The Philae Lander reveals the presence of low strength primitive ice inside cometary boulders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence O'Rourke ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
In Situ Measurements ◽  
Mass Ratio ◽  
Water Ice ◽  
Low Strength ◽  
Rich Material ◽  
Local Dust ◽  
Comet 67P ◽  
Deep Impression

<p>On the 12 November 2014, the Philae lander descended towards comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, bounced twice off the surface, finally arriving under an overhanging cliff in the Abydos region. In this study (published in Nature on 28th Oct 2020), we present the results of our investigation of a previously undiscovered site of the second touchdown, where Philae spent almost two minutes of its cross-comet journey, producing four distinct surface contacts on two adjoining cometary boulders. It exposed primitive water ice —that is, water ice from the time of the comet’s formation 4.5 billion years ago — in their interiors while travelling through a crevice between the boulders. Our multi-instrument observations made 19 months later found that this water ice, mixed with ubiquitous dark organic-rich material, has a local dust/ice mass ratio of 2.3 +0.2/−0.16 : 1 , matching values previously observed in freshly exposed water ice from outbursts and water ice in shadow. At the end of the crevice, Philae fell forward and left a 0.25-metre-deep impression in the boulder ice, providing in situ measurements confirming that primitive ice has a very low compressive strength (less than 12 pascals, softer than freshly fallen light snow) and allowing a key estimation to be made of the porosity (75 ± 7 per cent) of the boulders’ icy interiors. Our results provide constraints for cometary landers that seek to access a volatile-rich ice sample. </p>

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

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.

scholarly journals In Situ Measurements of Interstellar Dust

1997 ◽  
Vol 166 ◽  
pp. 381-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Landgraf ◽  
E. Grün
Keyword(s):  
Mass Distribution ◽  
Interstellar Dust ◽  
Interstellar Cloud ◽  
In Situ Measurements ◽  
Mass Ratio ◽  
Interstellar Grains ◽  
Local Interstellar Cloud ◽  
Size Interval

AbstractWe present the mass distribution of interstellar grains measured in situ by the Galileo and Ulysses space probes as cumulative flux. The derived in situ mass distribution per logarithmic size interval is compared to the distribution determined by fitting extinction measurements. Large grains measured in situ contribute significantly to the overall mass of dust in the local interstellar cloud. The problem of a dust-to-gas mass ratio that contradicts cosmic abundances is discussed.

The Carbon:²³⁴Thorium ratios of sinking particles in the California Current Ecosystem 2: Examination of a thorium sorption, desorption, and particle transport model

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Stukel ◽  
Thomas Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Particulate Organic Carbon ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
California Current ◽  
In Situ Measurements ◽  
Power Law Distribution ◽  
Sinking Particles ◽  
Organic Carbon Concentration

Thorium-234 (234Th) is a powerful tracer of particle dynamics and the biological pump in the surface ocean; however, variability in carbon:thorium ratios of sinking particles adds substantial uncertainty to estimates of organic carbon export. We coupled a mechanistic thorium sorption and desorption model to a one-dimensional particle sinking model that uses realistic particle settling velocity spectra. The model generates estimates of 238U-234Th disequilibrium, particulate organic carbon concentration, and the C:234Th ratio of sinking particles, which are then compared to in situ measurements from quasi-Lagrangian studies conducted on six cruises in the California Current Ecosystem. Broad patterns observed in in situ measurements, including decreasing C:234Th ratios with depth and a strong correlation between sinking C:234Th and the ratio of vertically-integrated particulate organic carbon (POC) to vertically-integrated total water column 234Th, were accurately recovered by models assuming either a power law distribution of sinking speeds or a double log normal distribution of sinking speeds. Simulations suggested that the observed decrease in C:234Th with depth may be driven by preferential remineralization of carbon by particle-attached microbes. However, an alternate model structure featuring complete consumption and/or disaggregation of particles by mesozooplankton (e.g. no preferential remineralization of carbon) was also able to simulate decreasing C:234Th with depth (although the decrease was weaker), driven by 234Th adsorption onto slowly sinking particles. Model results also suggest that during bloom decays C:234Th ratios of sinking particles should be higher than expected (based on contemporaneous water column POC), because high settling velocities minimize carbon remineralization during sinking.

COPPER ALLOY No. C93500

Alloy Digest ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fracture Toughness ◽  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Corrosion Resistance ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Tensile Properties ◽  
Copper Alloy ◽  
Heat Treating ◽  
Good Resistance ◽  
Corrosion Resistant ◽  
Low Strength

Abstract Copper Alloy No. C93500 is a cast bronze containing nominally 9% lead and 5% tin. It has excellent machinability, low strength and good resistance to corrosion. It is used for corrosion-resistant castings, small bearings and bushings. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, hardness, elasticity, tensile properties, and compressive strength as well as fracture toughness. It also includes information on corrosion resistance as well as casting, heat treating, machining, and joining. Filing Code: Cu-439. Producer or source: Copper alloy foundries.

Evaluation of reanalysis and satellite-based sea surface winds using in situ measurements from Chinese Antarctic Expeditions

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 147
Author(s):  
Ming LI ◽  
Qinghua YANG ◽  
Jiechen ZHAO ◽  
Lin ZHANG ◽  
Chunhua LI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
In Situ Measurements ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Surface Winds ◽  
Sea Surface Winds

The effects of surcharged manholes on the travel time and dispersion of solutes in sewer systems

1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Guymer ◽  
Rob O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Moment Method ◽  
In Situ Measurements ◽  
Time Change ◽  
Longitudinal Dispersion ◽  
Laboratory System ◽  
Environmental Load ◽  
Hydraulic Characteristics ◽  
Sewer Systems

Previously, the design of sewer systems has been limited to studies of their hydraulic characteristics, in particular the ability of the system to convey the maximum discharge. Greater environmental awareness has necessitated that new designs, and some existing schemes, are assessed to determine the environmental load which the scheme will deliver to any downstream component. This paper describes a laboratory programme which has been designed to elucidate the effects of manholes on the longitudinal dispersion of solutes. A laboratory system is described, which allows in situ measurements to be taken of the concentration of a fluorescent solute tracer, both up- and down-stream of a surcharged manhole junction. Results are presented from a preliminary series of studies undertaken for a single manhole geometry over a range of discharges, with varying levels of surcharge. Results are presented showing the variation of travel time, change in second moment of the distribution and of a dispersion factor with surcharge, assuming a Taylor approach and determining the dispersion factor using a ‘change in moment’ method. The effect of the stored volume within the manhole is clearly evident. The limitations and the applicability of this approach are discussed.

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