The university-led NASA project Deep Impact revealed breakthroughs about the substance of comets, including evidence of ice on the surface and, along with findings of significant amounts of organic matter, support for the theory that comets may have been the origin of life on Earth, according to a report published Thursday.

The $330 million project’s “deep impact” extends well beyond the 100-meter wide crater the probe left in comet Tempel 1 when it was shot into it in July.

“By studying comets, you can see how we developed,” said Olivier Groussin, a research scientist on the project, about gaining clues to the origins of life on Earth and the formation of our 4.5 billion-year-old solar system.

The Deep Impact project launched an 800-pound spacecraft into space in January 2005 carrying two parts: a “fly-by” spacecraft and a probe that was shot into the path of the comet.

The probe smashed into the potato-shaped comet in July, burrowing deep inside the flying mass of ice, gas and dust, as the fly-by spacecraft monitored and snapped photos of the collision.

The project has discovered ice inside and – surprisingly – on the outside of the comet, said Elizabeth Warner, the project’s liaison to amateur astronomers. Deep Impact is the first to confirm that such surface ice exists.

The findings so far in the project are not a total surprise but “at the borders of what we expected,” said Dennis Wellnitz, a Deep Impact research assistant.

The collision sent back enough data to keep university researchers busy for years to come.

With the ongoing help of university students, the Deep Impact team will analyze the thousands of photos and computer-generated images taken during the hit, said team member Tony Franham, who took a break from meetings yesterday to discuss the project. His office was a testament to long hours already devoted to the project, with a brick-thick “Comets II” textbook on his desk and a mini-fridge stocked full of Diet Mountain Dew.

“We’ve just barely scratched the surface,” Franham said.

The comet may have even more ice on the surface than already confirmed, hidden by as little as a few millimeters of dust, he said.

Scientists are also uncertain where comets come from. The water on the surface of the comet suggests that it is new because it would have been vaporized as it passed by the sun during its 5-year trip.

The Deep Impact team also hopes to learn more about the formation of comets themselves using their recent findings.

Contact reporter Pat Reaves at reavesdbk@gmail.com.