Russian astrologist sues NASA for Deep Impact test

July 4, 2005

Russian astrologist Marina Bai has filed suit in Moscow asking for 8.7 billion rubles (311 million U.S. dollars) because, she claims, the NASA Deep Impact mission damaged her business by altering her ability to provide accurate horoscopes, harmed her "system of spiritual values," and will "interfere with the natural life of the universe."

"It is obvious that elements of the comet's orbit, and correspondingly the ephemeris, will change after the explosion, which interferes with my astrology work and distorts my horoscope," Bai was quoted in the daily newspaper, Izvestia.

NASA has refuted similar accusations by pointing out that this impact is only a new addition to many previous collisions already on the comet.

On July 4, NASA successfully crashed a probe into the Tempel 1 comet in hopes the debris kicked up in the resulting explosion could shed light in the building blocks of the early solar system.

The lawsuit, originally filed in June, has not yet been scheduled for an initial hearing, according to Russian authorities.