Artist Pat Rawlings illustrates the potential meeting of Deep Impact with a comet. (Photo: NASA)

　　NASA’s comet-slamming Deep Impact spacecraft, which is on scheduled course for a July 4 collision with comet Tempel 1, has a minor glitch with one camera, according to the space agency.

　　After performing a test called "bake-out," a procedure that heats up the instrument to remove moisture, mission managers noticed the High Resolution Instrument (HRI) has not reached perfect focus.

　　NASA has formed a team to investigate. It might be possible to bring the camera into full focus.

　　"This in no way will affect our ability to impact the comet on July 4," Rick Grammier, Deep Impact project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement.

　　The craft’s Medium Resolution Instrument (MRI) and a duplicate camera on the Impactor Targeting Sensor (ITS) are operating as expected.

　　The craft launched Jan. 12 and is expected to reach comet Tempel 1 on July 4. Fireworks are expected as the spacecraft sends a probe into the comet. The event will be recorded by cameras and other instruments on the mothership and may even be visible to backyard skywatchers.

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