Starship Asterisk*

A friend asked me a question about Temple1 and about the probe that hit it and me being kinda ignorant and not sure if this has been talked about before here as this is my first time here...sorry if it has.

Anyway the question is this: Did the probe change Tempel1's orbit when it hit it or was it not big enough? From todays picture that was a pretty big impact so we are curious.

The NASA web site said that in comparison to the size of the comet Temple1, the Deep Impact probe hitting it was like a mosquito hitting the windshield of an 18-wheeler truck. So it didn't change the orbit of the comet in any measurable manner, even though it put on a spectacular show.

Thanks apreciate it