Surface Of Comet Research Articles

Compressive strength of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko derived from Philae surface contacts

Context. The landing and rebound of the Philae lander, which was part of the ESA Rosetta mission, enabled us to study the mechanical properties of the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, because we could use Philae as an impact probe. Aims. The aim is to approximate the descent and rebound trajectory of the Philae lander and use this information to derive the compressive strength of the surface material from the different surface contacts and scratches created during the final touchdown. Combined with laboratory measurements, this can give an insight into what comets are made of and how they formed. Methods. We combined observations from the ROMAP magnetometer on board Philae with observations made by the Rosetta spacecraft, particularly by the OSIRIS camera system and the RPC-MAG magnetometer. Additionally, ballistic trajectory and collision modeling was performed. These results are placed in context using laboratory measurements of the compressibility of different materials. Results. It was possible to reconstruct possible trajectories of Philae and determine that a pressure of ~100 Pa is enough to compress the surface material up to a depth of ~20 cm. Considering all errors, the derived compressive strength shows little dependence on location, with an overall upper limit for the surface compressive strength of ~800 Pa.

Spectrophotometric variegation of the layering in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as seen by OSIRIS

Context.Between August 2014 and September 2016, the ESA space mission Rosetta escorted comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) during its perihelion passage. The onboard OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) acquired high-resolution multispectral images of the cometary surface. These datasets allowed a characterization of the spectrophotometric variegation of the layering of the large lobe, correlated with the layer structural elevation.Aims.We perform a spectrophotometric characterization of the outcropping stratification of the small lobe of 67P as a function of its structural elevation, and consequently, a spectrophotometric comparison of the layered outcrops of the two lobes.Methods.We selected two sequences of post-perihelion OSIRIS NAC images (~2.4 au outbound tothe Sun), from which we built up two multispectral images, framing an extended geological section of the onion-like stratification of the small lobe. Then we classified the consolidated areas of the outcropping and the relative coarse deposits that were identified in the multispectral data with a two-class maximum likelihood method. For this, we defined the classes as a function of the structural elevation of the surface.Results.As a result, we identified a brightness variegation of the surface reflectance that is correlated with the structural elevation. The outer class, which is located at higher elevations, appears darker than the inner class. This fits previously obtained results for the large lobe. The reflectance values of the nucleus of 67P tend to decrease with increasing structural elevation.Conclusions.The observed spectrophotometric variegation can be due to a different texture as well as to a different content of volatiles and refractories. We suggest that the outer outcrops appear darker because they have been exposed longer, and the inner outcrops appear brighter because the surface has been more effectively rejuvenated. We interpret this variegation as the result of an evolutionary process.

3D thermal modeling of two selected regions on comet 67P and comparison with Rosetta/MIRO measurements

Context. The Microwave Instrument for the Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO) was one of the key instruments of the Rosetta mission, which acquired a wealth of data, in particular as the orbiter moved in the close environment of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (August 2014–September 2016). It was the only instrument of the Rosetta payload that was able to measure temperatures in the near-subsurface layers of the cometary nucleus down to a depth of some centimeters. This range is most relevant for understanding the mechanisms of cometary activity. Aims. We simulate the 3D temperature distribution for two selected regions that were observed by MIRO in March 2015 when the comet was at a distance of about 2 au from the Sun. The importance of a full 3D treatment for a realistic subsurface temperature distribution and the thermal heat balance in the uppermost subsurface is investigated in comparison with analogous 1D simulations. Methods. For this purpose, we developed a numerical heat transfer model of the surface as well as the near-subsurface regions. It enabled us to solve the heat transfer equation in the subsurface volume with appropriate radiation boundary conditions taken into account. The comparison with 1D simulations was made on the basis of the same solar irradiation history. Results. Although the temperature gradient is predominantly normal to the comet surface, we still find that tangential flows may be responsible for local temperature differences of up to 30 K (a few Kelvin on the average) in the uppermost subsurface layers. From the results of the 3D simulations, we calculated the MIRO antenna temperature. A comparison with the actual measurements shows good agreement for the MIRO submillimeter channel, but there is a notable discrepancy for the millimeter channel. This last assessment is not related to the use of the 3D model; potential causes are discussed in some detail with a view to future studies.

