Contour

n. outline; outer edge of a figure

v. draw the outline of; mold to fit a certain shape

The COmet Nucleus TOUR (CONTOUR) was a NASA Discovery-class space probe that failed shortly after launch. It had as its primary objective close fly-bys of two comet nuclei with the possibility of a fly-by of a third known comet or an as-yet-undiscovered comet. The two comets scheduled to be visited were Encke and Schwassmann-Wachmann-3, and the third target was d'Arrest. It was hoped that a new comet would have been discovered that would have been in the inner solar system between 2006 and 2008, in which case the spacecraft trajectory would have been changed if possible to rendezvous with the new comet. Scientific objectives included imaging the nuclei at resolutions of 4 m, performing spectral mapping of the nuclei at resolutions of 100-200 m, and obtaining detailed compositional data on gas and dust in the near-nucleus environment, with the goal of improving our knowledge of the characteristics of comet nuclei.
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"Contour" and "Contour map" redirect here. For the NASA space probe, see CONTOUR. For the automobile, see Ford Contour. For most everyday use of the term is in cartography. A contour map (topographic map) uses contour lines (often just called a "contour") to join points of equal elevation (height) and thus show valleys and hills, and the steepness of slopes.More generally, a contour line (also level set, isopleth, isoline, isogram or isarithm) for a function of two variables is a  curve connecting points where the function has a same particular value. The prefix iso-, from the Greek prefix ισος ("equal"), is used from descriptive names for map lines that join points of equal value. The gradient of the function is always perpendicular to the contour lines. When the lines are close together the length of the gradient is large: the variation is steep. If adjacent contour lines are of the same line width, the direction of the gradient cannot be determined from the contour lines alone. However if contour lines rotate through three or more widths, or if the lines are numerically labelled, then the direction of the gradient can also be determined from the contour lines.
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Noun
1. a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
(synonym) contour line
(hypernym) isometric line, isometric
(hyponym) thalweg
2. any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline); "he could barely make out their shapes through the smoke"
(synonym) shape, form, configuration, conformation
(hypernym) spatial property, spatiality
(hyponym) sharpness, keenness
(attribute) straight
3. a feature (or the order or arrangement of features) of anything having a complex structure; "the contours of the melody"; "it defines a major contour of this administration"
(hypernym) feature, characteristic
Verb
1. form the contours of
(hypernym) delineate, limn, outline
(hyponym) streamline
(derivation) contour line

n. contour, outline, shape

n. contour, outline; outer edge of a figure