Abstract
Remote optical observations of comets provide information only along the whole line of sight and require some assumptions to be interpreted. Due to the advent of cometary space missions, a two-step strategy has been defined to derive without any assumption spatial distribution and physical properties of dust by in-situ optical observations. First, an Optical Probe Experiment , suitable for a fast fly-by, should provide passive in-situ measurements in the direction of the approaching (or receding) comet near encounter; by suitably differencing such observations, the brightness and polarization per unit volume can be recovered along the trajectory of the spacecraft. Secondly, a Light Scattering Dust Analyzer , suitable for a rendez-vous mission, should permit the determination of the scattering properties of individual particles . Both experiments also provide a connecting link between non-optical in-situ measurements (from mass spectrometers or impact detectors) and remote optical observations.
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