit. The flyby — at a scorching 27,000 mph — is set for 9:50 a.m., with live coverage on NASA TV. (www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/)
Scientists with the Maryland-led mission say cameras aboard the spacecraft began running continuously 18 hours before EPOXI's close encounter with Hartley 2.
They should have the first close-up images of the comet downloaded from the spacecraft and posted on the EPOXI website epoxi.umd.edu within a few hours of the flyby. A live press briefing with more photos is set for 4 p.m. Thursday, also on NASA TV