Post-rendezvous radar properties of comet 67P/CG from the Rosetta Mission: understanding future Earth-based radar observations and the dynamical evolution of comets

ABSTRACTRadar observations provide crucial insights into the formation and dynamical evolution of comets. This ability is constrained by our knowledge of the dielectric and textural properties of these small-bodies. Using several observations by Rosetta as well as results from the Earth-based Arecibo radio telescope, we provide an updated and comprehensive dielectric and roughness description of Comet 67P/CG, which can provide new constraints on the radar properties of other nuclei. Furthermore, contrary to previous assumptions of cometary surfaces being dielectrically homogeneous and smooth, we find that cometary surfaces are dielectrically heterogeneous ( εr′≈1.6–3.2), and are rough at X- and S-band frequencies, which are widely used in characterization of small-bodies. We also investigate the lack of signal broadening in CONSERT observations through the comet head. Our results suggest that primordial building blocks in the subsurface are either absent, smaller than the radar wavelength, or have a weak dielectric contrast (Δ εr′). To constrain this ambiguity, we use optical albedo measurements by the OSIRIS camera of the freshly exposed subsurface after the Aswan cliff collapse. We find that the hypothetical subsurface blocks should have |Δ εr′|≳0.15, setting an upper limit of ∼ 1 m on the size of 67P/CG's primordial building blocks if they exist. Our analysis is consistent with a purely thermal origin for the ∼ 3 m surface bumps on pit walls and cliff-faces, hypothesized to be high-centred polygons formed from fracturing of the sintered shallow ice-bearing subsurface due to seasonal thermal expansion and contraction. Potential changes in 67P/CG's radar reflectivity at these at X- and S-bands can be associated with large-scale structural changes of the nucleus rather than small-scale textural ones. Monitoring changes in 67P/CG's radar properties during repeated close-approaches via Earth-based observations can constrain the dynamical evolution of its cometary nucleus.

Properties of the Bare Nucleus of Comet 96P/Machholz 1*

Abstract We observed comet 96P/Machholz 1 on a total of nine nights before and after perihelion during its 2017/2018 apparition. Both its unusually small perihelion distance and the observed fragmentation during multiple apparitions make 96P an object of great interest. Our observations show no evidence of a detectable dust coma, implying that we are observing a bare nucleus at distances ranging from 2.3 to 3.8 au. Based on this assumption, we calculated its color and found average values of g′–r′ = 0.50 ± 0.04, r′–i′ = 0.17 ± 0.03, and i′–z′ = 0.06 ± 0.04. These are notably more blue than those of the nuclei of other Jupiter-family and long-period comets. Furthermore, assuming a bare nucleus, we found an equivalent nuclear radius of 3.4 ± 0.2 km with an axial ratio of at least 1.6 ± 0.1. The lightcurve clearly displays one large peak, one broad flat peak, and two distinct troughs, with a clear asymmetry that suggests that the shape of the nucleus deviates from that of a simple triaxial ellipsoid. This asymmetry in the lightcurve allowed us to constrain the nuclear rotation period to 4.10 ± 0.03 hr and 4.096 ± 0.002 hr before and after perihelion, respectively. Within the uncertainties, 96P’s rotation period does not appear to have changed throughout the apparition, and we conclude a maximum possible change in rotation period of 130 s. The observed properties were compared to those of comet 322P and interstellar object 1I/‘Oumuamua in an attempt to study the effects of close perihelion passages on cometary surfaces and their internal structure and the potential interstellar origin of 96P.

