Rosetta CONSERT Data as a Testbed for In Situ Navigation of Space Probes and Radiosciences in Orbit/Escort Phases for Small Bodies of the Solar System

Many future space missions to asteroids and comets will implement autonomous or near-autonomous navigation, in order to save costly observation time from Earth tracking stations, improve the security of spacecraft and perform real-time operations. Existing Earth-Spacecraft-Earth tracking modes rely on severely limited Earth tracking station resources, with back-and-forth delays of up to several hours. In this paper, we investigate the use of CONSERT ranging data acquired in direct visibility between the lander Philae and the Rosetta orbiter, in the frame of the ESA space mission to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, as a proxy of autonomous navigation and orbitography science capability.

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The chemical connection between 67P/C-G and IRAS 16293-2422

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s1743921317009917 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (S332) ◽

pp. 196-201

Author(s):

Maria Nikolayevna Drozdovskaya ◽

Ewine F. van Dishoeck ◽

Martin Rubin ◽

Jes Kristian Jørgensen ◽

Kathrin Altwegg

Keyword(s):

Chemical Composition ◽

Solar System ◽

Chemical Evolution ◽

Protoplanetary Disks ◽

In Situ Measurements ◽

Isotopic Ratios ◽

Data Sets ◽

Low Mass ◽

Comet 67P

AbstractThe chemical evolution of a star- and planet-forming system begins in the prestellar phase and proceeds across the subsequent evolutionary phases. The chemical trail from cores to protoplanetary disks to planetary embryos can be studied by comparing distant young protostars and comets in our Solar System. One particularly chemically rich system that is thought to be analogous to our own is the low-mass IRAS 16293-2422. ALMA-PILS observations have made the study of chemistry on the disk scales (<100 AU) of this system possible. Under the assumption that comets are pristine tracers of the outer parts of the innate protosolar disk, it is possible to compare the composition of our infant Solar System to that of IRAS 16293-2422. The Rosetta mission has yielded a wealth of unique in situ measurements on comet 67P/C-G, making it the best probe to date. Herein, the initial comparisons in terms of the chemical composition and isotopic ratios are summarized. Much work is still to be carried out in the future as the analysis of both of these data sets is still ongoing.

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16O/18O ratio in water in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko measured with the Rosetta/ROSINA double-focusing mass spectrometer

Astronomy and Astrophysics ◽

10.1051/0004-6361/201833806 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 630 ◽

pp. A29 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Isaac R. H. G. Schroeder I ◽

Kathrin Altwegg ◽

Hans Balsiger ◽

Jean-Jacques Berthelier ◽

Johan De Keyser ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Mass Spectrometer ◽

European Space Agency ◽

Space Agency ◽

Close Proximity ◽

Terrestrial Water ◽

Double Focusing ◽

Comet 67P ◽

Almost Continuous

The European Space Agency spacecraft Rosetta accompanied the Jupiter-family comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for over 2 yr along its trajectory through the inner solar system. Between 2014 and 2016, it performed almost continuous in situ measurements of the comet’s gaseous atmosphere in close proximity to its nucleus. In this study, the 16O/18O ratio of H2O in the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, as measured by the ROSINA DFMS mass spectrometer onboard Rosetta, was determined from the ratio of H216O/H218O and 16OH/18OH. The value of 445 ± 35 represents an ~11% enrichment of 18O compared with the terrestrial ratio of 498.7 ± 0.1. This cometary value is consistent with the comet containing primordial water, in accordance with leading self-shielding models. These models predict primordial water to be between 5 and 20% enriched in heavier oxygen isotopes compared to terrestrial water.

