Search Publications
Phase reddening on asteroid Bennu from visible and near-infrared spectroscopy
Barucci, M. A.; Fornasier, S.; Li, J. -Y. +10 more
Context. The NASA mission OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) has been observing near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu in close proximity since December 2018. In October 2020, the spacecraft collected a sample of surface material from Bennu to return to Earth.
Aims: In this work,…
Plasma characterization at comet 67P between 2 and 4 AU from the Sun with the RPC-MIP instrument
Henri, Pierre; Vallières, Xavier; Deca, Jan +2 more
The plasma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is analyzed based on the RPC-MIP mutual impedance probe data of the Rosetta mission. Numerical simulations of the RPC-MIP instrumental response considering two populations of electrons were fit on experimental responses acquired from January to September 2016 to extract the electron densities and tempe…
Asteroid lightcurve inversion with Bayesian inference
Cellino, A.; Muinonen, K.; Penttilä, A. +2 more
Context. We assess statistical inversion of asteroid rotation periods, pole orientations, shapes, and phase curve parameters from photometric lightcurve observations, here sparse data from the ESA Gaia space mission (Data Release 2) or dense and sparse data from ground-based observing programs.
Aims: Assuming general convex shapes, we develop…
A charging model for the Rosetta spacecraft
Henri, P.; Eriksson, A. I.; Johansson, F. L. +5 more
Context. The electrostatic potential of a spacecraft, VS, is important for the capabilities of in situ plasma measurements. Rosetta has been found to be negatively charged during most of the comet mission and even more so in denser plasmas.
Aims: Our goal is to investigate how the negative VS correlates with electron den…
Time evolution of dust deposits in the Hapi region of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Sierks, H.; Fulle, M.; Kührt, E. +25 more
Aims: We provide a measurement of the seasonal evolution of the dust deposit erosion and accretion in the Hapi region of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with a vertical accuracy of 0.2-0.9 m.
Methods: We used OSIRIS Narrow Angle Camera images with a spatial scale of lower than 1.30 m px-1 and developed a tool to monitor the ti…
Observations of a mix of cold and warm electrons by RPC-MIP at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Henri, P.; Rubin, M.; Eriksson, A. I. +8 more
Context. The Mutual Impedance Probe (MIP) of the Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC) onboard the Rosetta orbiter which was in operation for more than two years, between August 2014 and September 2016 to monitor the electron density in the cometary ionosphere of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Based on the resonance principle of the plasma eigenmodes, recen…
ROSINA ion zoo at Comet 67P
Altwegg, K.; Balsiger, H.; Fuselier, S. A. +9 more
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…
CO-driven activity constrains the origin of comets
Blum, J.; Fulle, M.; Rotundi, A.
Context. An open question in the study of comets is the so-called cohesion bottleneck, that is, how dust particles detach from the nucleus.
Aims: We test whether the CO pressure buildup inside the pebbles of which cometary nuclei consist can overcome this cohesion bottleneck.
Methods: A recently developed pebble-diffusion model was appli…
Investigating the Rosetta/RTOF observations of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko using a comet nucleus model: influence of dust mantle and trapped CO
Lasue, J.; Altwegg, K.; Garnier, P. +6 more
Context. Cometary outgassing is induced by the sublimation of ices and the ejection of dust originating from the nucleus. Therefore measuring the composition and dynamics of the cometary gas provides information concerning the interior composition of the body. Nevertheless, the bulk composition differs from the coma composition, and numerical mode…
Discrete element modeling of boulder and cliff morphologies on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Otto, K. A.; Sachse, M.; Kappel, D. +1 more
Context. Even after the Rosetta mission, some of the mechanical parameters of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko's surface material are not yet well constrained. These parameters are needed to improve our understanding of cometary activity or for planning sample return missions.
Aims: We study some of the physical processes involved in the forma…