Research of activity of Main Belt Comets 176P/LINEAR, 238P/Read and 288P/(300163) 2006 VW139

As a new class of comet, main belt comets (MBCs) have attracted more and more attention in recent years. To study activity and physical properties of three MBCs 176P/LINEAR, 238P/Read and 288P/(300163) 2006 VW139, we carried out broadband CCD photometry of three MBCs on UT 2016 November 18–19 with the 1-m optical telescope at Lulin Observatory in Taiwan. By comparing cometary surface brightness profiles to stellar surface brightness profiles, and by comparing cometary absolute magnitude to the expected magnitude of inactive nucleus, we found that 176P/LINEAR was inactive, while 238P/Read and 288P/(300163) 2006 VW139 were active. By photometric studies, we obtained the Afρ values and the dust production rates. Finally, the activity of three MBCs were discussed. Our photometric results show that the total dust mass of 238P/Read and 288P/(300163) 2006 VW139 obtained in this work are of the same magnitude as the majority of known MBCs.

Cometary topography and phase darkening

Aims. Cometary surfaces can change significantly and rapidly as a result of the sublimation of their volatile material. Many authors have investigated this evolution; topographic data from all comets visited by spacecrafts have been used previously to derive a quantitative model that relates large-scale roughness (i.e. topography) with the evolution state of the nucleus for Jupiter-family comets (JFCs). Ground-based observers have published measurements of the phase functions of many JFCs and reported a trend in the phase darkening, with primitive objects showing a stronger darkening than evolved objects. Methods. We used a numerical implementation of this previous topographic description to build virtual comets and measure the phase darkening induced by the different levels of macro-roughness. We then compared our model with other published values. Results. We find that pure geometric effects such as self-shadowing can represent up to 22% of the darkening that is observed for more primitive objects, and 15% for evolved surfaces. This shows that although physical and chemical properties remain the main contributor to the phase darkening, the additional effect of the topography cannot be neglected.

Bilobate comet morphology and internal structure controlled by shear deformation

Bilobate comets—small icy bodies with two distinct lobes—are a common configuration among comets, but the factors shaping these bodies are largely unknown. Cometary nuclei, the solid centres of comets, erode by ice sublimation when they are sufficiently close to the Sun, but the importance of a comet’s internal structure on its erosion is unclear. Here we present three-dimensional analyses of images from the Rosetta mission to illuminate the process that shaped the Jupiter-family bilobate comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko over billions of years. We show that the comet’s surface and interior exhibit shear-fracture and fault networks, on spatial scales of tens to hundreds of metres. Fractures propagate up to 500 m below the surface through a mechanically homogeneous material. Through fracture network analysis and stress modelling, we show that shear deformation generates fracture networks that control mechanical surface erosion, particularly in the strongly marked neck trough of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, exposing its interior. We conclude that shear deformation shapes and structures the surface and interior of bilobate comets, particularly in the outer Solar System where water ice sublimation is negligible. The shape and internal structure of bilobate comet 67P is controlled by shear deformation inducing mechanically driven erosion along shear fracture networks, according to a 3D analysis of images from the Rosetta mission.

The search campaign to identify and image the Philae Lander on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

On the 12th of November 2014, the Rosetta Philae Lander descended to make the first soft touchdown on the surface of a comet – comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. That soft touchdown did occur but due to the failure in the firing of its two harpoons, Philae bounced and travelled across the comet making contact with the surface twice more before finally landing in a shaded rocky location somewhere on the southern hemisphere of the comet. The search campaign, led by ESA, involved multiple teams across Europe with a wide range of techniques used in support of it. This search campaign would continue through 2015 where a prime candidate on the surface was identified and on into 2016 to end on the 2nd of September 2016 when a definitive and conclusive image was taken of the lander on the surface of the comet, confirming the prime candidate to indeed be Philae.

