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NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft is on course for a July 4 encounter with comet Tempel 1, but mission officials are trying to determine why one of the probe's telescopes has not focused properly. (Photo: Xinhua/AFP)

The Delta 2 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as planned at 1:47 p.m. EST (1:47 p.m. EST) with a spacecraft -- named Deep Impact -- the size of a small car tucked inside its nose cap. The probe was put on a path to smash a hole in Comet Tempel 1 on July 4 more than 82 million miles from Earth to unlock the mystery of the solar system's origin. (Photo: Xinhua/AFP)

    

    BEIJING, Mar. 28 (Xinhuanet)-- 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.

   

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

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.

    "We are very early in the process of examining the data from all the instruments. It appears our infrared spectrometer is performing spectacularly, and even if the spatial resolution of the High Resolution Instrument remains at present levels, we still expect to obtain the best, most detailed pictures of a comet ever taken." he said.

    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. Enditem

    (Agencies)