Deep Impact ...

The only hope ... they only kind of knowledge that keeps me from giving up on all human knowledge ...

Problematize scientific knowledge all you want. Deep Impact went off like clockwork.

We knew ...
1) Where the target comet was going to be at what time, with great precision.
2) We know, how to get the probe there at that exact same time (we understood all the forces that might throw it off course)
3) We also were aware of the forces that might have kept the photographic and detination (as well as others) portions from working properly at that remote target.

Philosophy, to me ... philosophy at its best ... is an epistemology of the natural. If we could know how we are able to know how to run a successful Deep Impact program (while knowing so little about our selves and our earth), we would know a lot about what we are as creatures.