CONTOUR:
CONTOUR (COmet Nucleus Tour) was designed to make a detailed study of the interior of at least two comets. Contact with the spacecraft was lost after an Aug. 15, 2002 engine burn that was intended to propel it out of Earth orbit.

A mishap investigation board determined that overheating during the engine burn caused the spacecraft to break apart. Mission controllers were unable to restore contact with the spacecraft.

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07.03.02:  Launch (06:47 UT) 08.15.02:  Contact Lost 12.20.02:  End of Mission Status:  Lost in Space		10.15.03:  CONTOUR Mishap Investigation 12.20.02:  CONTOUR Lost 12.18.02:  CONTOUR Still Silent More Headlines
CONTOUR stands for Comet Nucleus Tour. Mission controllers were able to track pieces of CONTOUR (right) after the spacecraft broke up. CONTOUR was to study comets Encke and Schwassmann-Wachmann 3.		Solar System Bodies: Comets Comet Nucleus Tour (CONTOUR) Mishap Investigation Board Report (PDF File) Kid-Friendly Comet Page Discovery Mission: CONTOUR More Links