NASA will hold a news conference at 1 pm EST on Thursday, Nov 18, to discuss new scientific findings from the recent EPOXI mission spacecraft encounter with comet Hartley 2.

Two movies derived from images taken by the two cameras aboard NASA's EPOXI mission spacecraft show comet Hartley 2 is, as expected, quite active, and it provides information on the nucleus's rotation.

Recent observations of comet Hartley 2 have scientists scratching their heads, while they anticipate a flyby of the small, icy world on Nov 4.

NASA said Tuesday it is recycling two used spacecraft to lead new robotic missions to study comets and planets around other stars.

The surviving portion of the Deep Impact space probe that watched as its other half smashed into a comet on July 4 is being sent on a mission to study another comet.