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The comet nucleus: ice and dust morphological balances in a production surface of comet P/Halley.

Green, S. F.; McDonnell, J. A. M.; Pankiewicz, G. S. +2 more

Dust-to-gas mass ratios are presented based on in situ measurements of the coma dust and gas distributions of comet P/Halley by the DIDSY, PIA, and NMS experiments aboard the Giotto spacecraft. A relative excess, compared with preflight expectations, of particulates with masses >10^-9kg is observed; if this is representative of the co…

Significant variation from a 1/R² potential in the cumulative flux determined from the Giotto Comet Halley Dust Impact Experiment.

McDonnell, J. A. M.; Alexander, W. M.; McDonald, R. A. +3 more

The Giotto Comet Halley probe successfully traversed the inner coma of Comet Halley on March 14, 1986. The Dust Impact Detection System (DIDSY) aboard the Giotto spacecraft provided the information on the dust flux, mass spectrum, and cumulative mass distribution flux in the coma of Comet Halley. Analysis of discrete pulse height data of cometary …