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Concepts to utilize planetary analogue studies for icy moon exploration missions

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-13052 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marc S. Boxberg ◽

Fabian Baader ◽

Leonardo Boledi ◽

Qian Chen ◽

Bernd Dachwald ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle ◽

Thermal Contact ◽

Space Missions ◽

Test Bed ◽

Icy Moons ◽

Future Space ◽

Contact Models ◽

Trajectory Models

The icy moons of our Solar System, such as the Saturnian moon Enceladus and the Jovian moon Europa, are scientifically highly interesting targets for future space missions, since they are potentially hosting extraterrestrial life in their oceans below an icy crust. Moreover, the exploration of these icy moons will enhance our understanding of the evolution of the Solar System. For their eventual in-situ exploration, novel technological solutions and simulations are necessary. This also includes model-based mission support to assist the development of future melting probes which comprise one option to access the subglacial water.Since 2012, several national projects under the lead of the DLR Explorer Initiatives develop key technologies to enhance our capability for the in-situ exploration of ice and to sample englacial or subglacial water. In 2020, the DLR Space Administration started the TRIPLE project (Technologies for Rapid Ice Penetration and subglacial Lake Exploration). This project develops an integrated concept for a melting probe that launches an autonomous underwater vehicle (nanoAUV) into a water reservoir and an AstroBioLab for in-situ analysis. All components are developed for terrestrial use while always having a future space mission with its challenges in mind. As part of a second project stage, it is envisioned to build the TRIPLE system and to access a subglacial lake in Antarctica in 2026.To deliver key parameters such as transit time and overall energy requirement, a virtual test bed for strategic mission planning is currently under development. This consists of the Ice Data Hub that combines available data from Earth and other planetary bodies &#8211; measured or taken from the literature &#8211; and allows the visualization, interpretation and export of data, as well as trajectory models for the melting probe. We develop high-fidelity thermal contact models for the phase change as well as macroscopic trajectory models that consider the thermodynamic melting process and the convective loss of heat via the melt-water flow.In this contribution, we present previous field test data obtained with the melting probe &#8220;EnEx-IceMole&#8221; from field deployments on temperate glaciers in the Alps and on Taylor Glacier in Antarctica together with the thermal contact models. We explore the validity and accuracy of the models for different terrestrial environments and use the findings to predict the melting probe behaviour in extraterrestrial locations of future space missions.

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The Rosetta mission orbiter science overview: the comet phase

Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences ◽

10.1098/rsta.2016.0262 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 375 (2097) ◽

pp. 20160262 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

M. G. G. T. Taylor ◽

N. Altobelli ◽

B. J. Buratti ◽

M. Choukroun

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Solar System ◽

Cometary Nucleus ◽

Rosetta Mission ◽

Interstellar Material ◽

The Relationship ◽

Mission Operations ◽

Comet 67P ◽

Cometary Activity

The international Rosetta mission was launched in 2004 and consists of the orbiter spacecraft Rosetta and the lander Philae. The aim of the mission is to map the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko by remote sensing, and to examine its environment in situ and its evolution in the inner Solar System. Rosetta was the first spacecraft to rendezvous with and orbit a comet, accompanying it as it passes through the inner Solar System, and to deploy a lander, Philae, and perform in situ science on the comet's surface. The primary goals of the mission were to: characterize the comet's nucleus; examine the chemical, mineralogical and isotopic composition of volatiles and refractories; examine the physical properties and interrelation of volatiles and refractories in a cometary nucleus; study the development of cometary activity and the processes in the surface layer of the nucleus and in the coma; detail the origin of comets, the relationship between cometary and interstellar material and the implications for the origin of the Solar System; and characterize asteroids 2867 Steins and 21 Lutetia. This paper presents a summary of mission operations and science, focusing on the Rosetta orbiter component of the mission during its comet phase, from early 2014 up to September 2016. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Cometary science after Rosetta’.

