Cape Canaveral Air Force Station the Comet Nucleus Tour CONTOUR spacecraft is viewed from above.

At Launch Complex 17-A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Comet Nucleus Tour (CONTOUR) spacecraft is viewed from above. The spacecraft is ready for installation of the fairing, the outer covers that protect it during launch. Below the spacecraft is the Delta II rocket, the launch vehicle. CONTOUR will provide the first detailed look into the heart of a comet -- the nucleus. Flying as close as 60 miles (100 kilometers) to at least two comets, the spacecraft will take the sharpest pictures yet of a nucleus while analyzing the gas and dust that surround them. Launch of CONTOUR is scheduled for July 1, 2002