Surface localization of gas sources on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko based on DFMS/COPS data

We reconstruct the temporal evolution of the source distribution for the four major gas species H2O, CO2, CO, and O2 on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during its 2015 apparition. The analysis applies an inverse coma model and fits to data between August 6th 2014 and September 5th 2016 measured with the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS) of the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) and the COmet Pressure Sensor (COPS). The spatial distribution of gas sources with their temporal variation allows one to construct surface maps for gas emissions and to evaluate integrated productions rates. For all species peak production rates and integrated productions rates per orbit are evaluated separately for the northern and the southern hemisphere. The nine most active emitting areas on the comet's surface are defined and their correlation to emissions for each of the species is discussed.

Analysis of layering-related linear features on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

We analysed layering-related linear features on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) to determine the internal configuration of the layerings within the nucleus. We used high-resolution images from the OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera onboard the Rosetta spacecraft, projected onto the SHAP7 shape model of the nucleus, to map 171 layering-related linear features which we believe to represent terrace margins and strata heads. From these curved lineaments, extending laterally to up to 1925 m, we extrapolated the subsurface layering planes and their normals. We furthermore fitted the lineaments with concentric ellipsoidal shells, which we compared to the established shell model based on planar terrace features. Our analysis confirms that the layerings on the comet's two lobes are independent from each other. Our data is not compatible with 67P's lobes representing fragments of a much larger layered body. The geometry we determined for the layerings on both lobes supports a concentrically layered, `onion-shell' inner structure of the nucleus. For the big lobe, our results are in close agreement with the established model of a largely undisturbed, regular, concentric inner structure following a generally ellipsoidal configuration. For the small lobe, the parameters of our ellipsoidal shells differ significantly from the established model, suggesting that the internal structure of the small lobe cannot be unambiguously modelled by regular, concentric ellipsoids and could have suffered deformational or evolutional influences. A more complex model is required to represent the actual geometry of the layerings in the small lobe.

Void structure stability in wet granular matter and its application to crab burrows and cometary pits

Cohesive granular matter can support stable void structures, which can universally be found in various scenes from everyday lives to space. To quantitatively characterize the stability and strength of a void structure in cohesive granular matter, we perform a simple tunnel-compression experiment with wet granular matter. In the experiment, a horizontal tunnel in a wet granular layer is vertically compressed with a slow compression rate. The experimental result suggests that the tunnel deformation can be classified into the following three types: (i) shrink, (ii) shrink with collapse, and (iii) subsidence by collapse. Using the experimental result, we estimate the stable limit of various void structures in a cohesive granular layer from crab burrows on a sandy beach to the pits observed on cometary surfaces.

Fitting Cometary Sampling and Composition Mass Spectral Results Using Non-negative Least Squares: Reducing Detection Ambiguity for In Situ Solar System Organic Compound Measurements

The chemistry occurring in the universe generates a huge variety of organic compounds abiotically. Significant progress has been made in understanding the types and distributions of these compounds in various planetary, asteroidal, cometary, nebular, and molecular cloud environments. One of the most exciting recent discoveries was the detection of low-molecular-weight organic species native to the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko by the cometary sampling and composition experiment that was aboard the Philae lander of the European Space Agency. The identities of these species were estimated using a simple hand-fitting method. Here, we use a more rigorous statistical method to fit the same data and find that there is some variance between results obtained using the two methods. This paper offers recommendations to improve the numerical methods for fitting of mass spectra, which would lead to more confident identification of ambiguous-mass compounds. Such methods may also help maximize the gains of future sampling-driven space missions, to Europa, Titan, Mars and its moons, comets, and asteroids, by filling in gaps in current scientific knowledge regarding electron impact mass spectra of ambiguous-mass compounds.