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Elemental and molecular abundances in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ◽

10.1093/mnras/stz2086 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 489 (1) ◽

pp. 594-607 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Martin Rubin ◽

Kathrin Altwegg ◽

Hans Balsiger ◽

Jean-Jacques Berthelier ◽

Michael R Combi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Early Period ◽

Major Elements ◽

Rosetta Mission ◽

Solar System Objects ◽

Dust Composition ◽

Solar Abundances ◽

Molecular Abundances ◽

Comet 67P

ABSTRACT Comets are considered to be some of the most pristine and unprocessed Solar system objects accessible to in situ exploration. Investigating their molecular and elemental composition takes us on a journey back to the early period of our Solar system and possibly even further. In this work, we deduce the bulk abundances of the major volatile species in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the target of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta mission. The basis are measurements obtained with the ROSINA instrument suite on board the Rosetta orbiter during a suitable period of high outgassing near perihelion. The results are combined with both gas and dust composition measurements published in the literature. This provides an integrated inventory of the major elements present in the nucleus of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Similar to comet 1P/Halley, which was visited by ESA’s Giotto spacecraft in 1986, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko also shows near-solar abundances of oxygen and carbon, whereas hydrogen and nitrogen are depleted compared to solar. Still, the degree of devolatilization is lower than that of inner Solar system objects, including meteorites and the Earth. This supports the idea that comets are amongst the most pristine objects in our Solar system.

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On the attempts to measure water (and other volatiles) directly at the surface of a comet

Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences ◽

10.1098/rsta.2015.0385 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 375 (2094) ◽

pp. 20150385 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

I. P. Wright ◽

S. Sheridan ◽

G. H. Morgan ◽

S. J. Barber ◽

A. D. Morse

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Carbon Monoxide ◽

Solar System ◽

Space Mission ◽

Daily Cycles ◽

Surface Measurements ◽

Comet 67P ◽

Do So

The Ptolemy instrument on the Philae lander (of the Rosetta space mission) was able to make measurements of the major volatiles, water, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, directly at the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. We give some background to the mission and highlight those instruments that have already given insights into the notion of water in comets, and which will continue to do so as more results are either acquired or more fully interpreted. On the basis of our results, we show how comets may in fact be heterogeneous over their surface, and how surface measurements can be used in a quest to comprehend the daily cycles of processes that affect the evolution of comets. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The origin, history and role of water in the evolution of the inner Solar System’.

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Comet composition and Lab

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s1743921316002933 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 11 (A29A) ◽

pp. 227-227

Author(s):

Dominique Bockelée-Morvan

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Small Worlds ◽

Icy Satellites ◽

Small Bodies ◽

New Horizons ◽

Dwarf Planets ◽

Cassini Mission ◽

Solar System Bodies ◽

Geochemical Analyses ◽

Comet 67P

The XXIX IAU General Assembly took place during the golden year of the exploration of small solar system bodies. With the Rosetta ESA mission around comet 67P, NASA Dawn and New Horizons missions nearby dwarf planets Ceres and Pluto, respectively, and the NASA/Cassini mission in Saturn neighborhood, year 2015 marked an important step towards further understanding of small solar system bodies. On August 11-13, Focus meeting 9 "Highlights in the exploration of small worlds" gathered scientists of all over the world to present and discuss the spectacular results obtained from these missions, as well as recent achievements obtained from past missions, comprehensive spectroscopic surveys from space (e.g., Herschel, NEOWISE, Gaia), ground-based observations, and geochemical analyses. This meeting was also the opportunity to discuss the state of our understanding of the nature of the various populations of small bodies in the Solar System, including icy satellites, in a cosmo-chemistry perspective.

