slingshot space

The next time that Halleys Comet pays us a visit I think that NASA or whoever has taken over for them, should launch a space probe to rendevous with it, but only close enough for it to fire an explosive tipped harpoon into the ass end of the comet. The harpoon would be tethered to the probe on an extremely long bungee cord, ( If there is a material which will be able to handle the rigors of space, the debris from the comet, and have enough stretch for it to act as a bungee cord). Small thrusters would keep the probe from slamming into the back of the comet, and as the probe clears the comet entirely the cord would be severed and the probe will be flung to the far reaches of the solar system.

The following has been added since the original.

I got to thinking that if the probe met up with the rear of the comet, moving perpendicular to it's trajectory, and then deployed the harpoon, the probe would begin to slow as the slack came out of the bungee. A whip effect would then occur dragging the probe back to the side of the comet which it had first aproached, if thrusters were then engaged to keep the probe moving at a tangent to the comet, and if the bungee cord were long enough, the probe would begin to wrap around the comet gaining speed with each wrap, like a figure skater spinning and pulling her arms in to spin faster. I have no idea how much speed could be imparted this way, but if Haleys Comet, makes it to the outer reaches of the solar system in under fifty years, the probe should do it in signifigantly less than this.