The CAESAR New Frontiers Comet Sample Return Mission

The Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return (CAESAR) mission is one of two finalists selected by NASA for Phase A study in the New Frontiers program. CAESAR will acquire a minimum of 80 grams of material from the surface of comet 67P/Churuyumov-Gerasimenko and return it to Earth for laboratory analysis. CAESAR preserves much of the science of a cryogenic sample return by retaining volatiles in a dedicated reservoir securely separated from the solid sample. Comet 67P was selected based on its favorable orbital geometry and the risk reduction and scientific context provided by the ESA (European Space Agency)'s Rosetta mission. CAESAR's objectives are to understand the origins of the Solar System starting materials and how these components came together to form planets and give rise to life. We also seek to resolve the conflicting views of comet origins arising from the Stardust and Rosetta missions. While the greater than 1 micron solids returned by Stardust originated in the hot, inner solar nebula, measurements by Rosetta suggest 67P volatiles formed at cryogenic temperatures and remained unchanged for billions of years. This dichotomy provides the rationale for returning both solid and gaseous samples.

Development and testing of a pyro-driven launcher for harpoon-based comet sample acquisition

The CORSAIR (COmet Rendezvous, Sample Acquisition, Investigation, and Return) mission was a proposal for the NASA New Frontiers program. It belongs to the Comet Surface Sample Return mission theme which focuses on acquiring and returning to Earth a macroscopic sample from the surface of a comet nucleus. CORSAIR uses a harpoon-based Sample Acquisition System (SAS) with the spacecraft hovering several meters above the comet surface. This stand-off strategy overcomes disadvantages of other systems such as drills. Since comets are low gravity objects, those techniques would require anchoring before sampling, which is not necessary here. Moreover, the harpoon-based system allows for acquiring several samples from different locations on the comet maximizing the scientific output of the mission.Each SAS assembly consists of a pyro-driven launcher, a Sample Acquisition and Retrieval Projectile (SARP) and a retraction system using a deployable composite boom structure. In order to collect enough cometary material, the launcher has to provide the required kinetic energy to the SARP. Due to high energy densities, pyrotechnically actuated devices ultimately reduce the overall system mass and dimensions. First, the scientific and technological background of the CORSAIR mission is explained. Then, an overview of the development, design and testing of the launcher is given. Finally, the launcher theory is introduced explaining the entire reaction chain: initiation → gas dynamics → SARP motion.

The Rosetta science operations and planning implementation

The international Rosetta mission was launched on 2nd March 2004 for a ten year journey to its target destination, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Following the January 2014 exit from a 31 month hibernation period, Rosetta approached and rendezvoused with the comet in August 2014. On 12th November 2014, the Philae lander was deployed from Rosetta onto the comet's surface after which the Orbiter continued its comet escort phase.The Rosetta Science Ground Segment supports the Project Scientist and the Science Working Team, in order to ensure the coordination, development, validation and delivery of the desired science operations plans and their associated operational products throughout the mission, and to ensure the preservation of adequate data to the Planetary Science Archive. Within the Science Ground Segment, the Operations and Planning Group is responsible for the medium, short and very short term cycles, a stepped sequential process that implements the higher level science long term plan into the final science pointing requests and the command sequences to be executed on board the spacecraft.In this paper we will present the Operations and Planning group and its science planning activities, focusing on the evolution of the Science Operations implementation through the Rosetta mission phases. We will describe the day-to-day work needed to achieve science operations around the challenging and previously unknown cometary environment, and the software tools that support the planning process. We will finally outline several conclusions after the experience gained in the ∼2 years of operations at the comet.

3D radar wavefield migration of comet interiors

Imaging the interior structure of small planetary bodies facilitates a deep understanding of their origin and evolution, thus addressing fundamental questions about the formation of the Solar System. We show that high resolution 3D imaging of their interior structure is possible using radar waves that reflect from internal discontinuities of dielectric properties. A radar imaging mission at a comet nucleus would have the benefit of orbiting all around a finite and transparent body, collecting echoes that derive only from the target, and processing them collectively in phase.As is the case in the medical field, imaging a comet nucleus requires its illumination from multiple directions, which can be accomplished with a spacecraft in slow polar orbit around the studied object. Long acquisition time leads to a dense acquisition array resembling that of conventional synthetic aperture radar systems, but completely surrounding the nucleus (4π steradians). Acquisition with an orbiter at large distance from the comet nucleus (5× the mean diameter) results in relatively coarse data sampling relative to the radar wavelength, thus enabling 3D imaging with a short (<90 days) mission.Radar migration is performed using techniques adapted from terrestrial exploration seismology. Wavefield migration identifies interior reflectors by time reversal of monostatic radar data redatumed to the known comet surface for computational speed-up. This technique is applicable to nuclei of arbitrary shape and interior complexity, and it is complementary to wavefield tomography tasked with constraining physical properties in-between the interior interfaces. Migration resolution is identical in all directions (range and cross-range) and it is equivalent to the range resolution of the radar system. Least-squares migration enhances resolution further by deconvolution of the radar wavelet from the reflectivity image.