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DIVISION F COMMISSION 15: PHYSICAL STUDY OF COMETS AND MINOR PLANETS

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s174392131600082x ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 11 (T29A) ◽

pp. 316-339 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dominique Bockelée-Morvan ◽

Ricardo Gil-Hutton ◽

Daniel Hestroffer ◽

Irina N. Belskaya ◽

Björn J. R. Davidsson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Numerical Modeling ◽

Solar System ◽

Space Mission ◽

Laboratory Simulation ◽

Minor Planets ◽

International Astronomical Union ◽

Small Bodies ◽

International Astronomical ◽

Physical Study ◽

Tremendous Progress

AbstractCommission 15 of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), entitled Physical Study of Comets and Minor Planets, was founded in 1935 and dissolved in 2015, following the reorganization of IAU. In 80 years of Commission 15, tremendous progress has been made on the knowledge of these objets, thanks to the combined efforts of ground- and space-based observations, space mission rendezvous and flybys, laboratory simulation and analyses of returned samples, and theoretical and numerical modeling. Together with dynamical studies of the Solar System, this discipline has provided a much deeper understanding of how the Solar System formed and evolved. We present a legacy report of Commission 15, which highlights key milestones in the exploration and knowledge of the small bodies of the Solar System.

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Instrumentation for Nuclear Planetology: Present and Future

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-8870 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Maxim Mokrousov ◽

Igor Mitrofanov ◽

Alexander Kozyrev ◽

Maxim Litvak ◽

Alexey Malakhov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Neutron Generator ◽

Galactic Cosmic Rays ◽

Field Of View ◽

The Moon ◽

Small Bodies ◽

Nuclear Composition ◽

Subsurface Layers ◽

Pros And Cons

The method of remote neutron and gamma spectrometry of bodies in the solar system (the Moon, Mars, and Mercury) has been used for several decades to estimate the nuclear composition of these objects and the hydrogen abundance in their subsurface layers. It is known that many solid planets of Solar system with thin atmospheres, its moons, small bodies and even comets due to bombardment by heavy nucleus of Galactic Cosmic Rays (GRS) produce neutron albedo and characteristic gamma lines. Detection of escaping gammas and neutrons (remote sensing from an orbit or in situ) bringing an information about elemental composition of the subsurface and hydrogen-containing elements (as deep as tens of centimeters). Currently we can classify all nuclear planetology instruments by the field of view (uncollimated and collimated) and by type of soil irradiation (passive &#8211; using GRS, and active &#8211; using pulsing neutron generator onboard), each of those methods has pros and cons and all of them will be presented. Also, future nuclear planetology instruments and method in design will be presented.

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ROSINA ion zoo at Comet 67P

Astronomy and Astrophysics ◽

10.1051/0004-6361/201936775 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 642 ◽

pp. A27

Author(s):

A. Beth ◽

K. Altwegg ◽

H. Balsiger ◽

J.-J. Berthelier ◽

M. R. Combi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Mass Spectrometer ◽

Mass Resolution ◽

High Mass ◽

Exact Nature ◽

High Mass Resolution ◽

System Body ◽

First Time ◽

Comet 67P

Context. The Rosetta spacecraft escorted Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for 2 yr along its journey through the Solar System between 3.8 and 1.24 au. Thanks to the high resolution mass spectrometer on board Rosetta, the detailed ion composition within a coma has been accurately assessed in situ for the very first time. Aims. Previous cometary missions, such as Giotto, did not have the instrumental capabilities to identify the exact nature of the plasma in a coma because the mass resolution of the spectrometers onboard was too low to separate ion species with similar masses. In contrast, the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS), part of the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis on board Rosetta (ROSINA), with its high mass resolution mode, outperformed all of them, revealing the diversity of cometary ions. Methods. We calibrated and analysed the set of spectra acquired by DFMS in ion mode from October 2014 to April 2016. In particular, we focused on the range from 13–39 u q−1. The high mass resolution of DFMS allows for accurate identifications of ions with quasi-similar masses, separating 13C+ from CH+, for instance. Results. We confirm the presence in situ of predicted cations at comets, such as CHm+ (m = 1−4), HnO+ (n = 1−3), O+, Na+, and several ionised and protonated molecules. Prior to Rosetta, only a fraction of them had been confirmed from Earth-based observations. In addition, we report for the first time the unambiguous presence of a molecular dication in the gas envelope of a Solar System body, namely CO2++.

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