The sublimative torques of Jupiter Family Comets and mass wasting events on their nuclei

Sublimative outgassing of comets produces torques that alter the rotation state of their nuclei. Recently, parameterized sublimative torque models have been developed to study rotation state changes of individual comet nuclei and populations of cometary bodies. However, these models simplify the interactions between the escaping gas and cometary surface into only a few parameters that hide the details of these complex interactions. Here we directly compare the X-parameter model (Samarasinha and Mueller, 2013) with the SYORP model (Steckloff and Jacobson, 2016) to tease out insights into the details of the gas-surface interactions driving sublimative torques. We find that, for both of these models to accurately model sublimative torques, the number of sublimating molecules that contribute to the net torque is largely independent of the detailed shape and activity of the nucleus, but rather depends primarily on the size of the nucleus and the effective heliocentric distance of the comet. We suggest that cometary activity must be largely restricted to regions of steep gravitational surface slopes (above the angle of repose), where mass wasting can refresh activity by shedding mantles of refractory materials and exposing fresh volatiles. We propose a new classification scheme for comets based on the frequency of this mass-wasting process (relative to the timescale of activity fading): quasi-equilibrium, episodic, quasi-dormant, and extinct.

Water vapor deposition from the inner gas coma onto the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Rosetta has detected water ice existing on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in various types of features. One of particular interest is the frost-like layer observed at the edge of receding shadows during the whole mission, interpreted as the recondensation of a thin layer of water ice. Two possible mechanisms, (1) subsurface ice sublimation and (2) gas coma deposition, have been proposed for producing this recondensation process and diurnal cycles of water ice. Previous studies have demonstrated both mechanisms based on simplified models. More precise and modern models are yet insufficient when addressing the gas-coma-deposition mechanism. We aim to study the recondensation from the inner water gas coma of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with more physical constraints including the OSIRIS images, nucleus shape model, and insolation conditions. We compute, for the first time, the backflux distributions from the coma with various boundary conditions. Numerical simulations of this gas-coma-deposition process show that the equivalent water ice deposition can be up to several microns in an hour of accumulation time close to the perihelion passage, which is comparable with the simulation results of the other subsurface-ice sublimation mechanism.

Tensile strength of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko nucleus material from overhangs

We directly measured twenty overhanging cliffs on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko extracted from the latest shape model and estimated the minimum tensile strengths needed to support them against collapse under the comet’s gravity. We find extremely low strengths of around 1 Pa or less (1 to 5 Pa, when scaled to a metre length). The presence of eroded material at the base of most overhangs, as well as the observed collapse of two features andthe implied previous collapse of another, suggests that they are prone to failure and that the true material strengths are close to these lower limits (although we only consider static stresses and not dynamic stress from, for example, cometary activity). Thus, a tensile strength of a few pascals is a good approximation for the tensile strength of the 67P nucleus material, which is in agreement with previous work. We find no particular trends in overhang properties either with size over the ~10–100 m range studied here or location on the nucleus. There are no obvious differences, in terms of strength, height or evidence of collapse, between the populations of overhangs on the two cometary lobes, suggesting that 67P is relatively homogenous in terms of tensile strength. Low material strengths are supportive of cometary formation as a primordial rubble pile or by collisional fragmentation of a small body (tens of km).